Memory loss, living in the past.

Question

I am a 43 year old male, working in the film industry for over ten years, always very active.  That evidently has changed a few months ago.  Since then, I wake up in the morning and I'm ready to start the day; take the kids to school, go back home, do some house chores, and prep for the next film project.  Nothing special, the usual program.  But as I get out of bed, my wife walks in my room and tells me what has been going on for the last half year practically, tells me what needs to be done, and welcomes me to a date that...  makes it all feel like time travel into the future!  Where have I been all this time?  I don't know.  My memories are missing.  My memories up to a few months ago are intact, everything is just like it happened yesterday.  For me, it actually happened yesterday but evidently for the rest of the world around me, months have passed!  

My wife has been doing this for the last few months and it has taken a toll on her and on me, who every morning I get the news which plunge me into a depression I must fight all day to get out of.  I am feeling lost all the time, and it seems to me that everybody knows what's going on except me, who is still stuck back in time.  My wife showed me 50 First Dates, a film with a woman that seemed to have very similar symptoms.  I however, did not have a traumatic event, no car accident, I don't smoke and I don't drink.  My drug use is limited to Excedrin, with I take for my headaches sometimes.  I have seen a couple of specialists at UCLA and USC but neither could give me an answer in spite of numerous tests and MRIs.  Any suggestions?

caregiver222 · Answer

Quite clearly there has been a degradation in terms of mental functioning.

My suspicians tend toward a viral infection that is causing an immune reaction that is destroying brain cells. Recently Scientific American had an article on the viral etiology of dementia.

I'm not sure what is going on in your case, but, as you known the film industry is characterized by sixty-eight hour to ninety-eight hour work-weeks and the abnormal demands and sleep-cycles are not helping the situation.

Clearly, you need a professional in-person evaluation. After that, a second opinion.

anuragsrivastava · Answer

Hi, Thank you very much for your question; although it is quite difficult for me to give you a precise diagnosis here without being able to examine you, though I would try to provide you some relevant information about your health concern. You need a proper assessment and investigation here since there can be many causes for memory loss & concentration impairment. Most common causes of short term memory and concentration impairment are excessive stress, psychological reason, recent head injury, certain medications, hormonal imbalance and Alzheimer’s disease (if you are in old age). I would recommend you to see a neurologist who can evaluate the details of your case and could better determine the insight of your situation. In the meantime, try to do some meditation exercises (eg. breathing exercises), have a balanced diet and avoid stress. Hope this helps. Take Care & Regards.