TGA - Transient Global Amnesia (temporary memory loss)

Hi Jill, I have not had any recurrences so far (fingers crossed) since my TGA in April 2016, but like you I suffered with migraines up until I was about 60, now (nearly 65) I get ocular migraines (zigzaggy lines which start small in the centre of my eyes then spreads out towards periphery - lasts about 15 mins) accompanied by heavy head.  I felt tired for quite a few days/2 weeks after my TGA with headaches.  Don't have any food intolerances.  I don't take any medication.  Someone posted on this forum reporting repeated incidences of TGAs, but I listened to a radio health programme on the BBC and they said it is quite a rare occurrence, i.e. it takes quite a few things to come together to satisfy sufficient conditions for a TGA to occur.  All the best.  Maja

Hi Jill, it was on a BBC radio programme called All in the Mind and Prof Adam Zeman talked about TGA.  He said TGA was relatively common: about 1 in 10,000 people a year get one, usually it is a one off, one a few percent of patients have recurrence.  Triggered by physical or psychological stress, and people who are prone to anxiety seem to be get it more and one particular set of conditions needs to be satisfied - but he didn't elaborate on that.  I have had The YorkTest Food Intolerance Test which measure food-specific IgG antibodies,but this is not a scientifically proven test at all - wasted my money on that - it shows up the foods you have most recently eaten (hence the anti-bodies). I am not intolerant to any foods - I thought for years I was intolerant to wheat and avoided it for years (migraines) unnecessarily.   Anyway statistically speaking the probabilities of getting another TGA are very low.  Good luck!  Maja

I am not taking statin but read articles about their possible triggering TGA. Any thoughts?

Hi Kare: I am so sorry to hear about your TGA and wish you a fast recovery. I don't think mine have anything to do with food intolerance and I am pretty sure mine are triggered by an episode of intense emotional conflict. I think we all have different triggers and you should keep this in mind for the future and try and avoid what might be your own personal trigger/s. 

This condition is not as rare as the medical field wants us all to believe. One can not say these episodes are short lived bq we are all different. Lasting only a couple of hours w/memory being fully intact once it's regained?? Definitely has not been my experience and I've had 3 in all. Only what I call a "mini TGA" was that short lived and last only a couple of hours. My full blown TGAs is a total different experience - one that I don't wish on anyone.

I had been sick in bed for 3 days - not dreadfully sick as I’d been preparing lessons (I am a high school teacher), had shocking headaches for all those days on waking, was stuffed up and not breathing easily through my nose. I decided to climb the 2 uncommonly large flights of stairs up to the staff room while carrying a box of books. Apparently couldn’t get my breath by the time I got to the top and hyperventilated.

Other than snippets my memory is now v sketchy for about 48 hours before this till about 8 hours after. I was a classic “Dory”, I’m told, not able to retain anything that was said to me for hours. I think my awareness of the passing of time and recall of “the right word” and for events for days before is still a bit wacko. I have read that retrieval can be a problem for up to a year afterwards. If I had to, I think I could go to work. But as others have said, I feel exhausted and slightly disoriented. I always knew who I was (I’m told) and who my hubby is, had good speech and  strength, but other than that I was profoundly lost in space and time. 

I’ve been told this is very rare and it’s unlikely it will recur for me. 

Hi Catherine,

Thanks for posting.  It seems a bit of a vacuum on the net other than some "scholarly " articles.  I m just home from hospital having my first and hopefully last TGA. It is very disconcerting, pottering around doing a million things and suddenly memory gone!!!

Events took over, excellent Hospital, CT Scan, MRI scan, ECG etc. nothing wrong except a slightly raised temperature and diagnosis of TGA.

Happened on Friday morning and seemingly again on Friday pm or was it all one?  I did not feel good in between. I have had loads of tests including CT MRI ECG. A definite diagnosis of TGA was made.

Now that I am home there are a few serious gaps in my memory. I cannot remember any of the content of a work meeting held a day before this event. A situation that happened at work a week before the TGS has dropped from my mind.

Is this normal?  It feels worrying. Ot is too early to be back at work but I am worried about all of this in the work context.   Anyt hought sany one?

Hi Karen: I replied to your food intolerance question already so in addition I will share with you that I have accepted the big memory gaps that both my TGA's left with me. Maybe the work meeting created some stress conflict for you? My second TGA was a lot less severe and my recovery faster but it still took several weeks for me to feel normal and even longer for my concentration abilities to return but they did so try not to stress about them and accept that it takes some time. I coped by taking my time to read and analyse anything important and printed out emails etc., using a highlighter for the key points as I found I could not concentrate and retain a lot of information at once. Accept you might be a little slower for a while but your concentration skills will return. Let people that you trust know about it so that they can support you and give you feedback on how you are doing. This is my own personal experience and not what any doctor told me. I don't think the medical profession is very well versed in follow up care for TGA's as everyone is different. I found that reading about other TGA sufferers experience most helpful so I encourage you to keep doing that. Good luck, let us know how you are doing and if you have any questions.

Hi Shirley and Catherine,

Thanks for the post. Just having communication from yourself and others does help to normalise it. I am surprised that it is so rare and appreciate the contact.   I am at home "seeing how I go".  I can't tell how it is all going to pan out but sounds promising.  It was initially very scarey particularly as my mother aged 93 has dementia. This has all happened so quickly and now lots of finding out to do.  Friday at 7am it all began. 

I actually feel really good in myself now, as if my memory has been spring cleaned.  I am just cautious now about new information and thoughts - will they stick.  I have been healthy eating, done some exercise and sprung cleaned a clothes cupboard!

I so agree w/everything you say here....Reading that it took you several weeks to snap out of it helps me bq I feel every day gets better but it too takes me a several months to finally snap out of it. Every experience is different. This time around, I am having problems w/spitting words out....my brain knows what I want to say but my mouth just can't spit it out fast enough but that too is getting better. Now I am just throwing this out there to you or anyone reading this....Has anyone noticed that once you come out of the TGA fog (for me taking months to recover), do you find your memory is better in certain things?? After my first episode, took me months to make sense of basic math....I did recover months later in math but I'm not as quick as I used to be but in other things, my memory has gotten so much better. As I state above, this time around, I just can't spit my words out quick enough but in other ways, my memory has improved but still not fully recovered as I still feel some TGA fogness---is fogness even a word?? LOL

HI i hope you have googled TYRAMINE and now know that there are a ton of foods which produce TYRAMINE. Lots of things besides red wines. It's produced in meats and cheeses that have been aged, for instance.

Vicky, I noticed that it took about 3-4 months to snap out of the brain fog. From time to time I will have a difficult time thinking of the words I want to use to describe or explain something. It would eventually come but very frustrating. Another thing I've noticed is that I do not think on my feet as well. It bothers me if I'm on the phone and get asked to describe something. Borderline panic. I just have to slow down.

Fogness or fogginess...both work for me.