Memory Loss

GBS is a peripheral neuropathy. It has nothing to do with memory.

I beg to differ with GH. Cognitive dysfunction is not all that uncommon with demyelination get disorders. CIDP is considered more of a peripheral process yet there are case reports of cognitive dysfunction such as http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3764560/ . I am not sure though that the memory lose the OP is describing is due to a remote history of GBS though. Food for thought.

My memory suffered severe fog from GBS/CIDP. It took almost 2 years for my memory to return. It also caused A-Fib, mouth paralysis, eye paralysis, and many other disorders that are muscle related.

“Peripheral” as referring to the anatomy can mean any muscle/organ affected, internal or external. Thus it has a lot to do with cognitive functions and other bodily processes that may appear autonomous to the ill informed.

Jim, these doctors claim that they may have found a variant of CIDP heretofore unknown, which affects cognitive function. Neither is a neurologist and neither seems to have research credentials. One is an osteopath. If there is anything to their hypothesis, it is a long way from being established.

I remember that when I was in the throes of fighting CIDP, I couldn’t work puzzles or do much else that required concentration. Pain meds may have had something to do with this, but basically it is just an aspect of being very ill. I couldn’t concentrate when I had the flu, either.

Here, the original poster reports having had GBS eight years ago. The active phase of GBS lasts a few weeks. I don’t know why some people think that because they have had a rare disorder, it must be contributing to everything that subsequently happens in their life. That doesn’t seem helpful. Where would you go following that line of thinking?

Who doesn’t get forgetful as we age? What I do about it is to try to keep better notes about appointments and shopping lists and such. If memory loss is severe enough to be a real concern, then by all means see a doctor, even a specialist, but keep an open mind about it.

I had a big problem with memory (and other basic brain functions) for the first year or two but things have righted themselves, mostly.

Can’t see that type of problem cropping up after the fact but I’m not a doctor, nor am I an expert. Will be interesting to hear if you discover differently.