I'm having memory problems

[amigoingmad]

Here's my story:-

I am a 28 year old man, I have noticed that my memory is not quite as good as it was before but i am not sure whether it's just me getting older or just being forgetful or whether it is something more serious like alzheimer's or dementia etc!

If i tell you what i have done today then maybe you will be able to give an opinion.

I was at home this afternoon and i was getting ready to go into town, I was meeting someone but also planned on putting some money into my bank account.

I met the person who i was meeting in town for around 20 minutes, after meeting them it started raining heavily so i took cover in a few places and rushed onto the bus and went to go back home, I remembered 2 hours after getting back home that i forgot to go into the bank to put some money into my account.

Also before i went home i popped into my local supermarket to get a few things, just before i left the supermarket i thought about going to the chemist to get a folder and a pill cutter, after i left the supermarket i went into the chemist and looked for a folder but they did not have any so i bought something else and left the shop, again a few hours later when i was at home i thought dam i forgot to get a pill cutter.

So i have had two bad memory lapses today, Does everyone do things like this or does it mean i might have serious memory problems and maybe the early symptoms of dementia?

Thank you for taking the time to read and any comments or advice would be most welcome.

 

[TinaT]

I do what you have described almost every day of my life, but I can remember that I've forgotten. Normally dementia sufferers do not even remember that they haven't done everything they were going to do. I think we all suffer from forgetfulness but if it is worrying you, perhaps a chat with your doctor will help. Have you been under any stress this week? I find I am extra forgetful if that is the case.

xxTinaT

 

[jenniferpa]

Hi and welcome to Talking Point.

To be honest what you describe there is common forgetfulness. Some of us, not matter what our age, are better at remembering the details and some are better at the bigger picture - what you describe here are the details. So, if you had purchased a pill cutter and then not known what it was or why you had purchased it, I would more concerned than simply forgetting to purchase it in the first place.

One thing you should consider - you mention a pill cutter so are you on any medication? There are a whole bunch that can affect your memory (I was once at about 30 put on an antibiotic that caused me, among other things, to forget how to fill out a cheque) so consider that.

Apart from that, I would strongly suggest keeping a diary so you can see whethr there is any sort of pattern and so you have something refer to if you subsequently decide to see your GP. Do you have a SO or close family? They are likely to be the people to notice if anything is really wrong.

 

[amigoingmad]

I do what you have described almost every day of my life, but I can remember that I've forgotten. Normally dementia sufferers do not even remember that they haven't done everything they were going to do. I think we all suffer from forgetfulness but if it is worrying you, perhaps a chat with your doctor will help. Have you been under any stress this week? I find I am extra forgetful if that is the case.

xxTinaT

Thank you Tinat for your response!

So you're saying that dementia sufferers do not even remember that they haven't done something they were planning to do? So me remembering even though it was 2-3 hours later is a good sign?

 

[amigoingmad]

Hi and welcome to Talking Point.

To be honest what you describe there is common forgetfulness. Some of us, not matter what our age, are better at remembering the details and some are better at the bigger picture - what you describe here are the details. So, if you had purchased a pill cutter and then not known what it was or why you had purchased it, I would more concerned than simply forgetting to purchase it in the first place.

One thing you should consider - you mention a pill cutter so are you on any medication? There are a whole bunch that can affect your memory (I was once at about 30 put on an antibiotic that caused me, among other things, to forget how to fill out a cheque) so consider that.

Apart from that, I would strongly suggest keeping a diary so you can see whethr there is any sort of pattern and so you have something refer to if you subsequently decide to see your GP. Do you have a SO or close family? They are likely to be the people to notice if anything is really wrong.

Hi Jennifer, Thank you for replying and thank you for your welcome.

So what i was saying about my memory is just common forgetfulness?

Obviously i do know what a pill cutter is and i would have know why i purchased it if i did not forget to purchase it.

You mention pills, I have been on anti-depressant medication for just over 5 years because 5 years ago i suffered from slight depression and anxiety.

