• Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Uganda 2013

Musiewild's blog

~ An occasional blog, mainly photos

Musiewild's blog

Category Archives: Something new

Amnesia!

16 Monday Aug 2021

Posted by Musiewild in Something new, Uncategorized

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Amnesia, Covid, Covid-19, Gloucester Royal Hospital, Gloucestershire Academy of Music, Rendcomb College, Southwestern Ambulance Service, Transient Global Amnesia

Yesterday I posted about the early music course I did a couple of weeks ago, mentioning that I had been taken to the Emergency Department of the Royal Gloucester Hospital on the Tuesday. Here is the write up I have prepared about it.

MY TGA, TRANSIENT GLOBAL AMNESIA

Transient global amnesia is not actual loss of memory, but the failure to lay down memories for a certain period. Meanwhile you can continue to function physically and intellectually at quite a high level.

It happened to me on Tuesday, 3rd August, 2021. I was at Rendcomb College, on a music-making course with the Gloucestershire Academy of Music, known as the ‘Beauchamp’ course for historical reasons. At 4:30, we were in four different groups, and a few minutes after that an appeal came to the group I was with for a tenor to move to another one. No male tenor offering, I did. Once I had found the room, I was greeted by the tutor there with a considerable degree of scepticism. Knowing full well that I could sing tenor, and well – I wouldn’t have volunteered otherwise – I was determined to prove to him that I could do so, and perhaps oversang throughout the session.

I am told that in fact you could see on the tutor’s face from the outset that I was doing fine. Unfortunately I did not register this, and, had I done so, life might have been rather different for the next 12-15 hours. I think the TGA must have started around 5:15, because when the session ‘ended’ I remember thinking how very short it had been. However that thought must have come to me at about 6:30, when I ‘came to’ (i.e. started laying down memories again) and found myself in the rehearsal room with three other people: Jill C, the only person on the course who knew me at all well – thank goodness she had been in the same session, and it’s only by chance she had hung around to ask me something – and the two administrators of the course, Jane and Anne.  I recognised who Jill was, but I couldn’t place the others, politeness stopping me asking.

Apparently, when all others at the session had dispersed at 6:00, I had just sat there, not knowing where I was or why I was there. They told me they had called an ambulance, because of my bizarre behaviour. Later on, Jill told me that I had been asking, over and over again (because, I now understand, I was not laying down memories of their answers) where I was and how I had got there. Jill had asked me the names of my cats, which I was able to give, and where they were, which I was not able to say. And apparently, I also thought that I still lived in France, from where I had returned 10 years previously. (Ah, so I did have some loss of actual memories.)

They had first called 111, but poor telephone network had severed that, and they had also called the registered GP for the school, who did not want to know, so they just called the emergency ambulance, though they had no idea when it would arrive. I heard Anne or Jane say that they would ask for dinner (normally 6:30) to be put aside, and I insisted that I was fine to eat it then, by now 6:45. I needed help to find my way downstairs and through to the dining room, but I had no difficulty remembering that I needed to take the vegetarian option, and I also remember saying, ‘But I haven’t got a mask on’, to be told that that really didn’t matter in the circumstances.  Though later I recall being puzzled that people were wearing masks at all. Dinner finished, we went through to sit in reception for the ambulance to turn up.

I was accompanied by two of them to my room to pack an overnight bag. I felt very confused and concerned that I wouldn’t remember to take everything, but in the event I did, even surprising myself when I unpacked it again at some of the things I had remembered. No doubt I had been helped by the two women.

When ambulanceman Phil ( from the Southwestern Ambulance Service) came, at about 8:15 I think, he asked me lots of questions and did a few tests. I can’t remember everything, but I can remember him asking whether anything like this had happened before, to which I answered no. At that stage, I did not remember the TIA I (may have) had in March 2016, but I did tell him, or possibly Shaun, who arrived around 10:30 in his ambulance, about it then. Phil saw this as evidence of my having much improved, and indeed, I think I was in fact pretty well back to normal by then. (Of course TIA and TGA are nothing like the same. I did not lose any memory, or rather fail to lay it down, at all during the TIA. But I’m sure I would have mentioned it had I remembered it when asked at the outset if anything like this had happened before.)

