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Why is My Fly Open All the Time?
Dementia comes to mind. But is this simple mental slip a true sign of looming Alzheimer’s? Let’s unzip the science to figure out what’s going on.
Life is topsy-turvy these days. I’m on a digital-nomad camping adventure of undetermined duration. Everything about my days and nights is unpredictable and more challenging than normal— from where I sleep to how to fix breakfast. The only constant is change.
Change is good, of course. But I’ve noticed one change that’s not so good.
My fly is open all the time. Or at least every time I check. Of course then I zip it up so it’s not open for a while, until, well, it all depends on how much coffee I drink.
I’m starting to wonder if maybe I’m losing my mind.
After all, I’m in my early 60s, when Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia often get ready to prepare to maybe start possibly kicking in (though not as commonly as you might think, as we’ll see below). I do seem to be a little more forgetful than in years past. Where I put my keys. Details from long conversations. Why I walked into a room. Stuff like that. But I’ve always had a lousy short-term memory, and in general, I feel I still have all my admittedly modest faculties about me. I’m…