30 years old and alzheimers - Alzheimer's Disease & Dementia Message Board

Trivial Rush · 04-19-2005, 04:22 PM

Iam just curious if it is possible to get alzheimers at 30 years old. Iam only 26 but i am a recovering drug addict. I have many memory problems and ive read the 7 stages of alzheimers and i feel as though iam at the 4th stage. I also have trouble walking sometimes and feel dizzy and confused a lot. I try to read and make sure i keep doing a lot of mental activities so i don't turn into a vegetable at 30. Iam so scared because iam young and i have the same problems as 60-80 year olds. Is it possible i will be living in a nursing home at 35 or 40 years old since i have memory problems already. Iam so worried and scared, any advice

Martha H · 04-19-2005, 04:31 PM

Dear Trivial Rush.

It seems to me that your memory losses may have more to do with drug abuse than with Alzheimers.

I am not in the medical field, but a cousin of mine who was pretty heavily into drugs in the 70s certainly damaged some brain cells, because all her childhood memories were wiped out. She also had other problems at first, after finally getting off drugs. But the good news is that she recovered entirely. Her childhod memories are still missing, but she went back to college, became a teacher, had a child, is creative and musical, and leads a normal and interesting life. Your first concern must be staying off drugs. Give your mind a chance to heal. It may take a while, a year or more.

you will probably never get Alzheimers, but this experience and your fear of it will make you a better person and more caring towards such patients when you are fully recovered and able to become a caregiver in some way .. as a volunteer in a nursing home perhaps. good luck. God bless you and give you strength to never never go back onto substances that can make an old man out of you, even temporarily...

Love
Martha
(over twice your age, and wishing you well!)

Trivial Rush · 04-19-2005, 05:21 PM

thank you Martha for those kind words i went back to college and iam graduting in 3 weeks i have no idea what iam going to do afterwards maybe try and work or nursing school. I still have a lot of anxiety issues from the drugs and i get paranoid for no reason sometimes. But i am hoping that it will all go away with time. I worked at an assisted living facility last year and it was so depressing to see all those people suffering from alzheimers i wanted to help them and i could not stand to watch them in their confusion and caotic behavior. My grandmother had alzheimers and i used to change her diapers.

Martha H · 04-20-2005, 01:37 AM

Nursing sounds like a good idea for you! The symptoms you mention will go away. Have you ever learned any relaxation techiques such as meditation or yoga? That could help.

Good luck!

Martha

Trivial Rush · 04-21-2005, 04:40 PM

As a matter of fact ive been taking a yoga class this semester in school and i feel it has helped me in some way iam sure. I used to be a dance teacher so i know ways of strecthing the body to get myself relaxed and less tense. However i still get stiff sometimes and i get migraines a lot. I hope it will go away with time. But i don't think my memory is going to get better iam hopeing it just stays the way it is and doesn't get worse, thats what iam affraid of.