The reason that a second ambulance had to come is that Shaun, normally Phil’s partner, had not been able to come with Phil at the outset because he hadn’t had sufficient break. (I am impressed that two ambulances were even available, given the current circumstances.) Shaun was needed for two reasons. Apparently, it was above Phil’s grade to decide whether or not I should be taken to hospital, especially if the decision was negative, and also if I were to be taken to hospital, one ambulance person must be in with the patient.

While Phil would have been inclined not to insist that I went to hospital, Shaun said that once an episode had lasted for more than an hour, it was always their recommendation that the patient should in fact be checked out at the hospital. My own main concern was to be back in time for proceedings the next day, for fear that I would not be included in the various groups as they were planned for the Wednesday. Jill undertook to make sure that I would be!

Meanwhile, Jane and Anne were debating whether one of them should follow in a car to get me back again, but I insisted that neither should come. We had no idea when that would be, and I could get a taxi back anyway.

Shaun’s firm recommendation was that I should go, so I agreed reluctantly. By the time we left the school, at about 11:00 pm, I was feeling fine and my memory for everything outside that hour or so was complete, other than a bit of fuzziness, which remains to this day, about the order of things that I’ve just been describing.

Shaun has just done a Lateral flow test on me. Phil is driving.

At the hospital all things all seemed very calm in Emergency, nothing like those programmes on television, but I was told that they were having a very busy night. After a few minutes standing, I was led to an area where I was laid on a gurney, where in due course nurses started doing tests on me, and on which I was moved to another area, still in Emergency, later on, for more tests.  It was to me chilly – not like hot hospitals I had experienced previously.  I was told it was because it was still the Emergency area, and also because they were maintaining deliberately a good flow of air, presumably for Covid reasons. They gave me more blankets.

At no stage did I have any worries, or in fact even think, about Covid, although I was wearing an FFP2 mask of my own throughout after dinner. I had already had a lateral flow test before the ambulance set off with me, (the other ambulance had to be left to be collected by Shaun and Phil later) and another, PCR, was done in the course of the night, along with blood tests, temperature, blood pressure, and an ECG, and, once the doctor – for whom there was a waiting time of six hours, for non-emergency emergencies, (my phrase) – saw me at 7:00 am, various questions to test my mental acuity. She apologised for the “stupidity” of them. Anyway, among other things, I knew my name, my date of birth, what a pen was, what a pen nib was and where I was, (including the full name of the hospital because I had asked that as I arrived). She also asked a lot of other questions, which, as I now recognise from my reading, were designed to eliminate other things that might be going on. She wanted to contact Jill to get a full description of exactly what had happened while I was ‘absent’ but unfortunately network at the school was very poor, and Jill could not be reached. When the doctor came back from trying to do so, said she was going to take a ‘pragmatic’ view of the matter, just telling me not to drive until I really had to (which would be Saturday), and let me go back to the course, which I did, £60 the poorer for the taxi.

At 10:00 pm the night before, when the debate as to whether I should go to hospital was on, I said I just wanted to go to bed because I was feeling very sleepy. Now, I don’t know whether that would been better for me. I got only about an hour’s sleep in Emergency and still, 11 days on, feel that I have not caught up fully with that sleep. On the other hand, yes, I do know it was the right thing to go to the hospital just to have everything checked out.

I have done lots of reading on this phenomenon, which was not given a name by any of the medical people. But googling ‘temporary memory loss’ has led me to the clear conclusion that I had an attack of TGA. The symptoms are identical. Fortunately, all the literature indicates that it is pretty rare, and that it’s incredibly rare to have a second attack in a lifetime. I am just at the top end of the age group which is most susceptible to it: about 25 in 100,000 in that age group may expect to have one in a lifetime.

Why did it happen? Given all my reading, (Wikipedia and various mainly American articles) I can put it down to three possibilities, perhaps in combination:

– hyperventilation, as I forced my voice to sing tenor, something I do regularly, but not in circumstances where I’m doubted and thus perhaps forcing;

– the stress of trying to prove that I could sing tenor (if so, where are my priorities?!);

– abnormal breath pressure on the closed glottis.

I am immensely grateful to the medical services, and the three women, for all the care they took of me. It must have been pretty frightening for Jill, Jane, and Anne, more so than for me, as I was just confused, (though also a little worried, as I gradually returned to normal, that true normality might never return). Of course I thanked Phil and Sean as they said goodbye at the hospital, and at the same time I asked them what their favourite charity was. I fully expected them to name some medical charity, but Phil, looking at Shaun, said “Animals? Little fluffy animals?” at which the latter nodded. So I have made donation to the PDSA, which is both animals and medical.

