At first, Dorothy Sorlie thought she was just getting old, though not as gracefully as she’d hoped. Retired from teaching English at a local college near her home in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Sorlie, then 74, began losing interest in things she’d enjoyed, including reading and cooking. “I thought, Where are the good authors these days? Well, it wasn’t the authors, it was me,” she said. She couldn’t concentrate. Her handwriting changed. The symptoms occurred so gradually that initially she wasn’t aware anything was happening. “It wasn’t like when you get a pain in your knee and know you need to see a doctor,” says Sorlie.
Things kept getting worse. Her neat teacher’s handwriting went from sloppy to illegible. “When you have to sign over power of attorney to your husband because you can’t even sign your name—that’s a terrible feeling,” she says. She started worrying that she might be developing early dementia.
The physical symptoms progressed too. Despite having been a good swimmer, she found she could no longer even stay afloat in a pool. More worrisome, she began having trouble walking and started falling. She also experienced urinary incontinence. Through it all, her doctors struggled to explain what was happening.
“My decreased mobility was blamed on my arthritis and my right foot, which needed surgery,” Sorlie told the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. “My lack of interest ... I blamed on pain. The reality was I was unable to concentrate.”
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2021-Ausgabe von Reader's Digest US.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2021-Ausgabe von Reader's Digest US.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Cookies for Forgiveness
My blowup was half-baked. The apology wasn't
Puff the Magic Pastry
It always rises to the occasion
New Year's Traditions Around the World
1 MOST OF US spend the final seconds of each calendar year watching a nearly 12,000-pound geodesic sphere descend over Times Square in New York City.
Mom's Wall-Sign Wisdom
She never met a plaque or bumper sticker she didn't quote
Protect Your 'Holiday Heart'
This joyful time of year can also be dangerously stressful
Heroes of the Holidays
It's not just Santa Claus bringing the holiday magic this season. As you'll see, he's got elves all over.
The Man Who Looks After His Wife's Ex
For him and his bride, \"in sickness and in health\" meant something really special
How Risky Are Those Holiday Cocktails, Really?
The latest recommendations about drinking and your health
HOW ONE KENTUCKY TOWN SAVED ITSELF
Downtown Hazard had lost its small-town mojo to drugs. Former addicts are helping to bring it back.
Dream It, Do It, Done!
Your bucket-list goals, accomplished