TIA? Blood Clot? Something else?
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Hello. I'm a 66 year old female, diagnosed with CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia) three years ago. I'm untreated, on "watch and wait", as my only symptoms have been my lymphocytes and white count.
About 6 weeks ago, I noticed that I was having difficulty reading; it was hard to concentrate on the words, and it seeme as if the right side of the words were smudged or blurred. This scared me to death, so I looked in the mirror and did all the typical tests for stroke/TIA. There was no drooping, etc., but the right side of my face appeared blurred in the mirror. My husband took me to the hospital, where I stayed overnight and they did every test possible - CT, MRI, blood work, several neuro workups; nothing at all showed up.
The doctor's best guess was that, due to my CLL, the viscosity of my blood might have caused a brief sluggishness and somehow kept blood/oxygen reaching the area of my optic nerve. He put me on Plavix. My primary doctor sent me to a retina specialist; he found nothing wrong with my retina but believed that the problem was not "viscosity" but instead a tiny embolism. My oncologist agreed, pointing out that cancer patients can be subject to blood clots, and I've stayed on the Plavix.
Last night, I had another brief (a few minutes) similar spell; hard to concentrate on blurry words while reading. I didn't really notice the blurring while looking in the mirror, however. It seems to me that, just before I noticed the reading difficulty, I had a hard time enunciating a few words - again, vey brief. (In retrospect, I think this also happened very briefly the first time, though I attributed it to my fear.) I have a scheduled appointment tomorrow with my primary physician and will ask about this. I have been under pretty high stress this week over separate issues.
Has anyone experienced anything like this? I wonder what it means that I'd have the same odd symptoms (eye, possibly speech) twice. And, the second time, while on Plavix?
Any and all opinions and experiences are welcomed!
0 likes, 5 replies
Eliaimee1970 Gigi3410
Posted
Hi Gigi
im 49 i had similar symptons in July and i had al kind of test and they said TIA one of the doctor told me not to drive and i went to a militaty hospital the next day and the neurologist on call told me that it could be hormones and/or anxiety which i have . im still going thru the aftermath of that incident . it could be stress
Gigi3410 Eliaimee1970
Posted
Thanks, Eliaimee. I imagine my primary physician might suggest a neurologist next; I'm beginning to wonder about an ocular migraine. It seemed odd to me that it happened again while I was already on Plavix.
Eliaimee1970 Gigi3410
Posted
most defiynetly . my neurologist said the same thing ocular migranes
Gigi3410 Eliaimee1970
Posted
Just saw my doctor today; she suggested that I have a neurologist check into whether it's a TIA or ocular migraine. Will see him in 2 weeks.
Eliaimee1970 Gigi3410
Posted
hello
When i went to my neurologist they test me for everything in the sun even for siphilis and they did a ultrasound of my arteries of ny neck , mri with contrast and no signs of a stroke. in 2014 i had a cardio angiogram and all my arteries are clean, my legs , my abdominal all clear. i do have ansiety and i have a cyst on my pituitary gland but hasnt change the size so i havent had a headache since january 17 and before that 2018 . im either going thru meno and the occular headache at the same time