I cut the first session of Wednesday, to tidy up and snatch some sleep (unsuccessfully), and was very careful in any further sessions for the remainder of the week when I sang tenor!

14.08.21

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

12th time lucky!

12 Thursday Jul 2018

Posted by Musiewild in Countryside views, Photography, Something new, Travel, Wildlife

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

Adventure Balloons, Balloon flight, Berkshire College of Agriculture, Burchetts Green, Henley, River Thames, Sonning Common

12th time lucky! Two years ago, Barbara was given a voucher for a balloon flight for her birthday. She suggested that her daughter, that is my cousin Teresa, and I join her, and as I had been longing to go up in a balloon all my adult life, I was thrilled to agree, as was Teresa. So for two years we have been making reservations on flights, and 11 times these flights have been cancelled, either for bad weather conditions, or, once, because they had not enough passengers booked for the flight.

This morning, at last, it happened!  It was perfect weather.  Arriving at 5.30 at a field belonging to the Berkshire College of Agriculture, in Burchetts Green, the sun was rising over the horizon, and there was a little mist around which burnt off over the next couple of hours.  After a short briefing with us all actually in the balloon basket, we all clambered out and watched the balloon being inflated. This didn’t take long and we all climbed in again.  P1320903001P1320905001P1320906001P1320908001P1320909001P1320913001P1320916001

P1320917001

To begin with, just hot (I presume) air is blown into the balloon. (Later edit: I now understand that the balloon is filled with cold air to begin with.)

P1320919001

Then the burner comes into action

P1320921001P1320923001Take-off was imperceptible and we were up and away before we knew it.

P1320928001

“It’s actually happening!”

P1320933001P1320938001

Before long we were at our maximum height of 900 feet plus.  It didn’t feel like it – though how would I know?

We saw animals. P1320957001

P1320958001

Mostly I didn’t use zoom on my camera, to retain the impression of height, but this is an exception. I loved the early morning shadows of both animals and trees.

 

P1320965001P1320966001P1330012001P1330021001At last some wild animals – running deer, tiny specks here.

We saw expensive properties (this was the Henley area).

P1320947001

I really was not leaning out of the basket to take this.

P1320952001

P1320985001

Presumably a dressage arena

P1320995001

 

 

P1320997001P1320998001We saw fields with patterns.

P1320967001

P1320971001

We three were facing the sun.  I think we got the best of the deal.

P1320977001

 

 

 

P1320981001

Why was this field so exquisitely green, when all around had been affected so badly by the lengthy drought?

P1320984001

Perhaps this aircraft is the clue.

 

P1320999001

A golf course

P1330001001

The greenkeeper?

And of course we saw views.  P1320946001P1320949001P1320961001P1320963001P1320978001

 

P1320979001

The Thames with Henley in the distance

 

 

P1320986001P1320991001P1330006001P1330011001P1330012001P1330013001P1330015001P1330019001After some 50 minutes it was time to start descending. P1330023001P1330024001P1330026001

P1330029001

I didn’t turn round to look at the views behind me much, for obvious reasons.

P1330030001P1330031001P1330036001

 

 

 

P1330043001

We have landed, in a field at Sonning Common.

P1330045001

The ‘plughole’ at the top is opened to let out some air

P1330048001Once the balloon had deflated sufficiently we were allowed to get out.

P1330052001

83-year-old yoga-loving Barbara didn’t really need help,

P1330055001

but she seemed delighted to accept it.

P1330056001

Teresa and I used the same method as each other.

P1330057001P1330058001We were invited/encouraged/cajoled to help push all the remaining air out of the balloon, then to roll it up and put it back in the basket.  P1330060001P1330062001

P1330066001

Barbara helped squeeze the air out…

P1330072001

… by rolling in the hay with her young man.

P1330077001

The balloon was tied into sections

P1330081001

All helped lift it towards and then into the basket

P1330083001It was some time before a minibus arrived to pick us up. The interval was very pleasantly spent sipping champagne and chatting with fellow passengers. P1330084001P1330085001P1330086001It had been worth the two-year wait!  Thanks Geoff for kicking off the whole adventure!  And Adventure Balloons, we’re sorry for all the evil things we said about you every time you cancelled – we really do understand that you couldn’t take the risk.  And you served up perfect weather today.

