MORE ON COGNITIVE ISSUES

      I have written on this topic before and some of you may remember that post. It fits in with my last post.

      In 2008 I had a two hour period where I did not make new memories. I came in the house and saw that it was 12:20 PM and didn't know where I had been. I usually make lunch around 11:30. So I had no memory of the last two hours. The micro manager said quick. We have to get to emergency because you're having a TIA. So off we go and I'm driving. Many times the Micro Manager starts a trip and then says I wonder if I turned the stove off.  Apparently, I turned around and took her back home and then went to emergency. 

     I thought I was only minutes in emergency before they scanned me. Apparently I had to wait. They did many tests and couldn't find a problem. They had me stay all day for observation. From about 1:30 on I was again making new memories. I was sent home.

    Three years later I had the same situation. I had the same neurologist. She said , there's no sense in doing the tests over again because they will show that you are fine. But, she said there's one test we haven't done. We haven't done an  EEG with sleep deprivation. So I had to stay awake all night and go at 9:00 Am for and EEG. The EEG showed an area in the brain that indicated seizures. 

    Now many seniors have this condition and it's not diagnosed and they are treated as if they have permanent damage or aging. The situation is easily controlled by medication. For me it's lamotrigine.

    Check this link and you will find lots of information on this topic. I happened to have been very lucky to have and excellent neurologist who diagnosed me.

     So now I'm as good a forgetter as the rest of you. 

INTERNATIONAL EPILEPSY DAY

      This is a topic I know about. I had juvenile epilepsy and now have senior epilepsy. Juvenile epilepsy disappears with the onset of puberty. Other epilepsy will stay with you for a life time. Senior epilepsy shows up in seniors and is completely under diagnosed.

      As a child I had epilepsy which hit me when I was about 8. I had grand mals which took place just after bedtime. I'm sure that my parents were terrified  as they probably knew nothing about epilepsy. The old country doctor knew exactly what my condition was and prescribed medication to control it. Once diagnosed, medication kept me relatively free of seizures. However , in the late 40's and early 50's there was much stigmitism regarding epilepsy. I would not tell anybody I had epilepsy and I don't think my parents went out of their way to tell people either. I also didn't understand what epilepsy was and as a child I thought I was going to die. I knew that there were health risks due to epilepsy. Epileptics were feared and shunned because of their seizures.

     Most years of my teaching career, I had kids with epilepsy that was not well controlled so there were seizures in class.

     Senior epilepsy is much more surprising because I'm at an age when I understand things much better.

     I went to emergency in 2008 because my wife thought I had a TIA. I had spent about 2 1/2 hours and did not remember anything that happened. A multitude of tests were given and there was no evidence of a TIA. A neat little term was given to my condition...trans global amnesia. The medical profession could describe what happened but they didn't know what was going on.

     Three years later I had another incident of global amnesia. This time the Neurologist said, "It's no use doing all the tests over again as they won't show anything." But, she said, "There's one test I haven't done yet."

     She ordered an EEG (Electroencephalogical)  with sleep deprivation. I had to stay up all night and go in at 9: 00 AM for the test. This test showed a section of the brain with faster than normal activity. It indicates epilepsy. So the neurologist cheerfully told me that I had senior epilepsy and that it could be controlled with medication.

   I happened to get a top notch neurologist who's bright, knowledgeable and with it. She's an awesome specialist.

     I didn't say anything, but I thought , I've had epilepsy and that's not what this is. As soon as I got home I went to the computer and googled senior epilepsy. The first thing I found was all kinds of information on senior epilepsy.

     There's much research being done on senior epilepsy. It's under diagnosed so many seniors live in a dozy state and their behavior is classed as senior moments.

     So here's my contribution to publicize epilepsy on International Epilepsy Day.  I hope that with more information epileptics receive better medical attention and supportive association from the community.

Getting Old Has Some Funny Parts

     Most of the time we hear complaints about getting old. "Getting old ain't for sissies." I can't do this anymore or I can't do that anymore. This doesn't work. That doesn't work. My ears don't work very much anymore!

     Now some of the complaints about aging are very real and serious. Strokes, heart attacks, cancer. The medical establishment seems to have a bucket of pills to throw at us for every ailment. It's debatable how much good the medication actually does.

      Some people worry about their health. We can't help it. Some people worry about their end.

     Seniors tend to associate with seniors so much of the news isn't good. My 87 year old friend had a bike accident this summer and broke his right femur. He's doing okay and is ready to come back birding with me.

     However from time to time I experience things that just crack me up. This morning I was putting my underwear on when I noticed I still had the pajamas on!!! I wish I could have seen the look in my face. I had a little chuckle. I sometimes look for 10 when I'm doing a Sudoku. I have a silver car. My friend caught me trying to unlock her silver car. Did she razz me about it! That one really catches your attention.

    Now some people really worry that they are losing it when small things like this  happens. You're only losing it when you have the underwear in your hand and don't know what to do with it. We have some mental lapses when we age. I have trouble remembering things in a conversation. I cannot remember a book title or author at the time of the discussion. These things, although frustrating , are not serious.

      Now I have one medication that's really worth it. I have senior epilepsy. What's that you say? Google it. You'll be surprised.  I had spells of not making new memories. It's common to many seniors  and many times they land in the nursing home or worse. If diagnosed properly , you live a healthy normal life. 

    This week was my annual medical check up. I like my physician. He does a thorough check and explains what he's doing as he goes a long. At the end he gives a summary. So I'm in great condition right now. I also visited my optometrist this week. Yes , I have  few issues but they are not serious.

     So I try to keep aging in perspective. I have to keep in mind what territory I'm in.  Seniors are fragile. things can change very quickly even though we look after ourselves well. 

     I hope all the senior bloggers are doing well in mind and body.

I'm Losin It OR I've Lost It!

    At lunch time the other day. I was doing the sudoku puzzle, listening to the noon radio show, drinking my coffee, discussing what groceries were needed and writing the grocery list. 

    Now it was discovered in my grocery list that I had spelled milk "mik" and chunky "junky". How could I do this when I had just done a post on spelling? I guess the spell check was not there to remind me.

     So my multitasking skills were not up to the usual standard. Maybe I'm losing it?

     I have noticed lately that some senior people get very anxious when they make a few errors , can't think of something or forget something easy. The stress level goes up and they immediately feel that they are descending into senior chaos.

     Don't be so fast. It is common for seniors to make momentary lapses. Stress makes it har

der for people to function.

    I have a better excuse. In 2008 I had an incident where I did not make any new memories for two hours. An investigation was made and no cause could be found for my global amnesia. 

    Two years later it happened again. One more test was given. It showed that I was having seizures. I doubted this very much. I'd had kids in school every year with seizures and what was happening to me was not a seizure, so I thought. I went home right after this diagnosis and checked on the internet. It took less then 30 seconds to find out that what I had was senior epilepsy. Much research has been done on this topic and many times senior moments are due to small seizures.

     I was put on medication and haven't had a problem since.

    So don't beat yourself up when you have momentary lapses. If it's a big lapse, then it's a major problem

    Keep on multitasking.