Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
427279 tn?1210919821

dementia?

hi ,i have a problem remembering things and i was talking to my daughter the other day and i couldnt think of the word to save my soul ...she says mom have you been checked for dementia?...hmmmm i do that a lot i will be talking to someone and for the life of me cant bring up the word i want to say....my long term memory isnt the greatest either...my kids will be sitting around talkig ad say mom do you remember this or that?.....a lot of times i would say yeah ...but i dont...but finally started to say nooo i dont...and there is a lot of my younger years i dont remember but that may be because i block it out ..who knows ...anyway it just was bugging me about the dementia thing  so thats all i have to say for now...  

every one take care...im just venting again...lol...happy easter to all that celebrate it.....deb
7 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
378497 tn?1232143585
My memory is shot, and I'm only 39 (almost 40), and I have historically had a mind like a steel trap. Yet, in the last three weeks, I have gotten home from errands, walked in my house, and left my groceries in the car for HOURS. I've done this THREE TIMES in as many weeks--something I've never done before in my life. I suddenly can't find words any more in a brain that usually has no trouble summoning words, information, or calculations. The word just isn't there, and I'm normally a fluid, articulate, and erudite speaker. Sorry if that sounds kind of arrogant, but it's just true.

I'll do something or ask someone to do something and then completely forget it within seconds and ask again or try to do it again. These are things I've never done before in my life, not pregnant, not in the most stressful peaks of my existence. It is this stuff, more than anything else, that actually adds to my stress. My brain is what I have going for me, and if it goes, I go with it. Just like the rest of us.

E
Helpful - 0
427279 tn?1210919821
thank you very much.sometimes i feel i should have a dunce hat on..lol...im driving my furkid sassy nuts again...she hates it when im up late ...poor thing but cant be helped...thanks again for info as allways very much appreciated....take care ...deb
Helpful - 0
147426 tn?1317265632
Been there.  Done that.  Got the T-shirt and out grew it!

In MS, the single most common part of the cognitive dysfunction is Word Recall.  My usually intense neuro is accustomed to waiting while we fumble for words.  He actually laughed when I complained of becoming, "verbally stupid."

If cognitive function is a real problem for you inquire about getting a "neuropsychology" eval.  These are done by PhD psychologists and can measurement a wide range of mental and cognitive functions.  The pattern of problems  can often point to a diagnosis and can often rule out depression and anxiety as the major players.

Just a thought.

Quix
Helpful - 0
427279 tn?1210919821
thank you all for answering,i sure feel better. my problem is i dont have insurance..big prob...but i go to health dept. now im going to call them monday. i have the memory thing.. and my muscles in my legs and arms weak ..cant hardly do a lot anymore..

i have pains here and there.....like in my legs and i have balance problems...i understand the running into doorknobs..and the bruises...my hubby keeps telling me i look like im drunk..lol...i have fallen a few times..if i try to move fast i go down..

i want to thank each and every one of you,i really love this board and im sooo glad i found it....not sure how i did but oh well..lolol...oh and i also have sleep issues
and when i stay and happen to fall asleep at puter i get woke up by my hand doing a ,trying to throw the mouse..lol guess i fell asleep with mouse in hand and my hand jerks and mouse goes flying..lol........

ok i guess i have talked enough and again i am so glad to meet you all and talk to you..it sure helps...take care ....deb



Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi Deb,

There's the saying "been there, done that, got the t-shirt"....

Well in my instance, my husband and son were going to actually make me a t-shirt because of my forgetfulness.

In '99 I had a hysterectomy. It seems at that time that's when I started to forget things. It got to be a regular thing for me to say "I can't remember anything since the surgery." so they were going to put that on the t-shirt for me!!

Then one time it became too much. At dinner I just started to tear up, and I said to my dh, "Do you know what it's like to think you're getting old and you're only in your 40's?!" We're not sure if my Dad is in the early stages of Alzheimer's so I have secretly done those online tests to see if I have it too! (I don't.)

Fast forward to '06 when I had more surgery and tada! my memory seems to have come back.

NOW....I am NOT suggesting you have surgery to jumps-start your memory, lol, just sharing what happened to me.

Now I am dealing with this Undiagnosed MS stuff and I wonder if those cognitive issues are part of the MS and not at all related to surgery. Because IT is starting to happen again.......

Put it on your timeline, make free and uninhibited use of post-it notes and white boards, and let your dr. know too!

Suzanne
Helpful - 0
335728 tn?1331414412
Hi deb...my name is Rena and I don't believe we have spoken before but if we have, guess what...I forgot, so please forgive me ok?  I am very serious here though and I highly doubt that at your age you need to be worrying about dementia.  However, if you are looking at the possibility of a diagnosis of MS, you may be having cognitive difficulties that you need to bring to your MS Specialists attention!

I have been diagnosed with MS but my dr. does not believe that my disease is active so she has decided that I have not passed the criteria for the disease modifying drugs...but, I have experienced some of what you are talking about and it can be VERY frustrating!

I have been having problems with memory for a long time and I too have no recollection of a lot of childhood or early teen years and now it has spread into my early years after meeting my hubby.  It is very frustrating but it does not mean you have dementia so you can tell the kids that there are other reasons and you are in the process of finding out what else it might be ok?!

Word retrieval is another VERY frustrating part of cognitive difficulty that may be related to MS.  Looking for that darn word that just isn't there and you having to restart the sentence because you just can't find it is not only time consuming but it can be embarrassing when you are with strangers!  My hubby has gotten quite good at filling in the blank and now wants to play on Wheel of Fortune cause he thinks he could make us rich he has gotten so good at it!  tee hee

I really believe that your symptoms need to be brought to your doctor's attention and they could be a very important part of moving towards a diagnosis.  To you it may seem minor and not important but trust me...sometimes the symptoms that seem irrelevant to us can be the most important to the physician.

Lots of Hugs,

Rena
Helpful - 0
195469 tn?1388322888
Anytime you have memory problems like this, they should be brought up with your doctor.  This is never something to fool around with.

Please make a call to your doctor's office and tell that what a family member AND yourself, has observed about your memory.

It is important...

Big Hugs,
Heather
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Multiple Sclerosis Community

Top Neurology Answerers
987762 tn?1671273328
Australia
5265383 tn?1669040108
ON
1756321 tn?1547095325
Queensland, Australia
1780921 tn?1499301793
Queen Creek, AZ
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease