Transient Ischemic Attack or as I Will Call a Mini Brain Attack
 

Anyone ever have one and not have a stroke within a year or two?

I may have had one Thursday night, and apparently I have a 1 in 3 chance of stroking out this year if it was a TIA. I have started back on 81 mg "baby" aspirin to block Platelets (clotting). I did not go to the E/R. I will post my episode description, and my B/L Doctors thoughts. Feel free to share yours. Please do not flame me for not going to the E/R. Start your own thread, if needed!

From my FB to friends...

Florence Nightingale says I'm on light duty today - I can throw the ball for the dog! Since she had to watch me slide out of my chair and fail to get my right eye leg and arm to be controllable for 45 minutes, I guess maybe she is right. Right leg and arm are just a little bit spongy but about 95 per cent back to normal.

It only hit 80 deg. F yesterday. I did not sweat at all while out in the sun for hours - must have been dry humidity even though the prediction was for humidity to move back in. Only drank a quart of fluids. Don't try this at home.

Bonnie. I am well... all we can figure is I didn't drink enough, and take my electrolytes while out tending the garden in the sun like I usually would. I must have been sweating in dry air because I did not mop my sweat one time all day. Have fun at OC and of course stay hydrated!

I actually considered calling Rich (Doctor), but I knew it would put him on the spot. I'm guessing he would have agreed that it was not heart or stroke, but he would feel an ER visit would be reassuring. We ruled out stroke the best we could.

What the &*^)? I do not like the sounds of all of this. If I was anywhere near you I would be picking you up and carting you straight to the ER for a checkup. You better take care of yourself!

I appreciate that Pam. I get leg cramps several times in Summer, usually 2 AM. A dose of Chamomilla cures that in 2 minutes flat. When I get dehydrated I get a bodyache - hangover feeling. That happened around 7PM. I usually take ‎5 medi-lyte electrolite tabs along with up to 4 quarts of fluids. Yesterday it was 80 and dry and I took no tablets and drank but 1 quart. Pressure is normal, lots of fluids - 3 tabs so far and I am feeling good and walking good. I was walking after 90 minutes and climbed in and out of the tub last night. BTW my last blood work showed my sodium slightly low - I work in the heat and sweat profusely. Yesterday my sweat was evaporating and I was a fool for not drinking more and not taking the medi-lyte. I will get checked out if it happens again.

Now Thoughts from good Doctor Richard...

If you had weakness and clumsiness on one side of your body and not the other and it has resolved it is unlikely it would be anything but a TIA (transient ischemic attack). Electrolyte imbalance and dehydration would cause global problems and not focal. One can not exclude stroke... if you showed up in any ER in the industrialized world and told a doctor that one side of your body was weak and clumsy but you are better you would still get a cat scan of your head and an EKG and labs and such.... and they would likely all be normal... even the CT. Then about 90% of them (the good ones) would recommend a hospitalization for further tests... observation and an MRI (more/better brain info).... studies of your carotid arteries and probably an echocardiagram... special blood tests to try and identify any of the causes of a "hypercoaguable state".... this is all basic stuff.

The reason this is all important is the rather worrisome percentage of people who have a TIA who go on in the next couple of weeks to months and have a big event... a much bigger and more permanent stroke. Can they be prevented? Not all but certainly a good percentage can be depending on the likely causes of whatever it was in the first place.

So... The best doctor will all the tests done in the ER and all of them normal can not say: I have ruled out a stroke. Unless there is some overwhelming evidence there was something else obvious to have caused this they would likely say... "it is very likely you have had a stroke/TIA"

Now... if you were of the mind to do nothing.... I would suggest that you take an aspirin a day. That turns out to be the treatment for many who have a TIA if they had it while not on anything... if someone is already on aspirin and have a TIA then usually some prescription for other "blood thinners" is started.

If you feel fine there is no reason to rush to an ER now. If you have these symptoms again you should rush to your nearest ER because time is important if you were to have symptoms that don't go away... consideration to use "clot buster" drugs have a 3 to 4 hour window from the time of onset of symptoms.... beyond that they won't be given as the risk of bleeding and death start to go up when given.

I'm not saying any of this to worry you... just to give you an idea of what the possibilities are and what the normal and correct suggestions would be...

Weakness on one side of the body is an emergency... as much as crushing chest pain...

