Ive posted a few times before and thanks to everyone for their response.
My partner had a TIA which lasted a few minutes.
My understanding of a TIA was that is doesnt cause any lasting effects.
He has noticed that, along with still being unable to drive on busy roads, he sometimes cant find the word he is looking for whilst talkinf on the phone and, less often, some words comw out ever so slightly slurry.
Any thoughts? His Mri was clear so im consufed as to why this is happening let alone stressed by it.
@Karenemma i think TIAs arenāt meant to have any lasting effects although iām sure iāve read many posts that suggest some do have some lingering effects. Fatigue is one thing that can last after a TIA.
His brain has still suffered an event which needs time to recove4. Iāve linked in the Stroke Association leaflet on TIAs which has a section near the end on longer term affects of a TIA.
Its tricky as we are currently focusing on getting him back to work - occupational health assessment not until end of jan - but now im focussed on these lingering symptoms. Obviously I have no medical clue/training but i would have thought if there was any ādamageā it would have shown on the MRI. Which makes me wonder what if it was missed on MRI etc etc
The vocabulary isnāt a definition of anything reliable, itās just a āguessā. Further the MRI can show for sure there is damage but damage canāt be wholly ruled out if one shows nothing.
A TIA is ātransientāā¦ but there is no guaranteed timescale for the speed of recovery AND it could very easily be a āminorā stroke and not a T-IA.
Iāve had worsening word finding difficulties following what I think now with hindsight were unrecognised neurological episodes (my MRI show several lessions)
Donāt know if it helps you & he any to know that youāre not alone in your suspicions - Theyāre plausible, probably can never be proved and never categorically disproved.
There are other neurological tests (eg memory of strings of numbers and then repeating back in numeric order or in reverse order of receipt et al) for cognition challenges but you donāt have a baseline so you wonāt be able to spot a change
If youāre constantly worried consider getting help with anxiety - stroke impacts more than one person
Hi Karen,
I donāt have any medical knowledge, I can only reply from my own personal experience. Like your partner, I had a TIA which only lasted a few minutes. This happened on 21 December. At the moment, a few weeks later, I notice that I am also sometimes slow or hesitant with words, or with thoughts. The doctor has told me that Iāll be fit to drive by 21 January, but at the moment I donāt feel confident to do that, even thought Iām an experienced driver.
Iāve also noticed that concentration (e.g. reading my emails, or trying to work) only lasts about 20 minutes and then Iām absolutely exhausted. The fatigue is debilitating, and I used to be a very energetic and active person.
I often give talks and presentations, and I gave one to 100 people on Monday, and it all went really well. I was aware that I couldnāt find the right word a couple of times, but the audience didnāt notice. However, I did feel like my usual self-confidence was missing, and it made me feel emotional.
It is stressful, and so I have been hanging on to the words that I have read in this forum a few times, that my brain is working hard to repair itself and so even if there are no signs of damage on an MRI, itās still not surprising that the after effects are happening.
Best wishes to you and your partner in his continued recovery.
Merr, youāre right. We must be kind to ourselves and patient. I remember in hospital I asked the nurse something in French (that was dug up from some O level memory.) We laughed till I could say it in English.
Pace is key.
@mikey903 thank you so much for this link. It explains things really clearly, and Iāve been able to share it with my husband to help him understand why Iāve changed so much
My MRI was also clear and was diagnosed with TIA. But, as my stroke doctor said, they are all strokes regardless of how minor. I had all the FAST signs of stroke, Face, Arms, Speech etc. Iāve never bothered to investigate further, itās not going to change anything.
Itās been 3yrs now and my recovery is still ongoing. I still have mild Aphasia, trouble with speech especially when tired. The same goes for my right side weakness with my intermittent foot drop.
But a TIA is still an attack on the brain, blood supply was temporarily blocked to the brain. Liken it a stroke being burning a piece of paper and a TIA just singeing/brown the paper. So the brain is still going to take a length of time to heal, for some it may be weeks, some months, some years. I assume it depends on the extent and degree of damage done the time blood supply was cut off. I suppose you could also compare TIAās to burns on the skin, healing depends on the size and degree of the burn as to whether it will take a couple weeks to heal or years and will there be permanent scaring.
