I Did a Cold Plunge and Temporarily Lost My Mind

I didn't know this could happen with cold therapy

As a woman with Lipedema, I’m always on the lookout for how to best care for my chronic illness. Even after my liposuction surgeries, I still have some inflammation and swelling, and my weight fluctuates daily, within a range of 3-10lbs.

I have been thinking about practicing cold therapy and, more specifically, plunge pools. You might have seen the portable vinyl tubs you can put outside, fill with water, and dunk yourself in for a few minutes. Cold therapy is said to have some great health benefits. And for Lipedema, any cold therapy is ideal for helping us manage our inflammation.

I’d been going back and forth about this type of therapy since Christmas. Last week, there was a lightning deal on Amazon for a cold plunge bath; it was less than $80, the cheapest I’d seen, so I purchased one!

This is the type of plunge pool I used. Source: Amazon

Last weekend, my husband was up in Seattle for a track meet (he’s a high school track coach), and I was by myself. So, around 3 pm on Sunday, I set up my plunge pool and filled it up for my first plunge! I even made a video (which I can’t seem to load onto this post).

Here is a photo of my plunge pool:

Filling my new plunge pool with water. Temperatures here are in the 50’s.

The next thing I knew, it was 9 pm and dark outside, and my husband was driving me home from the hospital.

---

After my plunge, I developed amnesia. To be more detailed, I had Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). It’s a phenomenon experienced when there’s a shock to the body, and the mind decides to check out for a while.

My husband, Mike, snapped this pic while I was in the ED.

I can only piece together what happened through my calls, texts, and recounts from my family and neighbors. I hadn’t even remembered my plunge until I found the video on my phone.

Even though I don’t remember, my brain knew something was wrong. I started texting and calling my kids and Mike. All I could tell them was that I was confused. I knew my name. I knew how to get in touch with my loved ones. But I couldn’t remember anything else.

Texting with my daughter, which I don’t remember doing.

With Transient Global Amnesia, the main symptom is being unable to create new memories and remember the recent past. I was awake and alert, and I knew who I was. I recognized other people I knew well. I had full conversations with my son and daughter during the event, including with my son driving me to the emergency room.

I even had a social interaction with my neighbors while I was waiting for my son. My neighbors said later that I seemed a little off and kept asking their son if he’d had a birthday (he had his 5th birthday about three weeks ago, and I had attended his bday party).

My daughter told me I was pleasant and laughing while on the phone with her. I presented normally. But I don’t remember any of it. Even now, I don’t recollect most of that day.

Because I wasn’t holding onto recent memories, I was asking the same questions over and over, mostly that I was incredulous over not remembering anything that was happening to me, such as getting an MRI.

The most distressing was I hadn’t remembered my mom had died (she died two years ago), and I went through the grief of that again and again. I don’t remember it, though Mike told me I asked several times throughout the evening if my mom died and cried every time he told me my mom was gone. He said this happened between 7-12 times during the evening.

---

There are a lot of things TGA is not.

TGA is not a stroke, epilepsy, or dementia. It is not from an organic brain issue or a tumor. TGA is literally the brain checking out from some shock to the system or physical trauma.

Strangely, I have two brother-in-laws who’ve experienced TGA. One of my BILs bit into a spicy jalapeńo popper and went amnesiac for a couple of hours. My other BIL, an attorney, experienced TGA while on a conference call with a judge and opposing council.

The trauma, whatever it is and however it affects the brain, can be enough to check out mentally.

After my incident, I put things together about what happened and why. It was a mystery to be solved! With every clue, I realized my plunge was the instigator.

I thought a lot about sharing this with you before I wrote this down. I hesitated. We need our treatment modalities to manage our disease, and cold therapy is very effective for our swelling and pain. But there are cautions; however slim this one problem is, it can still happen. Fortunately, it’s short-lived without any long-standing problems.

Thoughts?

---

Thank you for reading! I want you to know I appreciate you. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments! I’m here for you.

Take care,

Michelle