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Wednesday, June 10, 2009

You know the commerical...

...where the lady loses her car keys and her Husband finds them in the refrigerator?

Well MY Hubby seems to think that, that commercial is so much like me and that I should get checked for Alzheimer. Lets clear things up. First, I am not 80 years old. Second, I have never lost my keys in the fridge. I did however pour orange Kool-Aid on one of the kids cereal and just stood there looking at it and thinking "What the hell?" I have also asked the same question more than once in a 5 minute period because I didn't know the answer. I think that it is A-ADD (Adult Attention Deficit Disorder) not Alzheimer. I am not getting senile. I may be
fat and over 29, but I am not getting Alzheimer. I don't even like the word very well, let alone the disease. I found this information, and I do not have Alzheimer's!

Signs of normal change VS. Early Alzheimer's Symptoms

Can’t find your keys ---Routinely place important items in odd places
Search for casual names and words---Forget names of family and common objects
Briefly forget conversation detail---Frequently forget entire conversations
Can’t find a recipe---Can’t follow recipe directions
Forget to write down a check---Can no longer manage checkbook
Cancel a date with Friends---Withdraw from usual interests
Miss an occasional right turn---Get lost in familiar places

What else might be causing these symptoms?

Significant cognitive and memory losses are not symptoms of normal aging. Most people over 65 experience a level of forgetfulness that is merely inconvenient and generally involves unimportant information. Terms like eccentric and senile can mask fears of Alzheimer’s disease, while other conditions may actually be causing mental decline.

Symptoms that mimic early Alzheimer’s disease may result from:

Central nervous system and other degenerative disorders-, head injuries, brain tumors, stroke, epilepsy, Pick’s Disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease

Metabolic ailments- hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia, malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, dehydration, kidney or liver failure

Substance-induced conditions-drug interactions, medication side-effects, alcohol and drug abuse

Psychological factors- dementia syndrome, depression, emotional trauma, chronic stress, psychosis, chronic sleep deprivation, delirium

Infections-
meningitis, encephalitis, and syphilis


Ten Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the ten warning signs are:

  • Memory loss (So, I ask the same question over and over)
  • Difficulty performing familiar tasks (So, I put Kool-Aid on cereal)
  • Problems with language (I call that dyslexia)
  • Disorientation to time and place (So, I thought trash went out yesterday, it didn't)
  • Poor or decreased judgment (So, I thought it was rabbits)
  • Problems with abstract thinking (Huh?)
  • Misplacing things (Don't you ever forget that place you won't forget)
  • Changes in mood or behavior (That is just a woman's right)
  • Changes in personality (That's a womans right, too)
  • Loss of initiative (I am just tired)

So does that mean I have Alzheimer's??

NOT!!

3 comments:

  1. Hi-C on cereal? Was it good? ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just so you know its not Alzheimers.. its too darn busiemiers.. I put the peanut butter in the fridge and the milk in the cupboard the other day.. I think my mind has been stressing about other things so the simple things in life become harder.. Does that make sense? I was told that Alzheimers isn't necessarily forgetting where you put things its not knowing what to do with them when you have them in your hand.. ie... don't know how to put the keys in the door handle to unlock it, or that is even what the keys are used for.
    Slow down... slow, slow slower... and things will be better..
    Don't you love me telling you to slow down. I wish we all could. I need a vacation.. LONG ONE..

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know I would NEVER exercise poor judgment ;-) Ditto what auntrene said. I put the grated cheese in the closet the other day but when my husband found it, I was still able to identify it as grated cheese that is put on spaghetti :D We all have so much going on it is easy to get preoccupied...

    ReplyDelete

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