What's up with short term memory loss?

[ClimbingOut]

While I am not entirely sure which diagnosis criteria my PDH falls in line with (maybe uNPD and some uPPD and some uOCPD) what I really struggle with is his memory. I did always used to joke that when he forgot who I was, I was gonna put him in a home, but now I'm starting to really question his memory issues? He accuses me of not telling him things that we had whole conversations about. We could have had a disagreement that turned him into a rage - but he forgets what mean thing he said THE NEXT DAY. I could tell him my deepest darkest secret (not that I've ever been successful with that because whenever I attempt to get that deep he usually falls asleep or gets weirdly defensive and takes everything I'm saying personally) and the next day it would be wiped from his memory. Sometimes we have even had conversations and I have gotten the disturbing sense that he is actually asleep and still talking because he won't have any memory of what he said. Any thoughts on this?

[Free2Bme]

Climbing out,

My first thought is, does he have a seizure disorder or any neurological issues?  Is this behavior only with you , or with others?   Can he function with everyday tasks? Is there a family history of early onset dementia?

I would get an evaluation to rule out something physiological.  Then explore the options. 

Maybe this is selective if he is pd.

[square]

About the falling asleep: is this new? Does he do it even when you're not trying to connect with him?

It sounds like narcissistic devalution to me. Demonstrating exactly how little regard he has for you as a person. Shutting you down.

But if it's not, if you think this is somewhat narcoleptic, i'd be thinking neurological deterioration. You could rule out sleep apnea first. The sleep deficit it causes could lead to narcoleptic behavior, possibly memory issues, and certainly increase of personality disordered behavior due to the stress on the body and brain.

And then the other consideration would be some type of dementia. Don't forget that Alzheimer's isn't the only type. Look at the symptoms of different dementias and see if any ring a bell.

[1footouttadefog]

There are several types of dementia.  Several typically start out with changes in personality before any memory issues are noticed.

Sleep apnea can effect cognitive performance, mood, and memory.   It can also I crease irritability anf anger issues.  One of my pdhs Doc described it like hVing someone hold you u Der water before letting you come up for air, even though you can regulate your breathing in a few mins, you may be in fright or flight brain chenistry for the rest of the day.

Does this happen at a certain time of the day, could it be low blood sugar or connected with a prescribed med building up or fading out of the system.