I had a TIA (Mini Stroke) at 51. AMA

[LellyM]

Hi all,

I had a mini stroke in January and think it would be good to raise awareness and maybe answer any questions/fears you may have.

So, go for it!

L

What are the chances of it happening again? A family member had one years ago and they're now on a lot of medication, I'm just worried!

Yawning,

I am told each case is of course unique. I needed major surgery to unclog a carotid artery and I am on a mountain of pills but now my blood is flowing properly and if I keep taking the drugs (and behave my self diet wise) I have the same risk as any one else.

Both my siblings have had mini strokes in their fifties, so I'm concerned that I may do so too. Can I ask what your health was like before this happened?

were you healthy?
did you smoke
did you have blood pressure that you knew of
were you overweight?
did you exercise.

Were you under a great deal of stress prior to the stroke?

actually my friend's dh had a stroke also under the age of 51.

do you have many side effects?

What were the symptoms and how were you diagnosed?

Did you have any indicators beforehand? Or do you see any signs looking back with hindsight?

Diabetic? Smoker/ex smoker? Any family history?

This is going to set off my hypochondria!

My son has had 2 mini strokes at 46, he was under a lot of stress, but also is a smoker and quite heavy drinker, i know,he is making an effort to stop the drinking, but smokes a lot , he is an alcoholic, and is finding it hard to stop,
He also has Haemochromatosis, which is an overload of iron, and apparently this contributed to it,
He has had to give up work, and is on about 8 different tablets

I’m glad that you are ok LellyM. I agree that it is good to raise awareness of TIAs. My daughter started having them aged 6 and I remember uttering the words to a Dr “it was like a stroke but it can’t have been”. I didn’t know that TIAs and strokes can happen to anyone, any age....

They can happen to anyone at any age but much less likely if adopting a healthy lifestyle and recognising risk factors.

Blimey!!!

OK:
consternation - before it happened I would have said I was healthy but not fit. No sympoms to speak of although when I looked back I did have one occurrence of my right arm going numb......

Disgusted: I was very overweight (I am rectifying this) and I had high BP but it was controlled. Didn't smoke, low cholesterol, low blood sugar.
Side effects now - mainly a loss of stamina. I used to be able to fly abroad at 3am, do a days work, fly home at midnight and be back in the office for 8am. Not now. I am also a musician and I find that after a long gig I am not safe to drive so DH is chauffeur! I also have a great scar (useful when I play for Peaky Blinders events where my new nickname is scarface!!) and my left jawline and ear are completely numb due to the trigeminal nerve being damaged/bruised when they pulled it out of the way.

Calming: not particularly stressed. Well, no more than anyone working in the automotive industry!

Margo: |Symptoms/diagnosis were easy. I lost the feeling/use of my right arm and I couldn't speak. The arm was weird. I went to pic something up and it just slipped through my fingers then went to tell the family I wasn't well and could only make groaning noises. I was fully aware of what was going on (that was scary as I could tell they were doing the FAST stroke tests).

Singing Sands: when I looked back yes there were signs. I was always tired. So bad I was treated for depression and checked for CFS. Then I was told that could have been due to low oxygen in my brain as the blood wasn't flowing. Also as I mentioned earlier, I did have an occasion when on stage that my right arm went numb.

cptartapp: Not diabetic, never smoked but family history of BP and my grandmother's siblings all died of stroke.

DameJulie: Don't worry about it! It is a very low risk for most people.

Since this happened I have made it my aim to inform as many people as possible. I have had a few friends say they are on diets or changing their lifestyle since this happened. I am even exchanging weekly weight loss figures with one friend who was scared s*less!

The fact is I was lucky. Mine was what they call an Ischemic stroke and not haemoragic (a bleed). Ischemic is when a chink of crud or a blood clot forms in a blood vessel then breaks off and gets stuck somewhere. I am on clot busting drugs (which mean I bruise like a ripe peach) and statins plus other drugs. Since they scraped the fatberg out of my neck it should all be OK. I certainly feel better a I have full blood flow to my brain. I have been left with a killer scar. The documents all say it is a 3 - 4 inch incision. Mine is about 8" from earlobe into the crease of my neck.

It has also made me reevaluate what is important so I am a lot happier with life and a lot less stressed. Any day when you are above the grass is a good one!

Weight wise, I am down 3.5 stn so far and determined to lose maybe 8 or 10stn more. So watch out world - DH will have a sexy slinky healthy wife!

thanks for responding.
keep up the good work op

Do you worry a lot about having a major stroke?
I was a thin, active and healthy teenager when I had TIA. Fortunately, I’ve been fine since then but the fear is never far away when I get the odd tingle.

Well done on your weight loss Lelly. Obesity alone increase the chances of a stroke. It's great that you've reevaluted your life and made changes. You sound like this dreadful event has actually turned your life around for the better.

