View Full Version : alzheimers or dementia
Hi I am having a few health issues. But this one is the scariest one. On various occasions for the past 6 months, I may be for e.g lying in bed with my thoughts and I start thinking for e.g about one of my kids or my dog. I can visualise them but for some reason I can't think of their name! I then start to panic and maybe 30 seconds later, could be more, the name comes to me.
This sounds as the early stages of dementia or alzheimers. I can't go to the dr as he will confirm it and I am terrified. I am 49 and my life is over.
This sounds totally normal, promise. Your anxiety is getting the better of you.
hi thanks. It is so scary. My mind goes completely blank and no matter how I try the name does not come to me. Then it pops into my head. Surely this is early dementia. Those are names that shoukd instantly be on my mind. My kids, my dog. I don't know what to do 😞
SnowyGreen
20-04-20, 08:09
When I was in the midst of anxiety, I once forgot where I lived.. anxiety does many strange things to us, and when we become scared of the symptom, it will keep happening.
Hi guys. My health anxiety is really really bad atm! I have various worries going on ranging from bowel cancer to dementia.
But for the past 2 days I have become fixated on Lewy body dementia. Sorry if this is a trigger for anyone x. Apparently Robin Williams had it.
My symptoms are as follows:-
I do stuff automatically have no recollection. Like letting my dog out to tge patio earlier today and having no real recollection. Waking up in the middle of the night, talking to my daughter and not remembering the next day. But the most scary symptom is seeing things before i go to sleep. I switch off the bedroom light and I see lights, forms, 'faces' etc. Last night I must have drifted off but I saw a floating blue heart shape. Weird I know! But on reading, I have seen that hallucinations and recognising you are having them are signs of lewy body dementia. I am now terrified I have this dementia!
You don't, Minion, all of this is perfectly normal and happens to everyone.
I am a mess BlueIris. Last night was really bad. I even saw this orange stuff covering my bedside lamp and coming towards me. I am terrified I have lewy body dementia. My husband is ill so I can't talk to him and add to his burden.
You really don't. Everyone sees things in the dark, I swear, it's due to the electromagnetic impulses within our brains.
But this can go on for a few minutes. To my mind I can even see horrible faces! And frighten myself even!
That's your anxiety and your vivid imagination. I repeat, I see stuff when it's dark, it's really not a big deal.
i have been doing online memory/dementia tests and failing miserably. I am in a panic. I wish I hadn't done them
Maybe look on it as a lesson learned? Doing it was a mistake, but remember that anxiety can do really stupid things to your memory.
the site is advising to see a doctor for memory loss😖
But the site doesn't take your severe anxiety into account.
Sorry for sounding like a broken record! Yes my anxiety is extreme but that could also be a symptom of dementia. And i also read that a loss of smell and taste is an early sign and I am continuously checking myself. It is so hard to get help at the moment. Many thanks for yout replies x
You need to be strong and stop checking, m'kay?
I sincerely apologise for all my posts. But I am so scared. I have even forgotten rhe name of the series I am watching. That is not normal😖
With dementia you will not just forget names, you’ll forget why something works, or how it works or what it does. You’ll forget who your children are, not just their names, you won’t know you had children.
Just stop obsessing. Of course the tests will make you see a doctor. You’re a young person obsessing over something that is pretty much for older people. My Mum had early onset dementia diagnosed aged 68.
I had something similar recently. It’s only an issue if you couldn’t remember your dogs or children’s names at all. Even then it’s very likely benign. You mentioned having these issues mainly in the evening while in bed. This is when your brain is already fatigued from the day. Memory relies on brain energy and your brain will be woozy by the end of the day. What you are experiencing is very normal.
Minion, respectfully, you're getting reassurance in spades but its quite apparent by your posts, you're spiraling and engaging in negative HA behaviors that are just feeding your dragon. You have a choice here. Either take the reassurance, work on the real issue and move on or pursue a diagnosis that will never come.
Positive thoughts
Thanks guys. I am sorry for obsessing!
sorry me again😞. I was feeling a bit better today and really trying to take all the comments and advice on board.
This evening I put some rolls in the oven and completely forgot about them. I have done this twice this week. I am a mess now in a real panic
Again, this happens to all of us, especially if we're distracted by other things. I can't tell you how many cups of tea I've ruined by forgetting about them.
You need to identify the anxiety as the real issue here, though, and start actively taking steps to deal with it. This isn't any way for you to be living your life.
sorry me again. I was feeling a bit better today and really trying to take all the comments and advice on board.
