Latest news with #memoryLoss
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
I thought I was heading for the menopause...but my symptoms were really a sign of brain cancer
A mother-of-one who blamed her brain fog and memory lapses on the menopause has told of her devastation at being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. Jane Roberts, 46, began experiencing confusion and forgetfulness earlier this year, but assumed it was a harmless symptom of perimenopause. She mentioned the issues during a GP appointment—only for her doctor to raise concerns it could be early-onset dementia. A CT scan soon revealed the real cause: a malignant brain tumour. On March 21, 2025, Jane was diagnosed with a glioma. The standard treatment for this type of cancer is surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. But in Jane's case, a follow-up scan showed the mass was located in her thalamus—deep in the centre of her brain—making it inoperable. The mother-of-one, from Liverpool, is now awaiting the results of an MRI scan to determine how advanced the cancer is. She has since begun sharing her story on TikTok in a bid to raise awareness, with some videos racking up more than 100,000 views. Jane hopes her experience will encourage others not to dismiss unusual symptoms, no matter how minor they seem. In a video, Jane explained how the ordeal began: 'I went to the GP with what I thought were perimenopause symptoms—part of that was a bit of brain fog and memory loss. 'She jumped on it straight away. The GP was so concerned by what I said about my memory that she thought I had early-onset dementia.' But after referring her for a CT scan, her doctor delivered the devastating news: it wasn't dementia—it was a 'nasty brain tumour'. While Jane is still waiting for an MRI to confirm how advanced the cancer is, the tumour is located deep in the brain's thalamus—described by doctors as the 'central system where everything goes in and out'. Even after seeking a second opinion at the renowned Cleveland Clinic, she was told surgery was not an option. In a more recent update, she told followers: 'I'm waiting for my next scan towards the end of June to see how it's progressing—whether it's grown or stopped. 'All the next steps—biopsy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy—carry a risk because of where the tumour is.' In a more recent update, she told followers: 'I'm waiting for my next scan towards the end of June to see how it's progressing—whether it's grown or stopped Her 10-year-old daughter has even given the tumour a nickname—'Betty'—after the pair had a heartbreaking conversation about her diagnosis. Gliomas are brain tumours that form in the glial cells—supportive cells that surround and protect nerve cells in the brain. Around 2,500 people are diagnosed with gliomas in the UK each year, with about 24,000 cases annually in the US. They make up roughly a quarter of all brain tumours and can range from slow-growing to aggressive, fast-growing forms. Symptoms vary depending on where the tumour is, but can include headaches, memory loss, seizures and changes in mood or behaviour. when a glioma is inoperable—because it's located deep in the brain or near vital structures—doctors may focus on shrinking or slowing its growth instead. This is typically done with targeted radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which can help relieve symptoms and extend survival, but is rarely curative. In some cases, patients may also be offered palliative care to manage symptoms and maintain quality of life. In a video posted last week, Jane shared that 'waiting is the hardest part' as she continues to hope for an update. In an Instagram post, she added: 'Doing nothing is a really tough spot to be in. It's a completely mental game. A weird kind of torture. 'You might die, you might not, but you probably will—but we can't be sure when, it might be soon.' In another video, filmed just days after she was told the tumour was inoperable, she said: 'I've woken up feeling really sad today. 'It is the reality. I don't know enough. I don't know if radio and chemo can fully remove it or if this is just going to be a case of shrinking it. 'Then it is going to grow again, then we're doing this and this is just going to be my life until it gets me. It's just hard to stay really strong.' Despite everything, Jane has been trying to remain positive—sharing her thoughts and feelings in regular updates. In a post from a week ago, she wrote: 'It takes all my energy to keep fighting the negative thoughts and the messages of Mr Doom and Gloom (my surgeon) continually echo in my ears. It's such a battle to stay happy or even neutral.' 'But I do know that whilst Betty (yes we named my tumour) is here to stay at least for now that I am capable of being happy throughout this shit show. So going to try and embrace the lows as they will propel me to the highs.' In her most recent Instagram post, she said she is appreciating the little things like going to a hair appointment. 'I just assumed I'd start treatment and lose my hair and it would all happen so quickly. 'But I'm a few hair appointments in now and brave enough to book another in 6 weeks,' she wrote in the caption.