I live with a partner and they don't say anything regarding my memory, sometimes i ask them if they think my memory is getting really bad and they say no but to me it feels like it is.

Thank you again for replying.

 

[jenniferpa]

Awareness is key, I think. Very, very few people who have dementia are aware that there is actually something wrong.

I really don't think you have anything to worry about, but keep a note of any memory lapses and consult your GP if you are still worried.

 

[TinaT]

To give you one example of memory loss from my husband's early stages when we didn't even realise he had an illness.

He would go to the shops and buy washing up liquid when he should have got soap powder. Now that sounds like normal forgetfulness, until you do this sort of mix up almost every day of the week plus other strange things.

He would drive around a roundabout 5 times because he had forgotten which exit he should have used. He used this roundabout at least three times each week prior to this for several years.

He couldn't add up money and had to give notes instead of coins to be sure he had given enough money for his purchases. This is a man who was a whiz kid at maths previously!

He had it written down what time he had to pick me up at the airport. He had the flight number. I phoned him to remind him before I flew. When I arrived at the airport he wasn't there but I had a call from the loudspeaker asking me to contact the desk. He had arrived for an earlier flight, found I wasn't on it and then disappeared.

I was frantic. I had no money, no house keys, thought he might have fallen ill but got no reply on the phone. After six hours chasing around the airport looking for him every where, I finally contacted the police. He was at home and had forgotten that he had even been to the airport, never mind that he should have picked me up!

Yet on the surface, he appeared quite normal.

So I do not think you have the early signs of this illness. Having said that I can only relate my own experiences. Other people may be able to tell you of other things which were so out of the ordinary that it rang warning bells.

xxTinaT

 

[amigoingmad]

Awareness is key, I think. Very, very few people who have dementia are aware that there is actually something wrong.

I really don't think you have anything to worry about, but keep a note of any memory lapses and consult your GP if you are still worried.

Thanks again jennifer

I'm glad that you think that i do not have anything to worry about, I have thought that maybe the anti-depressants could be affecting my memory but it doesn't say anything about it affecting your memory if you look at the listed side effects.

 

[amigoingmad]

To give you one example of memory loss from my husband's early stages when we didn't even realise he had an illness.

He would go to the shops and buy washing up liquid when he should have got soap powder. Now that sounds like normal forgetfulness, until you do this sort of mix up almost every day of the week plus other strange things.

He would drive around a roundabout 5 times because he had forgotten which exit he should have used. He used this roundabout at least three times each week prior to this for several years.

He couldn't add up money and had to give notes instead of coins to be sure he had given enough money for his purchases. This is a man who was a whiz kid at maths previously!

He had it written down what time he had to pick me up at the airport. He had the flight number. I phoned him to remind him before I flew. When I arrived at the airport he wasn't there but I had a call from the loudspeaker asking me to contact the desk. He had arrived for an earlier flight, found I wasn't on it and then disappeared.

I was frantic. I had no money, no house keys, thought he might have fallen ill but got no reply on the phone. After six hours chasing around the airport looking for him every where, I finally contacted the police. He was at home and had forgotten that he had even been to the airport, never mind that he should have picked me up!

Yet on the surface, he appeared quite normal.

So I do not think you have the early signs of this illness. Having said that I can only relate my own experiences. Other people may be able to tell you of other things which were so out of the ordinary that it rang warning bells.

xxTinaT

Thank you again Tina for your help.

If you don't mind me asking how old was your husband when he started having problems?

Well i am forgetful a lot of the time but i don't usually forget to go somewhere that i am planning to go although the main reason i went out was to meet someone and i met them and then obviously a while after that it started raining and i went home and just forgot about going to the bank, I'm surprised it took me 2 hours to remember that i hadn't gone to the bank though and thought ooops.

I'm happy that in your opinion you do not think that i have the early signs of dementia.

 

[TinaT]

My husband was in his middle 50's.

xxTinaT