To be really frightened by forgetfulness/brain fog?

[floppybit]

I've always been a bit scatty, but something happened today that really frightened me.
I was driving back from dropping my son at football and I saw a sign for a development or something with the numbers 2011 on it. I thought, is this year 2011? I think it's in the past but not sure? Then I realised I had no idea what year it is and I couldn't work it out! I started to feel overwhelmed and very upset, like my brain was malfunctioning. I had to try to calm myself down as this inability to recall something as simple as the year really worried me. This lasted about 5/10 minutes.
I had an episode at work a few months ago when I went to the toilet, and whilst I was in the cubicle I realised I had absolutely no idea where I was. Again, it was really distressing and confusing. There have been other similar situations.
Ive heard about the menopause causing 'brain fog', but I'm only 43 and still having regular periods. Im worried about these episodes happening more often and being the start of something more serious like dementia.
Is this the sort of thing that happens to lots of people or should I be worried? Has anyone been through similar?

Thanks all for advice about B12 levels, it's something I hadn't considered. I already take vit d as levels were low. I'm not sure what folate is so I'm going to look into that

I would suggest a visit to the GP. This way you're taking action so in control and they can always tell you not to worry and bog off. At least you are doing something then

Floppybit Folate is folic acid. You need enough of it to activate your b12. If you start b12 treatment you need to take folic acid as well. Folate needs to be in the upper quarter of the reference range to help your b12.
Get a print out of your blood results to make sure you get treated if you're at the lower end of normal.

Oh and are you taking vitamin k2 and magnesium with your vitamin d?

Definitely go to your GP to get checked out.

How much vitamin d are you taking? It may not be enough if you were deficient. May he worth getting this retested.

Also do not take any b12 supplements until you have been tested. It will skew the results.

If you are taking any supplements that contain biotin then stop these at these 5 days before ANY blood test as it can give false negative or positive results on any test using an immunoassay.

Make sure any thyroid blood test is completed fasting first thing in the morning (GP is unlikely to request this so you may have to make an excuse to receptionists to get a fasting slot I usually say I have to go to work so need early morning test).

Are you getting any other symptoms?

Been quiet nauseous and getting headaches, but I suffer with this anyway.

@barcodescanner not been talking magnesium or vit k? Do they help absorption?

It's do do with calcium going in the wrong places. But k moves it to the bones/teeth and magnesium keeps it there.
You can get some good vit d online that has no fillers, just vit d and olive oil. The NHS normal is far lower than optimal so again, get a printout so you can see for yourself where you are. Optimal I think is 125 upwards.

@smemorata that cinema episode sounds really similar to what happened to me in the toilet. Forgetting which relatives are dead doesn't sound like anxiety to me.....

Just to reiterate others - I've had this with the stress/menopasu/low thyroid combo. The sickness and headache were both symptoms of my menopause and low thyroid.

Time for a GP visit, OP.

I currently have thyroxine, am through the menopause, and take a high strength vit B tablet, multivitamin and mineral tablet and high dose soluble vit C daily, along with 3000mg evening primrose (was already taking the evening primrose for eczema). No brain fog/getting lost etc. Still very forgetful with stress though.

Mine was perimenopause - started at 42. Now on HRT which has helped some, and just learning how to deal with it. I've also started a new job recently - it's not been as bad as I thought it would be as I have started with a clean slate, so to speak, although I have warned them I am "bad at names". My GP also said that I had to think of my brain as a computer hard drive - it doesn't have infinite space, so if something new comes in, something old has to come out. It's very, very scary when it first happens though. I also use a bullet journal and travel journal for memories, and I use a day book at work - a 365 day diary and who I meet/what I do, and my To Do list all goes in there.

I get like this when my thyroid meds need adjusted, i have no short term memory at all these days and only 38. I also get scatty when having a migraine attack and cant talk properly and get confused. Speak to gp for sure, write everything down as that helped me when i was trying to remenber all the smaller sympotoms of hypothyroidism

Yes & it’s scary/worrying. I thought I was peri menopausal, so many of the symptoms but actually my oestrogen is very high not very low, but appears to cause many of the same symptoms 🙄

My b12 is 201 & GP can’t/won’t put me down for b12 injections as it’s over 200 🙄🙄

Considering going private but not sure where to start

Get your thyroid looked at. Brain fog is a symptom!

I had terrible brain fog that started in my late 30s and got worse to the point when I had a phone call about OHs mum while he was at work, she'd been taken ill, I put the phone down and it went completely out of my head. I only remembered the following evening, I felt awful. I had no energy and OH just about marched me to the doctor's. I was diagnosed with under-active thyroid, medicated now but I still need to write things down if I don't want to forget them although, better than I was. Please get checked out.

I went to the gp and hadn't bloods done about 6 months ago and they didn't point out anything being wrong, as in, I didn't get a phone call saying anything was wrong, but like people have said, some things may have been in the lower end of normal. It's because my bloods were done so recently that I have been worrying that the problem is actually me loosing my marbles!! Good to hear many of you have experienced similar and it has been something fixable

I'm like this too and I used to have a great memory

It's definitely worse when I'm tired.

Now I have to write everything down - on my calendar, to do list, post-its galore.

I did get bloods etc done too, nothing showed up, think my brain is just overloaded

Incrediblysadtoo. This is what makes me mad. You're one point over and therefore they won't treat you. Going private won't necessarily help if you see a doctor who feels the same. Not private but I saw a consultant who jyst dismissed me. I fought for B12 injections but they ran out weeks before the next one. There are support groups on Facebook who can help you with trying to get your gp to treat you. There are guidelines that doctors rarely follow. I now self inject and the difference it has made is amazing. You have to have your first one in a medical setting though.

I've just remembered that I had three weeks off work sick a couple of years ago, for a bowel op, least glamourous procedure ever🙄. But my brain started to come back because I wasn't rushing around working and juggling everything. I even started reading again in the last few days off when my energy came back.
It all went to shit when I went back to work though.

For those with thyroid knowledge, is it supposed to be visible at the front of the neck? Does everyone have that?

Could be lack of sleep. I lived in different countries and sometimes i get this thing where i think of going somewhere like home and it takes me a minute to recalibrate and realise that ‘home’ and the map/surroundings of the place i’m now in is a different country.
I also get this thing (when tired especially) when i know some problem is bothering me but then a moment later i cannot remember what the problem is. I just go with the flow then and enjoy the relief this not remembering what the problem is brings. Weird.
I am quite often on overload so make no big deal of any of it.

I get similar things to this. I suspect peri menopause. I have to focus extremely hard on tasks, I get distracted so easily nowadays (mid 40s). Sometimes I struggle to remember the words for things and things like significant family members’ birthdays. I’m sure I’m offending everyone because I’m getting people’s ages wrong. Also I meet people and then I see them again, they say hi and I don’t recognise them.
I have thought that I have got ADHD