 

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Romulus and Remus

01 Tuesday Sep 2015

Posted by Musiewild in History, People, Something new

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

A 39, Amulius, Bristol, Faustulus, Gaetano Celestra, Mendips, PoWs, Remus, Rhea Sylvia, Rome, Romulus, Wells, wolf, World War Two

It is very easy not to notice Romulus and Remus at the side of the busy Wells/Bristol road, at one of the highest points of the Mendip Hills.  I drove by in ignorance for months after I moved to Somerset, until someone pointed them out to me.  But only today have I actually found parking and visited them on foot.P1120925 (800x600)

P1120923mod (800x604)

It’s a sculpture created and given by some grateful Italian prisoners of war as they were released in 1945.

P1120928 (800x600)

As I stood and read the plaque, I couldn’t help by be moved, even though I already knew the story.  Perhaps it was learning the name of the sculptor that got to me. He settled in the area and continued working as a builder and stonemason.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Olympic Park, three years on

23 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by Musiewild in Plants, Something new, Travel, Wildlife

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Beach EAst, Greenwich Park, London 2012, Olympic Park, Orbit, River Lee, Shard, wildlife, Wimbledon

Stayed with my aunt B in Berkshire for a couple of nights this week, and travelled on to central London while I was there to see my friend Mary.  The main activity of that day was a visit to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.  Mary was familiar with it but I had not seen it before, except quite a lot on TV in 2012. (Well, to be honest, I watched more of the Olympics from Wimbledon and Greenwich Park.)

Until the end of the month, ‘Beach East at the Park’ is likely to be the first thing that catches your eye.

P1120584 (800x544)

But normally it would be the main stadium,

P1120586 (800x498)

which seems to be having quite a bit of work done on it right now.  But wherever you are, you can’t miss the Orbit, and I was thinking of going up it if it was high enough. I knew that Mary wouldn’t want to, and here she is confirming her decision.

P1120588 (800x535)

As we grew closer, I started thinking that it didn’t really seem to be all that high, and wasn’t sure I wanted to go up after all.  I settled in my mind on the sort of entry fee I would be willing to pay, saw this

P1120593 (800x585)

and this

P1120594 (800x600)

and decided that I would have to be able to go twice as high as that to pay the sort of charge they were making. So after a little rest on a bench, we moved on. Mary said that perhaps I needed to go up The Shard.

Olympic Park is a great place for children.

P1120590 copie (800x600)

P1120612 (800x369)

P1120596-1 (800x555)

P1120603.800

But I was most interested in seeing the wildlife friendly planting, of which such a lot was made at opening.  The Park is set around the River Lee (or Lea) as it nears the Thames.  It is very easy to find tranquillity, even though roads – and rail – are not far away.

P1120606 (800x565)

P1120616.800

P1120605.800

There are thousands and thousands of young trees,

P1120615 (800x600) P1120609 (800x600) P1120599 (800x573) P1120598 copie (800x566)

and every available corner is filled with insect-friendly planting.  I had feared that this late on in the season nearly everything would have gone over, and there’d be little of beauty to be seen, but I was delighted to find my fears were totally unjustified.

P1120597 (800x600) P1120600 (800x603) P1120601 (800x600) P1120610 (800x600) P1120611 (800x600) P1120617 (800x600) P1120619 (800x607) P1120620 (800x600) P1120625 (800x525) P1120623 (800x600) P1120622 (800x592) P1120621 (800x622)

After an early evening meal out, near Mary’s home, at which Susanpoozan joined us, it was back to Waterloo by tube for me for my mainline train.  Having once overshot – because asleep – the Berkshire station I was to alight at, this time I set an alarm on my phone, but fortunately didn’t need it.

Part of the next day was spent picking my own with B.  I had never done this before, and was amused to see this signpost.

P1120631 (800x566)

An hour or so over coffee with B, my cousin and her two young children (two bad photos, so neither here) was followed by the third of an Upwords best of three with B.  I won.  I note this because it must be the first time in decades of games with B that this has ever happened, and even so this was by the narrowest of margins.

