Are You Forgetful?

I'm mildly forgetful but not too bad - it gets worse the older I get.

I had a bad spell about 11 years ago.
My Dr wanted to lower my cholesterol and she put me on a statin.
I had a bad reaction to it.
One of the side effects was my memory was affected.
I drove down a street I'd traveled down every day for at least 10 years and for 10 minutes I had no idea where I was.
I made lists, and forgot where I put them.
I got things at the store on my way home thinking I'd run out and then go to put it away and discover I'd ALREADY replaced it - FIVE TIMES OVER.

I was 38 and was truly fearful I was developing early onset Alzheimer's.

I discovered what the problem was by accident.
My mail order prescription refill was hung up by bad weather somewhere and I ran out of my medication for about 2 weeks.
After a few days of being off it, I started to feel good.
My joints stopped aching.
I could stand up after sitting awhile and not limp till my hips quit aching.
My memory improved greatly.
When my refill arrived and I started taking it again withing a few days my problems came back.

So I quit taking it and I'll never take a statin again.

Once a Mom, this happens.
I had a photographic memory.... until I had my kids.

I actually read an article, per women/Moms... being this way.
It is basically because.... We... have to remember and do SOOOOOOO many things each second, all day.... and it is basically just mental overload. The mind gets splintered up into so many categories of what we have to remember... that at some point, it just is not, doable.

But you are having dizziness.
Are you eating well and regularly?
Hypoglycemic?
Getting enough sleep or not?
Because, Moms typically have lack of sleep. And, "sleep-deprivation"... can have MANY negative impacts, upon a person.
Especially so because with Moms... lack of sleep compounds, daily. And accumulates. And it takes several nights, to even catch up on sleep. For example.

I'm forgetful, but always have been so it doesn't surprise me when I misplace something, or accidentally throw away a stack of paperwork that I spent two days filling out (ugh). The fact that you are not normally like this might be cause for worry... are you extra stressed out for some reason?? Are you not sleeping well lately? I am soooo much worse when I'm even just a little tired.

I'm sorry, what was the question? I forget....

:0)

glad its not just me. here are some of my oops
-forgot to throw away my old birth control pack and mistook it for my new one thinking I was on my off week therefor stopped taking it a week early
-thought that a bday party was from 2-4 when it was really 12-2 and my son kept telling me i was wrong and i was stubborn and said no it is from 2-4. Showed up when it was ending.
-totally forgot to pay a credit card bill for a month and a half until i went to check the balance on it and then realizing I havent paid it in a few months.

Im surprised I can remember who i am

Important things I have forgotten in the past year:

Garden hose buried in the snow--ran over it with a snowblower (2 different times)

Newspaper buried in the snow - same thing (at least 2 times)

That my husband's car was in the driveway - backed into it with my car - didn't even notice

To take my house keys out of the front door when arriving home after school. My husband found them when he came home late that night (has happened several times.)

Threw out some W-2's that I had forgotten were in a stack of mail that I was going through.

To turn on the crock pot (many times)
To press "Start" on the dryer (too many times to count)
Where I put my keys (used to be a daily problem til I hung a hook by the door and made a commitment to put them there EVERY time.)
To take a box of medication I needed to mail to my FIL off the top of my car before I drove away. It fell off and got run over by a semi.

Yep, I guess you could call me forgetful.

No. I wish I was. Unfortunately, I remember everything that's ever happened to me in life, where it was, what it looked like, smelled like, what everyone was wearing...yeesh. I would love to forget some things.

I realize I'm not the norm. I think it's normal to be a bit scattered about things, especially if you're busy. However, when you normally AREN'T like that...I think you need to investigate a bit further. Even something as simple as a vitamin deficiency could cause it.

It's called "mom brain" . . .

You're a mom. You're doing many things at a time and you have children distracting you regularly. I was convinced that it was not afterbirth that came out after my kids were born but my brain...

You have to create tricks to help you remember stuff and a place where everything like keys goes when you walk in the door. It's not foolproof but it helps.

