Short-term memory issues

[hers]

For the past year or so now, I've been having terrible memory issues. I will literally hear or see something and then immediately forget. Like at work, I'll switch from one screen to another to look at a phone number, literally be saying th phone number out loud, and then switch to the next screen to enter it and can't remember by the time I click to it. And the other night, we were playing cards, and I put down a card, and then went to go put down another card bcause I couldn't remember if I put a card down.

 

But then my long-term memory is great. I remember things from childhood, like particular dates and events and looks of buildings and all of that, of things I ever only said or saw or heard just once before. Like I remember assigning a birthday to a teddy bear I got when I was 6 and to this day I remember that birthday to this day but had th bear for probably 3 weeks before I lost it. So I never even celebrated the damn thing's birthday but remember it 25 years later.

 

I don't know if I just don't pay enough attention to something, like the card I just played, in order to retain some information, but I just can't remember anything ever and it's starting to affect my life negatively. Like not remembering something simple at work and screwing up b/c of it, or my husband telling me some plans and forgetting a minute later.

 

What does this mean? Is this really bad? I'm scared I'm losing it at such a young age. I should note that dementia and Alzheimer's run in my family, but this young? I have no idea if that's normal .

[hers]

Literally just forgot I posted this thread until I went to the main page to look at new threads and saw this and my name. Oh my gosh. It's really bad sometimes.

[browneyedgirl36]

Me too, hers. I'm 43, so I'm a bit older than you, but I find my short-term memory is CRAP these days. I don't think it's dementia setting in prematurely or anything; I think in my case it might be stress and not getting good quality sleep a lot of the time. Are you under a lot of stress? How much sleep do you get? Are you eating well, for the most part, getting enough vitamins, nutrients, etc.? Are you well-hydrated? Dehydration, I have learned, causes ALL sorts of issues, including difficulty focusing, forgetfulness, fatigue. I know I need to work on drinking a lot more water.

 

But, yeah...I've already forgotten most of what I did yesterday. I'll read something, and forget it a short time later. *sigh*

[hers]

I have no stress in my life. If I do, it's my MIL causing issues but I have just pretty much stopped communicating with her.

 

I drink about 50-60 oz of straight water a day, just under the recommended 72 oz of water. Some days I go over though. I don't eat the best--I love my junk food but I try not to overdo it (like one little debbie snack a day--most days--, one soda a day, etc). I recently just started working out, literally a week or so ago now. I don't take vitamins and never have. I sleep maybe 6-7 hours a night. I think I should definitely sleep more.

 

We have a patient at work who is 59 and already has Alzheimer's AND dementia. So it happens so young to some people and that scares the crap out of me. I work with elderly people most days so I see a lot of dementia and Alzheimer's patients come through who go through such difficulty and how their families handle it. It's awful.

[delicous]

Blame the Chem-Trails..

[hers]

Blame the Chem-Trails..

 

I don't even know what that means.

[Circe]

Hers - definitely see a Dr.

 

It might not be anything but you should get tested so if there is a problem they can find out. I know it's Terrifying to go and find out - but every single time I have learned that putting something off and not getting the test done as early as possible was always the wrong way to go.

 

So many things - if you catch them early there are so many options and things that can be done... but if you don't catch them early..

 

Whatever you have sounds different to a normal degree of forgetting things - so get it checked out. It might not be anything - but get it checked out.

[Circe]

Literally just forgot I posted this thread until I went to the main page to look at new threads and saw this and my name. Oh my gosh. It's really bad sometimes.

 

I mean this.. from my time stamps there was a 15 min break between your two posts there. You wrote a long post about an issue that's bothering you a lot - and then you forgot about it in 15 mins?

 

That's what I'm saying sounds like more than the normal degree of forgetting. Get it checked out - the GP will probably refer you to a neuro specialist and they have heaps of tests they can do to make sure you're ok.

[hers]

Last night I was at dinner (sushi), and the waitress asked if we needed anything else. I said "yes, may I please have a side of eel sauce, the soy sauce with the red cap, and a side of eel sauce?"

 

I've always been ditzy and flighty but not to this extent an it's worrying me. I'm definitely going to make an appt with a doctor I think.