Can long Covid cause memory loss?

[Janeway]

Over the last year, I have noticed, more and more, where my oldest sister remembers things wrong. This is not a case of he said she said. This has come to light when in a group conversation and one sibling commented about something our mom always said and our oldest sister looked disgusted and said that never happened and then the rest of us chimed in that it happened all the time. Even today, when with this sister, she mentioned she was bothered that our brother said things to her about stuff that she knows never happened and I came back and told her that stuff did happen. This is in response to things that might not be huge deals, like her memory of TV shows that were watched that never existed (or at least, not watched by me or any of my siblings) and activities we were involved in, but also big things that were huge deals. She does not even remember breaking her arm when she was a teen.

She had Covid where she was very sick in the summer of 2020. It actually last a couple months and left her with organ damage, specifically, heart damage. This insistence that she remembers things and remembers details of things that never happened, or is positive things did not happen that did happen seems to be just since then. And of course, Dad died in January 2021 so maybe this all came about with that. Or maybe the timing is just coincidental. She has no spouse and no kids so no one else to notice this.

But can long Covid cause this?

Edited January 30, 2022 by Janeway

[EKS]

27 minutes ago, Janeway said:

But can long Covid cause this?

From what I've read, the answer is yes.

[KungFuPanda]

I’d say probably. Covid seems like a hell of a multi-tasker. Going forward though, I’d be careful to have symptoms evaluated on their own merit. I’m beginning to worry that we’re gonna start misdiagnosing things as symptoms of Covid when they could be indicators of something else.  Everyone is getting older, and stuff is going to happen. Nature won’t give us a break because we had Covid. 

[busymama7]

Covid definitely does some crazy stuff related to the brain and memory. However,  it is more commonly short term stuff like losing train of thought and. Ot being able to remember a conversation from yesterday or 5 mins ago.  While I wouldn't rule it out completely, I wouldn't necessarily blame it on it either.  It is actually a pretty common occurrence for siblings to remember things COMPLETELY differently. I would be more concerned if you knew she used to remember specific things and now doesn't.  

[Ausmumof3]

Yes it can but also having different memories of childhood events is not that unusual even without physical issues and stress can exacerbate stuff like that.

[sbgrace]

Is this new?   I am the oldest of my siblings and I have memories none of them have and even more that my youngest sister doesn't share. My youngest sister very often remembers things differently than myself and my siblings. She likely did experience different things and even processed shared things differently due to age and, in her case, surely personality. Her memories are so different that it has been puzzling to us at times. But she's always done this. 

 

Edited January 30, 2022 by sbgrace

[Bambam]

My sister and I don't always agree on memories of things we share in common either. She said I would eat mayo by the spoonfuls as a child. I hate mayo. And I always have. No way would I eat a spoonful without bad results.  Other memories are strange too. So far, I've attributed it to age, and it was a long time ago.  And sometimes I think you try to remember things through a filter to make it seem better than it was - and if you've been telling stories about it to cast a certain image, you can start to 'remember' it like that. 

[J-rap]

I'm wondering if this is new too.  Of my children, one remembers things so differently, but consistently.  It used to be a little disconcerting, until we had a better understanding of the way his brain works.  Now we know that his brain just takes in and filters information very differently!  My dh has a sibling like this.  For example, she has many wonderful memories of her grandfather being at her wedding (many years ago) and how special that was.  Well, apparently he had died several years before she was married!  Of course all of her siblings just kind of chuckle and know that that's her.

I also think depression and/or trauma can twist one's memories.  

[KidsHappen]

Forgetting that you broke your arm as a teen sounds like a little more than Covid brain. I would find this very concerning and encourage a doctor's workup.