I found thislist by Googling, and I fit every one of these symptoms, albeit sporadically.
My question, (and if it doesn’t belong here, please move it - I am wondering if doubting myself about this thread is a symptom in itself?), is: If I have it, would I even bother to research it? Dreading it (father had what was then called “senile dementia”) as I do, it is on my mind almost all the time, so if being obsessed with it results in a “No you don’t have it” result, well then that would be a relief.
Do you see my dilemma?
I am 58.
I don’t “do well” in this area of the board so I have been very careful with my wording and I made a mental list of all the things I wanted to say, and it has taken me about 20 minutes to write.
Again, this is not meant to be taken as a joke or satire. I am genuinely concerned for my well-being because I live alone.
See a doctor. Alzheimers is difficult to self-diagnose, because sporadically can mean different things to different people, and if you’ve truly got Alzheimers then you likely won’t remember what you’ve forgotten.
Take heart from your age and the way the tell-tale signs have a ‘normal’ analogue and are sporadic. Early Onset dementia is very rare and we all get a bit vaguer.
Maybe your lifestyle - living alone (like I do) - is contributing to your feeling that you match the symptoms? Being depressed and generally torpid can lead me to believing I have these symptoms. I have a social work friend who works with the elderly dementia client group and she assures me she has more symptoms than me!
Do they have things like Memory Clinics in Georgia which you can be referred to by your doctor for a check up?
Hope things go well for you - I can imagine the burden your fears must impose. Don’t let them build up and overwhelm you.
I think most people over 50 begin to worry about being forgetful. A doctor can help you to be sure, as worry can make one forgetful.
I once thought I may be getting it and I called an ad in the Tribune for people to take part in an Alzheimers study and they gave me a test over the phone then said I just had normal (for my age) forgetfulness and gave me hints on how I could remember things better and it worked for me.
Forgetting very important things is a better sign than small things or names etc.
Self-diagnosing through checklists is - especially with Alzheimers - at the very least, not conclusive. At worst, it’s almost completely misguiding.
If you’re worried about your personal health, then I would not hesitate at all to contact a doctor. My grandfather is suffering from Alzheimers - at age 84 - and it hit him like a shockwave when he first found out about it five years ago. All his family and himself would have appreciated forewarning.
Do you and yours a favour and check it. It’s not a pleasant test, but it’s worth it.
I got six of the ten symptoms, at least from time-to-time. If we presume I am roughly 'normal," then i would suppose stuff like this is difficult to see in yourself. (Or perhaps too easy to see in yourself.)
If you forget where you left your keys, that’s not Alzheimer’s.
If you forget what a key is for (as in thinking it might be a suppository or a microphone instead of a device to start a car or open a door), that’s more like Alzheimer’s.
Don’t see your doctor–or see him/her only to get a referral to a psychologist, specifically someone with neuropsychological training. I have seen MDs administer the Mini Mental, and it ain’t pretty–or accurate. If you contact a psychologist, just explain your worry and they can tell you if they do screenings for memory issues or not. And tagos is right, depression can look like memory problems, which a psychologist can also help you figure out.
Take it from me, a hypochondriac*, that the only way you’re going to truly get peace of mind is by seeing a physician who can properly diagnose you. Looking up symptoms on the internet is the worst idea ever, because they always seem to jive, especially when you’re obsessing over something you think you might have. Relax, take a breath, and make an appointment! Most likely, you’re fine.
*Okay, not really, but I’ve obsessed over a few minor ailments in my life to the point where I went freaked out and drove to the ER.
I’d advise getting it checked out by a mental health professional, if only for your peace of mind. And if, God forbid, you are at the onset of symptoms, it’s better to start medicating now. Most likely you’re just showing the signs of normal aging.
Please see a doctor asap. My grandmother is getting nearer the later stages of alzheimers and it is very upsetting. Had she been diagnosed earlier the treatment that she could have been provided with would have slowed the process down. More and more research into the condition is being done and the treament given is not too bad. My grandmother was suspected to have got it back in 1995 although it was only diagnosed in 2002.
The fact that you are getting so worked up about it may be making the symptoms worse - you may not even have it. Just relax and seek help. Remember that there is treatment and people who will support you. Let us know how you get on.
I’ll take a quick break from the hysterical laughter - no, not at you Quasimodem, at the “key as a suppository” bit (damn that was a fantastic phrase!) - to add my agreement to the other posters. Get thee to a medical professional to be properly tested. Also, kudos to you for being concerned. I’ve seen far too folks just write off their symptoms as “nothing” and then have their illusions shattered when the truth comes out. That said, try not to worry yourself too much. You’ve got all us Dopers rootin’ for ya, and that should count for something!
I will echo the “see a doctor” phrase but suggest, as someone else did, that you actually go to a memory clinic that has professionals experienced in the field to do the diagnosing. When we took my mother they did an interview with her, a memory test and a PET scan, which was optional but ended up being the definitive test. She saw about 4 different people for the interviews and tests. I wish I had taken her sooner so she could have received the specific ALZ meds earlier and it might have slowed the progression but she wasn’t really showing signs that we could see as anything other than her just being mom and getting older.
Anyway, go to alz.org and they can probably help you find a clinic in your area.
In the meantime take your omega 3 supplements as it is supposed to help slow the progression and it’s good for you anyway even if you don’t have it. And do some brain exercises like crossword puzzles and memory exercises to keep your brain active.
I agree that you should have a professional check it out, but I’d like to add there are other reasons for memory loss. Most are correctable.
My mother-in-law has Alzheimer’s-like symptoms when she becomes anemic. Have a physical while you’re at it.
Also, have a blood test. There are a number of things besides Alzheimer’s that can cause memory and language problems. For instance, the inability to concentrate, short term memory loss and even anomia can be symptoms of Hypothyroidism, which is easily treated with hormone supplements.
Having had these symptoms myself, particularly the anomia, I can empathize with how frightening it can be. I was seriously terrified that I was losing the ability to communicate. I sometimes still struggle for the right word, and many things are described as “thingies”, which my husband has learned to decipher quite well.
But you’re never going to know if you are truly suffering symptoms of something, let alone what that something might be, or just experiencing normal aging, unless you see a medical professional.
Speaking as a psychiatrist, I echo this one. You probably will need a medical referral, but by the time a neuropsychologist finishes his evaluation you will have a detailed map of your brain’s cognitive and fine motor functions. It will show the changes associated with Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, mild cognitive dysfunction due to age, depression, anxiety, and ADHD. All treatable, and knowing which you’re treating saves a lot of time and worry.
The MMSE is OK as a screening tool, if used by someone who knows how to score it (failure to copy a diagram, pick up a sheet of paper, and read a written sentence can’t be used to diagnose dementia if the patient is blind.) But it’s not any kind of definitive test.
Quasimodem, I’m sorry to hear this. I have very little advice, other than the already stated bit to see the proper health professional. I recently lost my grandmother, but she has been gone for quite a while due to Alzheimer’s. Please, get checked out…
Thanks to all of you for your advice and good wishes.
My lady friend (significant other? what’s the term these days ) had noticed the forgetfulness, lack of desire (not the sexual kind - no problems there - yet) and mood swings, and when we pulled up the list, OMG, there I was in all of them!
So I called my PCP this morning and I have a psychiatric referral for next Tuesday.
I’m going to add to this one. Last spring, my father was given a “We’ve ruled out everything we can think of, except Alzheimers” diagnosis. Shortly after that, he visited a new doctor, in a new town, and she discovered that he had a very irregular pulse rate, it was occasionally dropping low enough to warrent implanting a pacemaker. Since then, his memory, speech and wit have all improved markedly.