I call it intellectual overload - the disc gets full and you have to de-frag it. so what do you get rid of? Not your mom's date of birth, your husband's favorite meal, or your kid's shoe size... So some things fall off the disc. It is a shame - but it happens. Wait til you hit your 50's and you're caring for teens and elderly parents - I can confirm that I have lost my mind - can not figure out where I left it...

Good luck mama - if you find a cure let me know!

If it helps any, I'm only 21 and I'm worse than you are in terms of forgetfulness. It's horrible...

But I agree, the fact that you aren't normally like this is cause for concern.

If you haven't had a checkup, get one. Thyroid issues are often related to fuzzy brain. Make sure it's not an actual problem :)

Forgetfulness can have several causes. Sounds like you've reached the stage where you're anxious and stressed about forgetfulness. This, by its self, can cause you to be more forgetful. I'd try relaxing and stop worrying about whether or not you're forgetful.

I often go thru stages during which it seems I'm more forgetful. I've always found that this happens when I don't get enough good sleep, am not physically feeling well, am stressed or anxious about other issues. Do a mental inventory and see if you can reduce your level of stress and see if that helps.

If you didn't talk with your doctor about this situation, I suggest that you do so if you're not able to find a way to relax to see if that helps.

Sorry, what was your question?

J/K :)

Throughout grade school, I had teachers (not every teacher, but more than one) screaming at me because I could never find a pencil, kept leaving my lunchbox on the bus or something, would space out during math, etc.

In retrospect, I think I may have had (and may still have) ADD without the H. Which is something you might want to get yourself checked out for too.

Weirdly, I also tend to be very focused and detail-oriented, but at ONE THING AT A TIME. I can catch minute grammatical errors for hours on end, but I cannot reliably leave the house with my keys, my cell phone, and my water bottle. It's like I have perpetual tunnel vision, and my focus just shifts from one tunnel to the next.

Also, you said you've had recent bloodwork, but just in case, I thought I'd ask: did they check you for hypoglycemia, anemia, and a thyroid disorder?

We moms have so many things constantly running through our heads.
I have lost my debit card at a gas station, attendant found it, too many pairs of sunglasses to count, lip gloss, cell phone that was on vibrate so I can't call it, permission slips from school and don't get me going into the grocery store for ONE friggin' thing and have to call back home because I got side tracked on specials.
But never a dizziness issue.
We all need to slow down, easier said than done I know, but from the time we get up in the morning and the last thing at night our brains are ticking off what was done, needs to be done. Just having some quiet time, as little as 15 minutes, can do wonders, I hope you can try it tonight.

My brain is screwy. I have a frontal lobe brain injury along with many other mental and health issues. No worries, I can care for my children and such just fine however my short term memory and long term memory are greatly impacted. I write things down constantly and have more lists than 'typical' people.

There's nothing I can do to fix myself other than keep up on routines, write things down, take my vitamins and laugh at my forgetfulness. It's what I do.

My husband and I call it "Kelly Bundy syndrome". If you remember the old Married With Children show, there was an episode where the ditzy daughter Kelly Bundy has to study for some exam or something and suddenly crams all this info and becomes smart. But the more she learns, the more dumb she becomes about everyday stuff, like her brain capacity is only so much. To the point where she doesn't recognize a doorbell.

This totally happened to me when I became a mom. I have an excellent long term memory, and I am still great about not losing things because I'm "everything in it's place" crazy. But word recall is the worst, "hand me a... a... thing with the long handle.... SPOON!" And having to ask something twice in a row because I missed the answer the first time or already forgot. Or forgot I even asked the question "did you bring your backpack in? YES mom for the 3rd time!!!!

Also, if my husband tells me something in passing or while I am heading out, forget it, I'll never remember. It's almost like the information knocks on the door but doesn't even get in. I tell him to put in writing or send me text. He's like "about needing deoderant?" YES.

I try to explain that he has no idea how much info we moms hold in our heads about the kids alone: Dr's names, due dates, weights, heights, favorite things, un-favorite things, homework assignments...

AND when I am not working, in the summer, it gets 100% better. The brain space that is freed up when I am out for summer break and just being a SAHM for 8 weeks is indescribeable.