My GF might have short term memory loss.

[In Search of Space]

Same with my wife.

I think Thais get bored easily, and since most of them need to make a huge effort just to understand the words you're saying, their brain gets bored and zones out. They probably make an effort to understand the words you're saying but that isn't 'sanuk' for a very long time, so by the time you finish the sentence the overall message already got lost.

Then again, I am exactly the same when I am on the computer (which is always). My wife has entire conversations with me that I later can't recall, so can't really blame her much.

But yeah, when you're just talking to someone face to face, doing nothing else and the other person zones out without apparent reason it can be quite frustrating.

Sorry, what was that ?

[Wordworx]

Same with my wife.

I think Thais get bored easily, and since most of them need to make a huge effort just to understand the words you're saying, their brain gets bored and zones out. They probably make an effort to understand the words you're saying but that isn't 'sanuk' for a very long time, so by the time you finish the sentence the overall message already got lost.

Then again, I am exactly the same when I am on the computer (which is always). My wife has entire conversations with me that I later can't recall, so can't really blame her much.

But yeah, when you're just talking to someone face to face, doing nothing else and the other person zones out without apparent reason it can be quite frustrating.

Sorry, what was that ?

*************************************

Sh-t, man, sometimes I get bored and don't listen and grasp the words when I talk to myself. >>> [Not so] Seriously, though, all this med-related info going back and forth: Yeaaaaaahhh, I guess it could be that she has a brain tumor, or something, but... No, actually I don't guess that. I guess it's like the cat quoted above said. And I further guess that the "headaches" are likely not. Suggestion to OP is to relax. Couples ignore each other all the time and "headaches" are handy for multiple purposes. Also pretty damn relative.

[ggt]

Why are we doing..."postings reruns"...?

Does someone have a short term memory problem?

Edited April 24, 2014 by ggt

[Andre0720]

A key question is whether she does this with other things or only with things you have said.

Is she having trouble retaining things hern Thai friends say to her? Forgetting what she was doing in the middle of a task?

If not then indeed, she is either not really listening or it is a language problem. If this is new, it may be that there is something on her mind that is preoccuping her.

If on the otjher hand she is unable to retain what anybody says tio her (in which case Thai friends and family will have noticed too), forgetting where she is/what she is doing then indeed a visit to a neurologiost is indicated.

Thanks to everyone for for all the answers.

Well, come to think of it, she does not do it with everything. She does not forget what she was doing in the middle of a task, she can sit for endless hours working and concentrating. And once I teach her to do something, she remembers every single step, that was one of the most amazing things I found about her when we first met and started working together.

If a person is not really listening, could they actually take part in a conversation? Im not being facetious or sarcastic, but how could she share in a conversation and then forget 5 minutes later? Maybe she is just so relaxed after a long Songkran weekend, not sure.

I will give it some more time and see how it is after a week or two. If its the same and she forgets after a few minutes, then maybe I am in the same boat with many posters here that she is pretending to listen just to be polite, but is actually tuning me out.

Nahhh...

Try to make sure that she does not remember at all.

Because it could be related to one of the 3 'motivators' in Thailand.

1-Taking care, 2-generate money, and 3-saving face...

The 'taking care' one makes them do strange things, by our standards....

Asking a stupid question, is part of taking care..

Gin cow laaeo? Did you eat already?

They do not care about the answer...

Asking a question for a Thai means 'I am taking care of you'.

So she MUST ask you some questions, just to prove to you that she is taking care of you...

[wprime]

The headaches are not new, she has had them since I have known her, and she tells me they are migraines and that she has had them for a long time. She just takes a Sara pill, but sometimes she still has the headache in the morning. Sometimes she will go to the pharmacy to get a different pill. I give her massages on her head and shoulders, and sometimes that doesnt even help. Sometimes the headaches go on for 2 or 3 days, sometimes they stop for a day or two. I thought it was just because she uses the computer all day, thats what she told me. Then I thought maybe she just needs glasses or something. I never correlated it or attributed it to memory loss, but Im not a doctor. I have been wanting to take her for an eye exam but we never took the time to do it.

What part of the head are her headaches in?

Do her headaches get worse when she's in front of the computer a lot?

Does the head and shoulder massage sometimes help?

Are the muscles around her neck very tense?

Does she ever have paralysis (pins and needles in parts of the body)?

Is she sensitive to light?

Particularly when she's getting the headaches?

Is her speech slurred or is part of her face slowed or uneven in reaction (incl pupils)?

Get an MRI done of her brain to rule out any growths or past brain ischemia. It's unlikely but she should get it done anyway just to be sure. If she has paralysis get an MRI of her cervical spine too.

Also treat the pink eye, it's readily treatable with anti-biotics but see a doctor just to make sure.

[johndudorn]

I find a lot of Thai's will not admit there lack of understanding of English. I was staying at a 5 star Hilton hotel in Bangkok last month. I ordered an omelet with mushrooms, sausage and cheese. Chef said he understood my order. When the order arrived my eggs were over easy and the mushrooms, sausage and cheese was on top. I have learned that the question should be do you understand "English" Vs. do you speak "English"

[djhotsox]

She is either:

1) just not paying attention to you

or more likely,

2) checking your story to see if in fact you did go on that Visa run....! lol

[Sheryl]

I find a lot of Thai's will not admit there lack of understanding of English. I was staying at a 5 star Hilton hotel in Bangkok last month. I ordered an omelet with mushrooms, sausage and cheese. Chef said he understood my order. When the order arrived my eggs were over easy and the mushrooms, sausage and cheese was on top. I have learned that the question should be do you understand "English" Vs. do you speak "English"

Actually I have found that it is best to avoid asking any question which can have a "yes" or "no" answer as they are too easy to answer without having understood what was asked (after all, 50% chance of being correct!). People who do not really grasp what you are saying are usually eager to end the conversation without having had to acknowledge that fact and saying "yes" or "no" offers a way of achieving that. So better to stick to questions that require a more complete answer.

