I guess this is where this story belongs, because it is partially about a failed wheel bearing on an O/T vehicle. The past few years my wife and I have been spending a month or two in South Texas during the winter. There was a very unsettling event during our trip this year. On Thursday, I had an episode of "Transient Global Amnesia" which is an event where you don't remember anything at all. One of the last things I recall from Thursday is crossing the Ok/TX border. The next memory I have is backing the pickup into a parking spot at a hospital in North Austin, and then I went dark again for a few hours. No recall at all from driving through Ft. Worth, Waco, etc. I even changed a front wheel bearing hub on the pickup in a Costco parking lot in Round Rock, TX and have ZERO recollection of it. I do remember the last hour or so of a 5-hour ER visit. After I had changed the wheel bearing I guess I told my wife that I didn't know where I was, and she thought I was having a stroke. She had seen a hospital about a mile away so we headed to their ER. A neurologist there did a few short tests and within a couple minutes knew what was happening. I couldn't remember what year it was, what our wedding date was, where I was, etc. TGA only affects memory, but none of the other brain functions such as coordination, thinking, reactions, communication, etc. That's why I was able to drive 250+ miles with no issues. My wife said we had normal conversations and observations during most of those miles. And, there are no residual effects from it. It just creates a blank period of time in your life. Darndest thing that has ever happened to me. Now I have a better understanding of what happens to people when they "come to" in some location where they have no idea where they are, or how they got there. I'm happy to report that I am now back to what is normal for me, although most would argue that I have always been somewhat on the abnormal side of the chart. Here's a picture that I evidently took when I was halfway done with replacing the wheel bearing hub. It is my shadow on the truck. I have no recollection of taking the photo, or replacing the bearing.
Some things ate just too horrible to remember like changing that hub bearing. I joke because I don’t know what to say. I’m getting older too and I’m scared about stuff like this happening to me. I live alone and you can’t understand my dog when he talks on the phone. He doesn’t have opposable thumbs or any for that matter, so he can’t hold or dial a phone. Did they figure out what is causing this? Can they fix it? I’m glad you’re ok now.
Wow that is scary. I am glad you are feeling alright and are brave enough to talk about it. Take care.
I've gotten to work with no recollection of the drive, more than once. But not the same as what you had. Prior to my 2016 HA, I was driving alone along the Ocean Parkway at night and experienced tunnel vision, but only for a few seconds. Never again since then.
Is that TGA thing an actual medical diagnosis terminology? sounds like some twilight -zone episode, although upon my return from Viet-Nam in July of 1967 spent 2 weeks the following November in a VA hospital with a high Malaria fever & recall very little of those 2 weeks, a real bizarre occurrence, hoping you do okay going forward .
They said that it can be caused by a number of things, Dehydration, stress, latent effect from being under anesthesia. I did have a colonoscopy last week before heading south so that may have been the root cause. Crazy darn experience though. All it affects is your memory, all the other functions are unaffected. Yes, it is a medical diagnosis. I did have a friend who tried to convince me that it was an alien abduction, but my wife was with me the whole time. She was unaffected and disputes that theory.
That sounds like an obscure enough condition that most ER personnel would have missed the diagnosis. Glad you had someone who was on their toes!!!
As my own memory returns, (hoping nothing more than age related), I do recall my Dr. of Pharmacy son telling me to keep anesthesia at a minimum, & opt for a local type treatment when minor surgeries are required as it can affect memory.
Glad you’re ok now! I’d try to forget a colonoscopy too! But the alien abduction thing is just too funny. What are friends for?
my mom had emergency surgery several years ago, and suffered delirium for about a month...like total memory loss....anesthesia can do weird things. watch out for those aliens, too! they like hot rods
I'm afraid that many of us will have similar stories as we age. The younger people won't understand but that is fine. To maintain a sense of humor and try to not take anything seriously helps. I'm glad you are better. I bet your wife was scared.
I have not had memory loss,but loose my sense of direction if it is cloudy and raining. How strange is that?
I've had a couple of those. The first when I was about 50. I was a bicycle racer years ago, and at this time I was riding a bike to work everyday. I was on my way home when I spotted another rider up ahead. My competitive nature took over and I had to chase him down.....and that's all remembered until my wife was driving me home from the ER. I made it home OK, but I have no memory of it. She said I didn't know what day it was or even what my name was. Much like your episode. All medical tests showed nothing abnormal, except my blood pressure was really high. That was the first and the worst. I haven't had another for many years. It is scary, and frustrating. I hope the best for you. Hopefully you won't have another. They liken them to a "mini-stroke".
Man, that is scary for sure. My wife says I have these daily, since she says she tells me stuff and I don't remember her telling me.
I've been looking for a positive from your episode. A "silver lining" if you like. The best I can come up with is to give you credit for probably being able to change a wheel bearing hub on the side of the road...... in your sleep!!! Hope all is well with it in the future.
My wife called it "Selective Memory." Even without any "episodes" as discussed, I'd only really remember that which I wanted to remember, at least according to her, selectively forgetting stuff like "Don't forget to take out the trash," or "Don't forget to shovel the dog crap in the back yard." My defense was I only forgot the word "don't". So once removed from the example sentences....well, it gives one permission to forget the entire command!
I think we all suffer from this to some extent. How often have you driven somewhere and don't remember part of the trip?
A friend of mine has TGA and when it hits him he goes home. Was at the Wichita meet a few years back and he disappeared so I called his cell phone and he was at home and had no idea he had been at the swap meet. We called his daughter and she explained what had happened and went to his house to get him, he called a couple of days later and was fine but has had several episodes since.
The Jalopy Journal