Rich added these pertinent thoughts when I shared that I may have an eye pressure problem to deal with. It was noted in a routine Health Fair eye exam, and I will have a full exam completed soon,.......

About 1/3 of those who have a TIA go on to have a stroke within the first year. (keep in mind a TIA really is a stroke and the newer talk is moving away from thinking about TIA as something less... street talk for TIA is "mini stroke")

If you aren't back 100% normal you should see someone today.

Bad things travel together but don't necessarily imply causality... glaucoma doesn't cause strokes.... but people with glaucoma are more likely than control groups to have strokes by a little bit... sounds like you need to see an opthomologist about your eye pressures.

Needs a follow up. Immediately. With a doctor. Does he have high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc? Time for a comprehensive check out. And taht is froma aparamedic who has watched her pts call for an ambo for what started out s mild TIA;s and ended in full out, hospital staying, rehab needing strokes. This is NOT normal, it is a warning.

Praying for you, friend!

Thanks Beccachow. No high B/P. LDL low HDL good. Low risk of cardiovascular disease according to blood report.

Going out to do gardening soon. If it happens again we will go swiftly to the E/R.

Here is a brainteaser for you, NO pun intended.

Should i drive myself 6 miles in a 5 speed Forester, have Ann a non-driver take me in 1st gear at 4000 RPM, Or pray that EMS can get 1.5 miles up our abandoned road, crash the gate and follow the left fork in the road (clearly the improved portion) and the the 1/4 mile switchback on our private property.

We wanted remote and boy did we get it!

Thanks Clove I really appreciate that!

Do what I've done...tell your wife to push in on that one pedal while you shift gears for her.

Start teaching her to drive now.

If this happens again it would be wise for you to call ems. I would suggest you go down today and put some signs for ems to follow to your place so they can get you and get out quickly. I don't know how old you are but I bet you would not be looking forward to spending the remainder of you live tied into a wheelchair in some nursing home.

My husband had a stroke that he supposedly mostly recovered from and our lives were destroyed anyway. This is nothing to fool with. Maybe your doc can get you in on Monday morning and order the scans etc. sisterpine

totally understand where you are coming from. I had one a couple years ago at work....right hand and arm paralyzed for a short time...lost some words....went to see Dr....had all the tests....something broke off from small vessels in head. On plavix and aspirin from now till forever.

Go to the dr. now and have tests done!!!!! Take preventative measures!!!!!
Do not let it go undiagnosed!!!!! As sisterpine stated, "This is nothing to fool with."

Thoughts and energy are with you..........

She can drive ok for an emergency. She can handle the auto tranny on the pick-up better than the stick though. We have worked some on the tracto which is much more forgiving. I was curious what Beccachow would answer.

Ya know I thought about directional arrows! I will think about your suggestions, just wish there was a Scans R Us near here.

I did not clarify I was verbally and mentally 100 % there when this happened.

Does your significant other think you were 100% there?:bash:

The symptoms you described are nothing to fool with you have symptoms like that again go to the er. I work at a hospital and those that go to late have a lot of problems trying to recover. Not flaming just letting you know not to fool with this kind of symptoms.

Yes Alice she is sitting listening to me read posts and will vouch for me being 100% there. I was thinking through how to set our young dog up on a line to run with water and so on. I was laying on my back on the floor. My big problem was I couldn't hold my foot 10 inches off of the floor steady like I could the left foot. Same with the right arm. I could lift it up as if to point at the ceiling, but if I tried to continue past my head I couldn't hold it firmly to drop it back slowly, it wanted to fall.

I know if these symptoms occur again I have to seek medical treatment.

I started this thread for 2 reasons. To ask the question had anyone had a TIA But not a stroke w/in a year or 2, and to share the discussion my inner circle had been having.

I'm glad she agrees. There was a reason for my question. :) My best friend had three fainting/seizure episodes recently, and our memories of them differ GREATLY!

Please take care of yourself.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your Lady.

My father had a "mini-stroke" in November. It was deep and small. It effected his speech only and that has recovered for the most part. He has not had a second event, but he has been warned that "the big one" is to be expected.

I understand your actions, but would also understand your being seen immediately by a doctor!

Take care, Kimberly

I haven't had one, but it sounds scary. Take care of yourself, okay? Thinking of you!

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{hugs and healing vibes}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

I had an episode in 1995 and nothing since. I don't count my bypass because that was a different issue. I was kept in the hospital overnight because they told me if there was going to be a stroke it would probably happen within 24 hours.


