Fear of losing your mind

[DDNatureLover]

Dementia doesn't run in my family, although I have had non-blood family members who've experienced it. A friend's husband also has it, and although I'm not there to witness it because they live across the country, it's distressing to hear the stories of how he's changed, and to know of the impact of the illness on him and the family.


I have Fibromyalgia, and along with Fibromyalgia comes a condition that's referred to as Fibrofog. The mind becomes very foggy, and I can't even recall simple everyday things. I was having difficulty earlier recalling how to access my most used internet sites. I sometimes can't even recall which way to turn something to remove or tighten it, but thankfully, I can recall the rhyme, righty tighty, lefty loosy, so can eventually perform those tasks. It's extremely frustrating, and also distressing. Even though I know that dementia doesn't run in the family and that this is Fibrofog, I still get a bit freaked out when my memory fails me. The Fibrofog isn't constant, so there are times when I'm normal and can think straight, and function properly, but its appearance now and then can cause a lot of anxiety. 

 

[Alexandoy]

This thing called dementia is a dreaded disease that I am hoping to escape. It is prevalent in my circle although most in the family afflicted were mild only. I hate to imagine that I will lose my consciousness like it is a color that is fading. Yesterday I had lunch with my uncle who is 87 years old. He has gone deaf in one ear and also diabetic.  It's really sad that he doesn't remember me anymore.  It is scary to think that my father had also passed that way before he died.

 

[DDNatureLover]

It's such a debilitating condition, not only on those with it, but also those who care about them @Alexandoy. I'm sorry to hear about your dad and uncle. A favorite uncle and cousin of mine (father and daughter) both had it, and have both since passed. It ran in their side, so no one else in our family has it, thankfully. It's scary enough not being able to control our own bodies, but losing the ability to manage our thoughts, behaviors and actions is something I think many fear. 

 

[tomorrow]

This thing called dementia is a dreaded disease that I am hoping to escape. It is prevalent in my circle although most in the family afflicted were mild only. I hate to imagine that I will lose my consciousness like it is a color that is fading. Yesterday I had lunch with my uncle who is 87 years old. He has gone deaf in one ear and also diabetic.  It's really sad that he doesn't remember me anymore.  It is scary to think that my father had also passed that way before he died.

Sorry to hear about your dad and uncle.  Yes, it is a dreadful disease indeed which makes the patient entirely helpless. But I think you should focus more on how to prevent this situation in your life. Accordingly to a research study conducted on 2800 adults (65 years or more) brain training sessions were found to be really helpful.  The participants had gone through various training sessions  on memory and reasoning which shown improvement for five years or so.


Working on puzzles like crosswords, Sudoku etc can help a lot.  It is found that learning something new like a new language or acquiring a new skill can keep your brain healthy.    Even modern scientists are not entirely sure about the functioning of our brain. May be these little steps can go a long way in preventing this disease.

 

[Alexandoy]

Working on puzzles like crosswords, Sudoku etc can help a lot.  It is found that learning something new like a new language or acquiring a new skill can keep your brain healthy.    Even modern scientists are not fully sure about the functioning of our brain. May be these little steps can go a long way in preventing this disease.

My father loved the crossword puzzle (which I inherited). But 3 years before he passed away, I learned that he was not doing the crossword anymore because my sister (with whom my father lived with) doesn't buy the daily newspaper. It was really sad to think that if my father had continued with the daily crossword perhaps his mental condition have not deteriorated that much. My diabetic uncle who had gone deaf in one ear is still doing the solitaire game in the computer. I guess it helps him stabilize his thinking because his son said that my uncle seemed normal when he is playing that card game in the computer. 


I am doing the crossword puzzle every day and I enjoy doing mind games. But I also enjoy talking with people especially those with new information (not necessarily news). I believe that my mind will  work normally even when I reach 80.. hoping I wouldn't have a debilitating disease. 

 

[Jasmin Cottontail]

I do experience things similar to this one, I'm not just sure what it's called but there are times that I forget what I'm doing, or I'll go to a particular place at the house to get something and then forgot why I was there in the first place. I've been experiencing that for years now and I can honestly say that I'm scared in losing my mind. They say that a person who loses their minds can act as a different person and won't really remember things about his / her life which is really sad for the patient's part as well as the family. My grandmother has dementia and right now, we always talk to her while she can still remember us. It makes me want really sad whenever I think what dementia and Alzheimer can do with a person. 

 

[Natasha0717]

If you are worried that you are losing your mind, then you are NOT losing your mind. That's what my Grandma always told me. The people who have lost their minds really have no idea that it has happened, and they walk around believing that they are right and everyone else is wrong...even when others TELL THEM that they've lost their mind, they refuse to believe it. So as long as you're worried about it, you are still sane, at least for now. Fibrofog/or even Brainfog, is temporary and comes and goes, and even though it will slow you down a bit and you need a little extra time to stop and figure out what you are doing, you don't have to let it get you down, or fear that you are losing your mind. Rest assured.
Note: A short, 10-minute nap is great for Fibrofog/Brainfog.

