does this happen to anyone?

Hi, I have been on a forum already for several years.
I began trying to understand why i was losing my short and then my long time memory.
then i move on to accept some psicosis episodes in my past, then DID.

i try to function day to day with voluntary work. i used to elaborate, plan, coordinate big community processes. i have been making my functions smaller and smaller because the stress almost paralizes me.

something happened a couple of days ago, and has brought me down again.
i took a small responsability, i became day coordinator. all there is is that there must be one person in the chapel between 10 a.n. and 8p.m. i have the names and the hours of the people who have accepted.
i went three times. two of them to see if everything works ok. the third time i had to stay one hour because there was noone at the time.
during the day, and the previous days, i went over and over and over the time schedules.
very happy i put a couple of activities in between, to keep myself in movement. i can not sit more than an hour due to back problems. at night i realized that i went on the wrong hour.

numbers confuse me, in this case hours, and i am so sad, that after trying so hard to do it right,
i still did it wrong. i get confused with the hours, with the numbers, like if i was talking about something that is chinese for me.
we speak of dementia with my doctor...my mom has it, my grandmother did too,
but i am thirty years younger. i am 53.
does this happen to anyone? could this be healed or is this an inevitable step in my path towards dementie?

Are on any meds ? if so, maybe side effects of them ? ..
Also, meds like Adderall / Vyvanse, Concerta - help with cognitive decline by stimulating area of the brain. I suggest low dosage, so not to build a tolerance. But I m not a doctor, so it s just friendly advice.

brownrice24 wrote:Are on any meds ? if so, maybe side effects of them ? ..
Also, meds like Adderall / Vyvanse, Concerta - help with cognitive decline by stimulating area of the brain. I suggest low dosage, so not to build a tolerance. But I m not a doctor, so it s just friendly advice.

Hi brownrice24, i took a very small dosis of quietapine (antipsychotic) for a year, i stopped because some terrible muscle contractions in my back. but my problem with numbers began in the university in algebra, i could just not move throughout the equation without losing the thread. Now i am temporarily with a small dosis of oxazepam, not even one month.

it is a good observation, although my problem was already present long ago. it could make it worst, maybe? thanks a lot!!

It sounds like you have already been talking to your doctor which is a good thing. There are other medications that a doctor can prescribe to help with symptoms of dementia if this issue with numbers is related to that.

The other thing I want to say is to be kind to yourself. I make mistakes all the time with coordinating plans and days and times. Those things do happen. Perhaps try to recognize all that you did right vs the one thing you did wrong.

Cheze2 wrote:It sounds like you have already been talking to your doctor which is a good thing. There are other medications that a doctor can prescribe to help with symptoms of dementia if this issue with numbers is related to that.

The other thing I want to say is to be kind to yourself. I make mistakes all the time with coordinating plans and days and times. Those things do happen. Perhaps try to recognize all that you did right vs the one thing you did wrong.

Hi Cheze2, thanks a lot...i like what you have at the end of your messages...no matter how long...dawn still breaks...

although i make a rule to pinpoint the positives, the blessings, everyday...i have a very hard time, giving myself a compliment...
i feel all of a sudden very upset with my psych...why does he speaks of dementia if there are no proof..we have not maken any test to verify it and he is talking about it like it is a fact!.
and i have a big problem with meds at the moment. big, big problem...
so i do not want to take more than one at a time, the secondary effects are a disaster and two of my kids still live with me. right now oxazepam...with some intern rage moments, so i am trying to stop.

i read, that i need to do, one thing at a time, no overlapping, maybe my plan was too ambitious.
i will keep it simpler for tomorrow. thanks!!

Thanks I too love that saying. It brings me hope.

You could also talk to your doctor about getting further testing such as neuropsych testing to help pinpoint deficits in your cognitive function which may help you be able to find ways to overcome them.

Cheze2 wrote:Thanks I too love that saying. It brings me hope.

You could also talk to your doctor about getting further testing such as neuropsych testing to help pinpoint deficits in your cognitive function which may help you be able to find ways to overcome them.

Hi Cheze, sorry for the late reaction. I have had a couple of months of too many small and big problems.
my doc spoke at the beginning of tests, i was afraid because i do not own the language where i live totally and was afraid of dubious results, but i do need it. something happened,
my mom got very sick, and when the doctor came, they gave her a medicine to bring oxigen to her brain, and my sister says that it has had an inmense impact in her. That she is so much better, almost like a year ago....so i wonder....if that would help me...(there is vascular dementie in my family) what if..? i wonder.

Those are great things to ask your doctor. I can understand being weary due to the language barrier. You could ask for a translator to be present during testing or with meeting with your doctor if you think that might help.

Dementia, is a general term for cognitive problems that are severe enough to effect your daily activities, like a job. Do you know that he is not saying Alzheimers for sure? You can go in for free screening through the Alzheimers Assoc to see if you should spend money on cognative-behavioral testing. You can ask you MD for a referral to a Neurologist who specializes in finding out what is most likely to be causing your dementia. Look for a Neurologist that is also a Psychiatrist, if you can find one. It happens to a lot of people your age, some types of dementia can be developing for up to 20 years before they are bad enough to be obvious to others. There are about 70+ different things that he would want to rule out. Some people find peace of mind to just get the right diagnosis. Stress and depression are the cause of 40% of misdiagnosed "dementia". Picks disease, Lewy Body normally develop at your age (but more rare), and infection, hydrocephalous (curable) , google Dr Mercola's website and read up on heavy metals (only a MD trained in heavy metals knows the right tests, regular UA won't show it up, we get lead from chewing gum, car exhaust, mercury from fish and fish supplements, etc) So many things that might cause this. Sensitivites to certain foods, such as gluten, are a common cause of mixing numbers up. Yes, others suffer from it, it takes a little exploring, but there are lots of things to do that might stop it, repair your brain, or slow down the progression.

[quote="caroltsu"] thanks a lot for your extensive answer...
I have to look into each thing, one at a time.
we seem to be moving from one crisis to the next...what is really confusing is that I have days that mind works amazingly well, so my psych says, there is no way you could have dementia,
but then days where I can barely move one thing from its place before bringing it back because I simply can not go further....
I seem to have a problem with DID but I do not think that this is a matter of personalities, who is on, is with whom I can perform better. it is a sort of horizontal cut, that crosses through all of me.

you know what is funny, when I was younger I was called bright and clairevoyant, by people with a good sound education and position...I do have my moments...I can prepare some small things, but for the rest is struggling with every day life with some difficulty...anxiety and stress are sadly also companions.