Worried about dementia

Starvinmarvin

Registered User
Oct 22, 2006
15
0
Wiltshire


Hi Everyone,


I am new to this site, i am very concerned and worried that i may have dementia, i always thought dementia in someone my age (I'm 27) was basically impossible and that it only occured in much older people, but i have been doing some reading and i know now that is not the case.

I am married to a lovely woman and i have a lovely little daughter.

I just seem to do so many stupid things and my memory just seems to be getting terrible recently, for example my wife makes me a cup of tea and then around 10-15 minutes later i go to say to my wife have you made that cup of tea but sometimes i realise before i am about to say something that she has already made me a drink.

I forget quite alot of things and i'm really scared that i am losing my mind, surely someone my age hasn't got dementia? i've never heard of anyone my age to develop dementia.

No-one in my family has had dementia but i know thats not really relevant as anyone can develop dementia.

I do plan on going to my GP shortly and telling them that i am having memory problems, i hope they do some investigations and don't just fob me off and turn round and say people your age don't have memory problems or something like that.

I have never had any health problems and i am worrying day and night about this recently, thinking that i could be losing my mind and that if i did have dementia i would fade away and die before i get to 35 or maybe before that.

My wife is a lovely woman but she doesn't really understand my problems, she thinks it's impossible for someone my age to get any form of dementia.

Some of the things i do include forgetting the day, time and date, i go to do something and i forget to do it (this has been happening quite alot recently).

The other day i went to change the time on my computer because it was wrong but i went to change the date instead.

Sometimes i forget things i was going to say, sometimes i get my words muddled and now and again i struggle remembering names of things and cannot get out what i am trying to say.

I hope some people on here can offer me some advice as i am very worried.

Thanks for reading. :)
 

Lila13

Registered User
Feb 24, 2006
1,342
0
There are lots of things it might be, thyroid disorder, depression, stress caused by unemployment, vitamin deficiency. Hope your doctor will take your worries seriously.



Lila
 

noelphobic

Registered User
Feb 24, 2006
3,452
0
Liverpool
Starvinmarvin said:
What are you trying to say??? that's nothing to do with me, i don't appreciate being accused of something, i had never even heard of this site until i found it yesterday!!
I didn't accuse you of anything! I thought it might be helpful to look back on previous posts from people with similar worries to your own.
 

Starvinmarvin

Registered User
Oct 22, 2006
15
0
Wiltshire
Lila13 said:
There are lots of things it might be, thyroid disorder, depression, stress caused by unemployment, vitamin deficiency. Hope your doctor will take your worries seriously.



Lila


Thanks for the reply Lila, i'm hoping it is nothing serious like dementia, i hope the doctor takes my worries seriously as well, thanks again.
 

nicetotalk

Registered User
Sep 22, 2006
155
0
stretford
To starvinmarvin

I agree with lila 13 could be a number of things my brother was very forgetful it turned out it was due to stress doing to much.

kathy
 

BeckyJan

Registered User
Nov 28, 2005
18,971
0
Derbyshire
I learned somewhere that there are over 100 different health problems that can cause forgetfulness - see your Dr as soon as you can - and if he does not take your problem seriously then I suggest you get another opinion.

I am sure that whatever is the cause, someone can help you.
Best wishes Beckyjan
 

Starvinmarvin

Registered User
Oct 22, 2006
15
0
Wiltshire
I am making an appointment tomorrow to see the doctor.

I don't really know what to say to the doctor, i will probably just say that i am having memory problems and see what the doctor says.

I am very worried recently though, i am doing alot of stupid things recently and i get some stupid thoughts in my head and i am worrying alot right now!!
 

Starvinmarvin

Registered User
Oct 22, 2006
15
0
Wiltshire
I have no idea how many people around my age get dementia, i can't see many people in the world having dementia at my age but i know that it's not impossible as anything can happen.

I wonder what the chances are of someone my age getting dementia? maybe around 1000/1 or something.
 

noelphobic

Registered User
Feb 24, 2006
3,452
0
Liverpool
Starvinmarvin said:
I have no idea how many people around my age get dementia, i can't see many people in the world having dementia at my age but i know that it's not impossible as anything can happen.

I wonder what the chances are of someone my age getting dementia? maybe around 1000/1 or something.

one of the people who I mentioned who used to post here said

I don't know what chance i have of having dementia, maybe a 1 in 100,000 chance or something like that.

I'm not sure what the statistics actually are.Possibly somewhere inbetween the two.
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/TalkingPoint/Discuss/showthread.php?t=3050
 

Starvinmarvin

Registered User
Oct 22, 2006
15
0
Wiltshire
I have made an appointment to see the doctor, i will be seeing him later in the week.

