Cognitive Misfires

I have been having trouble with my memory for about two years, little lapses that have increased in frequency and import.  One of my dearest friends had a chat with me as she has really noticed that I lose my place while engaging in conversation and often repeat what we've already discussed. I also have a tendency not to remember specifically how to do tasks, such as putting the choke chain on Sparkle the correct way so it doesn't hurt her.  I literally had to take a photo with my phone of the correct placement so I can use that to make sure I hook her up correctly. My friend made me promise to talk to my doctor when it was time for my next appointment, and to write down what needed to be said/covered, which I did.

Today was the dr. appt. with my favorite doctor. I told him that my friends had concerns that I'm starting to forget things, repeat things, claim no knowledge of ever having something as a part of my life.  He laughed and, after looking at my chart to check my birthdate, said that happens to a lot of people in my age range and has become part of the "new normal" as we age.  He double-checked medications to see if any of my prescriptions could be interfering with my cognition, and told me to stop taking the daily aspirin as that "may" have a cognitive link.  He also told me I no longer needed to take the milk thistle as my bloodwork  no longer has a link to a possible liver issue.  He did a couple of little tasks with me and was ready to bring me up to speed.

He strongly doubts that I have early dementia, but he's going to put me through a series of lab tests to see if anything is going on.  He says that "cognitive functioning" naturally diminishes as we age, and he's leaning toward that as a catch-all diagnosis.  He's going to prescribe Aracept as a precaution after he gets back the lab work I'll be doing tomorrow, lab work that includes a check for syphilis (really) because that can cause the symptoms of Alzheimer's.  We already have another appointment scheduled for 7 weeks from now to touch base again and he told me he's convinced I just have normal loss of cognition, and nothing serious or to be worried about.

I feel better for speaking up about the cognition issues and am especially relieved that he sees my lapses as typical loss of cognition, rather than early onset Alzheimer's Disease.  I'm not totally sure what the medical difference is, but one is a natural progression of aging while the other is a specific physical condition that can, and does, affect people and their quality of life.