...I sure hope medication can help me

Nurses Disabilities

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I may be in over my head.

For the past, gosh, maybe ten years I have noticed an increase in "fuzziness" and difficulty concentrating. My memory has started to get progressively worse and my ability to learn new information has just plummeted. I no longer can learn by reading, I have to do something "active" to retain information. I have to make myself a worksheet, a game, a quiz, something. When I read it's like I'm scanning words that don't ever sink in. It didn't used to be like this; I used to be a voracious reader. Now it is painful to me.

It's gotten progressively worse over the last few years to where now I can't seem to follow along with TV shows or movies or even remember what I've done or said. I feel like I'm constantly on "autopilot." Like nothing is sinking in.

I've been functional enough at work but I have never worked at any fast-paced settings. I feel like my options career-wise are really limited so I decided to apply for grad school and yikes, was accepted. Now I'm terrified that I won't be able to handle graduate coursework and won't be able to learn and remember enough to succeed. It's really scary feeling that your mind is slipping away. My husband jokes about my early Alzheimer's but I don't find it funny because I'm the one experiencing it and I'm terrified of how bad things could get.

Right now I'm considering seeing a neurologist or psychiatrist to see if there are any tests that can determine what my deal is. From what I've researched I feel like I may have inattentive ADD but since this has all just hit in the past ten years after a very functional and productive childhood and adolescence it just makes me wonder if I'm off the mark. Is there such thing as adult-onset ADD? lol.

I'm not sure what else I could have going on. I'm only 34 and I do have a ton of responsibilities and social issues I've been overloaded with for years now. Maybe I am just fatigued? Not looking for medical advice obviously, just support and encouragement hopefully. Thanks for listening.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

((HUGS)) We can't give medical advice as per the Terms of Service.......I think you need to get yourself checked out for your own peace of mind....and if something is amiss....there are treatments available for you!

I wish you the best

Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

Welcome to my world, Umberlee. Although I've got two decades on you, I suspect neither of us is developing dementia, but a combination of stress and life events, and possibly certain health issues, can overwhelm anybody at any age.

I would advise you to talk with your primary care provider first of all. S/he can give you an overall physical examination and lab work to rule out organic causes for these distressing symptoms. If none is found, it might be a good idea to obtain a referral to a mental health practitioner for a psychiatric work-up; there you can find out if you do indeed have ADD and/or one of the other mental illnesses that tend to cause "brain fog" and difficulties with memory, concentration, and executive function. (My own nemesis is rapid-cycling bipolar I disorder and anxiety.) Don't be afraid to ask for this referral; it would be worth the extra time and expense, and usually it gets you in the door a little quicker. Psychiatrists and psychologists are incredibly busy people, and it could take months to get an appointment otherwise.

Best of luck in figuring out the puzzle, and by all means keep those lists handy---I myself am known as the sticky-note queen at my workplace!

Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

Please ask your physician for help. I am the same age as you. Totally not normal. Sounds like you really have overloaded yourself. Can you maybe not do the master's program until you have things evaluated.

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