What is normal to remember?

[brit109]

I am afraid that my memory is completely going. I remember posting on this site, but I can't actually remember any of the things that I postes until I look pack at them, and I couldn't tell you that they were from me...I have a bad time with names, recalling what I did the day before and all sorts of other problems.  How do I know if this is a problem or if I should get this checked out?

[ggreg]

Well, the anxiety you report can be treated by a psychology group clinic, or even a regular general doctor if you want to start there.  Your regular doc can make sure it's not a health problem, and he might decide you can use some temporary tranquilizers, to help you relax, sleep better, and in general make you feel better.  Psychology clinics can also prescribe medicine, but they take it one step further, which is to talk to someone for a number of visits, to figure out how come you are anxious, which is the best way to approach this sort of thing, because once you know what triggers your anxiety, you can work with the psychologist to put those things in more normal perspective to get that anxiety level down.  I was in a car accident and I have panic disorder as a result of it, I've been thru behavior modifcation therapy and take medicines to keep it in check.  That's an extreme example, but I know what it's like to feel anxiety.  Another extreme is post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, many active military men get this from the stress of war.  Ordinary people in today's demanding and fast-moving society have anxiety problems, pretty much everybody takes some sort of pill for what ails them.

Back to the general doc, he can also make sure your heartrate, blood pressure, anything to do with your cardiovascular system is in good condition.  A lot of people suffer from high blood pressure and get extremely nervous and there are medicines to control that.  I remember I had a problem with my thyroid gland for a while, caused my heart rate to be over 100 all the time and thus I was a nervous wreck, and my internal medicine doctor gave me beta blockers medicine to reduce my rate, and I calmed right down, until my thyroid problem healed.  Also, a general doc can refer you to a psychology group if he finds you're in good health otherwise and determines you have straightforth anxiety.

Some simple things you can do on your own right now to ease your anxiety is, first and foremost, get into regular exercise.  This can include long walks several times a week, jogging or biking as a habit, taking up an active sport like tennis a few afternoons weekly, going down to the YMCA and using their pool a couple days after work, or even at home in front of the TV doing one of those exercise programs.  The reason exercise helps anxiety so well is it releases pent-up tension in the body, because anxious people's muscles get all tightened up.  Just be sure whenever you exercise, drink lots of water afterwards, so you don't get dehydrated.  Another similarly relaxing thing to do is like meditation, and that's to find time to just be quiet and alone, so you can stretch out on the couch, turn on your favorite easy-listening music, read a magazine while relaxing or just look out a window, and after about 10 minutes, you will get up and feel refreshed.

In addition to exercise, finding a hobby or pasttime that requires concentration can provide a person with mental relaxation, in that they focus entirely on that hobby, like puzzles, or doing some kind of artwork or crafts, learning how to play a musical instrument like guitar, just anything that is fun and requires you to concentrate.  In addition to giving your mind a rest, it also promotes self-confidence, you get good at something and it makes you feel accomplished.  I remember years ago I enjoyed the Paint Program, which is on pretty much every PC computer, I "painted" lots and lots of pictures, sort of simple things, I enjoyed all the colors, doesn't even have to be a particular design, and it took my mind off everything for a couple hours.

In addition to exercise and getting into a hobby, as well as visiting a doc, another thing that can help people with anxiety is plain old ordinary eating right and getting into the outdoors.  You can also take a multivitamin and mineral supplement just a couple times a week with a meal, and you should also at least find opportunities to go walk in a park and just look at all the trees and flora, being outside grounds a person, fresh air is good for you.

I'm glad you mentioned anxiety.  It points to several things that make you this way that CAN indeed be overcome.  Visiting a regular doc is a good idea, to make real sure it's not caused by a health issue.  Then you can go from there with seeing a psychologist for a couple months and they can give you some short-term tranquilizers to calm you down, and/or doing some of the suggestions I made that helps people live less stressful lives, with exercise being the number one solution.  Keep us posted!  

[brit109]

I do remember certain things about my past, its just my memories are few and far between and always fuzzy.  I get confused who I was with in certain memories.  I can recall times when I'm reminded of them, but I never seem to rememebr them as vividly as other people.  I also suffer from high levels of anxiety.  I have since I was in high school, and those years of my life seem to be some of the bluriest.  Does this sound like something I could just let go of, or is it something I should pursue?

[ggreg]

Well, aside from some important neurological issue, I can tell you that I have become quite absent-minded from being distracted by back problems from an accident.  This is being treated fairly adequately, but I still am in constant pain.  This has caused me to have trouble remembering things because I am distracted by my health issues.  My memory is not what it was, I am the same way about old posts and recalling words and things I've done!  So, I know what it's like to not remember things, but at least I know why it's that way, and I've gotten used to it, as have my famiy members.  At first, forgetting things is VERY confusing, so I know you are worried about all this.  

So, first to consider is the easy things that can cause this.  Could be there is something going on in your general life situations to where you are overwhelmed, from something simple like if you start a new job, or if for some reason you don't sleep very well, or like me you have pain somewhere in your body from perhaps a car accident, and as a result, you're distracted by all this and so don't concentrate as well, and this leads to forgetting stuff.  If upon reflection you realize something has indeed been distracting you, then whatever it is, you see a specific doc for it.  Or another possibility is could be you have an underlying health problem that is causing you not to focus very well, and this can include common things like anemia, mono, or vitamin deficiency, all of which can make you feel really slow and drifty, a simple blood test can reveal if it's a general illness.  And then there is the initial topic I mentioned, something neurological, which a neurologist can figure out what's wrong.

Best thing to do is visit your family doctor.  If you do not have one, you can go to your county's health department and be seen by a family physician there.  The reason you go to a family or general doc first is because he is familiar with just about everything that can go wrong with a person, he can do basic tests to see if your bloodwork looks okay, he can talk to you about your lifestyle and medical history, he can check your heartrate, temperature, and in general narrow down what might be causing you to be forgetful, and then he can either treat you for it himself if it's a simple vitamin deficiency, or he can refer you to a specialist to do further investigations.

Three specialists come to mind that can probably figure out what is wrong for you.  One would be a neurologist, since a significant memory problem can point to your brain not functioning properly, and he can do a regular neuro exam on you in the office, he can order tests like a scan, and eventually decide if your difficulty is neurological in nature and offer treatment.  Two would be a psychiatrist, since memory problems are often caused by too much stress on a person, and the psych doc can sit and talk with you, find out what you may not have considered is causing you to have memory trouble, and eventually he too can offer treatment.  Third is a sleep test doctor, you go to a special clinic where they hook you up to a bunch of wires and watch you sleep, and they may determine that your airway is being compromised by, say, snoring, and they can offer treatment.

Let us know what you decide to do and how things go.