Telegraph
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Jonathan Pryce
The actor, who played an agent with Alzheimer's in Slow Horses, also lived through a loved one losing their memory
The Guardian
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Miss Myrtle's Garden review – immersion into a mindscape of sharp quips and memory slips
In Danny James King's Miss Myrtle's Garden, life and death coexist. Acid-tongued Myrtle spends her days in her overgrown yard with her husband, Melrose, grandson, Rudy, and Rudy's 'close friend' Jason. But around the patch of grass, memories seep into the present through ghosts and flickering flashes, in a jumble of certainty and doubt. That's because, at 82, Myrtle has begun to lose her grip on reality. Taio Lawson's inaugural production as the Bush theatre's incoming artistic director is a full immersion into this disorienting, fragile mindscape. One moment, a scene unfolds as a naturalistic conversation; the next, the auditorium is plunged into pitch darkness, pierced by an eerie, rumbling soundscape. It's a striking way for Lawson to make a creative entrance; but with so much happening onstage, the production tips into becoming overblown and chaotic. At its centre is a tour-de-force performance by Diveen Henry as Miss Myrtle. Her sardonic put-downs ('being difficult is better than being easy') paint her as a pillar of blunt-force resilience. Her sharp quips are crisply drawn, showing King's gift for writing rich comedy. But as the scenes roll forward, it becomes heartbreakingly clear that Myrtle's memory is faltering and she needs help. Rudy faces a complicated future: what to do with Myrtle, and how to extract the information she guards about his dead father before time runs out. But Rudy also is keeping a secret of his own: Jason is actually his partner. Shame about who he is presses heavily on Rudy's shoulders. Their chemistry, wonderfully encapsulated by the gentle, side-glancing performances of Michael Ahomka-Lindsay as Rudy and Elander Moore as Jason, is left to play out in the shadows. When both men move into Myrtle's house, the weight of their unspoken love only deepens. Designer Khadija Raza builds a neat circle of grass, decorated with real flowers and soil for the action to play out on. Here, Rudy battles Myrtle for shards of the past while willing her not to vanish into the depths of dementia. Even as the script meanders, their relationship is charged with unspoken pain, sure to pull at your heartstrings. At Bush theatre until 12 July
Fox News
17-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
DR MARC SIEGEL: Presidential fitness and what we deserve to know
Everyone knows an elderly relative or friend with a failing memory. It is one of the least pleasant experiences in life, and as dementia progresses, and the person reaches for memories that are no longer there, feelings of frustration and uncertainty increase. Relatives and caretakers worry and may feel helpless, even as the patient themselves denies a problem and may also vary in mental acuity from one day to the next or even from one moment to the next. Gait may be affected depending on the specific diagnosis, and falls become more frequent. Most people would agree that there is a difference in seeing the symptoms of dementia or cognitive slipping occur in someone's relative versus the president of the United States. The concern with the president of course is demonstrating a continuing ability to execute the duties of the office at the highest level. The president's yearly physical has become a yardstick to gauge that ability. This is why Dr. Kevin O'Connor, White House physician during President Joe Biden's term is under scrutiny for his reports that reassured the American public that Biden was in excellent health and fit to serve. In February 2024, he wrote, "An extremely detailed neurologic exam was again reassuring in that there were no findings which would be consistent with any cerebellar or other neurological disorder, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's or ascending lateral sclerosis, nor were there any signs of cervical myelopathy. This exam did again support a finding of peripheral neuropathy in both feet." But missing from this letter, as from previous letters on President Biden's health, was any mention of an MRI of the brain or or neuro-cognitive testing. Peripheral neuropathy or sensory loss in his extremities would hardly be a cause for concern about fitness. Further, even if there was a discussion about possible use of a wheelchair among White House insiders, as a new book, "Original Sin," by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson suggests, this would also not be a reason to question fitness. FDR famously served from a wheelchair during World War II, even if he tried to hide it so as not to show weakness to the Nazis. Biden's gait or feebleness would only have mattered when he was president if it were tied to a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, which Dr. O'Connor was claiming it wasn't. But was this assessment entirely accurate or comprehensive? We don't know. But what we do know, now that Special Counsel Robert Hur's audiotapes have finally been released, is that Biden was clearly suffering from periods of profound disorientation and memory loss while president involving very important events such as when his son died or when he left office as vice president. Hearing these moments on tape, as opposed to reading them on a transcript, are very sobering and are enough to question his fitness in and of themselves. Yet nothing was done except for apparent obfuscation and coverup. There has been a long history of obscuring presidential health, from Woodrow Wilson to FDR to Eisenhower, even to Ronald Reagan, where there is still some debate about whether he began to show mild signs of cognitive impairment in his second term. But this tawdry history of lack of disclosure doesn't make it right. We still don't know what former President Biden suffers from. He had brain aneurysms and a bleed back in 1988 which were repaired by an open method (craniotomy) which could lead to long term cognitive problems, and he suffers from atrial fibrillation (irregularly irregular heart beat), which recent studies have shown increased risk of cognitive decline. There is a risk of vascular dementia. Whatever the underlying cause of his periods of disorientation and memory lapses we wish him well. But we also wish the country an era of greater disclosure and transparency especially when it involves our highest office.
