Possible minor stroke but won't see GP. WWYD?

[GetTheFudgeOutOfRodge]

DM tells me last night she had a "panic attack" which she's never had before.
She was asleep and it woke her up.
Symptoms were shortness of breath, confusion, dizziness and blurred vision.
This morning all symptoms were gone apart from her sight was still not right.
She is point blank refusing to see her GP.

Googling symptoms (I know, I know) points to a minor stroke, a TIA?
Her DM had several minor strokes and a serious one that happened shortly before she died.
My DM is almost 70, not in bad health but has various aches and pains but will never see a GP.
She has not been diagnosed with a mental health issue (again won't see GP) but she has very bad memory, short term and long term. She failed the dementia verbal test which asks the year, prime minister etc. She will only do the same things at the same time everyday and likewise eat the same thing at the same time everyday.
She worries about things that don't need worrying about, her vegetables smell funny, they're a bit off colour, someone sneezed on the bus, I double check all her concerns and whatever it is is always ok and nothing that I feel would cross most people's minds let alone send them into such a panic and paranoia about being ill.

Sorry I know this is long and might not be relevant.

I feel she should see her GP tomorrow, am I being paranoid about strokes due to Googling? Or is there a real concern here?

If she should see a GP but refuses, what can I do? Are there any options in this situation or if I can't get her to go is that the end of it?

It does sound worrying.
Can you call a GP out to her?

My DH had a stroke last year (not a TIA, fullblown), and got prompt attention which was his saviour tbh. He was awake when it happened, but I know that a lot of minor strokes go unnoticed because they occurred during sleep.

I think you need to follow this up.

The symptoms sound very similar to my DF and he has dementia brought on by repeated TIA.'s .

Does she say why she won't see the GP. Are you able to get her to go with you for do "annual health check" so it's not for anything specific but might get her along. Alternatively can you talk to her GP about your concerns and ask him to call her?

Lizzylou I'm sorry your DH went through that. Very glad he got help that he needed.

She won't call to get a home visit.
I'm going to try and get them to send someone out without talking to her but I don't think they will.

MyCat I'm so sorry to hear about your DF.
Her last couple of doctors visits have resulted in them wanting to investigate dementia and stomach/bowel problems.
Can they talk to me without her permission?

The only GP she would see has left the practise just to make it even more awkward.

You can talk to the GP without her permission to relay your concerns but they can't tell you anything about her.

What they can do without her consent is quite limited unless she really lacks capacity to make her own decisions, at the moment this doesn't sound quite like her.

I agree Wolpertinger, I very much doubt they'd think someone should be able to overrule her opinion as it stands.

I will call them tomorrow and see if I can talk to a doctor and see what comes of that.

If the doctor is concerned it could have been a minor stroke but she won't see them, what can be done?
I feel like the answer is going to be nothing but I can't just sit back and pretend that everything is ok.

I hope all goes well for your DM Get.

Would she see the practice nurse maybe? It might be a start. Or can you ask for a home visit?

Although it could have been a TIA, it might also be connected to her anxiety levels. I used to wake up feeling I was having a panic attack, a sort of adrenalin rush, but a low dose anti-d sorted that out for me. I think, as you get older, you do get a seratonin deficit, making it more difficult to cope with the normal strains and stresses of daily life.

Could you sell a visit to the GP on those grounds, so it doesn't sound as worrying? Just taking half a pill every day has made me feel so much better. And he could check her b.p. etc at the same time.

She eventually agreed to a phone call from a doctor who said they didn't think it was anything to worry about but she'd have to go in and see them if it happened again.

She does suffer awfully with anxiety Thyme but she says she can't swallow pills and doesn't like the idea of having them ground into a powder.

Thank you to those you commented.

I'm going to have to keep a very close eye on her and figure out a way to force her to go if something similar happens again which fingers crossed it doesn't.

Was this a phone call from a GP at her own surgery, i.e. someone who had her medical record in front of them, or someone from out of hours whose concern would have been an urgent care problem? I would have thought the previous encounters wanting to investigate dementia + the current symptoms should have had a more proactive response, but if the doctor was unaware of the history this might explain it. Getting her to contact the GP again is going to be even harder now she's essentially been told there's nothing to worry about.

It was a GP from her surgery during normal hours and I spoke to them myself to pass on the information before they spoke to her incase she didn't tell them everything.

I was very surprised that was the response as well tribpot.

I think the problem is she calls her doctors an awful lot about minor things, blood blister when she's bit her tongue, colds, "tummy ache" even though I feel there's more behind that one but that's how she describes it to them.
So when they look at their records they see an elderly woman who calls up about small things very often and that makes bigger things seem like she's just being a hypercondriac.

I probably haven't explained myself very well.
Minor health issues cause her anxiety but health issues that most people would want to address she buries her head in the sand.

Hmm, that is a shame. But she certainly doesn't make it easy to deal with health staff if she oscillates between exaggerating minor problems and underplaying more serious ones! I think I would write to the GP to detail what you've seen - they can at least then put it on the file for next time.

I'd suggest you specifically alert the GP in writing to the question of whether this could be a TIA and that there is a family history of stroke; emphasise the fact that she was dizzy and confused and had long-lasting blurred vision. Being cynical, the fact that it's in writing may make them more cautious, in that they will realise that if they've overlooked something it will rebound on them.