Please help me to understand what has happened and is happening

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A few weeks ago I had a TIA Mini Stroke. After lots of physical exertion it happened very suddenly and was terrifying.

My vision went double which completely threw me off balance. I was sat down and couldn’t get up. I then lost the use of my hand and the same arm was weak. I had tingling in my face and also couldn’t get words out. I knew what I wanted to say but my mouth wouldn’t form the words.

My vision returned to normal after 15 minutes and all other symptoms disappeared in around an hour.

My partner was with me and we rang 111 who advised to go to hospital.

At the hospital the doctor diagnosed a TIA Mini Stroke.

At the time I had blood tests and a CT scan. The CT scan was clear and the blood tests okay apart from low vitamin D.

I have been prescribed Clopidogrel, Atorvastatin, a Vitamin D medication and Lansoprazole. For the first three weeks I also was prescribed aspirin.

I have subsequently had an MRI, echocardiogram and bubble test.

All these tests have come back clear.

I have been told a TIA doesn’t always show on any kind of test, has anyone else had experience of this?

After the TIA I have been experiencing some symptoms. I have poor spatial awareness and have been walking into things in passing, balance is also affected.

I’m also having issues with memory loss and confusion which is becoming more apparent especially now I am leaving the house and having conversations with people. I will forget what I am saying mid conversation, there’s just a blank. I will pause to try and grasp what I was going to say next and it’s gone. I’ll go back to what I said previously and start again and all is fine, it comes to me and I carry on.

At the moment I’m feeling very worried, I don’t know what’s happening.

Why didn’t the TIA show up on any tests?

If TIA’s don’t leave any damage why are these things such as balance and memory/ confusion happening to me?

I have no one medically to ask about this, I have tried to telephone the stroke clinic and left messages, no one has called me back.

I’m feeing very alone and confused, can anyone give me and words of advice or had anything similar?

Much appreciated.

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Shwmae @PicklePudding. As a caveat, because I am not medically trained, I am going by what you’ve written and assuming they have surmised correctly and it is a TIA. A TIA will, generally, heal within twenty-four hours, and a TIA doesn’t always show up on scans. As there is no dead tissue involved, you shouldn’t have lasting post TIA symptoms but your brain has still suffered a shock and this can reverberate over time because your brain has experienced trauma and, I imagine, there is some post traumatic stress associated with that. There also can be lingering emotional consequences associated with a TIA and this can affect how your brain and body feels after a TIA. They sometimes call this an Amygdala Hijack. The amygdala being your fight, flight or freeze detector in the brain and it can bring forth physical responses to the shock.

They have put you on the standard future stroke prevention medication because a TIA is a warning that an actual stroke is, potentially, in the making. Although, not sure why they prescribed Lansoprazole. On the subject of medication, you should also be aware that they may have side-effects too, I know that Lansoprazole has a common side-effect of dizziness. These side-effects may possibly interact with how your brain is coping post TIA.

Having said all that, they have suspected a TIA but not conclusively it seems, so I would keep chasing medical attention if your symptoms seem persistent or become acute in any way.

Addendum: I also just thought I wanted to add a bit extra because I have re-read your post. You mention that you had the TIA symptoms after lots of physical exertion and the first symptom was dizziness? After that you had a CT scan, then subsequently an MRI. If you had a TIA in the cerebellum, it wouldn’t show up on a CT scan because of the amount of bone density in that part of the brain. Not knowing the timeline between CT scan and MRI, if you had a TIA in the cerebellum and then, after a few days, had an MRI, there may be a good chance it would have healed over completely and not be any longer visible on the MRI which can show damage to the cerebellum. Just thought I’d throw that out there as cerebellar TIA/stroke is often caused by trauma to the neck and the main symptoms are dizziness, not being able to stand and vomiting. As yours was a TIA it wouldn’t have been as severe as all that but the symptoms fit. I don’t know what age you are but cerebellar TIA/stroke mainly affects younger people. I was forty-four.

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Hello PicklePudding - Welcome to the community. I note Rupert (@Rups ) as responded to your post in great detail and I don’t have anything more I can add to that. If you would like to know more there are quite a few posts on this forum on the subject matter and I think by reading these you will likely get a comprehensive view of what might have happened to you, why and what you ca do going forward.

I also hope with the information you pick up some of the confusion will clear and you do not need to feel alone. There are plenty on here who will share their experiences and keep you company. Chat groups and video zoom groups also meet up regularly and of course the Stroke Association has a phone number you can ring to talk to someone.

All this will hopefully make you feel a little better. Speaking from my own experience, I think you are in a good place and a TIA is not something you need to be too worried about. In life there are no guarantees and you never know what and when things may happen. Most people go on to lead perfectly normal lives after experiencing a TIA and there is no reason why you cannot be one one them.

Have a browse on the forum - take things easy, get plenty of rest, get yourself a nice cup of tea, drink plenty of water and try to think you you would like things to go on from here. It is something you can manage and take control of and if you are unsure or need help there is plenty available.

If you like social media and use WhatsUp, you can join this lively group and you will almost certainly get instant gratification and you might even become overwhelmed by the instant support and encouragement.

See link below to join.

The world is just a great big onion :slight_smile:

Namaste|
:pray.

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I’ve heard on good authority that the world is a great, big glass onion.

