- Nov 26, 2015
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can totally back this up.Random bump but I was reading an article about a recently retired Rugby Union player who has been diagnosed with dementia and one of the quotes reminded me very much of something Danny had said previously.
"Mel wanted him to see a doctor. He told her not to worry, that it was just he was feeling stress. Then he had the blackout. He was out on a bike ride, a 25-mile loop he had done countless times. Halfway round, he had no idea where he was. He stopped, sat on the side of the road, called home, and Mel told him to cycle back the way he came."
Alix Popham: ‘We knew our bodies would be in bits. We had no clue our brains were'
The former Wales back-rower was diagnosed with early onset dementia this year aged 40 and is frustrated the game he still loves – despite what it has done to him – has not been made saferwww.theguardian.com
"The most frightening thing happened when I was at the MCG one afternoon," he said. "I called [my wife] Anita up after a game. I was sitting in the car park, behind the wheel. I had no idea where to go, or what to do. I was lost. I had to call my wife up to work out how to get home from the MCG. I’d been driving home from the MCG for 30 years, and I didn’t know if I should turn left or right," he said.
There have been a series of articles about Rugby Union players with similar stories in the Guardian. Although CTE can only be diagnosed in people who have died I wonder if we will be seeing ex footy players diagnosed with early onset Dementia which will be linked to CTE.
my case is not head hits but head squeeeeze. (details in the mental health thread)
- the route that I drive to see mum+dad for 20 years...where I turn in...the road had simply disappeared one day, (difference here is I didn't forget, I knew the route but the road had VANISHED) I drove around lost for hours in a suburb I knew for 20 years. Still don't know how I finally arrived.
- on the way back the trip should have been 30mins, 1 hr max...so I left at 4ish in the arvo, how I ended up in Heidelberg I still don't know...had absolutely no business being there. Had to park the car on the side of the road, called my neighbour to pick me up at......11pm !!! so 4pm to 11 pm...what was i doing ? still don't know.
(later, my neighbour remarked that it looked like I was on a cocktail of drugs which was 100% untrue).
- next day, got a taxi to go get the car, distinctly remembered it was Rich vs WC day 2019, in the rain. Once again, got lost, simply could not get on to Punt Road to go home. Stopped several times and doorknocked to ask for directions.
One kind girl came to answer, she was about to open the security door to greet me, I don't know why but I instinctively said and I still remember my exact words: "No you stay there behind the safety of the door"...sheesh, gives me shivers now that I think about it.
This is the actual piece of paper that she drew a picture for me, think I'll take this with me to the grave. I think her dog's name was Elwood.
ps: tumour was removed, I'm all good.
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