So... I really struggle

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With remembering the name of 'things' !

It has gotten to the point of I will be speaking to my husband and say the 'thingy on the left of the other thing needs to be emptied' or like....

I honestly cannot think for the life of me of the name of the 'thingy'.

I have to stop mid sentence, say to my hubby 'don't tell me' and think really hard before the word 'kettle' comes to mind. It's like a foreign word.

I am early 40's so not in the late stages of life. I wouldn't say I have a great memory in general and forget bits and pieces in life until I'm reminded by photos or coming across something etc..

I am really bad with say ex school friend's names and sometimes faces (not friends as such but classmates).

I am actually really worried about this. Seems to be getting worse and I'm not aware when I say 'thingy' until husband says 'what thingy do you mean'.

I have just been tested for an underactive thyroid (symptoms which I presented to my gp and he took blood tests). Not sure if results will come back negative or positive.

Anyone the same? Getting even more worried by the week now...

Savvy_Sue

Did you mention this specific problem to your GP? I can't say anything either reassuring or worrying, but if there IS a problem for which drugs are helpful, I believe they're better started sooner rather than later. And there are strategies and exercises which might help.

I am older than you, and I do sometimes 'lose' a word completely, or do things like ask DH to put the fridge on when I mean the kettle. It's always worse when I'm tired. I can happily re-watch a film I've seen before with no recollection of the plot. And DH can relate some fact or event to me and I have no recollection of it whatsoever.

However I have an excellent memory for other things, like where I put something down - and then DH moves it and he has absolutely NO idea he's ever seen the thing, never mind where he's moved it to ...

[Deleted User]

I'd agree that tiredness or stress can be a significant factor. When I'm tired I find it very difficult to remember anything and matching names to faces is always something I've not been so good on. The phrase 'Its on the tip of my tongue' is commonly used for a reason.., we all use it, we all experience this problem.

I am not saying you don't have cause to worry, but you sound a little stressed to me, so I'd be wondering if its a sign you have too much on your plate rather than signs of an illness?

jess444_2

Do you know if your gp has included hormone levels in your blood tests. I started the peri menopause in my 40's and my memory was awful. The same as you, everything was a 'thingy', even forgot my best friends name once. I went to gp at the time and was told it was due to a drop in oestrogen levels. I am in late 50's now with menopause behind me and things have improved a lot. Ask gp to check hormones, it will put your mind at rest if this is the reason. Good luck.

Artytarty

I'm the same as Jess. I had awful brain fog in my forties due to the peri menopause. I too thought I was going mad or suffering from dementia. I cleared of its own accord and I'm as sharp as ever now!
I would say, try not to focus on it too much as stress will only make it worse.

pigpen

Yep.. totally.. its also a family trait.. excentuated by tiredness, hunger, stress (anything)

the doohicky on the whatsit... that blue thing...

My best one was forgetting MY NAME when I went to open my daughter a bank account!! .. I had my bank card ready to give them and she asks 'what name is it?'.... erm.... I dunno.... I've got one.... argh.. have my bank card its on there!!

phone numbers, account numbers, dates, NI numbers, NHS numbers... I can remember them all... words.. no chance.. and the names of actors, it drives OH crazy.. I don't know who anyone is.. and songs.. I can listen to a song 2-3 times and have the words down but I couldnt tell you who sang them or what the song is called.


You sound perfectly normal to me.. and my children, my mother, my siblings...

Petra_70

Happens now and again to me. Not often. (I am in my mid 40s.)

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Thanks all for your comments. Next time I'm at the GP's (and if I have to go back for the tests) I'll tell him more and ask for my hormones to be tested. I have quite severe PCOS so maybe that and (possibly?) under-active thyroid might be the reasoning behind. Did a quick google NHS search and underactive can mean a brain fog - that is exactly what I feel when I can't recall the word.

Actors, actresses, singers etc.. used to be able to remember instantly, now, even tho my brain 'knows' who they are I can't get the word to my mouth....

emg

You are describing 'word-finding difficulties' - you might want to google that term to find out a bit more about it and, if you feel the problem is serious enough you could try asking your GP for a referral to Speech and Language Therapy as they will be able to give you some tips and advice to help you retrieve words more easily.

MallyGirl

my OH used to be terrible for this - when we were doing a lot of DIY and I was his 'mate' he would want me to pass him something but couldn't remember the name of it. For some reason personal names stuck better than nouns - we still call it 'Mr Pencil' to this day.

MidLifeMayhem

I'm mid forties and have been experiencing the same thing. I was advised to do some brain training (I use a free app called Peak every day) and have seen some improvement in memory and focus.

Stress and tiredness definitely affect my scores.