Nomad

My husband had one about 4 years ago. Hospital could find nothing wrong but he was very scared and carried aspirin and cayenne pepper around with him for a long time, but has not had any other episodes. It affected his eyesight, speech and was weak all over.

Thanks everyone. Nomad and Rita your experiences were just what I was hoping to hear ! I am on the lookout now believe you me. I hope it was a small clot if it was indeed a TIA, and the 81mg aspirin along with all of the greens and sprouts we eat will hopefully keep this Demon at Bay!

At my last eye appt. a couple weeks ago, I had my eye pressure checked and they were 20 in the left and 21 right. They had been checking me twice a year for glaucoma and they came to the conclusion that just maybe these pressures were normal for me. Average persons is about 15 and 20 is the high end of the 10-20 normal range. Don't know if this helps any just letting you know.

Thanks HeelSpur. That too is reassuring. I know the key is not ignoring pressure increases and having the Opthalmologist check for damage.

Rick,

I hope you don't mess around with this too much, and seek proper medical treatment.

I lost my grandmother to strokes. We look back, and realize that some of her symptoms were not just headaches, and spells of feeling bad. The first big stroke left her paralyzed on one side, and totally blind. Many of us wonder if she would have gone to the hospital when he headache started if she would have been able to avoid the first big stroke.

Medical science has come a looooong way since the early 80's, when my mamaw had the big stroke.

She was one of the finest people to ever walk the face of the earth, and we loved her dearly.

Still praying for you, Rick.

Thanks Clove. I am honored that you speak about Mamaw and me in the same breath.

I will go to the E/R the instant I have symptoms like that again. I gave 911 directions to help drivers, and anytime Ann cannot see me I will have a radio. This is already our practice. Now I will call her every 45 minutes to stay in touch.

I still am not convinced it was not heat and dehydration. It is not something to mess around with, so I will treat it seriously.

Rick I would take it very seriously.

My mother just passed away 2 weeks ago from stroke complications. It stemmed from a heart valve replacement 7 years ago. In those 7 years she had 4 major strokes and more TIAs than i can count, at least 40. The major strokes did cause some severe damage and eventual death but the TIAs in my opinion were much worse due to the accumulation of effects. The TIAs basically took her mind away, initially like minor dementia then having to be placed into a locked dementia ward to the point where she could not communicate, feed herself and was entirely dependent on other people helping her. It was a very difficult process to watch and not to be able to do anything about.

As others have said I would get to an ER immediately if the symptoms happen again as well as going to a doctor to get a full battery of tests if you can.

Take care

Don't wait till you have symptoms. The next time it may not be a mini stroke but the big one.My husband did exactly what you are talking about and had a major stroke that has devastated our lives. If he had had tests including a carotid artery scan it may have been avoidable. Being able to talk clearly etc only says the part of your brain that controls speech was not affected. My husband had no speech impairment but lost use of one side of his body along with some cognitive function that was not immediately evident (like doing math and reading). It happened during the night so they could not give him clot busters as they didn't know the exact time, and they need to know that.
Don't risk your future and that of your family this way.

Rick,
Been there and done that. TIA was ruled as the culprit after everything else was ruled out. I didn't have the stroke within a year but because I was so sensitive and paying attention to symptoms so I "caught" some uncalled for chest pain and got to the hospital in time (before the heart attack). Wound up laying in the hospital for four days to flush the plavix out of my system before the surgeons could perform triple bypass....Bypass was performed 8mo after the TIA. As to the TIA, most symptoms went away within 30min of so with some lingering numbness in my fingers for a couple of days.

The only risk with taking aspirin for a tia is that your tia could be caused by a "bleed" ruptured vessel versus a clot, in the er we ONLY give the clot busting medicine after you have a ct of the head and it doesn't show a bleed and you meet other parameters, like the 3-4 hour time window.

Taking aspirin or any blood thinners could actually make a tia worse depending on the cause (clot versus bleed).

This is not a bash or my opinion, just facts.

Usually the reason people have clots are irregular heart beat, and high cholesterol. Clots usually break off due to high blood pressure. There are unusual reasons people have clots, genetic disorders like "Factor 5".

Bleeds, are usually caused by high pressure and or high pressure behind a clot or injury to your head.

Firstly I definitely think it is you right to do what you want with your body, but just be aware that brain tissue does not regenerate.

Good luck.