I was doing an internship, I was doing pretty well, and then all of a sudden since like 2 weeks ago my memory/attention has been shit, I've been screwing up things I should know how to do. My internship supervisor is ticked off with me (justifiably) and wants me to come up with a plan of action to deal with this shit, and maybe to get the program coordinator involved too, and frankly I don't know how much help the coordinator is going to be. I probably need to get my meds adjusted but I can't see a doctor until the 12th. I'm freaking out, I don't know what to do short term, and I just really need someone to help me come up with a way to compensate for a week.
It might be burnout? But if it was a really sudden sharp change, you might definitely want to see a doctor about possible neurological stuff.
Some things to look at are nutrition and sleep. If there's anything obvious, try and fix that. I'm not sure what your job is, but maybe there are ways to minimize mistakes?
I almost hope it's not burnout, if only because there's not much I can do about that except for either powering through it to the end of the internship or taking a literal year off until the next time the internship is offered. But of course neurological isn't good either... I've been trying to get 8 hours a night, not sure how much I'm actually sleeping, though. It's also possible I've got low iron, I used to be prone to that... I'll up my red meat intake and mention the possibility to the doctor. (Probably best not to put myself on supplements if I'm seeing the doctor in a week.) I'm making myself reference sheets and charts this weekend and going over my notes. I guess my concern is twofold: 1) why am I forgetting? and 2) how to prove to internship supervisor that it's not just me "not taking things seriously". I hope the charts help?[/QUOTE]
Sleep apnea could be a problem if you're giving yourself enough time, or it sounds like you might have a sleep-quality issue that you're aware of so anxiety? Don't change your diet at all, I'm sorry for suggesting it because you want the tests to reflect problems if you have them. Focus on proving that you're trying until you get to the doctor. Hopefully they'll be able to give you both a way to fix it and proof for your supervisor that you were experiencing a condition.
I've had a similar experience at work recently, and it seems to be attributed to burnout. I took an extra day off for a long weekend and getting some satisfactory sleep + eating real food + not having to think about work stress constantly has reset me a bit. Unfortunately like you said I don't know any advice for dealing with burnout if that's the problem other than taking time off :/
Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause memory problems - taking a supplement alongside the extra iron won't do any harm.
I seem to remember you're on T - definitely check with your doctor before you start taking iron supplements, since having too high of an iron level is an active concern for people on T, even for those of us who tended toward anemia pre-T.