I love begonias, as I have said before, and was delighted to find these in her garden.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I was even more pleased not to fall asleep on my journey back to the West Country in the evening, as I was driving.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

The Kittiwakes of the Tyne

31 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by Musiewild in Something new, Travel, Wildlife

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Gateshead, Kittiwake Tower, Kittiwakes, Newcastle, Tyne, Tyne Bridge

As I walked around Newcastle, especially near the river, I couldn’t help noticing that there seemed to be an awful lot of ‘seagulls’ around, and that at times they made a heck of a row.  Personally, I loved them, and couldn’t help admiring how they made their nests in the most ingenious of places:P1110454

P1110460

P1110455

P1110462

Under the Tyne Bridge

When I reached the top of the Baltic Flour Mills, now the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, my breath was taken away with surprise:

P1110490

P1110493

I had already been thinking that no doubt the powers-that-be spent thousands of pounds trying to get rid of them, but I was delighted to be absolutely wrong:

P1110492

Impossible to read here, and difficult even on site, but broadly the panel indicates that Newcastle Gateshead is proud to assist the kittiwakes, and does so through a partnership of local authorities and wildlife bodies.

P1110491

Kittiwakes usually nest in sea-cliffs from March to August (the rest of the year they are at sea) but these were used to nesting on the Baltic building. When this was redeveloped and finally opened in 2002, a Kittiwake Tower was built a little down-river for them to move to. Some did, but many returned to the Baltic building, and even more continue to nest on and around the Tyne Bridge. This is the most inland colony of kittiwakes in the world. More information here.

P1110496

Young kittiwake preparing to fly off to sea.

For me it was a thrilling discovery, and it’s so good to learn that these kittiwakes, which bring so such pleasure, are being protected.  Searching for information on them does however sadly indicate that not everyone agrees with me.

Next post: on to Glasgow.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Coming to the end of training…

14 Tuesday Jul 2015

Posted by Musiewild in Something new

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

learning, Strode, Wordpress

P1090787

It’s been a great course, in very good company. When I started it yesterday morning, I was far from sure that I wanted to get involved in having a blog. (Why have I come on the course then? That’s a long and complicated story.) But I’m totally sold on it now, and when I return from a trip up north in a couple of weeks’ time, with no doubt lots of photos, I might just do some ‘serious’ posts and start inviting people to have a look. Thank you Jane, Lisa, Barry, and particularly Kev Cook of Strode College.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Day two of training

14 Tuesday Jul 2015

Posted by Musiewild in Something new

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Glastonbury, Polden Hills

Tuesday morning. All seems to be going well, and my three co-learners are all pursuing their own very different purposes, one even having been inspired to something completely different from her original one.

So I’m continuing my own practice by posting a picture I took last year, when St John’s Church in Glastonbury High Street held an open day. They took groups up to the top of the tower.  Looking south towards the Polden Hills, with glimpses of the Abbey in the foreground.P1020625

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Just testing…

13 Monday Jul 2015

Posted by Musiewild in Something new

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

garden, Scarlet tiger moth

P1110271

Scarlet tiger moth in my garden

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Being trained at Strode!

13 Monday Jul 2015

Posted by Musiewild in Something new

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

learning, Strode, Wordpress

Monday morning. Shall I ever get the hang of this WordPress stuff? Tutor is very helpful, and there are only four of us on this two-day course, so hopefully at the end of it all will be (fairly) well…

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • Norway 2022/23 – 12, An even quieter morning, though not without a degree of anxiety
  • Norway 2022/23 – 11, A quiet day
  • Norway 2022/23 – 10 New Year’s Eve
  • Norway 2022/23 – 9, Turnabouts and changes
  • Norway 2022/23 – 8, Hammerfest
  • Norway 2022/23 – 7, Kirkenes
February 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728  
« Jan    

Archives

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015

Blogroll

  • Avalon Marshes 'Hands on Heritage'
  • Londonsenior
  • Salmon Brook Farms
  • The Jaguar
  • Tootlepedal's blog

Recent Comments

Musiewild on Norway 2022/23 – 12, An…
maryh on Norway 2022/23 – 12, An…
maryh on Norway 2022/23 – 12, An…
Musiewild on Norway 2022/23 – 5, Boxi…
Musiewild on Norway 2022/23 – 4, Chri…

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Musiewild's blog
    • Join 195 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Musiewild's blog
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: