Okay, have you ever had trouble finding a word? Or how about a name? Why did you walk in the room, anyway? Were you supposed to be checking e-mail, or did you sit down to look at your calendar? And, by the way, where the heck are the keys/remote/charger/phone??
Many of us have what we jokingly refer to as "senior moments". Something basic simply slips out of the grasp of our mind for the moment. Is it dementia? Do we have early onset Alzheimer's disease?
Let me reassure you that MOST of us do NOT. Sadly, there are a few that do. In fact, when my own Mom told me tearfully (when she was a mere 61 years old) that she and my father were concerned that she had Alzheimer's disease- I laughed. Seriously. I laughed, when indeed, I perhaps should have cried.
The truth is that my mother had several medical conditions that all could cause memory loss- and all were correctible. She had thyroid issues, B-12 deficiency, took a medication that caused memory loss and was a bit depressed. ALL of those conditions in and of themselves CAN cause memory loss sufficient enough to look like Alzheimer's disease.
The frustrating thing was that with my Mom, we were able to correct all of those issues, and yet the memory loss progressed.
If YOU have memory loss, PLEASE talk to your doctor about your symptoms. Have a physical and check blood work. Chances are good that you may simply have a medication side effect or a correctible metabolic issue. If, however, you DO have early dementia (such as Alzheimer's), starting medications sooner rather than later will absolutely slow the progression of your disease.
BOTTOM LINE: If you are having trouble with your memory, REMEMBER to schedule an appointment with your doctor TODAY!!
PS. It's the FIRST of the month! REMEMBER to change those AIR FILTERS!!!
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