Only one TGA episode, over four years ago triggered by 'mind-blowing sex' following strenuous fieldwork. Too bad I don't remember it or several weeks before the event. There was a three-day hospital stay with a slow recovery of who, what, where, when, and why. I was a classic TGA with repetitive questions just several minutes apart. I knew who I was, but not much else for the first 24 hours. I reverted back to my Marine Corp mindset of 1974. I wore everybody out with the same four questions all thru the night. My memory circuits were skipping like an old record player. 

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For me, so much has changed. I have very little if any short-term memory, I can't multi-task, I have issues with crowds, bright lights, loud noises, and telling time. I have come to the mindset that  I don't have to like "The New  Me" but I have to live with him. I just recently with support from my psychiatrist, asked to be taken off an ADHD stimulant because it was affecting my lifestyle.

 

This photo sums it up pretty close. Every thought all day long always seems to have a piece missing. I try not to get frustrated or tired out from worrying about whatever it is I can't remember, because in less than 5 minutes I will have forgotten that because of something new I just forgot.

I have a few tools to get me thru the week:  Post-its, lists, text messages, smartphone apps, my daily charts, my daily routines, and a supportive family. And now this TGA Clubhouse to be a part of.

 

Now I see my psychiatrist once a month for my Mild Cognitive Impairment diagnosis, anxiety issues, and depression. I see my neurologist every 6 months and wear a sleep apnea mask to bed every night that he prescribed. I have memory testing every six months by my neuro-psychologist to measure my changes in memory. I'm on Coumadin every day for the rest of my life and have INR blood draws every two weeks due to multiple DVTs in my right leg. I've survived extreme cellulitis that almost cost me my right leg, had an ileus (bowel blockage), Prostrate Cancer and Skin Cancer. I have 2 different blood pressure meds. I am incontinent and also have ED. I record my activities on a form for every hour of every day. I record my weight twice a day. They are looking for a pattern; however, I am unique and full of new quirks. I hum all the time. I don't remember old friends or many past memories. I can't follow verbal directions. I don't eat as much, sleep as much, type as good as I could before, and I'm either very withdrawn or ramble on for hours. I don't watch much TV or listen to the radio. I nap twice a day. I take 10 pills in the morning, 1 in the afternoon, and 4 at night. I've had no heart attacks, strokes, high cholesterol, and I've still got my family and my sense of humor.

 

My short testimonial sums up the last four years of my mental illness that I never expected. I've changed that's for sure. I'm still fortunate to have a family that loves and tolerates me. And I can still remember their names, well sort of!