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Am I having mini-strokes?

Posted , 7 users are following.

liauq
liauq

Hi;

I am a 54 year-old woman with a family history of massive strokes, grandmother,mother and sister, so I am pretty concerned about my chances!

Anyway, I've visited my doctor because I've had three "incidents" , one in august,september and december.

It starts with a feeling of sickly headache and nausea and becomes dizziness,loss of balance and difficulty walking (slight limp of right leg last time)causing some breathlessness.I can't stand bright lights and have to rest.Eventually the walking/balance issue gets a bit better but is substantially reduced.In addition, my short-term memory is terrible, my vocabulary is reduced and I have trouble finishing sentences.Sometimes my speech is halting and "flat"..sorry,can't discribe it better.I'm getting a lot of headaches and nausea still.

I have not had any classic "FAST" symptoms, my blood pressure is ok and my cholesterol is high but so is the good stuff so the doctor is not bothered.

Sorry to go on, but can anyone help or recognise these symptoms, it's not knowing if /when it will happen again that concerns me.thanks.

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • RHGB
    RHGB liauq

    Posted

    It does sound like it.

    I had a massive stroke last year. I had an 'ill feeling' that I had never had before, something I found difficult to describe or comprehend.

    My balance was the first thing that went, and as an ex-pro ice hockey player, I had very good balance. Next went the use of my legs, luckily my GP understood the symptoms and got me to hospital straight away, but I did spend most of my two months in hospital either in bed or a wheelchair.

    I also did not have any classic 'FAST' symptoms and the general manager of the stroke rehab hospital commented on that when I had a meeting with her, which leads me to believe that the medical profession tends to rule out strokes if you don't fit this 'standard pattern'.

    In fairness I did have rampant unchecked hypertension and a high alcohol consumption, so I was a classic specimen for my particular type of stroke, a bleed on the brain or cerebral haemorrhage. I am lucky that I came out the other side relatively unscathed. If you feel your GP is not diagnosing your condition correctly, then I would contact the stroke association who are very good and will give you advice.

  • samuels
    samuels liauq

    Posted

    Hi liauq,

    My advice would be next time it happens call for an ambulance, especially if you have consulted your GP already about this, they are signs of  a TIA and need to be assessed by your doctor( I would imagine he/she would call for an ambulance anyrate) or as I said call for an ambulance and get to emergency. Migraine headaches can also do what you have described, I've never suffered from migraines so I can't really comment to much about them, I have had 2 suspected TIA's but I had drooling with mine but apparently that's common with a migraine head ache as well.... so next time I'd say off to emergency,hope I have helped a little.

  • Yogadatti
    Yogadatti liauq

    Posted

    Please insist your GP refers you on to a specialist...either a heart one or a neurologist......gps are really poor at diagnosing anything more than a sore throat.   My family has been misdiagnosed so many times.   I am a layman and do not want to alarm you but without an MRI or a head CT scan no one knows what is going on.  I had brain haemorrhage with classic symptoms which I diagnosed myself and STILL the GPs missed it......and my son had encephalitis which they missed.......
  • Helen03706
    Helen03706 liauq

    Posted

    Personally the next time it did happen I would go straight to A&E and see what they said if your GP does not seem overly bothered, it could be because he is not seeing you at it's worst! I believe it is very rare for a Doctor to actually witness a TIA!  I had no classic FAST symptoms and I had a full blown stroke not a TIA! (Mind my GP was spot on it was the Hospital that got it wrong!). Go and get it checked else you will stress yourself into having one! 
  • liauq
    liauq

    Posted

    Many thanks for your replies; to be fair to my gp he has referred my twice on my request; first to rule out hypothyroid and diabetes/hypoglaecema which are in my family histories, but the specialist also deals with high cholesterol/strokes..and he couldn't find anything and now to a specialist with geriatric/stroke background as he thinks this will get a quicker result than a neurologist.

    Am trying to keep rested and calm; the last two "incidents" did seem linked to lack of sleep and stress.

    Take care of yourselves!

  • liauq
    liauq

    Posted

    To follow up I have seen two specialists at my local hospital and had loads of blood tests and my heart tested.the conclusion is that I am healthy but my blood pressure could drop low causing fainting/dizzy episodes.I tried to be polite when I asked how this left me unable to walk/dizzy/exhausted for months afterwards....it's down to fear apparently😀. And my memory has never recovered,I get exhausted walking into a room several times before I do what I meant to...but I guess I'm getting other things done in the meantime.remember the tombstone joke: I told you I was ill...taking a very low dose of aspirin just in case.blessings to all
    • joanne19156
      joanne19156 liauq

      Posted

      I don't blame you I would too just to be on the safe side i'm having stroke symptoms and basically bein told it's in my head I'm finally bein refered to a cardiologist for a heart ultra sound after my 24 hour heart monitor
    • liauq
      liauq joanne19156

      Posted

      dear joanne; hope everything goes well and that you've got small boobs like me or they might struggle with the ultrasound!
    • liauq
      liauq joanne19156

      Posted

      wow, how do you stay upright in a high breeze?...sorry, find humour helps.
    • joanne19156
      joanne19156 liauq

      Posted

      I've no idea lol thank god I have a sense of humour it's kept me goin I should of been on the stage I'd make a good comedian lol
    • joanne19156
      joanne19156 liauq

      Posted

      Hiya had my heart scan had to lie on my left side because of the size of my bust let's see what comes from this hope you are doing ok
  • Winnie143
    Winnie143 liauq

    Posted

    I had an SAH/Brain bleed/Stroke in 2009 I really cam around in 2010 for everything was dreamlike before then I was told I had a Subarachnoid heommarage followed by Ventriculitis, UTI and Sepsis ...just call me lucky lol. 

    I cannot remember a lot about it just that I was cooking a curry and my Sis rang me and gave me headache moaning, so I now keep away from doomers and gloomers and stick to happiness.  I try and think of the things I did that made me laugh, mainly with my Mum many moons ago..I make a point of smiling morning and evenings but hubby can make it hard sometimes lol bless him he is okay really xx

    Keep smiling and good luck Liauq.  Hope you are all clear and my surgeon told me "No Stress" so instead I find happy things like singing and being thankful I am still here xx  as my voice is so bad poor family ha x

     

  • Winnie143
    Winnie143 liauq

    Posted

    I had an SAH/Brain bleed/Stroke in 2009 I really cam around in 2010 for everything was dreamlike before then I was told I had a Subarachnoid heommarage followed by Ventriculitis, UTI and Sepsis ...just call me lucky lol. 

    I cannot remember a lot about it just that I was cooking a curry and my Sis rang me and gave me headache moaning, so I now keep away from doomers and gloomers and stick to happiness.  I try and think of the things I did that made me laugh, mainly with my Mum many moons ago..I make a point of smiling morning and evenings but hubby can make it hard sometimes lol bless him he is okay really xx

    Keep smiling and good luck Liauq.  Hope you are all clear and my surgeon told me "No Stress" so instead I find happy things like singing and being thankful I am still here xx  as my voice is so bad poor family ha x I have a bigger back ie chubby okay fat !! than the front .lol

    You could be having panic attack  anyone mentioned this. Whatever it is I hope you find a fix  xxxxx 

     

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