Hallucination’s – A True Story

 This is how I remember the week when I entered the often frightful world of the totally bizarre and delusional.

My first surgical procedure was over, and I was lying in a hospital bed with electrodes inside my head, embedded into my brain. Being closely monitored by medical staff observing every move I made. I encountered a variety of hallucinating episodes during the evenings.

Family and friends appear outside my window…everyone is smiling and waving…delighted, I happily wave my hand. In a sour tone a nurse asks, “What are you waving at?” Surprised that she can’t see my friends I say, “Look out of the window, see how happy everyone is.”“Don’t be ridiculous, we are on the fourth floor, there is nobody outside!”As hard as it was, I remained quiet and just smiled to my visitors. They soon begin to leave, and I wave…the nurses are getting annoyed…I simply ignore the nurses and continue to wave until the last visitor leaves.

Quite often a mysterious lady would appear to step out of the door jamb opposite my room. She was very tall almost the same height as the door with blond hair reaching down to her waist. To see if I could recognise her, I would lean across my bed…she would quickly disappear through the door jamb and into the cavity of the wall…leaving me wondering, “Who is she?” Over a short time, the hallucinations intensified dramatically. The nursing staff had serious concerns that I may harm myself, and also endanger them. Security guards were positioned close by. 

The most harrowing illusion of all was experiencing an overpowering, desperate need to remove the catheter which had been inserted. With a frantic action, I yanked the catheter out of my body…my bed was totally covered in blood…dripping to the floor. I was a victim of a gruesome attack…desperately I try to escape! Screaming and shouting for help…security guards rush in and strap me to the bed. Once the illusion passes I try to explain what has just happened…nobody believes me.

 Morning arrives and the straps are taken off my bed…exhausted from the night’s ordeal… I look forward to a cup of coffee. After seven sleepless and highly disturbing nights, I am quickly whisked away to theatre for my second procedure…a temporal lobectomy. The electrodes are removed resulting in an end to my hallucinating experiences.

Now, minus a ‘substantial amount of brain tissue the long recovery begins…