News.com.au
13-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Wally Lewis opens up on CTE battle and the toll it's taking on his wife
Rugby league legend Wally Lewis has given an update on his battle with CTE and the toll it's taking on his wife. The 65-year-old first spoke publicly about his battle with CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), a degenerative brain disease linked to repetitive concussions, in 2023. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE in 4K with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Since then, the Queensland and Kangaroos great has campaigned for more awareness and funding for the condition. Speaking on LiSTNR's The Howie Games podcast, Lewis discussed his memory loss and difficulty initially seeking help. 'I'm just having some real issues with my memory,' he began. 'The first issues were probably six or seven years ago, but it took me over two years (to speak to a doctor). 'I didn't want to be seen as the guy who wasn't quite the full quid. 'I spoke to some doctors in Brisbane and went to Sydney and it was a bit embarrassing. 'The doctor basically said 'what are the issues you're dealing with' and I said 'mate, I can't remember things. I really can't remember things'. 'I had a short sleeve shirt on and I had goosebumps … he said 'don't be embarrassed'. 'I could feel my face go red the first time (I asked for help) and I thought 'you idiot, don't be embarrassed to ask for help'.' Just last month, Lewis married his partner of four years Lynda Adams at a private ceremony in Brisbane. He knows there is currently no cure for CTE, which was a difficult reality to face, but says Adams is incredibly patient with him. 'There is no cure. When (my doctor) delivered that sentence to me, it was a slap in the face,' he said. 'But by the same token, I was being a realist in not expecting marvellous things to happen. 'My partner, Lynda, has been fantastic through it. 'She's been very patient, but the amount of times where I've seen this expression on her face … and I know that I've obviously said something (before) or said it wrong. 'And I say to her 'have I already said that' and she'll say 'oh, two, three, four times'. 'I'm past the embarrassment of being repetitive.' Lewis is widely regarded as being among the greatest players in rugby league history. Commencing his career in the late 1970s, the playmaker was part of the inaugural State of Origin match in 1980 and was in the national side the following year. He played 38 matches for his beloved Maroons and a further 34 with the Kangaroos, regularly walking from the pitch with the man of the match award. After retiring in 1992, Lewis went into coaching and eventually television. Named one of the game's Immortals in 1999, Lewis said a number of players have reached out to him since his condition became public. 'A lot of the footy guys have come (to me with symptoms),' he said. 'We all could be a little bit different, but I say 'have you spoken to a doctor yet' and they say 'no'. 'And I'll say, you're seeking answers from me and I can't give you the answers. 'But the best assistance is only going to come from the medical staff. It's been good since (getting help).' Lewis' separation from his wife of 36 years Jackie in early 2021 shocked family, friends and colleagues alike. For almost four decades, the Lewis marriage had been considered the gold standard of sports star unions. But he has found happiness with Adams and was asked whether he fears for his future. 'I do,' he said. 'I am very hopeful and very determined that I am going to enjoy the rest of my life. 'But I don't want to be in a nursing home in the years to come.'
