Amnesia is real – I had it.
So I planned to meet my business partner at the gym on a Saturday at 9:30am. My wife went with me (to do her own workout) and I drove to the gym.
I remember backing out of the garage, and then just walking by the front desk at the gym after scanning in. And that’s where things got spotty.
I don’t actually remember the drive to the gym or parking… actually I don’t even remember my wife getting in the car after backing out of the garage!
Literally all I can remember at this point was walking into the gym.
But first, let me tell you how it usually goes… After walking into the gym, I put my stuff away in boxed shelves at the gym (jacket, workout bag, etc.) then head over to the treadmill to warm-up and get my steps in.
Here’s the last text I remember sending to my workout partner…
“Just walk in getting on treadmill.”
And that was it.
That was it until I was a few hours in at the ER.
So now let me tell you what DID happen, according to my workout partner. (My wife was also there doing her own workout separately).
- We hit the treadmills to warm-up for about 15 minutes.
- We benched.
- We did some barbell rows.
- We did some kettlebell work and battling ropes.
- I asked my wife how many sets she had left on leg extensions… and then I asked her again a couple minutes later.
But the only “red flag” they both said during this gym time was that I kept asking repetitive questions – but in a normal way. At first, my wife thought I was just joking around. By the end of the workout when it was time to go, she realized something was really off when I wasn’t joking around and literally kept asking her the same questions and about stuff that just happened 10 seconds ago.
She decided to drive us home thinking my blood sugar was just low and perhaps getting food in me would do the trick.
When it didn’t, she decided to bring me to the ER.
All I remember was a few hours AFTER being there. That’s when I slowly started to remember things – but only from that point forward.
By then, I already had a CT scan, an I.V. drip put in, and blood work done.
My wife had the wherewithal to document and take some video during this time. Still no recollection at this point…
The video was taken at the standalone ER. A few hours later I was transferred to the main hospital by ambulance and had additional testing done and stayed overnight for observation.
The docs ruled out seizure and stroke and said it was Transient Global Amnesia.
So what is Transient Global Amnesia?
It’s a sudden, temporary episode where the brain can’t form new memories for a period of time. You’re awake, you can talk, you can function (I mean a did a full workout with my friend), but nothing new really “sticks,” which is why people often repeat the same questions or seem confused about what just happened. Then, usually within a few hours, it clears up, leaving a blank spot in your memory and not much else.
The simple breakdown:
-
It comes on suddenly and looks scary from the outside.
-
You stay conscious and physically capable.
-
Short-term memory basically stops recording.
-
It typically lasts a few hours, almost always less than 24.
-
There’s no evidence of stroke, seizure, or permanent damage.
-
Most people never experience it again. (fingers crossed)
In other words, it’s pretty unsettling while it’s happening (after finding out about it), but considered rare, temporary, and benign once the testing rules everything else out. And it did.
I’m good now, but this experience definitely piques my interest even more about the brain and human physiology in general.
/Rich
