When I was taken in an ambulance to the hospital, I was a Jane Doe. They did not know my name or how to contact my family. Meantime, my doctors were deciding if it was needed to relieve the pressure in my brain from the build up of blood flow within the skull. The doctors then decided that it wasn’t needed.

My husband shared with me the panic they felt when they couldn’t find me for hours because I wasn’t wearing any identification. That morning, I had meant to take my dogs walking with me, but I dreaded taking either of my unruly dogs so I opted not to take them with me at that time. I had never thought to wear my ID since I was only walking in my own neighborhood.

At the hospital, I didn’t remember some of my family members at first. My memory started to come back slowly. When my sister who lived in Georgia came to visit me. I was told I did not even recognize her. I told her that I have a sister who lives in Georgia also when discussing where my sister lived.  This had to be scary for her. To tell the truth, I don’t remember much until my teacher friends came to visit me several weeks afterwards.

When I met with my doctors they told us that I suffered a closed head injury caused by the sudden swelling of the blood flow within the cranium. On the x-ray, it was just a pinpoint area that was affected, but I it changed my life forever!

In the hospital, the doctors and nurses had difficulty keeping me from falling out of my bed since I was not aware that I couldn’t walk. Apparently I was not getting the correct signals from my brain to even walk so I had a bed alarm for my safety for a few days. I remember the doctor kept asking what day it was when he came in and I apparently gave some funny answers. It was like you were told something funny because everyone laughs and you don’t get what was so funny. For example, I did not know who the president was or the current year or what had previously been said to me. Everyone needed patience to deal with me at this time. Bless them!