Have I got dementia? Or just stress?

[babysteffee]

Please don't tell me this is PND...

Since BEFORE having my youngest baby (6.5 months) I've had a little trouble with forgetfulness, e.g. peoples names, appointments, things that need doing, but this has just got worse and worse, so that now I forget my kids names, and even how to write. I'm doing an OU course and my marks are getting worse and worse (started off with 90% for 1st assignment, down to 52% for 4th) because I just can't remember what I've learned. Sometimes I even forget how to write a letter, e.g. what a 'b' looks like.

Other symtpoms: weight at due date + 1 (5 days before giving birth) = 11st 2lb. Weight loss due to giving birth 9st 7lb. Weight now = 12st 12lb(despite following weight watchers for last four weeks and putting on a stone in that time!!)

• fatigue, sleepiness (10 hrs+)
  
• lots of illnesses (so far this year had 5 colds, mumps, ear infection)
  
• tearfulness and irritability NOT depression but possibly BECAUSE everyone insists it is depression. I am HAPPY though.
  
  New symptoms:
  
• double vision
  
• pains in arms from typing or holding anything heavy, can't hold toddler anymore
  
• pains in legs just walking upstairs, followed by wobbly feeling in them
  
• shortness of breath just walking upstairs (I don't smoke)
  
  These symtpoms are all mild, not like CFS/ME or anything, but enough to interfere with normal life, and I'm worried that I won't be able to go to uni in September and be normal.
  
  Doctor, of course, diagnoses PND. Well, of course, I've got a baby, it must be.

[Turquoise]

Poor you Babysteffee it sounds like you've got a hell of a lot to contend with. Have you had your thyroid checked? I would go back to the doctor and insist either he runs a few tests, or else refers you somewhere for a second opinion. Did he even listen when you listed your physical symptoms?

[mummytosteven]

Babysteffee - agree with Turquoise - i think that the doctors need to exclude anaemia and/or underactive thyroid. Is there another doc at the practice that you could see who might be more sympathetic? If you can't get an iron count done, you could try taking a multivitamin with iron in and see if that helps the tiredness/breathlessness at all.

[babysteffee]

Not anaemia I don't think because I had tests just after giving birth and was anaemic. Took all my iron tablets and had another test at 6-week check and got the all clear.

I already take a multivitamin + iron to try and improve things, though my diet is healthy anyway and I eat a lot of fuit and veg.

Sorry for ranting, just feeling sorry for myself because doctor insists its PND and all my symtoms are normal.

Also, I'm only 23!! Too young for thyroid problems, and always been healthy upto before. Suppose I'd be too young for dementia too...

I'm not unfit, though my first message made it sound like it.

[mummytosteven]

babysteffee - just been googling - this is from BUPA website on symptoms of hypothyroidism:-

The symptoms of hypothyroidism relate to a general "slowing down" of the body's functions. They include:

feeling tired and sleeping excessively
easily feeling the cold
dry and thickened skin
coarse, thinning hair and eyebrows and brittle nails
sore muscles, slow movements and weakness
depression and problems with memory and concentration
weight gain
constipation
fertility problems and increased risk of miscarriage
heavy, irregular or prolonged menstrual periods

Just that if you do have an underactive thyroid it is a really easy thing for them to correct, so well worth excluding.

Has the GP suggested any treatment for the supposed PND?

[Chandra]

Babystefee, it may be just tiredness mixed with stress. I'm also studying and while I was pregnant I couldn't remember what I was reading, I tried to write summaries of the chapters in order to keep things in my mind, it didn't help though, next morning I would look at the summary and I was only sure I have writen it just because it was my handwriting! Try to disconect sometime. Somebody said that there are two times while doing a degree, one to work and another one to feel guilty baout not being working, have at least one day of the week where you can forget about Univ and think in more relaxing things.

[babysteffee]

I've always been a cold person, but other than that, would only have "sore muscles, slow movements and weakness", "problems with memory and concentration", "feeling tired and sleeping excessively", "weight gain"... ok, so lots of them.

Not ttc so not sure about that, don't have coarse, thinning hair, or dry skin (though did have flaky skin a few weeks ago, seems to have cleared up)

[babysteffee]

Thanks Chandra, that all makes sense!

[mummytosteven]

Babysteffee - your doctor is really going to hate me now - but I think you should get another AD rather than Seroxat. Seroxat has a short half life - which means that it leaves your body very quickly and you are likely to get worse withdrawal symptoms than with other ADs. I have taken Seroxat - I didn't have problems withdrawing, but if I was an hour later taking my tablet I would feel dizzy. The other SSRIs (drugs similar to Seroxat) would not have this problem. Regardless of what your doctor thinks, it is such a simple thing to do a blood test on that I think it is very lazy of your doctor to assume that you are depressed. Also has he not considered the possibility that you could be depressed and have an underactive thyroid anyway?