TBH i expect to be fobbed off with something like "Oh you're too young to have anything seriously wrong with you" etc etc or something along those lines.

I hope my concerns are taken seriously, and i hope some investigations will be conducted to try and figure out why my memory is sluggish recently.
 

Brucie

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
12,413
0
near London
Well done and good luck on your appointment day.

I had an operation back in July and have had some troublesome after effects. To make sure I don't leave out anything when I see the doctor, I keep a daily diary of what is happening. Then, I can refer to it during an appointment.

Why not try keeping your own diary of things that worry you - at the time they happen. Put all your worries into it and then the doctor will surely not take things lightly.

Best wishes
 
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Starvinmarvin

Registered User
Oct 22, 2006
15
0
Wiltshire
Thanks for the reply and info Brucie, it was helpful :)

These are some of the things that i seem to be doing daily recently:-

1) I sometimes get confused with people's names

2) I seem out of it, my mind seems to go blank alot of the time

3) When my wife has made me a cup of tea or something 5 mins or so later i will think has she made that cup of tea? then i will realise that she has already made it.

The thing is i know i am making alot of mistakes, i am very aware of my memory problems, i've noticed it first before anyone else.

My wife thinks that it's nothing serious and that i have definitley not get anything like dementia, she says my memory seems fairly normal but i don't feel that way.

There is no history in my family of memory problems, alzheimer's or any kind of dementia or inherited disease etc, my grandparents on both sides are over 70 and have not had any problems with memory etc, so maybe that is a positive thing to think about but i know it is still not impossible for me to develop dementia.

I have been doing alot of research on the internet recently and i have read quite alot regarding dementia, it says that sometimes when you go to the doctors they do a memory test on you there and then to see whether you may have some form of dementia etc, i would be happy if the doctor who i am seeing on wednesday will do something like that with me to see if anything serious is wrong and it could put my mind at rest, the thing is i am worrying about these memory problem more and more by the day, i am really starting to focus on it and it may be making it worse and i cannot really focus on anything else.

Does dementia progress slowly or rapidly in young people? i was just wondering as if the worst came to the worst and i had dementia i would really it develop very slowly rather than rapidly.

I'm just hoping for some good news on wednesday or at least something positive and some reassurance from the doctor.

Thanks for taking the time to read this all :)
 

MrsP

Registered User
Mar 19, 2005
115
0
Dear Starvinmarvin

Hope all goes well tomorrow. As others have already said, there can be many causes to poor memory and concentration problems, all of which my Dad was tested for prior to the diagnosis of dementia. Although you are obviously very afraid, I would put my money on another cause. I know that the attitude of the doctor can be a large factor in putting your mind at rest (or not!) so I hope that you have a good GP that will take you seriously and see how worried you are, if not I would suggest requesting to see another GP. Again, hope all goes well and let us know how you get on. Take care, kate x.
 

Starvinmarvin

Registered User
Oct 22, 2006
15
0
Wiltshire


Hi everyone,

I went to the doctors today, unfortunately i did not get many answers.

She said that she doesn't think that it is anything too serious but she was not quite sure.

She said if the situation got worse or if it continues then if i go back to them they will look into it.

I'm not sure whether i am satisfied with that, i told her that sometimes i forget people's names and what date it is and what day it is.

I also told her that when someone makes me a cup of tea, 5-10 mins later i will think has that tea been made and then i would realise that it had already been made.

I am really hoping that it is nothing serious like dementia.
 

Grannie G

Volunteer Moderator
Apr 3, 2006
81,447
0
Kent
Starvinmarvin, I`m sorry you`re so worried and weren`t really happy with the support from your doctor.

May I suggest you make a diary of all your symptoms during the next 4 weeks. Write down everything that happens that concerns you, and make a note of the date and the time.

After the 4 weeks, if you are still worried, go back to your doctor, with your diary, and if she`s still not sure, ask to be refered to a Specialist.

Good luck. Sylvia
 

Starvinmarvin

Registered User
Oct 22, 2006
15
0
Wiltshire
Grannie G said:
Starvinmarvin, I`m sorry you`re so worried and weren`t really happy with the support from your doctor.

May I suggest you make a diary of all your symptoms during the next 4 weeks. Write down everything that happens that concerns you, and make a note of the date and the time.

After the 4 weeks, if you are still worried, go back to your doctor, with your diary, and if she`s still not sure, ask to be refered to a Specialist.

Good luck. Sylvia


Hi Sylvia,

Thanks for the message, i will keep a diary from now on so i can show the doctor my problems should i ever need to go and see the doctor again :)