Dyslexia onset at midlife?
I am beginning to scare myself.
I have always been a top notch speller – drives me a little crazy to come across misspelled words in books and even blog posts (!). And I’ve been typing since high school (omg, that’s coming up on 40 years ago), so I don’t think I am simply mistyping the words (like nad instead of and)
OMG!!!! 40 years??? That’s a post for another day….
Point is that more and more often, I misspell simple words, transpose letters and sometimes even words when I type emails or posts or ….anything.
It’s a constant irritating descrepancy that makes me worry that I am developing dyslexia in my 50s! Never ever had a learning problem and reading is not an issue (except when I miss half the email in my rush to get through the barrage). So it’s probably not true dyslexia. But still…
I am having the same problems with phone numbers. I have dialed the wrong numbers again and again, hitting the numbers in reverse order or worse. I could chalk that up to not wearing my glasses when I call someone…the numbers blend together and my fingers could stray a bit. It’s embarrassing, though, to reach someone who isn’t happy that I called during their nap!
Failing eyesight doesn’t explain the spelling, though. I can see what I type. My brain knows the spelling. But I just sent an email to a friend that said:
“When you do you come home?”
The “you” and “do” sound alike, but I inserted the “you” twice and in the wrong order. This is a pretty tame example; I’ve done worse. And it is scaring me.
I’ve read enough to know that early onset Alzheimer’s is rare, but not unheard of at my age. And my brain is turning to MUSH. Argh!!! I hate this almost as much as the crinkles on my neck and (shall we say) derriere!
Ick, ick ick. I like being on top of things. This is falling behind. Ick. Where did my brain GO anyway?
Thank goodness its not just me! I had a radical Hysterectomy a year ago. I am on HRT because I am only 32. This is by far my worst side effect. I work with computers all day and am consistantly fixing my mis-spelled, reversed lettered, words. Glad that I am not alone!
I decided to research this issue more thoroughly. There is no peer reviewed literature on dyslexic symptoms that begin at midlife, there is a growing body of research that shows short term memory is dramatically affected by estrogen fluctuations. I was comforted (but not reassured) by this excerpt from a research article published in Journal of American Medicine in 1999:
Obviously, estrogen replacement is not the answer for everyone and has its own set of risks. The research validates that this cognition malfunction IS related to lack of circulating estrogen in our bodies. Estrogen is strongly active in brain functions as well as reproductive organs. Our ovaries are the major source of circulating estrogen until menopause. Then estradiol declines and is manufactured by less effective means. Estrone is the estrogen that is more often dominant after menopause. Estrone (one of three important estrogens in the body) far weaker in its effect on the body, thus crippling our mental abilities.
Not great news, but I’d rather know what is going on vs wonder if it’s only ME that is losing her mind (and her hair).
As an aside – ADHD medications have proven effective in non-ADHD menopausal women to improve cognition. That finding is supported by double blind research.
I also have been suffering for the last 5 years since menopause. I’ve never been dyslexic until then. Horrible and only gets worse. I speak it, write it, and type it. Very frustrating. I eat a clean diet. No junk. Must be hormones. I feel so stupid. Tried to go back to school and the stress was making it too difficult. Typing this was difficult and I used to type 80 words per minute. Help!
Me, too! I’m in my mid 50’s and noticing similar alarming trends! I’m on the other side of menopause. I just got a card I sent back in the mail, that had the wrong address – I transposed two of the numbers. We have to “sign-in” at work with usernames and passwords. I am going pretty fast, but sometimes it takes three tries before I make it. When I talk to customers, sometimes dumb words fall out of my mouth – like my distraction is that palatable. When customers are reading numbers off to me that I must input quickly, my fingers do something different than what I’m hearing. I have to pay super attention to where I place my keys and my purse. It makes me want to slap myself!
I am having the same issue. No misspells – did I spell that wrong?? – but keep transposing numbers. Never, ever had a problem/ The reason I found your blog because I googled “premenopause dyslexia”
Must be hormonal…..
Well ladies it seems I am not alone and you are not alone.
I have just had numerous tests run by my doctor to see what is going on. I too have become dyslexic. I am 51 years old. Went through menopause due to hysterectomy 4 years ago. That took about 2 years and those symptoms are over thank goodness. So I can cross that off the list. I don't fit the ADD profile. I have to check my work 2-3 times for errors before it's completed. I am the "go to" girl at work and in our family. I type up all family correspondence and edit/write the emails and letters for coworkers before they go out. When reading I can't stop myself from "editing". Now I need someone to go behind me to check my work! Also when I talk, bacon and eggs are acon and beggs. It is embarrassing. So far I have results on an MRI – it is normal. Waiting on EEG, carotid artery and arterial doppler test results.
Any word on ya'll's symptoms? Any improvements???
I sure would like to hear from you.
OMY! I mean OMG! Yes, it happens to me a lot! Boss gets irritated, I get nervous and it gets worse. I used to type 90 words/minute accurately. If I did that now, it would be in Martian not English. I can't even string a sentence together – I transpose words, can't remember names of objects at times too! ARGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm going to be 50 – what the heck is going on? I'm actually going to school and have an A average, but it takes tremendous consentration. I'm concentrating really hard on this message to make sure it's ok.
It's so darned frustrating!
I am in my mid 40's and have entered menopause early. I am also having touble especially with typing. I keep flipping letters in the words. For example: how are you diong today? It is happening all the time now. Is this normal?? No one else I talk too seems to be having this problem.
I am having that problem myself and it is frustrating. I thought that I was alone. I downloaded a program called iespell it is on the menu for the right button on the mouse, that tool has helped a lot because you can use it everywhere you cant use spell check.
Do you find that noise unnerves you? Lots of noise stresses me out and over-whelms me.