This is serious - please reassure me

[OnTheTipOfMyTongue]

I am posting under a diff name as I am embarrassed about this.

For a little while I have been worried that I am displaying early signs of dementia or something.

I stammer when I talk/forget halfway through saying things what I am talking about and ask the person I am conversing with what I have just said as I cannot remember.

When I am speaking or writing I have a word on the tip of my tongue but cannot grasp it and my writing and thinking does not seem to "flow" iyswim. I have to stop and repeat the sentence several times up to the word I cannot remember and then eventually, it comes to me.

I am very worried I am developing dementia and I don't know if I should see my doc or just hope this will pass.

I've been bad after each baby, but since having ds3 I am diabolical. Forget everything all the time. He's 6 months. I am hoping my memory will return when he goes to nursery or something.

go and see your gp immediately.
you have described your symptoms very well and accurately and there is clearly something going on which needs to be checked out. I would not assume that it is anything to do with pregnancy/tiredness. really, it is very important that this is investigated. without wanting to scaremonger, it could be serious (and not dementia in your early 30s).
keep us posted.

ps your gp would likely send you for a neurological assessment including a cat scan.

PPH - maybe that is what I am afraid if I am honest.

I can remember phone numbers/dates/postcodes no problem at all.

I nearly plucked up the courage to ask dh if he has noticed anything with me, but bottled out.

I think you have to go with your gut instinct. I can tell from your original post that you are worried - you wouldn't have posted that if you were just dog tired.
It may be nothing but it may be something, and if it is something then the earlier you catch it the better. You must follow your instincts, go to your GP, and ensure that he/she listens to you.
Do you have a good, intuitive GP?

I'm off to bed now, but please do make an appointment tomorrow and let us know what happens? Sleep well.

OTTOMT - Yes you are weird. You can remember phone numbers and postcodes. You have a 7 month old and yet you sleep like a log.

Sorry, I know you aren't joking, but it seems a fairly common problem once you have kids. I often walk up the stairs to do something and get to the top and forget why I am there. Today I phoned someone and in the course of listening to their voicemail message (which wasn't overly long) completely forgot who I was calling and why. I had to put the phone down. I put things down and forget where I put them. I start the engine running on the car, buckle my seatbelt and then wonder where the f* my car keys are. I forget I have arranged to go for nights out with friends. If it's not on the calendar, it doesn't happen.

In fact I am now almost completely identical to my my husband. And he relies on me to remember things like keys.

Seriously, if you are worried, go and see a doc. But please don't discount the effect of recent parenthood on your ability to string 2 words together.

no, I think pph is right. I went a bit doolally and forgetful after both kids (still am, in fact), but I very rarely forget what I'm saying in the middle of a sentence. that's a symptom of smoking too much dope or a neurological problem, I think.

also I sleep like a log, but only because I'm so knackered.

I have to agree with wordsmith. Frequently since hacing ds3 people have said "have you remembered to blah blah" and I can't even remember the original conversation (happened today). 10 minutes ago I had to type bigbury into google as I couldn't remember the island opposite it- where I go frequentlyish.

Don't feel silly about getting yourself checked out, but I do think I am exactly like you- especially the losing words.

btw- I don't think mine s particualrly to do with tiredness (although that makes it worse) it's because I have far too much on. Are you very busy?

I do the forgetting words, but not forgetting the beginning of a sentence before getting to the end. that's quite a specific thing as pph says.

I do all of the above, funny you should mention it really as I'd been worried for a while that maybe I'd got some kind of brain disease. I told my DH and my Dad and explained my worries, they both said the same - it because life is so busy you've got so much buzzing around in there, so much on your mind that things get out of order. I too have a young baby, and two older daughters, life is just chaotic - even thought I sleep well when I go to sleep (out like a light), I'm probably not getting enough sleep considering everything I do and how much the mind needs to rest and put things in order. We "process the day" when we sleep.

Do still go to the docs, it will at least stop you worrying.

Hope you are ok.

OTTOMT, I agree with pph. Please go to your annoying GP and refuse to budge until you have asked for some further investigations.
Can I ask, have you noticed any symptoms such as weight gain, general tiredness and lethargy, feeling cold when others don't (and yes I know it's baking hot today).
It's just the aphasia you describe sounds soooo similar to what happened to my mum (also so petrified she had dementia that she covered it up too). Because she didn't get help from the GP when she first noticed her symptoms, they did get quite bad.
And she had...thyroid deficiency...confirmed by a simple blood test and kept 100% under control by a small daily tablet of thyroxin.
This was nearly 20 years ago, when she was in her 50s, she hid it from all her family and went through a lot of anxiety (we found out afterwards).

