Thursday, May 12, 2005

Amnesia....I just can't remember what it is...

German TV hit me last night with a couple of hammers. First there was a very graphic reconstruction of the life of Albert Speer, Hitler's architect, and then a "health" programme which of course was about illnesses. Leukaemia, ALS (here we go again) - the "Steven Hawkings" illness - and amnesia. It was the amnesia report which got me. A totally normal guy - married with one daughter - goes out on a totally normal Sunday morning, jumps on his bike and pedals off to the baker's to get stuff for breakfast as he does every Sunday. In front of the shop he suffers a synaptic short-circuit - ZAP!!!! He does not know his own name, he doesn't recognise his reflection in the window, he doesn't know why he is in front of the baker's, where he is going...nothing - just a big black hole in his head.
What kind of a feeling must THAT be?
I guess we all have had little tastes of it...not remembering someone's name (I have that all the time!)...not remembering why we have come into a room (actually, I have THAT all the time too!)...not knowing the next morning how you got to be in this bed and...YIKES...who is this next to me!!!!!??? (Erm....ahem).
Anyway, this guy jumped on his bike and cycled for 7 days ending up at Frankfurt Main Station where a Jehovah's witness sent him off to hospital...proving that they are good for something.
After a few days the police found out who he was and his wife and daughter came to visit.
Now, this next bit is what shocked me...he didn't recognise them then and still doesn't recognise them a year later because according to this programme it is rare for amnesiacs to get their memories back.
I don't know if this is true but if so it means Hollywood has been lying to me about this too!

2 comments:

binventive said...

Stopped by from BlogXchange. I wonder how often that type of short-circuit & consequent amnesia happens?? Interesting.

Neutron said...

Hi Jim, thanks for visiting.
You won't believe this but they DID say on the programme how common this is...but I CAN'T remember what they said...
Whoops...!