My Early Onset Dementia Symptoms

They're not what you think

Jul 12, 2025

Before I write this, I want to let you know that I haven’t received an official diagnosis yet. But I know. My husband knows. We can both see it.

I’m female. 57. I went through perimenopause and then menopause years ago, so whatever is happening to me now is definitely not that! This is much, much different.

I’m on the getting-diagnosed-with-dementia train now

I’ve gone to see my family physician, but was dismissed. I’m ashamed to say that I cried. I was so angry and confused and scared. And here was my doctor telling me it’s all just “anxiety”.

Anyway, long-story-short, he has referred me to a psychiatrist who will speak with me about my symptoms (coming up below) and make recommendations to my doctor.

Got a call from the psychiatrist’s office

Yesterday I got a call from the psychiatrist’s office. It wasn’t the psychiatrist, though. Probably his assistant.

She allowed me the full amount of time I needed to give her a list of my symptoms.

At least I felt HEARD.

After that, she scheduled a face-to-face appointment on September 3rd. That’s about 9 weeks from now, if my math is right, which it probably isn’t. LOL.

The Symptoms I Will Tell The Psychiatrist

The following is a list of symptoms I’ve been experiencing. I’ve only been noting them for a short time, but (in hindsight) they’ve been happening for a long time.

I can’t say exactly when it all started. It kind of sneaks up on you and gets to the point where you just can’t continue to make excuses or ignore what’s happening.

First, the three red flags that got me thinking there might be something wrong:

The initial red flags that started me on this train ride include the following:

• Forgot my sister-in-law’s name
• Confused and overwhelmed while trying to organize my two-week pill organizer.
• Said the word “forest” when I wanted to say balcony. It’s like my brain is giving me random words to say in place of other words.
• Asked someone in my neighborhood how her people were. I meant dogs.

The other symptoms include the following:

Confusion while putting away laundry. Sometimes I’ll put away one sock and then later put away the other sock.
Short-term memory loss. I’ll count how many hangers I need to put my clothes away, walk into the closet, and forget how many I thought I needed.
Went to buy a croissant but forgot the word. I had to point at the display for what I wanted. I brought it home, ate it, but still couldn’t remember the name of it. Later, I had to describe it for my husband.
”Croissant?” he asked. Yes, it was a croissant. Twenty minutes later I asked him again, “Hon, what did I have for lunch today?” Shortly after, I asked him again. And again.
I find it hard to follow recipes. I have to go back to check and recheck the ingredients and the measurements.
I lose my phone within the confines of my 900 square foot apartment every day.
Mixing words. I often catch myself combining words. For example, I might say, “I’m going for a sneep” because the words nap and sleep both came to mind at the same time.
It’s becoming much harder to articulate and describe things. My speech is off. I have to pause several times to find the words I’m looking for. It’s taking me much longer to express what I want to say.
I keep forgetting that I already have a 1/2 glass of water in the house. So, by the afternoon I’ve used up a bunch of glasses.
Went to heat up my coffee in the microwave and found a cup that I had already put in there this morning to heat up, but forgot about.
This morning, I couldn’t remember if I had brushed my teeth when I got up or not.
Put an apron on to eat (because I make a mess and end up staining my clothes), but couldn’t think of the word. I struggled and couldn’t figure it out. Eventually, I asked my husband, “What is this thing I’m wearing? I know it’s not a scarf or a vest.” Even when he said the word apron it sounded foreign.
Looked for the kitchen garbage can in the walk-in bedroom closet.
Woke up, put my hearing aids in, and went to the washroom. Then I went to put my hearing aids in and freaked out when I saw they were “missing” from the container. I panicked, thinking I had slept with them on, and scoured the bedsheets and looked on the floor. It was only when I touched my ear that I realised I had literally just put them on.
Went to the washroom to turn the light on. Instead, I turned the faucet and waited a second for it to get light in there.
I keep forgetting to flush the toilet
Unable to determine the time to leave for a doctor's appointment by looking at a clock. Had to ask my husband to figure out when to leave the apartment in order to get to a 7:45 appt on time.
Said “I have to print the printer thing,” which only makes sense to me and explains why my husband is always saying, “I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me.”
I called the dishwasher the microwave today
I entered my age of 37 in a form I was filling out for myself. I’m 57.
My text typing skills have severely tanked. I just speak into the microphone now. My thumbs refuse to hit the right letters.
My computer typing skills have crashed as well. I’m still pretty good, but I’ve noticed a difference.

Thanks for reading AgeingUP ! This post is public so feel free to share it.

What Do You Think?

It certainly sounds like early-onset dementia to me. My father and several others in his family had dementia, although I can’t say for sure whether there was early onset or not.

Nobody can convince me that all of these things are related to anxiety. Hmmm…I just got a feeling that I may have already written a post just like this. I’m not going back to check, though!

This is the real deal. If I end up writing the same post over and over, it will be just one more symptom to tell the doctors.

Dementia - A Diagnosis of Omission

I think I’m correct in saying that diagnosing early-onset dementia involves eliminating other possibilities, like a brain tumor or something.

But am I wrong in thinking that a PET scan or an MRI can show if there is amyloid (thanks spell-check!) plaque on the brain? Or if either of them, including a CT scan, can show brain atrophy?

If you’re a doctor, can you help me clarify the diagnosis of early-onset dementia?

I suppose the next part of this ride will be finally getting the diagnosis. But what do I do in the meantime? I mean, sure, I’m just living my life as I normally would. But I’m also scared. I just need to know “for sure” so that I can tell my family and friends. So that I can start making arrangements for whatever comes next.

What do you think about my symptoms?

I’m really curious to know what you think, whether you’re a dementia care specialist, neurologist, doctor, or just a person who knows a thing or two about dementia.