Hi Han F hope you’re ok.
Im new to this and not sure if I’ve sent you a message.
All new to this, sorry
Take care
Rich
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Hi HanF
I hope you’re ok and apologies for messaging but I’ve found out I’ve the same thing as you.
Im 58, reading that VAD happens usually to younger people, like yourself.
Had a bad headache on a Monday, start of March. Wife not happy as had another headache the next day so drove me to local hospital. Given tests and a ct to check for SAH. That was clear. BUT they didn’t follow up with an MRI, just said it was migraine. Stayed in a chair overnight and released the next day, Tuesday, with migraine pills.
Then had a really bad headache that night at home. Went back to hospital on Thursday night, waited and had another ct which showed the stroke. Ambulance to another hospital where they had a stroke unit. One night there and released the following day.
Have gone through my medical records and with googles help think ive understood what happened. Same as you…a tear in an artery in the neck causing a left PCA infarct, stroke. I have HH with sight problems, half of both eyes, on the right, half vision. And TERRIBLE, NO short term memory.
How have you been getting on as yours sounds more problematic.
Did you get an access card/ Im new to all of this but a quick learner lol.
Just hope you don’t mind me messaging you, but sure you understand why.
Take care
Rich
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@Vanhalen sounds like you went through it a bit but good on your wife for getting you checked out. I hope you are getting on ok & are making progress even if you still have a way to go.
Best wishes
Ann
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Hi Ann
Hope you’re well.
Yes it has been quite a curveball, I’m sure I not alone in thinking that.
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@Mrs5K Ive spent the weekend trying to workout what happened.
How are you .?
And with Googles help I think I know what the diagnosis is. I know people are screaming at me for using Google, but that’s me.
Left PCA infarct secondary to left vertebral artery dissection.
Happened on 5th March after being told my recent TIAs (what I think they were now) were migraines so sent home with painkillers.
Thanks to google I’ve worked out diagnosis missed as possible SAH, after CT , confirmed that wasn’t the case. But not given, what I now know which would have helped with diagnosis a CTA and sent home with migraine tablets. Next night really bad headache. Suffered in bed but had moved to spare bedroom as the light was coming in, so on my own. Wife took me back to hospital where sight loss diagnosed and transferred local stroke centre where CTA and other tests confirmed a stroke and hemianopia.
Sent home next day after a night in hospital.
That was 2 months ago, now doing investigation.
Thinking the diagnosis means a tear in my vertebral artery allowing blood to clot and break off into my posterior cerebral artery causing the clot to then cause lack of blood flow causing a stroke, in my case hemianopia or visual field loss in both eyes, both right side lost.
Sorry to go on but sure you know why I’m doing this.
Al the best
Richard
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Oh definitely a curve ball. Takes some getting used to.
You’re not alone in being sent away with suspected migraines. Sometimes a stroke doesn’t show up on a CT scan & does on an MRI. It’s possible that your migraines were a warning sign but I guess that wouldn’t show on a scan. I know once I was diagnosed with my stroke I could identify some early warning signs but wpukd never have associated them at the time.
I had a carotid artery dissection so a similar experience to you although a different artery. Your description of a tear in the artery is similar to my understanding of what happened.
It is good that they are now doing some investigations & hopefully that will give you answers.
Best wishes
Ann
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Hi Ann
Yes I agree about getting used to it.
I agree that I’m not alone in this. I had no idea. Im sure the same as most on here.
Im fairly sure that I have had a couple of TIAs which made me go to the hospital, but they diagnosed migraine and was sent home. Then went back a couple of days later after more headaches (had the stroke at home) to be told id had a stroke.
Other hospitals adult headache pathway protocol says that a sudden thunderclap headache for over 50s, I’m 58, could be a sub arachnid haemorrhage, for which I did get a CT scan to check. That was negative and was diagnosed migraine and discharged.
This is NICEs protocol for new severe headache…
Red flags
Serious causes of secondary headache are rare, accounting for less than 1% of people presenting with headache [Steiner, 2019]. Red flags suggesting a potentially serious cause of secondary headache requiring emergency admission or urgent specialist referral include [Ahmed, 2019] [Do, 2019] [Steiner, 2019] [NICE, 2021a]:
- New severe or unexpected headache. !!!
- Sudden-onset severe (‘thunderclap’) headache reaching maximum intensity within 5 minutes may indicate subarachnoid haemorrhage or other intracerebral haemorrhage, venous sinus thrombosis, malignant hypertension, VERTEBRAL ARTERY DISSECTION, or intracranial hypertension. See the CKS topics on Stroke and TIA, Hypertension, and Hypertension in pregnancy for more information.
Id been checked for SAH but even though im over 50, i was discharged with migraine.
I feel that if id been given a CTA or an MRI that may have shown my TIAs as a CT wouldn’t.
Ive researched VAD and found that 1 in 100,000 get it so I do understand how rare it is and how it could have been missed. Then 10% of that number go on to get a stroke, so it’s rare.
UK population around 70 million so that makes around 700 cases with AD with around 70 going on to have a stroke from it.
Am having a MRI and MRA next Wednesday the 14th, where ill obviously ask a few questions lol.
Sorry for going on but I know you know why.
Best wishes
Rich
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