I keep forgetting things - do you too?

liz · Experienced Member

I keep forgetting things - do you too?

ouchzone · Experienced Member

liz

Happens to me too. Think I'm losing it. Started when I was about 42. 'fraid I'm getting Altzhiemers. (forgotten how to spell that) What I forget is when things happened or who told me something rather than to do things but I do forget to switch the spin drier off. I end up telling the joke etc. to the person who told me instead of someone else and I get a fed up 'I told you that' kind of response or I forget I've told somebody something already which results in 'you told me that twice already'. I think I'm a real pain in the neck. Somebody else in the house forgets to switch the burner off on the cooker and I find it still burning gas hours later. That's scary because if something falls on it there would be a fire. Sometimes people forget to lock the door at night too. I write appointments on the calendar then forget to look at the callender and miss appointments. Whoops.

I read somewhere that the body's response to stress is to forget all but the immediate danger. So it's hard to concentrate on anything else. It's a self preservation instinct. I have serious problems with concentration which I became aware of getting worse as the bullying got worse when I was a child. I think it goes with the territory. I know you're having a lot of pain lately so forgetting things is very likely due to the stress.

Hope I haven't made you feel worse. OK to tell me off if I have.

ouch

liz · Experienced Member

DEar Ouchzone

No, you haven't made me feel worse at all. Good to know others have similar difficulties. Another thing is I forget people's names. See someone I know and sometimes I just can't think for the life of me who they are or where I know them from. And then later it might dawn on me or it might not! Or I'm doing something like cleaning my teeth and 30 seconds later I can't remember having done them!

I guess some of this memory loss maybe to do with getting older. I'm 44 and friends who are similar ages but not similar backgrounds seem to struggle too.

And yes concentrating - i find that tough too. I'm working as a supply teaching assistant and some days I just come home exhausted. The day whizzes by but all my energy is taken up with the task in hand. Draining or what!

And I think you're right too re self preservation. It worked then for us. I'm not sure it works now. Maybe it does - we switch off when things get too much.

Anyway, better go and check I've switched the iron off b4 I go out!.....

liz x

amanda · Experienced Member

Hi Liz

I have a problem with my short term memory I often leave pans on set fire to the kitchen once because I forgot the sausages under the grill the smoke detector didn't go off because it was heat not smoke my insurance company remember my name even if I don't. You've heard of chat up lines well Thingy me jig and whats his name are mine

The more tired I get the worse it is I get very muddled and the eyesight deterioates.My long term memory is still good.

so don't worry you are not alone or going mad

Take care
Amanda

segelov · Experienced Member

Liz, Ouch and Amanda

I own up to having the worse memory in history - I seriously believed that I have alzheimers.

I am sitting talking to some one and I suddenly forget who they are!! I struggle with words (where do they go to). I make lists but not much good if they are left on the table at home. I forget to lock up - now there is a big note on the front door to remind me! I have put the jug from the coffee maker into the dustbin, my keys into the freezer, and a lot more daft things besides, this all started about ten or so years ago - but guess what i am told that this is down to?? yes you have guessed it - hormones?? Well maybe, especially after watching eldest daughter being pregnant, she did all the same sorts of things.

However on a more serious note, I have always had memory problems, it was the way I dealt with my past, wrap it up, put it into a box, then another box with a large lock and then bury it in a very, very deep pit. Make it very hard to get to. And I still do it with unpleasant happenings during adulthood. If i am not thinking about it it does not exist. This only applies to things that only effect me, cannot do that with my daughters illness, but then that would not be safe would it? So maybe I have devised strategies to remain sane?

Take care

segelov

Sue · Veteran Member

Hi everybody.

Sometimes I feel stupid out of forgetting in the middle of a sentence what I was talking about but now I speak much too slow so I can concentrate. Every morning I make a list of what to do. Before I go out I check if all the windows are closed not to risk my Kitty jumping from the 4th floor. I hang my keys beside the door. I do one thing at a time not to get confused. In the supermarket i go through all the sections one by one and read the labels to remember if i need something not listed on my shoping list. I put an alarm every morning for my daily medications and that is very useful. If I remember something else I will let you Know. Seems I forgot something. Well, it is the age. Next month I will be 43. Ha ha ha

Sue

Raindancer · Veteran Member

Liz that seems to be my favorite saying ''Im losing the plot''...especially as i forget things all of the time. What have i forgotten? ohhhh the list is endless, i locked my daughter in the car (with the keys inside) when she was about 5 weeks old, i forget appointments, i lose my concentration half way through sentences and end up getting all tongue tied, i can be taught something at work or uni and mintues later its gone...as if i've never been taught that something, i misplace things constantly.

Being unable to concentrate and problems with memory are linked (common symptoms of PTSD), from what i understood your short term memory (very short term memory only lasts for approx 20-30 seconds) so if your long term memory is 'full' of past traumatic events there's less room to absord information and its the less trivial things like remembering where you put your keys that gets pushed out. Add that to other symptoms like a heightened sense of danger, fear etc and its hardly suprising that at times like this we feel like we are losing control? (or losing it as we put it). Im not sure if my ramblings have helped...just wanted to try and help explain that your not losing it and share some of the things i have forgotten.

Take gentle care for now Liz

Raindancer