Sometimes they will still say "yes" or "no" even though it was in no way a yes/no question, but if so that already tells you that they do not understand.

In social situations, it is important to remember that even if someone has the linguistic capacity to understand, it takes an effort that they may not feel up to sustaining. I know I frequently tune out of conversations in Thai and in Khmer, though I speak both well enough to potentially follow the conversation, simply because I do not feel like making the sustained effort it takes to do so, especially if it doesn't seem like it is anything vital. It often confuses my Thai and Khmer friends as they will have been talking together in my presence and asked my opinion, and there I am with no idea what was just said even though they thought I was part of the conversation and know that I speak the language well enough to have understood. I do - but not without making an effort that is a certain amount of work which is not really relaxing, and I was giving my brain a rest. So I can understand where a Thai might do the same with a friend or partner speaking to them in English.

But we digress - the OP's gf also has headaches 3-4 times a week and that puts an entirely different complexion on the matter, enough to warrant a neuro exam.

[shaul19]

Probably a language poblem or she doesn't listen.

I agree probably she don't understand all what you say but say yes or ok

[Bmouthboyo]

To be fair, Thai girls want to please their partner, so they often pretend to understand everything they say, even though they may be lacking in English ability or in general education. In which case, the same subject can come up later on and to them it is a new one, which can be a bit annoying to her partner. Alternatively, as is often the case, they just do not listen at all because they have no interest in the conversation.

Recently, when my girlfriend and I were having a small argument, I gave in jokingly saying that I wanted to avoid World War 3. Somewhat unusually, she was actually listening at the time but had no idea what I was talking about as she had never heard of the previous two. In that case, it was simply lack of education and not a language problem.

Your mrs has not heard of the 2 world wars?!!!!!! <deleted>

[marcusd]

A key question is whether she does this with other things or only with things you have said.

Is she having trouble retaining things hern Thai friends say to her? Forgetting what she was doing in the middle of a task?

If not then indeed, she is either not really listening or it is a language problem. If this is new, it may be that there is something on her mind that is preoccuping her.

If on the otjher hand she is unable to retain what anybody says tio her (in which case Thai friends and family will have noticed too), forgetting where she is/what she is doing then indeed a visit to a neurologiost is indicated.

Sheryl is correct. I am a GP in,oz. I do not practice here.

If she forgets a lot and others notice this too, it could be signs of something biological or worse. At that age dementia is not usually considered.

An MRI scan or CATscan is recommended if the problem is not just with you and her.

Please see a SPECIALIST as Sheryl says as normal GPs are not trained fir correct neurological assessments

Marcusd. Via tapatalk

[marcusd]

Good on you OP for caring about your g/f but asking this crazy forum for advice? LOL.

My wife is 20 years older and starting the menopause, is sometimes quite forgetful and it was beginning to worry her, she jokes that her brain battery is finished LOL.

Early 30's is a bit young, but it has been known.

Seriously though, a course of Chinese herbs has helped her Men symptoms very much and she has stopped worrying about the possibility of altimeters as she did before.

Good luck and let's hope it's nothing serious.

altimeter is for height. Alzheimer is memory. . Sorry just being a smart arse. No offense meant

Marcusd. Via tapatalk

[marcusd]

I find a lot of Thai's will not admit there lack of understanding of English. I was staying at a 5 star Hilton hotel in Bangkok last month. I ordered an omelet with mushrooms, sausage and cheese. Chef said he understood my order. When the order arrived my eggs were over easy and the mushrooms, sausage and cheese was on top. I have learned that the question should be do you understand "English" Vs. do you speak "English"

Actually I have found that it is best to avoid asking any question which can have a "yes" or "no" answer as they are too easy to answer without having understood what was asked (after all, 50% chance of being correct!). People who do not really grasp what you are saying are usually eager to end the conversation without having had to acknowledge that fact and saying "yes" or "no" offers a way of achieving that. So better to stick to questions that require a more complete answer.

Sometimes they will still say "yes" or "no" even though it was in no way a yes/no question, but if so that already tells you that they do not understand.

In social situations, it is important to remember that even if someone has the linguistic capacity to understand, it takes an effort that they may not feel up to sustaining. I know I frequently tune out of conversations in Thai and in Khmer, though I speak both well enough to potentially follow the conversation, simply because I do not feel like making the sustained effort it takes to do so, especially if it doesn't seem like it is anything vital. It often confuses my Thai and Khmer friends as they will have been talking together in my presence and asked my opinion, and there I am with no idea what was just said even though they thought I was part of the conversation and know that I speak the language well enough to have understood. I do - but not without making an effort that is a certain amount of work which is not really relaxing, and I was giving my brain a rest. So I can understand where a Thai might do the same with a friend or partner speaking to them in English.

But we digress - the OP's gf also has headaches 3-4 times a week and that puts an entirely different complexion on the matter, enough to warrant a neuro exam.

op I agree. The headaches could be related to the computer,eye problems and sitting posture combined. But a neurological exam will clear all.

We don't want to see a missed tumour tgread

Marcusd. Via tapatalk

[Doc46]

From what I have learned is that many people (most women and Thais) have that problem In the western Countries they named that disease ,selective hearing.

That means,selective attention and involves the auditory system of the nervous system

[Sheryl]

A large number of off-topic posts/banter have been removed. this is the Health forum, not pub.