like you gus, i suffered from severe damage due to reactions from medication related side effects. i lost about a year of my life due to them. memory loss, falls resulting in blood clots, shoulder injuries, dwi's (which thankfully resulted in no charges), spasms from meds, difficulty swallowing, losing the ability to read, difficulty in ability to follow thru on plans etc.

it was horrible. before this all happened i would read all the time...tons of books..my house was full of books..i wrote a novel..now it is a challenge for me to read a magazine article. i find it difficult to cook or follow thru on projects..or some simple tasks like cooking or even taking medicines at times. i find my entire thought process has changed to a more visual one...now when i need to think of a word i almost picture the image of it first & then the word comes to me...which was not the way it was before.

all of this is as a result of the time i was over medicated..i can not even tell you the medicines i was one. i live alone & have no family so it was up to me to fight the battle alone basically to stop the treatment & dig my way out of the fog. it was a nightmare.

but i can see how the brain has rewired somewhat...altho there is still some work to be done...i get frustrated because as someone who never studied in college & graduated with a 3.something gpa now i find reading difficult. it makes me angry...angry that i can not make dinner at times...or remember to pay a bill or take a pill...or other simple things...there is a blockage or a missed gap/synapse someplace.

i was telling my t this last week..if i knew where the damage was or what it was then i would feel better..i could understand it...or if someone would even admit there was damage..other than me saying i can't figure out how to do things....it feels as tho i have worked my way back from a brain injury..much is improeved but yet it isn't perfect.

frustrating....& all from medicines.