Same here for me. I had one in 2014. Woke up feeling a little odd. As the day went on ( I was at home alone as dh at work, got a headache and my vision in one eye felt weird - like looking through Vaseline ) When he came home said how I was feeling and wondered if should make a drs appointment. Decided to go to local out of hours. Doctor there couldn't be any more disinterested , but eventually phoned and made me an appointment at the local hospital eye clinic for following day. Woke up next morning feeling fine. Dh went to work as was undecided if should cancel appointment. Decided to go and then have a wander round the shops. At hospital it was found I'd had a TIA in the optic nerve of the eye but luckily it had pushed itself out ( the clot) or I would be going in that eye. I was healthy, no high bp or cholesterol. Weight fine. Don't smoke or drink . Was put down as one of those things. Your not allowed to drive for 4 weeks and only medication I take is 75my Aspirin a day. A scan of my carotid arteries were also fine. It really can happen to anyone.

* would have gone blind * sorry for typos !

My dad had one at 59. It was a year after my nan died. He's spent 7 years working full time and caring for his mum with minimal help from his (both retired) older sisters. He was basically ill for a year before, picked up lots of bugs, had flu, chest infections and was depressed which we all attribute to grieving and his body reacting to the massive stress he'd been under for so long. TBH, I do hold his sisters partially responsible because he wouldn't have had that stress if they'd stepped up.

Anyways, luckily my little brother has excellent first aid skills from his army days and as soon as mum called him he was there and called a paramedic. Got him to hospital very quickly and he has made a pretty good recovery. Unfortunately he had a few in a short space of time so he's a bit more affected.

But 3 years later, he has semi retired and is doing pretty well. He gets tired easily, which (selfishly) is very hard to see. He was always incredibly active, walking miles each day. He forgets words sometimes and his memory isn't what it was.

We are incredibly grateful that my brother recognised what was happening and he was given such excellent care.

Thanks for this thread OP, early recognition and treatment do help.

I hope you don't mind but I'm just going to leave this thing about the fast test here.

www.stroke.org.uk/what-is-stroke/what-are-the-symptoms-of-stroke#FAST%20test

I'm glad you are recovering well, and have used this to make positive changes in your lifestyle.

My sister is diabetic and very overweight and is at high risk of a stroke/heart attack. I do worry about her a lot. I couldn't care less about her weight lookswise, just about her health.

OH has had a stroke, a silent stroke. He didn't know that he had had one until he went for a CT scan for something else. They found an area brain damage that could only be accounted for by a stroke.

It has affected his memory and he gets tired very easily, but otherwise you wouldn't know he has had one.

As soon as the results were confirmed he was put on strong statins and a blood thinning medicine. He is more prone to getting cramp in his legs, and if he cuts himself by accident he bleeds quite profusely. It meant that when he had a tooth extracted recently the dentist wouldn't do it, and he had to have it done in hospital.

These side effects are minimal compared to some people's, and are far better than the alternative.

Oh, and they have no idea why he had one as he is very thin, does a lot of walking and has never smoked.

SunnySkiesSleepsintheMorning
I don't worry about having a major one at all. As it wasn't haemorrhagic, as long as I keep the cholesterol down and follow a low fat diet the crud shouldn't build up again.

Namethecat
I also started off with aspirin. 300mg when I 1st arrived in hospital (had that maybe 3x to clear any clots out) then 75mg. Now they have me on clopidogrel which does the same thing. For a couple of months they accidentally left the aspirin on the scrip which meant I spent 3 months bruising like a ripe peach. Honestly, I caught the corner of my eye lightly and woke up the next morning with a huge black eye and bright red eye ball. Since I stopped the aspirin this has got a lot better. I do still bruise easily and I feel the cold but that is not a problem!

glenthebattleostrich
Thanks for posting the FAST details - it is vital info and could save a life.

LoniceraJaponica
I am the same as your OH. I have the blood thinners and statins and if I cut myself I do bleed. My memory was a bit dodgy due to being menopausal as well so I can't tell much of a difference there but the energy is the biggest problem (and the cramps). I now take magnesium and Q10 to help with energy and cramp as I read that the Statins can stop yr body absorbing them. Since starting the magnesium I get a lot less cramp.

I think I have given up hope of ever having full feeling in my cheek, jaw and ear. This is where they had to pull my trigeminal nerve aside to get at the carotid. Right now there is an area the size of my palm running from my earlobe down my jaw where I can't feel the skin. There is one spot on my jaw where, if I brush it, my earlobe tickles so I guess the nerves are a bit messed up. It is not a big problem just feels odd. I don't like hair brushing it as it feels weird so I just tie my hair out of the way and get on with things.

I did have a laugh a couple of weeks ago. As I have mentioned, I am a musician in a band. We were playing a Peaky Blinders gig in Walsall and a young waitress asked me how I made such a realistic scar! I just said "it is easy - have an operation!". She was quite flustered!

Friend had a full proper stroke at age 43. He's slowly recovered (8 yrs later). He had no risk factors unless you count being 1 stone overweight. Basically, ME was the legacy but he can do most normal things now. Every day with good health is a blessing.