Left DH at A&E - what can I expect?

[NotUpForBeingOuted]

DH had a very brief "funny turn" this morning - lost vision in one eye for a few seconds, felt weird in the head, and then (apart from a very mild headache - rated less than 1/10) has felt pretty much normal (apart from a "slightly strange feeling") ever since.

GP said straight to A&E, so I took him.

He's had very basic obs (BP and HR - normal) and was waiting for doctor.
Then I had to leave to pick up kids.

I know no one can tell me what this will be, if anything. But can anyone tell me what tests they're likely to run, and how long they're likely to take? Will he need CT head? ECG? Just a quick check-over??

TIA

DP has this. Both eyes. Total blindness like a curtain wall coming down for a number of minutes.

Apparently it was nothing. Just something random like a migraine. Never happened before or since 🤷‍♀️

But yes they did do lots of tests. MRI, Stroke ward etc.

Or just drink what makes you feel better (obviously not suggesting alcohol), but the outdated advice to drink sweet tea can be torture for those of us who don't take sugar in our tea usually! A nurse actually 'forced' me to drink sweet tea after my mother died. All it did was make me sick. Not what she was hoping for, I'm sure.

I haven't read through all the posts yet, but I really hope your DH isnt/wasn't waiting too long and that they figure out what caused his issues. I know I get a feeling like that, and can have quite scary visual problems, a few hours before I get a really severe migraine, but as others have said, it could be so many things. Stay strong, and don't forget to look after yourself too!

He will not necessarily get a diagnosis. They basically rule out anything serious.

It sounds a bit like a TIA as others say. It's hard to say how long he'll be there, they may want him to be on the ward, but he'll definitely be waiting ages. You might want to either go back or send a mate there for support as he could be waiting all night.

Just a bit of gallows humour. Put it down to my job.

MIL, had this and it was a retinal vein occlusion which is like a stroke in the eye or 'eye stroke' I'm not sure if it is possible to get a TIA in the same way but anyway her vision loss did not come back.

Could it be a migraine? I get visual disturbances with mine x

Fingers crossed its just a migraine OP. I hope he's ok.

My Migraines do mimic TIA, so even if it was just a migraine, it would still have needed checking out to make sure that's all it was.

Yes, I'd expect this too to be fair.

I'd also never leave someone I suspected to be unwell alone at A&E (if possible, obviously poor op needs to look after dc's), you just can't trust the staff to care for them properly and they need someone to advocate for them.

I've seen seriously unwell people left sitting without water and lacking the ability to get their own, even in their own mess for 12+ hours, even after being admitted.

Could be something as benign as an aura migraine. They’ll likely do some tests and send him away. Could be in for a very long wait though. The last person I know who went to A&E local to me took 30 hours before they were seen and could go home. Even the kids A&E took 9 hours when we went a month or so back

I know no one can say what it is but I had a similar weird episode a few years ago. I had an intense headache and amnesia after a period of severe stress. DH was told to take me to A&E. While there I came round a bit. I don't remember much but I do remember the Doctor telling me to go home to bed and to come back if the headache got worse. Apparently DH dropped me off around 3.30 p.m. (it was the beginning of June 2021) and when I came away from A&E I couldn't understand why it was dark because surely I'd only been there an hour? I had been there 9 hours!

Never had anything like it since and hope I never do again.

It sounds a bit brief for a TIA but could definitely be an ocular migraine. Was it both eyes that lost vision? If it was only one eye then he will probably need ophthalmologist review to assess for retinal pathology which might take a bit longer.

Hope all goes well op.

Could be a visual migraine, they don't necessarily come with alot of pain but make your vision funny.
Hope he's alright.

How is he now OP?

Could also be a seizure of some kind. Apparently 10% of people have a single epileptic seizure at some point in their life and it's essentially harmless because it never happens again. Lots of seizures aren't convulsions but more like absences or zoning out.

Hope he is OK op. I had something like a TIA and never found out what exactly it was. I was hospital for five nights! In the end it was treated like a bad migraine after discharge. I suffer from terrible migraines that are getting worse over time. It was nothing like a normal migraine

How worrying OP. I do hope that they give him a full check up. I’d definitely go there if he has no phone with him and you have someone to mind the kids, hopefully you’re with him now and he can come home this evening. Definitely the right thing to check him over.

I went to a car boot with my Dad and developed a migraine. I went totally blind for about two minutes. It went off and we carried about our day. It's never happened since. Really weird.

Has he been seen yet OP?

I agree it’s a bit difficult and hard to be responsible if he doesn’t carry a phone, especially as he has DC.

If he had money, I wouldn’t have felt the need to leave the kids to take him food though. A&E is crowded and the presence of extra unnecessary adults makes the experience worse. He was perfectly capable of getting himself something to eat.

I can understand you would want to go and get an update though due to the phone situation.

I lost sight in one eye when I was mid 20’s, went dizzy and had a headache. As a migraine sufferer I thought it was that but rang my doctors who told me to go to A&E. Turns out I had Hypotension - they said my blood pressure must have dropped so low the blood had stopped flowing to my optic nerve.
20+ years later I still occasionally get dizzy and lightheaded but can usually solve it with an electrolyte drink.
Hope it’s something as simple as this.

Hope he's doing OK now OP.

I get these too sometimes. Very strange. No pain at all, just a feeling of oddness. It starts around the outskirts of the eye and then I lose vision completely just for a minute or two, and it’s pixelated. Then the vision comes back and it’s a bit of a weird feeling but not painful. It doesn’t happen often but enough so I don’t panic about it anymore.

All of our local hospitals still have a payphone in the main reception so he’ll probably be able to call for a cab. Or tell him to find a smoker who’ll take pity on him and call him a cab when he’s leaving. He’s probably going to be there until at least the early hours at least.

I have had exact same symptoms and mine are always migraines. I get all sorts of weird and “wonderful” aural and neurological symptoms with mine.
the first time I had it in one eye only I did go and get my eyes checked as I was travelling the following day. All was fine.
obviosuly I don’t know if for your husband it is “just” a migraine but just wanted to share I have had exact same symptoms.

When I had very similar symptoms, it turned out to be an ocular migraine without headache.
Hoping this is the case for your DH too.