Yesterday I was taken into hospital with a suspected TIA so spent the day in Acute Stroke Unit - most have been the quietest day of the year as was seen immediately on arrival by consultant and taken for Scan, bloods, ECG, urine etc. and I was the only patient in the 6 bed bay I was taken to. When does that ever happen? Evidently never been known before. The care was excellent and so different from 2 previous experiences of A&E in May.
Unfortunately all the usual symptoms of TIA can’t be distinguished from Myasthenia symptoms. Scan came back clear, but evidently that isn’t definitive. Eventually after various clinical observations and exams it was decided that there was a 50:50 possibility of TIA as there was some ‘subtle permanent weakness’ on my left side.
Discharged when most of the more severe symptoms cleared in early evening but told I can’t drive for 4 weeks, which I understand but as always when something else comes along that means a little more of your independence is limited, am p******d off about it but hopefully nothing more will happen. I was told that I was on the correct medicine (Apixaban) and there was nothing more they would do or suggest so as long as I have Home support they didn’t need to keep me. Thankfully my neighbor (a nurse at the hospital) called the ambulance and came and advocated for me, bless her! Large bunch of flowers coming her way! She has known me for 10 years and knows my symptoms very well was able to talk their talk as I found it really difficult to get words out. Speech is fine again now though.
I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has had a TIA in their experiences and recovery. I feel a lot better today, headache gone and weakness much improved but still have face droop but can smile again. My BP is still up a bit, high for me but would be most people’s norm at 130/80 whereas yesterday it was 160+. I feel much brighter this morning but very tired.
Thanks all.
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CDreamer
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Sounds like you had good treatment CDreamer for a change. Thank goodness for your neighbour. Take it easy and rest up for a bit. I hope you will be followed up by a medical team.
I wish you well soon. I had a small TIA a few years ago ?...it probably was one , with my retrospective hat on.....It was all over in 24 hours. They thought there was a possibility of it being an embolism close to the heart as I was waiting for hole in the heart to be closed .They got their skates on after the TIA and I was escalated up the list!I 'knew'instinctively 'to read and write, with difficulty immediately . I had read somewhere that it was inclined to limit damage.I also talked a lot for the same reason.
Thanks - that’s very interesting. I found it very difficult to talk yesterday but I am a lot better today and with friend coming I guess there will be a lot of talking.
Oh CDreamer I'm so sorry 😥 NOT what you needed ... Sending love and hugs and prayers for total recovery and no recurrence (whatever the cause).
Great news at least that your neighbour was there and the treatment was so good.
I have a similar situation to your TIA /MG diagnosis issues, with what the neurologist decided was 'probably' hemiplegic migraines which can masquerade as strokes. (Tho that was before the AF had been caught and diagnosed, which might have changed the way they treated it.)
Rest up and look after yourself. Lots of r&r. Hope you feel yourself in no time at all. You're an inspiration to me. (To us all, I'm sure !) Xx
Sorry to hear this , hope your well soon and take care of yourself ❤️
Big hugs to you
Best wishes
Sam 💕
I had a full stroke in July 2016 that has left me blind on the right hand side (homonymous hemaniopia) so DVLA rescinded my Group 1 driving licence (that's a kick in the teeth after a clean licence for 50 years). I had a bleed exactly a month later but the GPs didn't recognise it, but my Consultant Neurologist called me in for an emergency CT scan the moment she was back from a holiday. I didn't have a problem with speech, but for a few days I couldn't find the bathroom in our small bungalow and I couldn't read column text in newspapers, I wanted to go to our back garden but I would head for the front door or vice versa, I had to teach myself to use a computer again (I built two computers simultaneously), for months I had no idea how to get to places (I couldn't visualise the route), I've just got back to slowly doing the Telegraph Suduko, short term memory can be a problem, I have less patience than I did, I feel the cold more, the Neurologist says no inverted yoga poses (I just do Pilates) and I can do cardio work.
This was the latest in some close calls, so I'm glad to be still here and relatively unscathed. I look at Andrew Marr and Jaques Peretti, and from my own experience I know that neuroplasticity works and doesn't stop six months after a stroke. Take care, look for the positive things in life and, whether it's the AFA or Different Strokes communities there's always support and understanding.
You might think about gentle Tai Chi if your balance is affeced.Do it at first from a website .....gentle leg balancing exercises are good .....both feet on the ground....no waving legs in the air!
That's very kind of you. I've found the Health Unlocked AFA and Differerent Strokes communities really helpful when information was thin on the ground. In return I try and return the favour by passing on some of my experiences, at the risk of boring those of you who've read those things a few times. Be warned, there is no escape and resistance is futile! The Nice Biscuits video that I did about taking an anticoagulant is still embargoed for public distribution and, I was honoured to receive an email from Trudie Lobban about the video, so it may yet appear from the confines of clinicians. I've also just completed a short video with Amy of Health Unlocked. As people who've had a stroke will understand, it was one of those days when I was not fluent and "brain fade" set in; c'est la vie as they say in Bristol!
