How to know when forgetfulness is something more?

It could be dementia. It could also be an issue caused by anxiety, as well as it could be the beginning symptoms of something more serious. The only way to know is to see a doc. Is there anyone you could take with you to make the trip more pleasant?

Mci mild cognitive impairment. I have it when I don’t eat properly or enough. I lose the ability to read and get dizzy.

Well, it’s definitely not the beginning symptoms as I’ve had it for years, I’ve just noticed it’s getting worse!

Oh, I wasn’t aware it was that long term. You said lately, so I assumed a few months. I apologize. I would definitely make an appointment with a doc. It could be what @RedDeerGuy1 says it is, but I wouldn’t go changing your diet without doctors approval just in case.

I mean recently it’s more pronounced, the busier I get the worse it gets!

Do you know anyone/anything that can make your visit to the doctor less stressful?

@tan253 , do you hyperventilate when you are having anxiety? This can lead to too much O2 in your blood. Causing confusion, or other symptoms.

Doctor visit could alleviate some of your concerns…

I have problems with that but my doc says it’s meds that I am on. (I have had him do the simple Alzheimer’s test on me twice since my mother has it).
Are you taking any meds that could cause it?

I do hyperventalite… quite a lot actually – I’m not worried about the Dr’s as I’ve gone before, and they always say anxiety and stress. I was just wondering if anyone gets this but maybe it is a unique thing to be forgetful. I just phoned my Mum and she said I’ve been forgetful ever since I was a child… I just don’t seem to have good memory!

“I’m super busy and suffer from bad anxiety” there is your answer. Your memory problems are symptoms of an overloaded, overstressed mind. You could also be heading into the peri-menopause phase. That will play havoc with your memory and focus too. Try to find some time for you (I think we’ve had this conversation before), and just try to get some time to relax. I have the same problems and they are worse when I’m stressed, tired or just overloaded with work and family stuff.

I’m not a doctor, but nothing here sounds out of the ordinary to me…

Humans invented calendars precisely because it is easy to forget appointments.

People misspeak frequently, substituting in the wrong word without realizing it. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve sat in a class where a professor says “and I look forward to reading those papers on Wednesday. Remember to have them in by Wednesday,” when they mean (and believe they have said) Friday—and then half the class gets a paralyzed look of panic because they were counting on those last two days and are taking the professor’s momentary slip-ups at face value.

The “silly little things” are very easy to forget, too—like calling people back… I would guess because they are small deviations from habitual behavior, not drastic enough to stick out emotionally in the mind, but not familiar enough for us to remember out of repetition.

Stress and/or busy schedules can amplify forgetfulness. Stress impacts cognition, especially memory.. and a busy schedule means you are juggling a lot in your head, so it’s easy and expected—albeit annoying—for some of those few things to slip by in the bustle. (Ah, like @Earthbound_Misfit said while I was typing! ;)

If I were you, I’d try to make sure that I am getting adequate sleep, exercise, and nutrition—these can help your body cope with the stress/hecticness. I’d also try to find ways to alleviate some of the stressors in my life (probably easier said than done!)

You have good advice all through this thread.
Let me add, that as we age, this whole keeping crap straight thing gets more and more wobbly.
Like people who stutter, you need to slow down a bit.
I am not suggesting you cut things from your life, or take mid afternoon naps. Very small pauses can make a difference. Just put a one breath hesitation in there before doing certain things. Before you insert a key in a lock, pause. Before you add something to boiling water, pause. That kind of thing.

Also, you need to start some new habits, like keeping a log, or more than one. Have appointments, phone calls, errands, all that stuff fully written out, AND THEN MAKE SURE YOU CHECK IT, LOTS. That is my problem. I write stuff down on whatever, then I forget about the whatever. I am used to doing everything by memory, so this writing stuff down is a new journey for me. I’m improving.
Don’t get frustrated with yourself. That only makes it worse.

