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Transient Global Amnesia

Posted by ret2tus @ret2tus, Jul 30 9:11pm

About 10 years ago, my husband had an episode of Transient Global Amnesia while we were on vacation. He couldn't remember what we'd done or where we'd gone for the previous several hours. The episode lasted about 6 hours and then he seemed to return to normal. When we returned home, we went to his doctor, who explained that TGA was relatively rare and also relatively benign.
However. my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimers 2 years ago and looking back, I think he was experiencing some cognitive decline as long ago as 10 years ago. I wonder now whether the TGA episode could have been a warning sign.
I'd be interested in hearing thoughts from anyone else who may have had a TGA episode and later developed MCI or dementia.

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cdk | @cdk | Jul 31 9:06am

My husband's first TGA was October 2003. Then again in November 2006, May of 2016, and again in March 2019. He was also assured it was rare and unlikely to recur. In October of 2024 he was diagnosed with MCI consistent with Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy, micro bleeds observed in MRI. Cognition is delayed, he has less short term memory, more confusion, especially with increased sensory overload, too much conversation in the room, too many people, etc. No evidence of stroke, but he's had right sided weakness, etc. since last October. He uses a walker or alpine poles to walk. He no longer drives, because he says he can’t process changes quickly enough to drive safely. Also being followed for anemia. We are still in stages of trying to define his dementia, which is not Alzheimers, but nontheless is changing and increasing daily. There is some thought that he had brain micro bleeds all along, undetected in his four TGA episodes. There is a lot that's unknown. We in the family can track cognitive changes back to 2017, but they were not considered relevant until they escalated.

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ret2tus | @ret2tus | Jul 31 9:32am
In reply to @cdk "My husband's first TGA was October 2003. Then again in November 2006, May of 2016, and..." + (show)
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My husband's first TGA was October 2003. Then again in November 2006, May of 2016, and again in March 2019. He was also assured it was rare and unlikely to recur. In October of 2024 he was diagnosed with MCI consistent with Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy, micro bleeds observed in MRI. Cognition is delayed, he has less short term memory, more confusion, especially with increased sensory overload, too much conversation in the room, too many people, etc. No evidence of stroke, but he's had right sided weakness, etc. since last October. He uses a walker or alpine poles to walk. He no longer drives, because he says he can’t process changes quickly enough to drive safely. Also being followed for anemia. We are still in stages of trying to define his dementia, which is not Alzheimers, but nontheless is changing and increasing daily. There is some thought that he had brain micro bleeds all along, undetected in his four TGA episodes. There is a lot that's unknown. We in the family can track cognitive changes back to 2017, but they were not considered relevant until they escalated.

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I am so sorry he and you had to go through multiple TGA episodes. One was scary enough for us. It's just so important that more research be done to discover some of the things that may cause various episodes of cognitive impairment or dementia so they can be addressed early on, rather than later in the disease.

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