Hi…my hubby has many illnesses including a broken back, cancer, emphysema. He is 63.
He has just been diagnosed with dementia, mixed: Alzheimers/Vascular dementia.
The mri showed an ‘old infarct in the left cerebellum’. No one explained what this was. I had to google. He recently had some odd symptoms, which when i explained, was told yes, that sounds like a mini stroke.
My question is: can someone explain anything to me please x
@SueKay The best person to explain would b the consultant or GP. I am not medically trained to offer advice and I have not suffered a mini stroke. Good luck 
I am a stroke survivor but not of a mini stroke. Don’t strip things back too much because you will only worry. Take things as they are or you will research the hell out of them. I asked nothin about my stoke in hospital nor to my GP. I don’t wanna know cause then I will start and look for other symptoms. 
Hi @SueKay and welcome to the forum. Unfortunately mini strokes/TIA’s are very common with Alzhimers/dementia. None of us on here are experts, other than in our own strokes. Receiving such news can be a bit of a shock at the time, so don’t always think to ask all the questions you have now.
As @IreneFC has suggested, now would be a good time to write all those questions down and see your gp/consultant together to get the right answers. Your husband has been diagnosed and for you, being forwarded is being forearmed as you are the one who will be caring for him as he deteriorates. But that will be many years now; I know it was that way for both my mum and my father-in-law. Life didn’t suddenly come to a stand still, they both still lived very normal lives for many years, after their diagnosis. They were monitored yearly at their memory clinics, but they continued with their lives, driving, travelling, hobbies, etc.
I’ve inserted the links to the Alzhimers/Dementia forum for you, where you will get a lot more answers from people in a similar to you….or you can just get the link yourself off the internet 
Lorraine
Hi @SueKay and welcome. Your husband certainly has a lot going on and consequently so do you.
It sounds like your husbands “odd symptoms” coils well have been a mini stroke. I have heard that term used instead of TIA in the past. You can find information on TIAs at this link.
https://www.stroke.org.uk/stroke/type/tia
Dementia can come in many forms & can take a long time to progress. Hopefully he has been referred to the appropriate specialiats so that they can go through everything with you & monitor his progress.
I always found my GP a good place to ask lots of questions. Write them down before you go so that you get them all answered. Ask for a double appointment if necessary.
Best wishes
Ann
Thank you…I had problems finding my way back on here!
No one has mentioned a stroke.
If i had not read thecletter i would not have known about the previous one. The only one mentioned is when i questioned recent possibilities of one.
GP hasnt mentioned it. He is housebound and unlikely to be seeing anyone. He doesn’t know to be honest as I feel he couldnt cope with it. I had to google what post infarct meant! Sad isnt it? And quite appalling.
It is sad that things haven’t been explained properly to you. I had a similar thing with something in one of my stroke clinic.letters. i asked them to explain at my next appointment. You could always ask your GP to go through it with you. They might not discuss his personal medical stuff with you without his consent but they can tell you in general terms what it all means. If he’s housebound then a dr should come out to him if required.
Thank you everyone. Its lovely to kust be able to mention it to someone that understands x
Indeed I can, I had several strokes both left and right of the cerebellum. Cerebellar stroke is rare, only affecting 2-3% of all stroke cases and it is usually trauma caused and affects younger people at the time of stroke. The cerebellum is the little brain beneath the bigger brain on top. Its most notable function is balance and movement but much research has begun to understand its role in fine tuning emotions &c. Cerebellar stroke has a high “recovery” rate and many survivors move on from their symptoms within a short time. If your husband can remember a period in the past where he felt slightly dizzy doing something physical, it may mark the time it happened. I have written a post some time ago called Cerebellar Stroke in a Nutshell, it may provide some further insight into this kind of stroke. Otherwise, any questions, please feel free to ask away.
Thank you so much! This is great. I will read your other post.
He is unaware of the diagnosis. Right or wrong, I have decided this is not the right time to tell him as he is struggling to deal with everything else he has. But there have been several times where he has been dizzy! Explains a lot x
If it is an historic infarct and there were no obvious symptoms, then chances are it was a silent stroke which is quite common. However, the medical lot usually prescribe the bog standard post stroke medication for detected silent strokes, so I wonder if they have done that?
GP just text me regarding other issues. I have asked why its never been mentioned. Her response said…he only has alzheimers! I then argued that i was told by doctor from memory term its both…as stated in the letter on his GP site. And her response was…keep an eye, if you need aby meds let me know.
Speechless!
From what I understand, vascular dementia can be triggered by stroke or silent stroke, and contribute to onset Alzheimer’s, so I am disheartened they aren’t being very thorough with their engagement between you and your husband.
Thanks. Its appalling x
@SueKay What a ridiculous response from your GP. typical sell the meds med meds. You need someone to talk to, which you will find on here .I wish you well for the future. I am stroke survivor. Nov 2024 I had one. Its a long road but keep on keeping on.
Thank you. I was horrified. This community has been a massive help as i felt totally out of my depth.
So sorry to hear about your stroke. But you seem to be doing amazing! So thats good to hear x
Hi @SueKay
Welcome to the community, I’m sorry to hear about your husband and all the confusion and worry this must be causing for you.
I can see you’ve had some great responses from our members so far and I would echo what others have said about writing all your questions down and speaking with your GP. It sounds like you haven’t had a great experience with your GP so far but please do keep going back to them on this until you feel like you’ve got all the answers you need, they should be answering these questions for you. It might be a good idea to take a copy of the letter you received that mentioned the old infarct so they can see exactly what you’re referring to.
I would also say, please don’t hesitate to give our Stroke Support Helpline:0303 3033 100 a call. They might be able to give you some information and point you in the right direction as to where you can find more support with this.
Wishing you and your husband well. 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
Thank you Anna. I appreciate this.
i will ring the support line asap X
Hi
I hope this will help ?
It’s a helpful way to understand what maybe happening.
Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia, caused by reduced blood flow to the brain—often due to stroke or small vessel disease—which deprives cells of oxygen. Early signs include slowed thinking, confusion, and difficulties with planning or concentration rather than just memory loss. Symptoms, such as severe cognitive decline and mood changes, often progress in a “step-wise” manner.
People can Plato for some time weeks months or year before it happens again
Small TIA happens some are not very noticeable as they happen, like mouth or weakness as you would get in most strokes but you will see change
A mental decline and change of personality or daily habits.
It’s good to get things checked out if in doubt by a doctor this will confirm if anything has happened. The most important thing is continuity in daily life and get support if needed by the Alzheimer’s association your GP can get you in contact with them.
Hope this has been of some help best wishes to you both
Its a great help
This site is so comforting. I felt so out of my depth as there was nothing from the health services.
So many thanks x