“A single Mum running her own business”. That might explain it. You are too busy and over stressed. Switching focus from Mum mode to business mode and back can play havoc with memory and this may be what you are experiencing. If possible try taking a break from the business for a few days.

Not enough sleep.
Too much caffeine.
Not eating properly (not getting enough carbs).
Anxiety.
Stress.
Too much alcohol.
Pot.
Depression.
Poor oxygenation (lack of strenuous exercise).
Some prescription medications.

Being over Forty.

All the above can affect brain function, including memory. The more items on that list that you can eliminate, the better your brain function will be.

Age can exacerbate the effects of all the above.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause memory loss.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/vitamin-b12-deficiency-can-be-sneaky-harmful-201301105780

Chronic use of several medications can deplete vitamin B 12 in the body. https://www.ebmconsult.com/articles/vitamin-b12-medication-interactions-lower-levels

Some doctors will not think of this as a possibility until they have run a lot of other expensive tests. The easiest way to tell if you have vitamin B 12 deficiency is to get an inexpensive B 12 shot, and if you feel better then you know that was the problem. One shot will not fix the problem though or you will have to continue supplementing with B 12.

A friend of mine is a geriatric psychiatrist. And he tells me that busy people miss things because there’s too much on their plate, and they are usually sleep deprived. The line from him that sticks in my head: “you shouldn’t stress over forgetting or losing your keys. It’s when you look at your key and can’t remember what it’s called. That’s when you want to talk to me.”

I suffered from hyperthyroidism for… months, maybe years…. and I would literally walk from one room to the next and completely forget what I was doing. I went to a ‘counsellor’ for stress and it was a complete waste of time. It wasn’t until I told a girlfriend I thought I was pregnant and took a pregnancy test and it was negative, but still 4 months later and still didn’t have my monthly, that she really got stern with me and told to see my GP. I put everything down to stress. It turned out my thyroid numbers were IMMEASURABLE, they were so high. The specialist I was sent to couldn’t figure out how I wasn’t admitted to hospital in some sort of stupor state. He specifically wrote everything down for me because he KNEW I’d forget what he said.
There are loads of reasons you are having trouble remembering. It sounds like you are over scheduling yourself.
The ONLY thing that runs up flags is losing your nouns. I do that now because I think in two different languages and I forget what things are called in one or the other language. But, if you are doing that seriously… or you can’t think of a way of getting something done, like, to have a hard cooked egg… what do you have to do to the egg? That is worry some. My father in law was asked to draw a clock that showed 2.30 and he couldn’t. He had been a doctor of hydrodynamic and a holder of international prizes in his field. He was hospitalised shortly there after.

yeah I think from what everyone has said I can pretty tick all those boxes.
Stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, I get panic attacks at night that wake me up, I work from home so that means I’m mum and a business woman in a single bound which is confusing for me as I often forget where I’ve left off if I suddenly need to watch my daughter dance to Katy Perry, I guess what I really do need is structure and now today I’m sick – I have a head cold so maybe that’s why it was so bad over the last couple of days.
I do all those online tests that test for memory and my memory is always good, and I get annual blood tests done and they are normally always fine. I guess it really is lack of water, stress, not eating right and getting a bit older ;) I want to look after my brain though as I can feel it fading away into fog!
Thanks everyone, I will still discuss with my DR of course -

Instead of online tests, perhaps go for a walk in the fresh air or try to meditate for 10 minutes to help you calm down and clear your mind. See if taking actions like this help you to feel less harried. I think we’re all so, so busy these days and with competing pressures. So it’s really not surprising our brains are going ‘enough! I’m just going to forget that crap for now’.

Feel better @tan253. I’ve just got over a nasty cold that lasted a good week. Rest up. Watch some crap TV, read some books and sleep when you can. Is your little one at school? Make the most of the school/kinder hours to give yourself time to heal.

Did I answer this? I forgot.