 

[jy76]

Fortunately, nowadays all sorts of techniques and medication can offset and/or treat dementia. A lot of this stuff didn't exist in the past, so a dementia diagnosis was far more scary. Anyhow, has anyone tried some of these techniques and medication, or has anyone seen success stories among people known personally?

My own grandpa basically lost all memory in his old age, and I fear my mom my have the same fate. However, as I said above, she is living in a more medically advanced time now. If only I could convince her to get help, but she is proud and stubborn sometimes.

 

[misszerable]

Worrying that I might suffer from dementia or a similar mental illness had always been at the back of my mind. I've recently seen a TV feature about a brilliant public school teacher who suffered from dementia a few months after retiring. She would speak as though she was still addressing her pupils although in reality, she was alone or was at home with her family. She was known for her intelligence and mastery of her subject and it seemed ironic that she would suffer from this debilitating disease.

A few years ago, my grandmother's friend was in her deathbed and people attending to her were shocked to hear her speak all sorts of obscenities and profanities that they thought she was being possessed. My grandmother, however, knew that in her youth, her friend was a prostitute. It seemed that her old memories were taking over and she had no control over what's happening.

I also tend to connect dementia with death. My grandmother died at the age of 60 and before that, she suffered from dementia and acted like she was a child or like she had gone crazy. It was heartbreaking for me because she took good care of us, her grandchildren, and she was gone merely three weeks after she started exhibiting the symptoms of dementia. I'm afraid that it might also happen to me and I'm hoping that it's true that keeping your mind active and maintaining a healthy circulatory system can help prevent it.

As for fibrofog, I can understand the anxiety of @DDNatureLover as he has no idea when it would attack. Some studies link the illness with sleep deprivation. I've personally experienced not being able to think clearly and being out of focus when I lacked sleep. I hope that is not fibrofog! I've read that the combination of medication, therapy, and increased physical activity can help prevent or lessen its occurrence. I hope you can finally conquer this illness and live your life normally.

 

[janemariesayed]

There have been a few people that I have heard of throughout my life that have developed alzheimers. The thing is that each one of these people it was said that they were very clever people, or held high p[ositions in their workplace. I am wondering if some forms of alzheimers disease are not brought on by 'too much thinking.' Maybe it is the responsibility that these people have held I'm not sure.

 

[Snapdragon]

I have fibromyaliga as well, so I understand the frustration of fibrofog. It's definitely not easy to live with.

Sometimes it's gets so severe I forget my own name, birth date, and home address. I get lost and confused a lot, and forget important details. Like my friend will tell me something really important about themselves, and then I can't remember what it was. I feel a lot of guilt for that.

I also have dissociation, so I feel out of touch with reality a lot, and feel as if nothing is truly real. That maybe sometimes, I'm not even real. It can be a little scary, like being somewhere I know I should recognize, but can't remember ever being there before. I think knowing you've forgotten something is possibly worse then forgetting altogether.

My grandma has early dementia, and we talk from time to time. Even though she can't remember things, and often repeats herself, she still managed to enjoy things, and I think that's probably what's most important. I'll have dementia one day too, as it runs in the family.

I guess though, people are always changing; who we were before, and who we are now, are two different people as we develop, grow and change. Even our cells die and renew over time, so that eventually we're physically a new person too. And I know that's kind of deep, but I guess my point is, not remembering who you are, it's not all bad. Even if you did lose your memory, who you are in this moment is what's most important. Even if you can't remember your name, you can still feel, and experience things. Still smile. And that's pretty important. Forgetting sucks, but it doesn't make you any less of who you are. You just gotta be who you are in the moment I think. Or as the quote goes: 'the past is history, the future is a mystery, but today is a gift, that why they call it the present.' Heh, it's a little cheesy I admit.

 

[Decentlady]

Dementia is an illness that I wish noone has to go through ever. Loosing one's identity and world can be devastating.

Brain is a mysterious organ and it's related diseases are mysterious too.

I am quite forgetful and it's already botheringme much. I have to actively and consciously remember to remember a task otherwise I'll forget ot for sure!

I don't know if it's going towards dementia or what. I just hope it somehow never progresses.

 

[pwarbi]

I think for many people the fear of certain illnesses can be actually worse than dealing with it if and when you get it. Illnesses such as dementia can have a devastating effect though, not just on the individual but also on the rest of the family as well. I wouldn't say that I have a fear of dementia, but having to deal with a member of the family in the past that suffered with it, I know first hand what a horrible illness it can be.

A person looks normal and some days acts like they always have done, and then on others they are just a shell and that can hard to comprehend. How that person that was full of energy and life, can still look the same but be an entirely different person and one that you don't know. It's devastating and probably the reason I don't fear it, is simply because I try not to ever think about it because it's too scary to imagine me being that way.