My name is Denise, I had a TIA end of January, and I had a TIA the end of January last year, would love to chat to people that are similar to me and how they are getting on. My worse thing is my fatigue, and I get depressed. I am on tablets an the BP ones give me swollen feet and red swollen heels and ankles, also if i knock my legs or arms I bruise easily and get scabs, I’ve got to see a dermatologist and see what he thinks, does anyone have symptoms like me?
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Hi denise1, are you on amlodipine? That can give you swollen feet and ankles. I was on it but I got to go change it and the swelling went away.
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Hi @Denise1 welcome to the group. i too had a TIA after my stroke. I had my stroke way back in 2017. i am unfortunately still affected by it as I have to walk with a walker. I also have occasional epileptic seizures and am seeing a consultant neurologist nearly a year after my last seizure. I don’t have your experiences but like to chat. Best wishes.
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Hi @Denise1 & welcome to the community.
Fatigue is a common issue after a stroke/TIA & it’s all about learning to pace yourself at this stage. You have had a brain injury & your brain needs time to recover. Rest up as much as you can and do things is shorter bursts with rests in between. In time the fatigue should improve as long as you don’t overdo things.
Did the drs put you on aspirin or clopidogrel after your TIA? That can cause you to bruise easily. I found that settled in time too although I do still get the random bruise appear from nowhere.
Best wishes
Ann
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Hello Denise and welcomes to the community.
Sadly, in my experience, it is not so unusual to have things happen to you when you take medication. Most if not all medications come with a little leaflet which includes information about the medicine, what it is, what it is used for, how it works, who might or might not be able to take it, side effects, how long to euse it etc. etc. etc.
My advice has always been to read this BEFORE you take this medication and indeed the leaflet pretty much says the same thing i.e. read this BEFORE you take the medicine. In so doing you will learn some interesting and useful facts relating to the medicine one of which is any passable side effects. It may well be that one of the medicines you have been prescribed is causing your swollen feet, heels and ankles. I know my Mum used to sometimes get these when on certain meds. But also if you do not move too much this can also lead to fluid build up and some medications may also cause water retention which then shows up as swollen feet etc. Low minerals or high minerals (mineral imbalance) e.g. sodium or potassium may also cause water retention etc.
There could be any number of reasons why this happens and I would suggest you contact your GP and get tested (bloods) to make sure you are not deficient or the opposite i.e. have too much of something that then affects your health and well being.
Bruising easily was a curse for Mum who was on Asprin as a blood thinner post stroke. She was bruised so often it was actually very sad to see. Purely down to the use of the blood thinner, but it is a fine balancing act between the necessity to take medications and quality of life with or without medications.
I think the first thing you might benefit from is having a chat with your GP, getting blood tested and find out what the medications are doing for you and if any are causing these symptoms to get them replaced with alternatives or stap using them altogether.
Others on this forum will no doubt offer you their experiences and advice and it is up to you to decide which route to follow. This is very much a personal thing and you must find out what is right for you. All we can do is offer you our views based on our experiences and beliefs.
I wish you all the best.
Namaste|
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Hello Denise, sorry to hear about your TIA
- Swollen ankles can be a side effect of certain BP meds (like calcium channel blockers—e.g., amlodipine).
- Easy bruising and scabbing could be from antiplatelet drugs (like aspirin or clopidogrel, often given after TIA) or from something else entirely.
- But when both happen together, it’s worth ruling out anything like a vasculitis or a blood issue. Don’t stop any medication on your own , but do call your GP or stroke nurse this week
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Hi @Denise1
Welcome to the community, I’m sorry to hear about your TIA.
Fatigue is common after strokes, we have some information on our website about fatigue which you may find helpful to have a read of.
As other members have mentioned it’s always best to speak with your GP about any symptoms as they can rule things out for you.
I hope you’ll find this community helpful, if you need anything whilst you’re using the Online Community, please don’t hesitate to tag me using the @ symbol and my username.
Anna