Imagine being knocked out or passing out and waking up in a strange house you've never seen before. It may be across town or in another state for all you know. You know who you are and you recognize your 'significant other,' but that's about it.
You couldn't tell anyone what street you're on or how to get there. You don't remember that you just moved into your home two months before, but your 'significant other' keeps insisting that you did. Nothing is looking familiar. The last three months have been completely wiped from your memory and everything else is jumbled up or missing.
That is exactly what happened to me at about 6:00 PM on Saturday, May 29, 2010. It lasted until about 3:30 AM the next morning.
9 1/2 Hours of living in 'The Twilight Zone'
At first my 'significant other,' Melanie, thought I was being funny or silly 'pretending' not to recognize our own home. I have been known to have a bit of a sense of humor at times.
; )
But she began to worry when I couldn't remember moving into our new home, my address, how to get to my home, installing garage door openers the weekend before, painting my office on April 3, 2010, what city I lived in, etc. Each room I walked into in the house seemed as if I was looking at it for the very first time. I couldn't even tell you what I did for a living!
I knew who I was and who Melanie was and her mom and my family and my name and my birthday and my SS#. At one point, Melanie told me that I said I thought I was living on a street in San Jose where I lived some 20 years ago. My time line of memories was mixed up and some portions were missing.
Witnesses will tell you I was WIDE awake and very entertaining for the entire 9 1/2 hours while this was happening. It was a bit scary for Melanie who worried I might have had a stroke and/or would be 'gone' permanently.
Melanie did a stroke test and ruled that out (raise both hands in the air, say a coherent sentence, smile). Then she called our friends Dr. Keith South and his wife for help. They came over at about 8:30 pm Saturday (Melanie tells me). They tried to help Melanie figure out what was happening to me and try to 'get me back.'
Dr. South suggested audio recording part of this experience since I might not believe it later on. If they hadn't recorded about 30 minutes of the 'missing time' conversation of the four of us sitting at our dining room table talking, I might not have believed it! It just sounds too 'Twilight Zone'ish.' But it's the absolute truth!
I have no memory (now, post 9 1/2 hours) of anything that happened during the 9 1/2 hours, except for about 5-7 fuzzy snap shots. The only reason I know what was going on is from eyewitness accounts and from listening to the recording. I'm extremely grateful they recorded it. It's helped me understand what was happening during the 9 1/2 hours.
During our conversation at the kitchen table, I would sincerely thank the Souths for coming over about every two minutes like it was the first time I'd said it each time.
They had me write things down so I could refer to my notes to get clear on what was happening and possibly me get my memory back.
So I wrote down, "Gary (my brother-in-law) died." A couple of minutes later I would say, "Gary died? When did he die? How did he die? Throat cancer? Oh." Then repeat this in another couple of minutes. Over and over.
I would notice Dr. and Mrs. South (like it was for the first time seeing them) and sincerely thank them for coming over — every two minutes or so.
I kept 'looping,' meaning my mental "RAM" was only one minute 44 seconds (they timed it). Everything seemed like I was experiencing it for the very first time - every one minute 44 seconds.
I noticed an electronic drum set in the living room and asked Melanie, "Do I play?" She said, "Yes." Dr. South told me to play. I forgot that I had played professionally for over 20 years! He said I kicked ass on the drums for about 10 minutes (I have no memory of this). This gave Melanie a break from having to answer the same questions over and over and over... No 'looping' seemed to occur during the time I was playing the drums, according to the witnesses.
Dr. South called a doctor friend of his with 35 years experience who said to get me to Vanderbilt ER now. Melanie ultimately took me to the Vanderbilt Medical Center ER at around 10:00 PM.
When they were checking me in at Vanderbilt ER, they asked me if I smoked. I had to look at Melanie and ask her if I smoked because I wasn't sure (of course I don't smoke!).
I think it's totally bizarre that I have NO memory whatsoever of Dr. and Mrs. South being at our home or driving to the hospital or being admitted or getting X-rays — NOTHING — until around 3:30 am, just before I was to get an MRI of my brain.
For ME NOW (post 9 1/2 hours) it was like I fell asleep at 6 pm Saturday and woke up in a hospital bed at about 3:30 am Sunday.
The first thing I remember when I came 'out' is looking at the IV tap in my right arm and noticing I was in a hospital bed. I asked "Where am I? How did I get here? Did I hit my head on something? What happened to me? Why am I here?"
Slowly my memories began to return — all except for the 9 1/2 hours.
What happened to me?
They diagnosed me as having (extremely rare) Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). I looked it up on the Mayo Clinic's web site and the symptoms fit perfectly with what happened to me.
This was one of the most bizarre things I've ever experienced in my life. It was equally bizarre to those around me.
According to the Mayo Clinic's web site, TGA is "...rare, seemingly harmless and unlikely to happen again. Episodes are usually short-lived, and afterward your memory is fine."
The average 'missing time' is 6 hours (mine was about 9 1/2).
Talk about the ultimate in being UN-productive! This was hilarious and terrifying at the same time. It was more terrifying for Melanie. For me it was a bit frustrating, but I kept my sense of humor. I was a happy idiot!
How did this happen?
The experts still don't know. The neurology doctor at Vanderbilt said TGA is a complete mystery to the medical establishment.
Here's my theory. As a result of my brother-in-law, Gary, dying earlier that morning, I became extremely sympathetic to my sister, niece, nephew, and mother. I believe this may have contributed to the triggering of my temporarily 'checking out.'
It's kind of like "stress-induced amnesia," but of course I'm guessing since the experts simply don't know. Maybe I couldn't handle the stress so my brain checked me out for a few hours.
[ Update June 10, 2010: I just got back from Vanderbilt for my follow up appointment. All of my memories are back, except for the 9 1/2 hours, and I'm totally back to normal. The doctor said it is not psychological; it's physical. But still, after decades of knowing about it and researching it, they still don't know what causes it or how to prevent it! It's a complete mystery to the medical field. But it exists. Leave it to me to get the totally rare, freak-a-zoid affliction! I'm very happy it doesn't have any long-term negative effects and I'm totally back to normal now.
Melanie definitely stepped up. I know I can count on her to be there for me no matter what. Our relationship has grown much closer as a result of this incident. I am truly blessed to have her in my life.
END UPDATE. ]
How this relates to 'productivity'
Being of the opinion that we all create our own reality, I began to self-analyze. "Why did this happen to me? What was the root cause of this? What did I do to help create this? What am I suppose to learn from this experience?"
I see it as a gift: a non-destructive (thank God!) wake-up call to take better care of my health. My diet and exercise program has already improved as a result. I'm using EFT and other techniques to help eliminate any residual 'stuck' negative emotions that may have contributed to this.
Don't wait until it's too late to take care of your health. Physical and mental health comes before — and contributes to — productivity. Think about it. Plan for it. Schedule it.
Focus on your health first so you're able to enjoy your life and focus on being more productive, successful and happy for many years to come!
Dedicated to your Success and Happiness,
David Humes
Time Management and Happiness Expert
www.DavidSpeaks.com
Curious where the term 'Grasshopper' came from? Click here.
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