Hi TTMF,

I feel your pain. More than you know.

I'm about to turn 45. My problems started sometime between 2003 and 2006 - before I left NY.

Back then I was on Ambien which we all know now causes serious issues while you take it, but I was having issues when I was awake. The thing that scared me was when I went to call my voicemail. Back then I had a certain number to pick up my messages. I called it on a daily basis and then one day couldn't remember it. For HOURS I struggled to remember and I had to go digging for the paperwork to find the number I had to dial.

Because I'm so forgetful I joke at work telling coworkers, "Just call me Dory." From Finding Nemo? I'm a MESS. If I look up a phone number, I can't remember the whole number without looking. I'll remember the area code and first 3 numbers but not the number in it's entirety.

I talk to a lot of people and I can't ever remember who I told what to. I've seen two neurologists - one maybe 10 yrs ago and one almost a year ago. They test me by asking these easy questions - what year is it? Say the alphabet backwards. They tell you to remember an animal color and country then they yak at you and then see if you can recall the things they told you to remember. I'm GUESSING when I do that. It's like it's in there somewhere, in a fog and when prompted I can find it but....

The other day my boss called me in the morning to tell me that she wasn't going to the training she was supposed to be going to. Later that day, her bosses were looking for her. They asked me if I'd heard from her and I said no. I checked my phone for a voicemail and nothing. I went to make a call and saw a call in my call history for that morning. I thought I must have missed it but then I noticed it was three and a half minutes long and I had ZERO recollection. I told them I hadn't heard from her. Even looking at my phone seeing 3 minutes I was wondering what happened that she must have been talking to dead air. Only when I spoke to her and she started reiterating what she told me did it start coming back to me.

I'm in school right now. My English teacher gives open book tests and my history teacher gives you a list of terms to know. I try to study them and then I focus on the ones that I CAN remember in the hopes that if I can remember enough of them I'll do OK. No way I can memorize all.

I was on Zoloft but I'm off now. Still take Trazodone, Lamictal and Adderall. What of those is crippling my short memory I don't know, but if I thought I could pass the bar, I'd love to go to law school when I'm finished with my degree. I really want to do something about this and called my insurance so I can follow up with a couple of places for testing.

It is FRIGHTENING. If you get a decent answer, hit me up. I'm seriously hoping to not have to wait forever for an appointment.