Suspected Tia

[Onwards23]

Last Friday at work I had an episode of around 20-30 minutes of blackness over the left side of my left eye that kept coming and going along with flashing lights and blurred vision, but only blurred out of the left eye (my hand did go slightly stiff/numb about half way through, but only for a few seconds so put it down to anxiety because of what was happening with the eye).

I went to the opticians straight after it had happened who said that my eye looks fine but she sent me to the GP.

I saw a medical student at my GP practice, who said that my left pupil wasn’t reacting to light properly and my pupils were different sizes; so she referred me to ophthalmology at the hospital. Saw ophthalmology yesterday, who said my eye is fine, but I shouldn’t have been referred to her, I should have been referred to the stroke unit.

She has referred me there now, believing that it was a TIA. She gave me aspirin and a prescription for anticoagulants in the meantime but said that I should have been seen and started on them the day it happened.

When I saw the medical student she told me that my blood pressure was high, but we decided it might be white coat syndrome (around 165 over 105 with pulse of 126). She asked me to take a weeks worth of readings and then drop them in to the surgery for the GP to look at.

My blood pressure and pulse is still high and I am occasionally getting pins and needles, but in all kinds of random areas, not on just one side of the body.

I don’t know whether it is appropriate to ask to see someone today or to leave it till I’m contacted. I didn’t ask any questions at the eye hospital yesterday, I didn’t even ask when I would hear off the stroke unit as it came as a bit of a shock.

I have a friend who has had similar experience then thought nothing of it due to stress BUT they mentioned it to someone who told her to phone her GP. He saw her immediately and she had an MRI the next day - now on anti-coagulants and statins and all within a week.

I'd go and get seen - better not to take the risk.

I did end up seeing someone at a&e, who sent me over to be seen by their stroke unit, who said that what I experienced was not ‘classic’ stroke symptoms, but did sound neurological in origin.

Had an ultrasound done this morning on the arteries in my neck (I know this has a much more technical name), which was clear, and I will be having an MRI this week.

He said that it could very well be stress related, or a migraine without headache.

@beansoup thank you. I am on anticoagulants thankfully, been given me an extra 2 days worth.

I’m so anxious waiting for this MRI.
My Dad died of a brain tumour at 52.
Was 3 months from his diagnosis to death.

I KNOW this is unlikely to be the same
thing, but I really will feel a whole lot better after this week is over!

A friend had this at work and got sent straight to hospital. It turned out to be a form of stress related migraine. She'd never had migraine before.

I get some of these symptoms when I have a migraine. The blackness, pins and needles, numbness and flashing lights.

It probably is migraine, especially as I hd them during puberty as a teenager (with headache though). DS went through a stage of having something called ‘confusional migraine’ too. So it is likely!

I don’t feel right today though. I have lost sense of taste and smell which is bizarre. I can’t detect cigarette smoke and can’t taste anything other than sugar (I don’t have covid, as had it a couple of months ago with no loss of taste etc).

And I can hear sirens (emergency vehicles), I’ve been hearing them all day, but don’t know if they are actually there, or if it’s a migraine thing or anxiety. It’s a bit strange though. I haven't gone to work or uni; I really don’t think I could even step out of the front door. The thought of opening the blinds is terrifying, which I know is irrational!

@Onwards23 I'm waiting to be seen too. Can I ask what were your diagnosis?