Memory Loss Question

[debblyn]

Hi everyone -- kind of blown away at how quiet it is around here these days...

hope everyone is doing ok??? fish hope that guppy of yours is growing strong and healthy....
as for the rest of you -- my thoughts are with you -- as dim as they seem to be as of late... which brings me to my question.

has anyone ever used the wrong word without realizing it at first?
for example: I asked my husband this question this morning, when you get out of the garage can you help me load stuff into my car.

what worries me is, I used the word garage instead of bathroom. The word garage just came out...

another time this past week I actually said this, "I cant believe its 2001 already".
my husband thought I was crazy and had to tell me its 2007....

twice now I have used the wrong word without even thinking about it -- as well I am finding it harder and harder to recall things I have done such as taking meds. I will look at the bottle and sincerley not recall if I took the pills or not...

ok should I worry about this? I was reading some memory loss literature and it said people who are aware of these mistakes are usually not headed down a serious memory loss path.. but using wrong words and not recalling things like taking meds -- is starting to really freak me out.

any, pardon the pun, thoughts about this as I am kind of concerned.

miss you guys
debblyn

[Matuboo]

Hi everyone -- kind of blown away at how quiet it is around here these days...

hope everyone is doing ok??? fish hope that guppy of yours is growing strong and healthy....
as for the rest of you -- my thoughts are with you -- as dim as they seem to be as of late... which brings me to my question.

has anyone ever used the wrong word without realizing it at first?
for example: I asked my husband this question this morning, when you get out of the garage can you help me load stuff into my car.

what worries me is, I used the word garage instead of bathroom. The word garage just came out...

another time this past week I actually said this, "I cant believe its 2001 already".
my husband thought I was crazy and had to tell me its 2007....

twice now I have used the wrong word without even thinking about it -- as well I am finding it harder and harder to recall things I have done such as taking meds. I will look at the bottle and sincerley not recall if I took the pills or not...

ok should I worry about this? I was reading some memory loss literature and it said people who are aware of these mistakes are usually not headed down a serious memory loss path.. but using wrong words and not recalling things like taking meds -- is starting to really freak me out.

any, pardon the pun, thoughts about this as I am kind of concerned.

miss you guys
debblyn


You know, the same things were happening to my mom on a fairly regular basis although I'm assuming she's much older than you (at 67.) She was sure there was something seriously wrong, went to see a neuro who did the full gamut of testing and everything came back normal, followed by a second opinion, which was normal.

I have problems when I write, I'll type the same phrase twice in a row sometimes or totally botch a word that I am fully capable of spelling, it's humiliating because I'm sure people think "what an idiot."

I don't think this is anything to worry about in the absence of other symptoms like slurred speech, numbness, weakness, extreme forgetfulness. Symptoms that would be an indicator that something serious is going on and of course, the above mentioned would most probably be severe in nature, not mild.

If it gets worse or you develope more serious problems it's probably time to see the neuro, or see him anyway for piece of mind but it doesn't sound like anything to worry about!

M

[lexiathedragongirl]

Hey Deb, I'd have a talk to your doc, even if ony for your own peace of mind. It could well be nothing, but some hormonal fluctuations can mess with memory, meds could be doing something (when I started Topamax it was shocking and it is called Dopamax by many who use it!!)

I wouldn't worry, but I understand the frustration and concern.

[Ed Ebbs]

You know, the same things were happening to my mom on a fairly regular basis although I'm assuming she's much older than you (at 67.) She was sure there was something seriously wrong, went to see a neuro who did the full gamut of testing and everything came back normal, followed by a second opinion, which was normal.

Noper, Debblyn is about the same age...haha, kidding.

Debblyn,
Are you getting enough quality sleep these days. Sleep deprivation can cause memory loss and along with stress too. Anyway, if you are too bothered by the memory loss you might check with your doctor.

Take Care...

[debblyn]

thank you so much for the posts -- I am feeling a bit better about this. I did read up on some memory loss reasons and my symptoms could be onset alzheimers or they could be: depression, stress, dehydration, medication and anxiety. Good news is - I can recall where my keys are and what they are used for as well I have not had a problem recalling lectures or information for class that is current -- I hope its nothing serious.

I do plan to contact the neuro I see for vertigo and just ask her what she thinks -- it does ease my mind after we speak to one another.

its nice to know there is a place to go to touch base with health concerns -- thank you again for the posts.


matuboo -- I do not present with any other serious sx I am stressed, and very tired as well I am dehydrated... I take meds for vertigo and the anxiety it causes so have to wonder if all of these things combined are playing a role in my sudden use of the wrong word.

LOL Mr ebbs -- watch it missy - you should never mess with a woman's age.

