What were your first symptoms?
I am curious what the early symptoms those here experienced? Long-term or short-term memory loss? decrease in ability to focus? Any other mental symptoms? Any physical symptoms? Were the symptoms constant? or episodic/occasional?
I have had episodes of extreme foggy-brainess over the past 5 years along with a loss of (mainly long-term) memories. I have spoken with 2 general doctors, both of whom did fairly extensive bloodwork to find nothing ("your bloodwork looks beautiful"). I did get a referral to a neurologist about 4 yrs ago. We chatted and he said next steps would be an MRI, though he did say it could just be "normal aging" (whatever that meant). The problem is that in between the episodes, I begin to feel more normal and am so relieved that I plow forward in hopes that it won't happen again. During the episodes, I feel very mentally "out of it" but sometimes I think I also feel a level of physical difference - but then I wonder if I'm not just being overly focused on how I feel. For example, I feel like my eyes aren't working well with my brain (if that makes sense) to take in what I'm seeing and I have often felt like there's a little pressure in my head. To top it off, about 9 months ago I developed tinnitus. Visits to a ENT show no obvious cause - I again got the "it could be normal aging".
I am feeling like this more and more, to be honest, and I'm scared. I am functioning okay, and even took a in-office cognitive test at my last physical which I "passed with flying colors". I still work at a job requiring challenging cognitive thinking and am doing fine for now, though my confidence has been rattled. I am mid-60s and need to work until 70 and can't afford my employers loss of confidence in me. I am finding I don't like to socialize as much for the same reason - worried that someone will say "remember when we . . ?" and I will look at them either dumbfounded or try to pretend.
I am in my head constantly debating what is happening to me. The bottomline is that I just don't feel "normal" or at least like I used to. Something has changed in my head. I know the easy answer is getting an MRI, but I'm so afraid to hear the results.
Does any of this sound familiar? I have so many more questions for those here in this forum, but I'll pause for now. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice.
