Spondylitis Association of America Forums General Discussion General Message Board for Ankylosing Spondylitis and Related Diseases How bad is your memory?

I took my granddaughter to school and went on another 9 miles to get stuff to make a cookie castle. I could only look, because my little zipper pouch with everything in it was not in my purse, because I forgot to put it in when I paid something. I hope I paid something. I get home and start on the dishes. Can't load the dishwasher, because I forgot to unload it. Have to check them to make sure I actually turned it on and washed the damn things.

I empty the bottom, open the top and remove a coffee cup. Sidetracked, coffee sounds good. No creamer, go to pantry grab something out for later and forget the creamer. An hour later, realize the dishwasher is still open and half unloaded. Oh, that's right, I made a cup of.......water. I forgot to put the coffee in. Dump the water and put cup back in dishwasher, crap, I was emptying that. So, finally the dishwasher is unloaded, the sink is still full and now i'm sitting down because i'm out of energy. I'm my own worst enemy. Will have to pick up the child from school, surely I can remember that.

sounds like me!! I have to set a timer/alarm/task on my phone for everything or I will forget!

Maybe some of this for me is just "senior moments," but I depend on lists, calendars, and notes to cope with my forgetfulness, which is worse when I'm stressed, tired, or super-medicated. I put a "CLEAN DISHES" post-it note on the dishwasher when I start running it - otherwise I either forget to unload it, or if there's space for one more dirty dish, my husband (or I) will find it and put the dirty in with clean.....

Since we're a 20-minute drive from town, I try to consolidate trips and almost always use a list to help me keep errands in order, to save time and gas.

I used to think my mother (who lived to 93) was "sot in her ways" just because she wanted to be...but now I realize it was her way of coping and keeping things straight. And I think I'm following right in her footsteps...egads!!

Don't worry too much about the memory thing, unless you find yourself doing something dangerous like leaving the stove on or forgetting to get a child out of the car -- otherwise, just laugh it off and go on. You have lots of good company!!

How bad is my memory? I can't remember.

This is what they call "multi-tasking." Hah. A myth. Seriously though - this doesn't sound like a memory thing as much as being overly busy and as a result, scattered. Like Joani, I am a listmaker - always have been. I also use the calendar function in my cell phone to help remember appointments but also other time sensitive stuff like certain errands. Helps a LOT. If I had to remember everything I'd be sunk!

I'm losing my vocabulary. Years ago, I would know just the right word to use for a particular conversation or description. Then it got to where the word wasn't there when I started the thought, but I knew it would appear on my tongue by the time I got to that point in the sentence. Now I stammer and stumble trying to say what I want to say, because that "just right" word eludes me altogether. I sometimes have to stop mid-sentence and just wait for the vocabulary part of my brain to catch up.

I attribute it to several things:
1. Fatigue
2. Always being so busy
3. Fatigue
4. trying to juggle too many thoughts at once


Oh, and did I mention fatigue? :p

I have noticed a big change in my ability to speak since the Gralise. I think I lost have my vocabulary. Luckily, I don't have to talk to too many people and the ones I do seem to start guessing what I was gonna say. I used to be a super multi tasker and a super hard worker, now I feel useless sometimes. It will get better.....

My mom has trouble with her words all the time, and I notice it's because she's trying to use overly complicated words. I think she's trying to come across as knowing more vocabulary than she does. She has told me (and I don't mean for this to sound egotistical) because I am quite intelligent, she feels like she has to use "smart words" instead of speaking like she knows how to speak. Friends have told me the same thing several times. It's not like I correct them (at least not all the time)

But seriously, I think some people are too quick to jump from the beginning of a thought straight to the end. Maybe they feel rushed in life, maybe they are hurrying everything during short times of feeling half decent, who knows. Unless you begin to forget your own name or things along those lines, I wouldn't put too much thought into this. Things like this could start a revolving stress-maker. You get stressed about something that makes you rush your words, you get stressed because you are rushing your words, cycle rinse and repeat.

endoplasmic reticulum, deoxyribonucleic acid, supercalifragi.....ah, forget it, that's all the big words I know!

I've noticed my husband having trouble finding words. I make him keep at it until he finds them. I think sometimes we just need to reinforce those connections.
I have memory problems similar to what myre reports. In addition I find that I don't trust my memory, like did someone tell me that or did I just think it. That's a little scary. I found out that certain statins have been implicated in memory problems. I'm sure fatigue plays a role.
My mother in law had alzheimer's. Usually the first things they lose is short term memory, such as repeating yourself or forgetting to pay bills etc. A certain degree of forgetfulness as you age or are fatigued/stressed is normal.