I will drop in with an update soon

debblyn

[Matuboo]

thank you so much for the posts -- I am feeling a bit better about this. I did read up on some memory loss reasons and my symptoms could be onset alzheimers or they could be: depression, stress, dehydration, medication and anxiety. Good news is - I can recall where my keys are and what they are used for as well I have not had a problem recalling lectures or information for class that is current -- I hope its nothing serious.

I do plan to contact the neuro I see for vertigo and just ask her what she thinks -- it does ease my mind after we speak to one another.

its nice to know there is a place to go to touch base with health concerns -- thank you again for the posts.


matuboo -- I do not present with any other serious sx I am stressed, and very tired as well I am dehydrated... I take meds for vertigo and the anxiety it causes so have to wonder if all of these things combined are playing a role in my sudden use of the wrong word.

LOL Mr ebbs -- watch it missy - you should never mess with a woman's age.

I will drop in with an update soon

debblyn


Just curious, what kind of meds do you take for vertigo? I started experiencing severe lightheadedness last year and my neuro prescribed Klonopin, at a relatively high dose when symptoms are bad. It's also useful for muscle twitching and helps with panic attacks and insomnia. The problem with benzos, of course, is that they are addictive. Not in the same sense that illegal drugs are, or opioids but as you probably know, your body becomes dependent on them. The reason I bring this up is because one of the side effects of Klonopin that I've noticed is some of the things you've mentioned. I usually am able to get by with far less than I am prescribed but still have some memory issues, I believe it's a result of the meds. These side effects are somewhat similar to what you mentioned.

[debblyn]

HI matuboo

I take lexapro for my vertigo. I has helped with depression, anxiety and in my opinion the actual spinning episodes. I have had one actual spin episode that was doctor call worthy -- I will say I was able to deal with it much better thanks to the medication. In addition I feel the medication has calmed the nerves in my inner ear, resulting in, a decline in episodes. At least I hope. I have gone months without a vertigo attack (knock on wood)

I am very confident, thanks to the medication, If I were to have a vertigo attack I would be able to respond much better as they are intense and they scare the heck out of me -- since the medication I have been able to deal with all the stuff that is associated with my case with much more clarity and calmness..

My vertigo was so bad I literally spun around for five years every single day -- it was so traumatic that I now have post trauma symptoms -- so the medication has really increased my quality of life thats for sure.

You may want to discuss this medication, lexapro, with your doc as it really is a life saver for me. I will admit the first two weeks that I took it, I did have some initital discomfort such as headache and strange very mild flu like symptoms but they went away and now I have no side affects that I can tell.

any rate lexapro for me is much better than the lorazapam (spl) I was taking as needed for the vertigo. Lorazapam would have me walking side ways it was so strong. I could literally take a 1/4 of a pill and it would still knock me down LOL so we tried lexapro. Boy I cant tell you enough how it has changed my quality of life for the best.

hope this helps

debra

[Matuboo]

HI matuboo

I take lexapro for my vertigo. I has helped with depression, anxiety and in my opinion the actual spinning episodes. I have had one actual spin episode that was doctor call worthy -- I will say I was able to deal with it much better thanks to the medication. In addition I feel the medication has calmed the nerves in my inner ear, resulting in, a decline in episodes. At least I hope. I have gone months without a vertigo attack (knock on wood)

I am very confident, thanks to the medication, If I were to have a vertigo attack I would be able to respond much better as they are intense and they scare the heck out of me -- since the medication I have been able to deal with all the stuff that is associated with my case with much more clarity and calmness..

My vertigo was so bad I literally spun around for five years every single day -- it was so traumatic that I now have post trauma symptoms -- so the medication has really increased my quality of life thats for sure.

You may want to discuss this medication, lexapro, with your doc as it really is a life saver for me. I will admit the first two weeks that I took it, I did have some initital discomfort such as headache and strange very mild flu like symptoms but they went away and now I have no side affects that I can tell.

any rate lexapro for me is much better than the lorazapam (spl) I was taking as needed for the vertigo. Lorazapam would have me walking side ways it was so strong. I could literally take a 1/4 of a pill and it would still knock me down LOL so we tried lexapro. Boy I cant tell you enough how it has changed my quality of life for the best.

hope this helps

debra


Yeah, Lorazepam (Ativan) is useless when it comes to vertigo or lightheadeness. It's an excellent bezo for short term anxiety issues or panic attacks and although it IS physically addictive, it's not nearly as psychologically addictive as some drugs.

I actually take Klonopin, which is different than Lorazepam (Ativan) in that is has a much longer half-life and comes on gradually, it seems to work reasonably well at quelling symptoms of lightheadedness and mild vertigo but of course, there are side effects, as you mentioned. To me, they are not that bad but then, I've been on some form of benzo for years and as I posted above, I rarely use up what is prescribed for in 30 days, often times I'll go close to two months with one script.

