Expert: Mary Gordon - 6/21/2006

Question
Dear Mary Gordon,

I am 55 years old and my memory is really giving me problems.
As a young person I prided myself on my great memory.
But I now have difficulty remembering names
and events.
I recently forgot my best friends birthday and she was very upset.
For instance I recently watch a film that had actor William Hurt in it.
But when I tried to recall his name to my friend, I competely forgot his name? From only yesterday?
I called him Richard. I could not remember William Hurts name.
In the past I would have remembered his name.
Medically is there any help for me at this stage.
My grandfather (maternal) had the same problem when he aged.

              Thanks Priscilla


Answer
Priscilla, you are not exactly OLD quite yet - most women at 55 can look forward to at LEAST another 25 years of happy productive life, so don't throw in the towel just yet.  Memory problems are never, never a "normal" part of aging. They are always caused by something, and its always worth finding out what that "something" is.

In the past, people with memory issues, particularly if they were seniors,  were slapped with the label "senility", and no one really bothered to figure out what the underlying cause was. This is completely unacceptable - since there are many illnesses that cause mental fog, or memory problems, and many can be helped.

Your poor grandfather may well have had a progressive dementia like Alzheimer's - but he also might have had some other problem - its hard to know. It would certainly be quite unusual for a woman of 55 to develop garden variety Alzheimer's.

You need to get yourself to the doctor and get a proper diagnosis. Muddled thinking and memory problems can stem from a stack of things - from dietary deficiencies and drug interactions and side effects, to stress and depression, thyroid problems, diabetes, sleep disturbances, tiny strokes (so small the person may not show other signs of stroke), you name it. So, the first step is to make sure you don't have some health problem you aren't aware of that might affect your memory. You start with the family doctor where you tell him or her what is going on. A good assessment includes a full physical with assorted blood tests, some psychiatric evaluation to rule out depression, a review of history and medications, a quick neurological work up - and then if the doctor sees anything "off" he or she will often order a brain scan to rule out strokes, tumors etc. , or ship you off to see a specialist who can do more extensive investigations.

A good assessment will also check out the extent of any deficits you might have. There are some simple screens a doctor can do right in the office to check on your basic cognitive functions. Illnesses like Alzheimer's don't just affect memory. Because many of these illnesses affect the entire brain, reasoning, judgement and personality can be affected early in the disease. Families of people with Alzheimer's often notice things early like memory lapses, trouble with numbers or time, getting disoriented in familiar places (i.e. getting "turned around" on the way to the store), trouble thinking of words, asking the same question repeatedly,  getting upset easily or frustrated, changes in routine (i.e. they sometimes stop participating in things they previously loved), difficulty solving simple problems (i.e. not being able to figure out what to do when something goes wrong).

I had some major problems with mental fog a few years back - I really thought I was losing it - and it turned out I had a thyroid problem that had snuck up on me so gradually, other symptoms had gone unrecognized. My husband had a similar experience with a sleep disorder that neither of us realized he had (subtle leg twitching that kept him from getting deep sleep, causing him to be muddle headed in the day).

My point is, never assume there is nothing they can do for you, since you really don't know what the cause is right now. Don't scare yourself with "what ifs" or decide you are doomed to share your grandfather's fate. See your doctor and deal with facts rather than fears. It might be as simple as starting to take better care of yourself.

Best of luck. Hope this helps.

Mary G.
Toronto