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TIA whilst away!!

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brian04408
brian04408

Hi everyone, just got back from holiday at the weekend. First day there my wife and I went down for dinner, the restaurant was really hot, like a greenhouse, due to the whole of one wall being made of glass. Anyway we chose our meal from the buffet and when I started eating I felt a bit light headed, then I could not lift my left arm up properly to move my fork to my mouth. my speech was unaffected but, I felt. Well. Strange. When we finished our meal and I got up, I could not walk properly, my left knee would not bend. To be honest I was walking like a zombie!! My wife was extremely worried. However after rehydrating myself the symptoms passed. We enjoyed the rest of our holiday with no more problems. Now to me it is weird because at the time my TIA was occuring, my wife looked at me and asked if I was ok. I said no, if I did not know better I would say I was having a stroke!! Now seeing as I have never been really ill or know anything on strokes where the heck did that come from??? Anyway after getting home and ringing my sister who is a nurse. I got my stubborn male torso to the doctors who diagnosed a probable TIA. I now await a hospital appointment. Could anyone on here advise me what to expect and give me advice please as this seems to be a very grey area to research into on the net. Thank you in advance.

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • pauline59158
    pauline59158 brian04408

    Posted

    Hello Brian,

    I had a stroke 3 + years ago followed by several TIA's A stroke is easier to identify, with an MRI or CT scan as there is physical damage to be seen. There are 2 types of stroke 1. Haemorrhagic where a clot ruptures the artery and bleeds into the brain 2. Ischaemic the clot sticks inside the artery and blocks blood going to the brain. That then releases and disperses as normal later. Both involve damage to brain tissue.

    A TIA however is where the clot passes across the brain and disperses without interrupting the blood flow. 

    You can read more about this on this website just search for stroke and it will give you a lot of information on Cause/Diagnoses and Treatment.

    I'm on warfarin to thin my blood and have regular tests to ensure it stays within a target range. 

    Talk to your Dr and see if an MRI is recommended. Will be interested to hear how you get on.

    Keep in touch Best wishes 

    Pauline (UK)

    • brian04408
      brian04408 pauline59158

      Posted

      Thank you for your quick reply. I have been prescribed atorvastatin and asprin. I am really chuffed I did not find out before returning home about what was wrong. My wife and I so needed the holiday and she would have been so worried! Call me silly but sometimes ignorance is a good thing. You ok now? With management obviously. Are you at permanent risk? or are there measures you can take to monitor yourself? Sorry if I sound naive.
    • pauline59158
      pauline59158 brian04408

      Posted

      Hello Brian,

      Yes, I am at permanent risk. I will have to take warfarin for the rest of my life, that is planned to lower the risk. The MRI showed the clot had damaged an area on the left side of my brain. It has left with memory problems and Anxiety issues. The blood levels can be affected by diet, stress etc, hence the regular testing. The local hospital checks these and adjust the warfarin as required. There is little I can do to monitor myself.

      Keep in touch and tell me how you're doing

      Regards Pauline

    • loxie
      loxie brian04408

      Posted

      Hi Brian, sorry to hear you had such a worrying event whilst away.  As Pauline has mentioned, if it was a TIA, at least there won't be any permanent damage.  Could it possibly have been sun or heatstroke however?  Anyhow, at least you're getting it looked into to.  Please reconsider taking statins though - take a look through the statins forums on here, which will most certainly give you some food for thought.  Please read up carefully on the permanent damage that statins can cause, particularly to cognitive function, liver and muscle damage, some of which can be very serious and often permanent.  Good luck with the tests etc.
    • brian04408
      brian04408 loxie

      Posted

      I really hope you are right on the heatstroke comment. The day and the room we were in were extremely hot. As for the statins, until I receive a diagnosis I feel I have no choice but to take them as, until then I really don,t know what is wrong. Therefore as you will understand I have to do whatever I can to stop a repeat.
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