Wednesday, March 10th, 2021 is a day in which I will never forget. For this was without a doubt the first time in my 35+ years living on this planet that I had lost total and complete control of both my body and my mind. I even remember at one point during this particular day that I had thought to myself that I might actually die.

Not to sound overly dramatic, but to be honest, I downplayed how serious my seizure that took place last week at my gym was on Social Media. When I had originally posted what had happened on our Instagram and Facebook Platforms, I was still in a state of shock myself and didn’t have all the information and details as to what had actually occurred. Now, exactly 10 days later, after completing 2 x CT Scans, 1 x MRI, and attending a 60 minute meeting with a Neurologist, I am bit more informed and aware as to what had occurred on that life changing day for me.

The Seizure

Even though Wednesday, March 10th is a day in which I will never forget, I have absolutely no memory or recollection of the actual incident that made this day so memorable. I remember starting my morning out like every other morning working with clients on our Gym Floor. At 9:00am I had a cancellation so I thought I would take the opportunity to fit in a quick Arms Workout prior to my next appointment. By 10:00am my workout had been complete and the last thing I remember was wiping down the equipment I had used before I was to head into the changing room for a shower. Everything that happened from this point onwards I have had to put together from the assistance of my two colleagues that were with me when my seizure had first occurred as well as the two paramedics that arrived on the scene as my seizure was ending.

10:15ish – Apparently after I had finished wiping down the equipment I headed towards our Water Cooler in the gym. I then stared blankly at the Cooler for approximately 1 minute and then let out a scream of agony as I stumbled/fell across the entrance to our Training Facility. As I hit the ground my body began to convulse and shake rapidly. My breathing was short and shallow. Approximately another minute went by before my body stopped moving and stiffened up. At this point, my breathing slowed down to a point in which I was barely breathing at all. The fall itself caused quite a bit of damage to my skull as I had 3 large cuts on my head and 4 large bruises covering my face. I was told that I had lost quite a bit of blood as well, but that was to be expected given the extent of my injuries to my head.

10:30ish – By the time the Paramedics had arrived I was told that I had regained consciousness. In fact, I was told that when I heard the ambulance door shut from outside the gym, I immediately jumped up off the floor to greet the Paramedics as they entered the facility. I ofcourse have no recollection of this or any conversations that I had with anyone at this time which frightens me to think of.

In fact the first memory I have after completing my workout that day was waking up in the ambulance on my way to the hospital.

The Hospital

I have to tell you that I’ve never spent so much time in a hospital in my life then since COVID-19 began. If you recall last August, I spent 3 days in the hospital when I had to have my appendix taken out. Prior to that incident, I had never spent even 1 night in a hospital, never mind 3! And now here I found myself 7 months later right back in the hospital (albeit a different one) once again.

This time was different though. This time I had no clue as to what had happened or why I had been rushed into Emergency. I was told that my blood pressure was extremely high and that my resting heart rate was abnormally higher then it should be. I was told that I had a seizure but was not told as to how, when and where it had happened. I was told that I was going to have to pee in a cup. I was told that I was going to have to have my blood tested. I was told that I was going to have to have a CT Scan. And I was told that I wasn’t going home anytime soon.

The Results

Well my blood work came back normal. My urine sample looked good as well. As for my CT Scan? It didn’t show much, so the Doctors ordered me to have another one completed, but this time with contrast dye injected into my body so that the images they were looking at could become more clear. The contrast dye did help as the second CT Scan did show some damage to my brain. However what damage that was exactly would not be clear enough until I would be able to get an MRI booked and my results reviewed.

Fortunately, I was actually able to leave the hospital later on that evening so I did not have to stay overnight this time around. Unfortunately, after spending 14+ hours in the hospital that day though, the Doctors still didn’t have any answers for me yet and were unable to diagnose as to why my seizure occurred or the health issue(s) in which I was experiencing.

THE MRI

I know people knock the Canadian Health Care System all the time, however I have to say that I have always received the best care from all the Nurses and Doctors that have helped me when I have been ill. I was also quite impressed with how quickly I was able to get booked in for my MRI exam as I only had to wait 4 days after my seizure had occurred to receive this particular procedure.

The exam was held on Monday, March 15th at 10:45pm at VGH Hospital. Luckily, I do not suffer from claustrophobia and therefore the exam itself was not difficult for me to lay through. The MRI Technicians were very helpful and informative. And although they themselves are not permitted to discuss your results with you, I felt confident after my exam that I was in good hands.

So Now What? 

Now I sit here anxiously awaiting the results from my MRI Exam. I have a meeting with a Neurologist this coming Friday, March 19th to hopefully go over these results and find a possible reason as to why my seizure occurred and a solution as to how the issue can be addressed.

So for now, I’m going to leave this week’s Blog as one that is to be continued, because the story isn’t over and I still have no clue as to how it’s going to end…….

Yours in Good Health, 

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance