EnableMe | enableme - stroke recovery and support

Hi im new on here and don’t normally join groups but after seeing this website and reading peoples comments I thought someone might understand.

1st September I temporary loss vision in right eye, felt dizzy for 5 mins and left arm felt funny ( but I do get funny arm sometimes as nerve damage in neck so didn’t think anything of it). Went to see doctor on 3rd September who then said she thinks I had TIA( hadn’t even heard of it), then being only 43 I questioned it, anyway I got sent to TIA clinic who confirmed it, booked some appointments for scans etc, gave me a recovery pack to read and I was on my way.

Ive had every scan I think they can do 😂 and all blood test but everything has come back clear which is good, forgot to mention I also have strong family history of heart/ stroke, ( my uncle and grandad died of stroke my uncle in his 60s). They have put me on 3 lots of medication as a preventative aswell.

Since I have had TIA I have been to the ED twice once with chest pains, the other I woke up dizzy and fell to one side ( they said I had vertigo) and in that time I have been questioned by 4 different doctor who questioned me on having TIA saying I was too young to have one and it was probably a migraine and asking who had said I had TIA, ( I certainly didn’t diagnose myself, but am questioning it myself now) All 4 doctors pretty much said the same thing.

I am so confused now as now they have got me questioning what TIA clinic told me, I have had migraines in past so know what they are like even the silent ones, I didn’t even have headache on day I had TIA and no flashy visual disturbances like I do when I get a migraine, my eye sight just went like a shutter going down.

like I said I’m confused and don’t know what to believe I’m starting to think did I imagine it all, I also noticed in the couple of weeks after I had TIA I started to stutter now and again and found I couldnt find the words I was looking for, thankfully I’m ok now and have improved. I would be grateful if anyone has had a situation like this or can just give me some information on what you think. I’ve tried talking to my family about it and as much as they have been brilliant they don’t understand.

Hi Beth. I’m no expert but it sounds like stroke symptoms to me. The dizziness, the eye etc- sounds like something not working properly. I can’t believe a doctor would tell you that you are too young to have this...not right I think. Good luck and err on the side of caution in future. Nic

Thanks Nick, I’m definitely more convinced now after reading lots of other peoples stories that are on here. It just messes with my brain, to get told I had a TIA in the first place took me some time to get my head around it, then for other doctors to question me was I right when I had just come to terms with it. (and yes 2 of them questioned my age saying it doesn’t normally happen to someone as young as you, and one of the 2 then said after probably a migraine and that’s what I got from the other 2 doctors too probably a migraine) that’s why I started to question it, I felt like they thought I diagnosed my self.

Thanks again it’s nice to hear some one else’s opinion and certainly makes me feel more convinced I had TIA, I should just believe what TIA clinic told me and not listen to other doctors I suppose.

Hi Beth

I am sorry to hear of the difficulties you have been through over the last 2 months, and it certainly sounds like you have some unanswered questions. I’m glad you have found some good support already through this EnableMe forum.

It sounds like you have already been given some information about what a TIA is and that’s good to hear. After a TIA your risk of a stroke is higher, so it is important, as you have done, that you seek medical advice if you experience any signs or symptoms that may indicate a stroke or another TIA. TIA symptoms should never be ignored. It is also important that you look at your risk factors and implement any changes that may help reduce your risk of a stroke or TIA in future. This includes taking the new medication you have already been prescribed, eating a well-balanced diet, increasing your daily activity and, if applicable, quitting smoking and reducing your alcohol intake.

Recent research has shown that a percentage of stroke survivors are young and roughly 30 percent of stroke survivors are of working age. Your age does not exclude the likelihood of you having had a TIA, especially as you have a family history of stroke.

The symptoms you have described are typical of TIA symptoms and I am glad your doctor sent you to the TIA clinic. It sounds like you were thoroughly assessed and were satisfied with the outcome of the clinic review. I think it is important that you continue to monitor any symptoms you may have, and seek medical advice for these. Do you have a copy of the notes from the TIA clinic? It might be worth having these with you if you need to present to the ED again.

It is important that you don’t second guess your symptoms and make sure you still seek medical advice if you have any of the common signs of a stroke or TIA. These can include numbness, clumsiness, weakness or paralysis of the face/arm/leg on one or both sides, dizziness (in particular ‘head spins’), loss of balance or an unexplained fall, rapid vision changes in one or both eyes, headache (sever and sudden), difficulty swallowing and nausea or vomiting.

Reaching out to the EnableMe community is a great start, and you can call us at StrokeLine if you would like to speak to a health professional about what has been happening to you. You can call StrokeLine on Ph. 1800 787 653 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

Kind regards

Siobhan (StrokeLine).

Hi Siobhan (strokeline)

Thank for the advice it is greatly appreciated, no I haven’t got any of my notes from TIA clinic but might ask them for some when I go next as meant to have follow up appointment sometime soon but don’t know when, it would be handy to have to show the ED if I go again ( hopefully not though). All TIA clinic gave me was a TIA recovery pack which didn’t contain much, I found lots more searching online. Can’t fault them or my doctor though as they have been brilliant.

I don’t smoke and never have and only drink 1/2 glasses of wine or cider at the weekend, I have also always tried to keep my weight under control with a healthy diet especially as I a have osteopenia so being over weight won’t be good for the bones. This is the only thing I can think that might be what puzzled doctors in ED, I don’t smoke, hardly drink and weight ok for my height, generally I very healthy.

Im glad you have wrote out symptoms and what to look for though as most websites just say same as stroke, but to me TIA symptoms are similar but not identical in every way, there’s lots online for stroke but not much about TIA’s, I’m trying to make people more aware myself, as I work in a kindy and not one person new what I had when I told them, even when parents asked why I’d been off work and I told them I still had to explain what it was. So now I tell everyone that I see to make people more aware.

Thank you for all the information

Beth

So confused, TIA clinic said I had TIA other doctors question it

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