I’m getting disoriented lately and I am worried.
Today I was loading my truck at my brother’s apartment complex. I had borrowed a lamp and I was fitting it into the back seat. As I did so I blanked out. I couldn’t picture where I was supposed to go. Where am I going? Where an I going? I couldn’t conjure in my mind my apartment complex which was only a mile away. For at least forty-five seconds I was completely and totally blank. I knew where I was but I had no idea of where I should go next.
Becoming forgetful is part of old age but this was something different. This incident made me recall that lately I have been going into my favorite supermarket and coming to a halt at the head of an aisle. I will look around for several seconds with no thought in mind. I know where everything is in this supermarket and I know what I need. Yet in the last two weeks I would halt now and then, just looking and thinking of nothing.
The other day I went to an outdoor mall that I am not very familiar with. I parked in a parking lot I don’t normally use. When I finished shopping I could not find my truck. That normally wouldn’t send me into a panic but this time the stress was much deeper.
I’m used to deep woods hiking and cross country travel. I don’t always use trails. I’m also used to off-pavement travels with my truck. I can get out of the wilderness. This time, however, was different. For the first time I got out my iPhone and asked Siri to locate my truck, not knowing if it could. Siri did find my truck and gave me a map with which some effort I followed.
My Grandfather and my Mother both died of Alzheimer’s. I’m nearly 62. And I’m worried.
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They sound like scary experiences. Have you had any scans or talked to medical folks?
Thank you for the comment. I am sorry for the loss of your son. I plan on going into a clinic tomorrow to check on an unrelated problem. I will ask about my episodes when I am there.
Good luck, and thank you for your kind comment 🙏🙏
This is a lengthy follow on in case other people are having the same problem. The Quick Care Clinic yesterday prescribed medicines for my other problem but the doctor said that only a hospital had the kind of testing equipment needed to diagnose what I was complaining about. Understandable.
The doctor said if I was truly concerned then I could present myself to a large hospital emergency room and request immediate testing. I thought about that but I also thought that I might have to bear the entire cost of testing should nothing be found.
Since this seems to be early days, I scheduled the next available appointment with my general physician, unfortunately, one month away. If he recommends testing or a specialist then I am sure my insurance will pick up the costs involved.
It is sad to think that I may delay a diagnosis due to its expense, but based on my three day hospital stay last year and my brother’s recent stay, well, testing may run into the tens of thousands of dollars. With no treatment yet available for Alzheimers, it may be best to save my money for when I need care later on.
Then again, this could all be about nothing.