About a year ago I was feeling really down and it was getting worse as weeks went by. Then on feb 6th I was turning the tv off and I was sick of my life, my head was all messed up. All of a sudden I felt this feeling like something in my head was being twisted by pliers and it hurt, then my head went dull. As I went back to the chair my legs gave way 3 times, anyway I still took the dog out and I felt terrible. So when I came back I went to tell the woman next door and I could not speak so she rang 999. the hospital wanted to keep me but I left when they put me on the ward because I live alone and the dog was in the house etc. Three days later I went to the doctors and she said I had to go straight to the hospital and that's when they found out I had AF and had a TIA. I still feel terrible and I don't know if it is the TIA, AF OR THE MEDS. There is this feeling of doom and gloom and hardly any sleep does not help.
Tough time for you but as always you remain upbeat, here's to a speedy recovery and getting back on track. X
I hope you're OK CD. What a brillliant neighbour to have. My father-in-law just had a TIA or small stroke I'd call it in his case. He's 92 and seems to have recovered from it although he now speaks quietly, but think that's more to do with his hearing aids.
My Mom had quite a few TIAs/strokes. Lost her speech, use of one side, all that, but always recovered.
So sorry to hear of your scarey experience CDreamer. Before my AF diagnosis I had what have been retrospectively diagnosed as 3 seperate TIAs. They had previously been diagnosed variously as,panic attacks and migraine. After the last one I was sent to a stroke consultant by my GP who was concerned and when the consultant listened to my heart I was in AF so he concluded that they had in fact been TIAs. My symptoms were different each time. During the first I found that when I spoke I could hear myself stuttering and my mouth wouldnt work properly but after 5 minutes I was back to normal. The second one affected my co ordination. I couldnt co ordinate to pick up the handles of my wheelbarrow and when my husband spoke to me it took me ages to process what he was saying. Again it lasted about 5 mi utes. The last one was the most dramatic. I was speaking to my son on the phone when my thoughts started to become disorganised then I couldnt speak coherently then I couldnt speak at all. Also I could see my arm floating away from my body. Gradually over a period of 10 minutes my speech returned and then I had a visual migraine but only in one eye. After this I was incredibly tired for at least a month and quite often felt light headed. By this time I had been diagnosed and was in the process of fighting my GP to persuade him to follow consultants advice to put me on anticoagulants so it is possible that the stress of all that was taking its toll!!
I hope this is helpful and that you are coping ok. What terrible timing these things always have.
Hi, I hope you are feeling better all the time. This sort of situation (one d*** thing after another) always makes me think of the song lyrics 'Life gets tedious don't it'. My husband had a ministroke last year, unfortunately the friends he was with didn't see fit to call anyone so he didn't get to the stroke unit until referred by a GP though I don't know if that made any difference. Sadly it seems to have affected his Bridge playing ability - he was a very good player before and it is his favourite hobby. Otherwise he recovered well.
So sorry to hear this CD it must have been very scary but I am glad you had such good treatment. It makes so much difference when you know they are doing a good job. I hope you feel better very soon. Take it easy and I send a virtual hug (()).
So pleased your are feeling a little better and well done to your neighbour. I too get TIA's, 6 now since February, speech goes or comes out gobbledegook, pins and needles, pixilating vision and poor comprehension and not understanding what some words mean i.e. 'whats a microwave' but they have passed after about 30 minutes each time and although I didn't go to hospital during these episodes I have been for CAT scans and now under a stroke doctor, my last episode was August. I was under considerable pressure at that time with a house move sale so have put it down to stress - all scans and tests have come back clear and I have a follow up appointment next week at the Stroke Clinic.
Thank you, that sounds very similar. I wanted to find my phone to ring my neighbour and couldn’t find it but it was right in front of me. I also had a very heightened sense of smell which came and went and I couldn’t think what I was doing. My tongue felt too big for my mouth and wouldn’t work properly so I couldn’t speak clearly so wasn’t understood and everything was SO slow it felt like being in a slo-mo movie - then I found out I had lost an hour.
My neighbour and friend who arrived yesterday both say I am looking a lot better now and I feel it.
Thanks so much for replying, I found your feedback very encouraging.
So sorry to hear this and glad you were in the right place for treatment and with a lovely neighbour too. My mother (96 years old) had what we think was a TIA four or five years ago. At the time she was with an appalling GP practise and when my sister rang after seeing my mother's confusion the doctor said can you go back and see if your mother is better now. And that was it - no visit, nothing on her medical record, no treatment. About a year later a young doctor new to the practise visited my mother and was most apologetic about her treatment. My mother's symptoms were loss of sight in one eye, unable to think of correct words and slurring of speech, unable to tell the time, amongst others. This lasted a day or two. Now? She is very frail, obviously, but sharp as a tack and no lasting damage, thankfully. She has had no further TIAs that we know of. I should point out that at the time she was adamant that my sister should NOT call an ambulance.
I do hope you have a full recovery, too, we are all thinking about you. Very best wishes.
I cannot answer your query but I wanted to send you some good wishes for a good recovery and can appreciate your disappointment. Our bodies certainly do challenge us.
So pleased you are starting to feel better. The fact that you are improving already is a good sign. If it is any help, my husband has a TIA a couple of years ago, and was fully recovered after a couple of weeks. The worst part (for me) was him not being able to drive for 4 weeks - he was and still is an awful back seat driver!
I've just seen your post CD and I'm so sorry you have more problems to deal with. I hope by now you are feeling a bit better and thank goodness for good neighbours - and for Apixaban.
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