I'll check my my doctor about Lexapro, I'm always open to new things and if I could get off the Klonopin, since it is technically a scheduled drug and addictive to your body, it would be best. Sorry it took my so long to get back to you, I was out of the country for a while. Had a nasty spell of lightheadedness today but it seems lack of food and not enough water was the culprit and of course, stress!

M

[frodo2]

It's called depression. Good to "see" you.

[Matuboo]

It's called depression. Good to "see" you.


Yeah, lightheadedness, feeling faint and vertigo (the former being much different from the latter but just as uncomfortable) have a tendency to cause depression.;) Unfortunately, depression is not my problem but may be Deb's. In any case Deb, I'm glad the Lexapro is working.

As for Frodo, where the hell is Al Bundy (your trusty sidekick?) I miss his quick witt and nasty temper, was hoping to have a beer or two (or six) with him at some point. If you do hear from him, let him know we need a little fire to light this group up again. Lets get him aboard!:)

M

[frodo2]

As for Frodo, where the hell is Al Bundy (your trusty sidekick?)

And you would be the reincarnation of who?

[Matuboo]

As for Frodo, where the hell is Al Bundy (your trusty sidekick?)

And you would be the reincarnation of who?


Jeremiah Johnson. Why do you ask? It's not like anyone here gives a crap about me (past or present) anyway. I only come occasionally, I guess out of habit (doubtltess a bad one.) Actually, I did like ol' Al.


M

[debblyn]

hey fro and matuboo -- good to see you people LOL and al where ever you are....

I suffer from chronic horrible vertigo -- apparently the lexapro has helped with the anxiety this condition causes as well as the post trauma response, Lexapro really has helped me deal with the response issues when I actually spin. It has calmed all of my nerves thats for sure - so yes depression was a factor as it is depressing living with the anxiety of never knowing when an attack would happen. I have met a couple of people at the neuros office who have felt much better taking the lexapro.

hope you are feeling better matuboo.
oh and I give a crap who is here LOL

[Matuboo]

hey fro and matuboo -- good to see you people LOL and al where ever you are....

I suffer from chronic horrible vertigo -- apparently the lexapro has helped with the anxiety this condition causes as well as the post trauma response, Lexapro really has helped me deal with the response issues when I actually spin. It has calmed all of my nerves thats for sure - so yes depression was a factor as it is depressing living with the anxiety of never knowing when an attack would happen. I have met a couple of people at the neuros office who have felt much better taking the lexapro.

hope you are feeling better matuboo.
oh and I give a crap who is here LOL



Yes, vertigo and lightheadedness (two totally different things as I said) are very frightening to deal with. Sometimes it is caused by anxiety or depression issues, as Frodo mentioned, sometimes it's more complicated than that, mine is probably the latter as meds (and I've tried many of them) only go so far. The two conditions have to be treated differently, drugs for vertigo often times don't work for lightheadedness and vise-versa. Lightheadedness can definitely be anxiety related but it also be a result of more serious somatic issues such as MS, heart problems, vascular issues and other serious stuff. I've had work ups and MRI was clean, heart scan and stress test was normal, or so I was told. A false-positive showed up but initially, the doc called me and said my scan was positive for a defect and I had to sit through the weekend thinking I had a clogged artery. He must have conferred with his colleagues over that weekend, or the radiologist and ascertained the defect to be false, talk about stress!!


Klonopin works well for lightheadedness but I've found nothing else that does anything for it. It's good to see you back here Deb, hope you were spared from any tropical turmoil last year and that life is treating you well.


As for my comment to Frodo, it was actually about myself, never really felt like I fit in here or got good vibes from people. I mean, you can tell if you're liked or not liked! Fortunately, it's not a big issue as I do have friends and family off line that are suppportive and some email buddies that I get on with quite well. That being said, I still would like to see this group where it was three years ago (member wise) because I think a lot of people need the support.

Take care,

M

[frodo2]

I only come occasionally, too. You knew I was Al, you've got to be somebody.
Never liked Jeremiah Johnson, quit the whoa-is-me and fess up. :D

[Matuboo]

I only come occasionally, too. You knew I was Al, you've got to be somebody.
Never liked Jeremiah Johnson, quit the whoa-is-me and fess up. :D


Yeah, self-pity is easy to slip into when you're feeling poorly. As for sock puppets, I think a lot of people here used them and Al was a good one! The movie was good for it's time, worth watching although I don't know how accurate it was historically. I thought Reford played the part well.


I do have a good reason for changing my user name that doesn't have anything to do with BT itself, bad relationship that ended and this girl started stalking me, even online. It's best to just keep things the way they are. As for my issues with the BT of old, I've let them go and am left to assume that the problems I had, were largely due to my own attitude. I'll leave it at that, thanks for inquiring though.


M