Karen’s Corner: I forgot to write this headline before sending to editor

Published 1:30 am Saturday, March 28, 2026

Almost very month it’s a struggle for me to come up with a subject to write about. But every once in a while an idea pops into my head and I think, “That’s a great idea. It will be so fun write this column.”

That happened to me a couple of weeks ago and I think I actually came up with several key points I was going to mention.

Unfortunately, I didn’t write down my “great idea” and bullet points I was going to cover and of course now, when it’s crunch time to get the column written, I can’t remember any of that.

Truthfully, me forgetting stuff is becoming more and more common.

And it’s not just me forgetting stuff. It seems like my husband and I are having a competition to see who forgets the most stuff.

I think our kids have noticed it too. I’ll text Tara to ask when Makyha’s graduation ceremony is and she’ll reply, “Remember Mom, we talked about that the last time you were up here.” Or I’ll call Tami and say, “I can’t remember when Evan and Charlotte are selling Girl Scout cookies,” and she’ll say, “You already ordered 62 boxes for you and your co-workers.”

Dang it.

It finally got to the point that I suggested to Mike that we make an appointment to see our primary care provider and talk to him about our memory issues.

We’ve been seeing Dr. S ever since we moved to the Harbor in 1985 and I’m pretty confident in saying he has saved our lives on numerous occasions. He’s an amazing “family doctor,” is always completely honest with us and never hesitates to send us to a specialist if he thinks we need one.

A couple of weeks later we showed up for our appointment and a few minutes later Dr. S walked in and said, “Well, what a pleasant surprise. Two of my favorite people here at the same time.” We chatted for a couple of minutes and then he said, “OK, Karen. Ladies first. What can I help you with today?”

I explained to him that over the years I have realized that I pretty much follow my father’s health history and Dad’s memory started deteriorating in his early 80s. It started as little things — forgetting to close the garage door or forgetting to call us for our weekly Sunday afternoon conversation. After several years of the dementia advancing, he eventually forgot who Mike and I were and he was constantly telling me that he needed to get home because his mother would be worried.

So the nagging thought rumbling around my brain was, “Is this the beginning of Mike and/or me developing dementia and if so, was there anything we should be doing about it now.”

Dr. S said he was glad we had come in and explained that as people age, it’s normal for our mental and physical abilities to slowly diminish. He asked for a couple of examples. We said stuff like not being able to remember a specific word, or forgetting that we had talked about what we were fixing for dinner that evening, or where did I leave my cell phone.

Then he said, “Let’s try something with you Karen and then it will be Mike’s turn. Here’s three words I want you to remember: window, Cadillac, ice cream. I’ll ask you later to repeat them.”

Dr. What year is it?

Me: 2026

Dr. Who is the president?

Me: Do I have to say his name? OK, Trump.

Dr. Count backward from 100 and subtract 7 each time.

Me. 100, 93, 86, 79, 72.

Dr. Tell me the three words I gave you.

Me: I can only remember window and Cadillac.

Dr. That’s fine.

Q. Who was the previous president?

Me: Obama. Oops I mean it was the one who was getting so forgetful he should have stepped down from office long before his term was over, Biden.

“OK Mike. It’s your turn,” said Dr. S.

And smart-alec Mike says, “Window, Cadillac, ice cream.”

Dr. S. laughed and then said, “I think you two are doing fine. It’s not unusual at our age to forget someone’s name when you haven’t seen them for some time. It is concerning when you don’t have any idea who they are, even though it’s someone who’s been in your life a long time. I would be worried if you’ve ended up getting lost when you’re driving home or are re-reading a book you just finished reading last week. I’m glad to come in and it’s certainly something to keep an eye on but for now, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Thank you Dr. S. I am feeling less anxious about my mental glitches and I’m really going to try to write down ideas I have for future columns and hopefully I won’t forget where I put the list.