[Chandra]

I didn't find Seroxat helpful at all, it made me very anxious, at the end stop taking it but think I'm still a bit tidal with moods. Whatever happened to Prozac?

Babystefee, 2/3 months more and you will be able to rest until feb (children permitting )

[babysteffee]

I wish Chandra, lol!! Starting "real" university in September so trying to get the rest of this OU course done in six weeks so will only have the exam to worry about.

[mummytosteven]

what course are you doing babysteffee?

[Chandra]

Oh God, I'm counting the days for my studies to finish... I'm sooooooo tired!!!

[babysteffee]

Health and Disease now, Radiography in September.

As for Seroxat, if there's withdrawal symtoms, I definitely won't be taking it. Can do without more things to worry about, lol.

Thanks for the info.

[babysteffee]

What course are you doing Chandra?

[mummytosteven]

babysteffee - not saying you would definitely get withdrawal symptoms on Seroxat - but - because of the short-half life this is more likely, and there are loads of similar drugs you could take that would be less likely to cause problems. With all the SSRIs (ADs similar to prozac) you are recommended NOT to stop cold turkey, but to gradually withdraw from them to prevent withdrawal symptoms. I'm impressed Babysteffee - all sound very technical and scientific. Do you spend a lot of time in hospital departments on placements for your course?

[Chandra]

History of Art, it was meant to be a hobby and it has become a nightmare... but I will finish it soon (or it will be finishing with me)

[babysteffee]

50% placement for the Radiography. Get to carry out Barium Enemas, how lovely, lol. Can't wait tbh, OU is good but keeping motivated is hard sometimes.

Are you a student mummytosteven (actually, think I read somewhere you're a solicitor?)?

[mummytosteven]

you can't get more hands on than an enema and who ever thought that students were isolated from real life and got to spend their time drinking and skiving lectures .

Yes, a solicitor for my sins. Currently on maternity leave and not planning to go back for the foreseeable future - found it too demanding in terms of time and stress levels.

[babysteffee]

My mum did Art History OU courses (didn't we all in our house(!), spent years helping her memorise paintings and artists etc). Put me off for life, lol

You'll miss it when you're finshed Chandra!!

[babysteffee]

Don't know where you heard that about students lol?

You must be very clever. I wanted to be a solicitor all the way through school, did A level Law, loved some of it, hated other bits, got a grade C in the end and could never have done a law degree.

Good for you, have a few years off, you can always go back to it later.

Must sleep, thanks for all your help.

[Mirage]

Hi Babysteffee,

I had almost the same symptoms as you a few weeks back & all my bloodtests came back normal.I was so forgetful that I forgot dh's birthday,couldn't seem to write properly,not to mention leaving lights on/doors open all over the house & filling the washer & forgetting to switch it on.

I think mine all stemmed from getting 2 viruses one after the other.I just didn't seem to be getting better & wondered if it was stress related,as I was getting different symptoms every day & some days I'd be fine,other days so tired I could hardly walk.

I started Fluoxetine (an AD) about 10 days ago & things have started to improve,although if anything stresses me out,I start to feel wobbly again.It is strange how powerful the mind can be & my GP says that most people who end up being treated for depression have 'physical' symptoms.

I hope you start to feel better soon.It is horrible to feel so ill.

[CountessDracula]

Could be Glandular Fever - I had it recently and had pretty much all of your symptoms. I too thought I was going mad! Have they tested for it?

[babysteffee]

Not tested for anything, CD. A couple of friends had GF a few years ago though and this doesn't seem like that. I haven't got a sore throat atm, only when I have a cold.

Probably nothing, just a mixture of tiredness, stress and being run down from bugs not getting a chance to recover. Think I might try the ADs anyway, if only to rule it out.

It just doesn't seem right to me. My dh and a close friend are both depressed, which is nothing like how I feel, and my arms and legs are ALWAYS sore, now from typing, after walking up the stairs etc, not just when I'm feeling a certain way or whatever.

Anyway, gonna go to the doctors anyway if only for my own sanity, else pretty soon I will be needing ADs.

[Flip]

Babysteffee you should insist on getting your thyroid checked. Reading your original post straight away I thought thyroid. I have an over active thyroid which went undiagnosed for nine months after ds1 when they decided I had PND. I was put on seroxat then (five years ago) and it was awful. I'd be driving down the road and suddenly I'd be thinking "Look at that in that shop!" Then someone would be swerving to miss me and I'd hear horns beeping which would pull me back into reality for a few minutes. I'm on AD's now for supposed PND after ds2. I'm taking cipralex and it's great. I've had no side effects at all.

The thyroid issue can be very dangerous to your body. It puts a strain on your heart amongst other things.

Please get it checked out if for no other reason than to rule it out. I was 22 when I was diagnosed so you're not to young.

[mummytosteven]

Flip - sorry to hijack your thread Babysteffee - did you have side effects when starting cipralex, and if so, how long did they last (relevant to another thread).