I had my thyroid checked a couple of months ago when I saw the GP for another unrelated matter. Well I think it was unrelated - I was feeling a bit down and irritable so he did a blood test to check it out.

I am very tired although not lethargic iyswim, have lots going on with all the children and rarely get a minute to myself. I have been on at dh to arrange things so |I can go away for a weekend (2 nights) on my own as I feel I really really need to recharge and relax.

I am a bit too scared to go to the GP about this - I feel a bit silly actually. I thought I might try the weekend away first? see if that helps.

did GP check your iron levels - being a wee bit anaemic can make you a bit down/tired/below par?

Don't they do hb levels when they do a blood test anyway? He didn't do one specifically to test for iron, no.

Can I put all these things down to just having a lot going on? rather than anything more sinister?

You could indeed, it is possible to feel a lot less consciously stressed out than in fact you are. Strange symptoms like forgetfulness or new-onset stuttering can be caused by a psychosomatic response to stress.
Look, if things really do get no better after your weekend away (which I totally think you should lobby for until you get it), then could you go to a private GP eg one of those Medicentre ones in cities? They won't know you from adam and given that their clients are paying to see you I am sure very little eye-rolling goes on. HTH

Marina, and everyone else......thank you. I will deff push for my mini-break away without kids and hope this will help.

I will let you know how things go.

Do keep us posted and go get that mini-break.

good idea- I was nooticeably better the week I went away with just dh and the younger 2- and my head felt strange from lack of things buzzing throught it. I do think if you are worrying though it is worth getting checked out- even worrying can increase this sort of symptom. Medicentre sounds a good idea.

I'm always stopping in the middle of sentances too, forgetting words, etc. it drives dh up the wall. its since ds was born and he's now nearly 2. i think with me its because i am so used to stopping/starting, being interupted, that it throws me to complete a sentance. I also think I get a bit out of the habit of talking to adults. there is a book, what mothers do, which really talks about this well.

However, ds does not sleep and we now also have dd (1 wk)-I have not slept more than 5 1/2 hrs in nearly 2 years.

You say you sleep like a log, and also have other symptoms. so what i am saying is, it may well be nothing but you do need it checked out. IME of requesting reports from gps, they are often dismissive of anything that could broadly be "women's problems" and may put this down to something vaguely hormonal. Don't let them. You need this checked, and this is their job.

I think also talk to your dp/h. Maybe he'll come with you to the gp and back you up?

Hi I am another one who suffers from this but I think it is just the brain being flexible. You have to learn so much stuff when you have kids that old neuron pathways detach and get reconnected then when you are trying to think of old stuff the connections slowly get remade eg when I went back to work the first time I had to do a percentage there was literally a black hole in my mental vision as to where the callculation should be- I think visually. But now I have rewired I can do it instantly. Words still beat me - must be a single path for each word. As for sentences again I think it is because my brain is multitasking I am always doing so many things at once that I get side tracked and forget I was even talking. But I don't think this is GP worthy just part of life?

That's why I'd feel silly if it was just a part of life thing going on. And which is why I'm reluctant to see the GP in case he laughs me out of the surgery.

Will talk to dh later though see what he thinks, see if he has noticed.

OTTOMT-I know what you mean, one of the gps at my surgery is like that. thinks pain in childbirth/morning sickness is a myth and, (i quote), western women should give birth in the bush, like their sisters in Africa.

I think you have to brace yourself for this rxn and just be very stroppy and insistant. Not wanting to scare you but it might be something serious, but treatable, and you do have kids.

I know it is HORRIBLE being basically told that you are a hypochondriac worrying about nothing. Bear in mind that gps do get stuff wrong, misprescibe, etc. my job is to help people with benefits probs, mainly tribunals, and I see so many people whose gp dismissed them, then a consultant picked up a real problem.

btw-thats kind of what I was trying to say melgreenmum! See?

Ok If you feel there is a problem rather than just a psrt of life then there is nothing bad about going to the gP and being laughed out - but if you do think there is something wrong and think you will get that reaction can you try the hv or another gp. Have you checked any medical/ mental health advice websites?