This evening I put some rolls in the oven and completely forgot about them. I have done this twice this week. I am a mess now in a real panic
You're not forgetting where to post on here though and are able to write your fears down very coherently.
Are you having to care for your husband around the clock? Are you just overwhelmed with things to do?
I know. My life is horrible because of my beliefs. I try very hard to suppress my thoughts but they always 'win'. The thing is that to my mind everything adds up.
Like last night, I was dreaming I was choking and I jumped out of bed trying to clear my throat. I do this alot. Apparently it is Rem sleep disorder. A precursor for lewy body dementia.
I also do things half awake like letting the dog out and then back in and only have a vague recollection.
I am really sorry for being a pest. And i am sorry if it feels as if I am not trying. I promise I won't post anymore. Thanks for your help guys x.
Minion, you don't have to not post - we want to help.
You do need to take positive action, though, whether it's via helpsheets, seeing a professional or even medication.
Minion how old are you?don’t mean to be rude I have a client that has just been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s she is 42 it doesn’t sound like what you are describing I can only go on what she has told me.
Hi Lolalee1. I am 49 years old
chrisfromflorida
11-05-20, 15:45
Hi. Lolalee1 I was wondering what your client has said are her symptoms. I have been struggling with the idea I have early onset dementia of some kind. This has been going on for two years. Started with what I felt was poor short term memory and some minor thinking problems. I went through a battery of tests and they were all negative. I posted here during that time frame but have tried to push this from my head.
I have tried to move forward and not focus on it. However over the last 6 months it has gotten worse. The thinking problems are becoming an issue. There is a level of confusion when I do complicated tasks now. I cannot do math in my head as easily as before as an example. It just feels like my brain is not working right. It is hard to explain. I have heard dementia patients state this same thing. Just hard to think like they used to.
I had an acquaintance father die recently of early onset frontal lob Dementia and it has frightened me. I am 48 and this started at age 46. It just feels like it’s getting worse.
Thanks for any feedback.
Chris
Hi guys. My HA is at a high and I have written on the forum with another issue. But yesterday something happened to me that is not normal and confirms I must have the beginning of dementia/Alzheimer’s.
I was at work and went to my fest to use my PC. I went blank and didn’t know how to use it. The ‘control alt delete’ prompt to open it looked foreign to me. I had to physically look for the buttons to do it and managed to open it using other button options. Then it suddenly came to me after I was searching on the keyboard. Why would something that I do automatically everyday suddenly look foreign and I forgot how to do it! I am terrified knowing the doctor will confirm the diagnosis 😞
Hi has anyone had this happen to them before? Really in a panic!😞
You're being ridiculous again. This sort of thing happens to people every day.
carriewriting
06-06-20, 13:34
Minion are you female? I'm the same age and have had several "dementia" episodes in the past year that have freaked me out. What I've discovered is that they are very common in perimenopause and apparently get better once menopause is over. I hope this helps.
Minion are you female? I'm the same age and have had several "dementia" episodes in the past year that have freaked me out. What I've discovered is that they are very common in perimenopause and apparently get better once menopause is over. I hope this helps.
Hi yes I am female. I hope they do get better. Thanks
I’m really glad I’ve found this post. I haven’t used this site for years as I’ve been doing well. Until now...
I have your problem too but I fear mine is much worse. I’m continuously failing to recall things, I’m having brief and sudden episodes where something does not look familiar or give me that familiar feeling when I’m looking at it or thinking of it. I’m constantly going over every memory and testing my feelings towards them and seeing if they’re familiar. I’m getting confused easily with names where I know a name but when I say it I ask myself “is that right” and then instantly it doesn’t feel right and I get an adrenaline rush and panic and stress and obsess over that name or fact or detail non stop until it happens again with something else, and then it moves to that one etc, and I then create this whole file of all the episodes and try to control and make nonsense out of them so I can let it all go - but I can’t when it keeps happening. I’m fully aware of the memory I should have towards these things, but they don’t ‘feel’ familiar and I keep asking people “is that right? It doesn’t sound right” and I know it is but I don’t at the same time.
I’m bloody terrified and avoiding seeing the doctor because I don’t want to make it a thing and have to go for tests because that scares me when it becomes a real issue being investigated. I’m trying so hard to brush it off but when the episodes happen, I freak out so much!!
The issue making me hold onto this being something, is that I do sometimes get migraine auras, and with my last one, I forgot the number of my house and the last address I lived at 2 years before. I knew I was meant to know and I was totally aware of everything else, I just could not access the knowledge anywhere in my brain. And that is how these episodes now feel, although slightly different, they feel like they originate from the same part of the brain!