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@PicklePudding I am not medically trained therefore I cannot give advice, I am a stroke survivor, but I have not suffered any of your symptoms. I wish you well for the future and I am sure someone on here will be able to tell you about your symptoms as I am sure someone will have suffered the same.:revolving_hearts:

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Having experienced several TIA’s without realising what they were I view them as a warning of a full blown stroke waiting to happen.

I had that full blown stroke four years ago and now have to cope with disability.

So I suggest you have your blood pressure checked. High blood pressure is one effect leading up to stroke.

Being fit, healthy, on a good diet, young, is no insurance against stroke. Don’t take things for granted.

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Hello, I have experienced similar confusion about what was hapoening and it took a while to get some clarity.
I wonder if you have spoken to the Helpline because they are very used to dealing with all sorts of questions concerning Stroke.? If you are not getting any more clarity on what has happened, then it may be that if you book an appointment with your GP Practice in a few weeks time they may be able to look at your notes and support you a bit. I hope that by then symptoms will be clearing, but if not, then it might be helpful to discuss it with them.

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Hi @PicklePudding, lots of information in the other replies, so I’ll try not to repeat too much. The Lansoprazole is to protect your stomach while taking the aspirin, which is known to cause bleeding in the stomach when taken in large doses. I had the same meds after my TIA, with the aspirin and Lansoprazole discontinued after a few weeks. Expect to be taking the Clopidogrel and Atorvastatin for much longer, possibly for good.

My TIA seems to have been milder than yours, just a short-lived facial droop, but some effects continued for several months and even now, a year on, I feel a slight numbness on the right side of my face when I’m very tired, like today. It’s becoming less pronounced with time and I’m hopeful that one day it will just be a memory. @Rups observation about the possibility of a cerebellar TIA would explain a lot and seems very plausible. He knows what he’s talking about there.

The best advice I can give about the months ahead is to be patient. If you’re anything like me you’ll be anxious about every little twinge and symptom, you’ll struggle to understand what’s happening to you, and you’ll probably find the whole experience very depressing. But recovery will come with time, and don’t be afraid to ask for help while you’re getting there: your doctor, of course, your family and friends, and the people here who have been there and know exactly what you’re going through.

Finally, the Stroke Association help line is there answer questions and provide support: https://www.stroke.org.uk/stroke/recent

Good luck with your recovery, and keep in touch.

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@PicklePudding Hi & welcome to the community that no one really wanted to join. It is a friendly & helpful place to be though.

TIAs don’t always show on scans because they are transient and often clear up very quickly. As you have said some of your symptoms (weakness etc) went within the hour. It is good news that the MRI/Bubble test & echocardiogram came back clear. I know we all like to have answers but sometimes there aren’t any obvious ones & we have to try & move forward ftom there.

You are on all the standard stroke meds and they are designed to reduce your risk of further episodes. They only reduce it though not remove it completely. A healthy lifestyle will also help.

I found fatigue to be an issue after my TIA & it could be that causing some of your onhoinv symptoms. Your brain has still had an impact from the TIA & will need plenty of rest. Going out & having conversations were things I found particularly exhausting after my stroke. This may be the same for you.

If your symptoms don’t settle I would speak to your GP just to make sure nothing else is going on. My stroke team never returned my calls either.

These symptoms usually settle over time.

Best wishes.

Ann

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Hi @PicklePudding

Welcome to the community, I’m sorry to hear about your TIA and the confusion all this has caused for you. I’m sorry you’ve not been able to get through to the stroke clinic.

I can see you’ve been given some good information already from our members and I hope you’ll find this community helpful. I would echo some of our members have said about giving our Stroke Support Helpline:0303 3033 100 a call as they will be able to give you lots of information about TIAs and what to expect. We also have some information on TIAs on our website which you may find helpful to have a read of.

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

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Hi @PicklePudding welcome and hope that you are doing well. As another survivor and following on from the kind and wise people who have commented before me I am not medically trained either and write from experience. I would never belittle a TIA after my stroke as they both have the ability to hurt your brain in the same horrible manner , I was fit active and strong then almost reduced to a shambolic wreck but slowly with some determination and the kindness and wisdom on here am dragging myself back slowly but that’s ok.

Take your time , rest when you need to, laugh loud when you can, get frustrated when you do , cry shout kick and scream if you need to but celebrate being alive and don’t be alone . So many bright caring people here have got you when you need it.

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Thank you to you all for your replies.

Every single one has helped and made me feel not so alone, there was some really useful advice.

I did ring the helpline and spoke to an advisor who was lovely. I did get quite upset on the phone, I think everything had just got on top of me.

I was so grateful to have someone to talk to who understood what I was going through. They explained a lot of things to me such as what a TIA is, how it can happen and some of the effects it can have.

This was actually the first time anyone has taken the time to explain to me.

I’ve seen lots of different departments for testing and the staff have been very efficient.

But no one has actually explained anything to me and I’ve never had anyone before to ask question to.

I’m feeling a lot more hopefully, so thank you so much.

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Glad you managed to get some useful advice & support from the Stroke Association & that you are feeling a bit better about things.

Ask away if you have any further questions.

Best wishes

Ann

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Welcome to the Real World and so sorry :pensive_face:

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The Lansoprazole is to combat any possible side effects on the stomach lining. :blush:

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Sad but true. Talk about a kick in the **** when stroke hit you.

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Yes , a Massive kick.

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I’m feeling the pain already. :anguished_face:

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Awww. What kind of stroke and when did you have it ?

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What pain are you referring to ?

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