well that was weird

i had an odd morning a few weeks ago and since then have had a few people ask me if i was going to post it on my blog or not. i debated writing about it because there's so much of it i don't remember - but in the end, i figured i'd tell you what i could and link you to the rest of the story.

It was Inauguration morning. I'm sitting on my couch and i start to not feel very well. i don't know how to describe it, kind of like feeling that something just wasn't right. my head felt really fuzzy, my heart was pounding and i just felt funny inside. it was alarming enough that i had the thought to call aaron and tell him that something was wrong. At this point i looked around the room and realized Noah wasn't there with me. I started calling for him and running around the house looking for him. As i realized he wasn't in the house i started to panic. i tried to think of where he could be or what we had been doing but my mind was... blank. i called aaron in a panic and told him i couldn't find noah. he asked if he was at my friends house (we'll call her "Megan") because i had told him earlier i would be over there. not giving it a second thought, i grabbed reagan and drove over to megans'. (i should note that she lives 4 houses away - but in an emergency, a car seemed faster then walking with a one-year old.)

By now I'm crying and am in a total panic as i knock on Megan's door.

bits of this part are blurry, but i believe the conversation went something like this:

Me: Is Noah here?

Megan: (with a confused look) yes. you just left him here a few minutes ago.

Me: (more confused then Megan and much more scared) what? i just left him here? i was here?

Megan: Brenda, you left here about 15 minutes ago. you spent the morning here.

Me: What?

Megan: I think you should come and sit down.

Apparently, i had spent the past few hours of that morning with Megan and her girls and had left to change Reagans diaper. I left Noah there to play. But, I have no memory of that morning. i have no memory of being at Megan's house or talking with her girls. the morning was completely gone from my memory. at some point i do remember my father-in-law showing up to take the kids and shortly after Aaron came. I vaguely remember sitting by Megan on her couch (she claims there was some petting of her hair going on... i guess i should be grateful it stopped there)

the last memory i have at her house is standing by the door while aaron is saying something about an insta-care. while he's talking her oldest daughter walks in the room and i remember hugging her and telling her how good it was to see her. at this point aaron says he's going to take me to the hospital - evidently she had been in the room a few minutes before and i had been hugging her and telling her the same thing then.

so, from here, my memory is much more stable. we get to the hospital and they take me right in. by far the most embarrassing moment (if you don't count the petting with Megan, but i don't remember that so it doesn't really count) is sitting on the bed trying to convince the nurse i wasn't on drugs.

nurse: what pills have you taken this morning?

me: i don't know, i don't remember. but if it was anything it would be my bc and an ibuprofen.

nurse: ok... is there ANYTHING else you could have taken?

me: No.

nurse: look, we're not going to tell the police, but we need to know so we can do our jobs.

me: seriously, i'm not on drugs. i really didn't take anything.

nurse looks me up and down with a doubtful look

aaron: (seeing the nurse look at me) she went to the gym this morning.

at this point i look down and see my gym clothes next to aaron (i was in a lovely hospital gown) and realize what i must look like. my exposed legs had not been shaved for about 2 weeks (totally gross, i know, but it's winter - come on), i had yesterdays make-up smeared on my eyes and my hair was plastered to my head in all sorts of unflattering ways (i'd been wearing a hat all morning, but evidently they made me take it off).

me: i know i look bad, but really, i don't do drugs

aaron: besides, we can't afford 'em.

by now the neurologist has come in and after hearing me tell what happened says he's 99% sure i had what is called Global Transient Amnesia.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/transient-global-amnesia/DS01022

this is where the person looses about 6 hours of their memory. one minute they're fine and the next they have no memory of what they've been doing. there are many symptoms to it - one being a "powerful expression of emotion" (which would explain the hugging and petting of Megan)

after the MRI came back clean (no stroke) the doctor officially diagnosed me with GTA and said i'd be fine. apparently, it's a very rare occurrence and never happens twice.

the doctor said it can happen from a hit to the head, a major trauma or it does come in the form of a migraine. he suspects because i'd been having a lot of headaches as of late that the latter reason was most likely.

i think, due to the timing, it was because of a major trauma. democrats officially taking over - very traumatic indeed...

even though some of my closest friends are democrat.

i even like Obama


My friend, Megan, has posted the experience on her blog for those of you who'd like to hear more of the details from that morning.... from her point of view. (no matter what she says about the whole "petting" incident - i think she liked it) http://3greenwoodgirls.blogspot.com/2009/02/well-that-was-weird.html