Lastly, I want to point out that this all really started during a period recently where I attempted studying psychology, and was learning all about amnesia, agnosia and other conditions of the memory caused by stroke and other injuries and disorders. I clearly dropped out because I got obsessed I had one of these conditions caused by a migraine aura damaging my brain. I wasn’t having these issues (other than that last migraine months before) until I started learning about these brain conditions, however, they feel very real and I don’t believe it’s all made up in my OCD head!
Sorry for the long reply, I just felt I had to give some input if it helps you 😐. Thanks for sharing your post.
Kelley.
Hi everyone. It is embarrassing the loss of control I have over my HA! Going from one thing to the next.
Dementia has reared it’s head again! 2 times I was not sure this week if I had seen my son’s girlfriend or her twin. I actually spoke to her and was looking at her and thinking it could be either. She has been going out with my son for 8 years and is not an identical twin. I am in a panic as I know I have the beginnings of dementia
You still don’t have it though.
You have anxiety which is much easier to cure.
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Thanks for trying to put my mind at ease. But I am a lost cause. I go from one thing to another. Now I am convinced I have been exposed to a prion disease during autopsies. I am a mortuary technician. I have always loved my job but due to my HA I am scared of doing it. Prion diseases take many years to develop and today I am in a panic that it is developing. I am during I have been infected during the dissections.
Hi again. Apparently the prion disease can be in the brain matter decades before symptoms arise. And I have been exposed to lots of brain matter and the prions are airborne . I feel sick with fear. I should never have got this job!
I kniw I will never be ‘normal’ again😞. I will be worrying about prion disease for the rest of my life
I have been the same. I was doing great for about 1 year and my last episode was not that bad like this one of dementia. It has me at my wits end. All I do is cry
We have to find a way to push forward and climb out of these situations😞.
Really spiralling now!! Latching into everything. Was going through the forum and came upjn a post about white matter lesions on brain. I have these, seen on an mri about 5 years ago. After an ms scare , I was told everything is fine. Now I read that those lesions could be early dementia. I am in a panic!!
One doesn't "come upon a post". One searches for something relating to their fear, finds and reads it and subsequently spirals :lac: You were told everything is fine so.....
Positive thoughts
I keep thinking that maybe the neurologist saw that there is evidence of dementia but as they can’t do anything and it could be very early stages and years away, he maybe thought best not to worry me?
Minion,
Firstly, if you are so sure about prion, why don't you see the specialist? Is that possible at all?
Secondly, about 2 years ago, I had a sudden hearing lost in one ear, completely. I had brain MRI, where there were, I am quoting, " scattered white foci....typical for many people due to normal aging process". I am literally quoting the radiologists report. I consulted after that with two more neurosurgeons, and they both confirmed that, adding that is considered, " unremarkable and common findings after certain age". Also, my hearing came back completely, so God knows what that was, but not important. My good friend who is 16 years younger then me, had exact same findings ( they did MRI due to tingling and numbing of her toes). That was about ten years ago, and she is still healthy and happy. No MS, no dementia, nothing...Do not read too much into that, please. White scattered dots are pretty much normal after certain age - some people get them earlier, some later, and some never. I was clearly told that my brain is "unremarkable" what you really always want to hear from any doctor. Also, in the US it is illegal for doctors NOT to tell you, I do not know how it is in your country, but I believe it is pretty much the same in all western countries. I could not recognize your flag, but I believe you you would have been told.
Really appreciate the replies guys. My HA really gets the better of me and I spiral.
Really appreciate the replies guys. My HA really gets the better of me and I spiral.
It's a positive that you recognize it!
Positive thoughts
Yes I recognise it but I can’t help spiralling. Every day it’s a different thing and it is exhausting!!
Why can't it become predictable and therefore tiresome and boring? Rather than exhausting or terrifying?
Why can't it become predictable and therefore tiresome and boring? Rather than exhausting or terrifying?
Great question!
Positive thoughts
Hi guys. After a few months of strange symptoms, my dad is in the process of being diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. My heart is broken for him. So scared that soon he will not recognise us and that his delusions etc are going to get worse.
My anxiety has hit an all time high and on top of all my worries for dad, I am terrified I will develop it too. I have read it runs in families and as I have always sort of acted out dreams and done weird stuff in my sleep, I fear I am going the same way. I don’t know if to see a doctor but what good will it do?
I can’t afford to be sidetracked by my HA as dad needs me.
So worried and scared ! Thanks for listening
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