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Stroke or Migraine. Advice please.

83 replies

Fingerscrossed11 · 26/08/2023 23:08

Thank you firstly for reading. Apologies if it’s long, I’ll try to keep it as short as possible.

yesterday morning I woke up and thought my voice isn’t right, the left side of my face also felt strange as I’m wasn’t quite right. I looked at myself in the mirror after noticing my left foot seemed to take longer to hit the floor than my right and seemed it didn’t really know what it was supposed to do. So when I looked in the mirror I noticed the left side of my face wasn’t drooping but didn’t have same symmetry as the right. When I smiled it looked like I just come out the dentist after an injection on my left side. the foot thing did panic me as my body just wasn’t in sync at all.

I went to a&e as the first thing that did worry me was is it a stroke with my left side not working. When I arrived I went straight though to triage and was sent to resus. I was told it gave the same symptoms as a stroke. Whilst there my left leg didn’t have same strength as right and from what i gathered for a while my left eye wasn’t same as the opposite one. After being there a short time I then found it difficult to speak, I had to think about what I was saying and I started to find difficulty speaking and stuttering my words too.

I went for a CT head scan which came back okay.

I was then transferred into a room in A&E where I was being monitored until there was a room in the admissions ward to see the stroke specialists. Must also say at this point all the staff were so lovely. Rather hot doctor in resus but let’s not go there 😂

up to admissions ward and saw the stroke specialist/consultant who was also lovely, she said ct scan was fine but would be referred for an mri. As it’s the weekend would have to wait until next week but to stay in that night. She asked me symptoms from when I realised things weren’t right so I started from when I got out of bed that morning and my voice was odd until I got to that ward.

she said she didn’t think it was a stroke but mri would show either way. Mentioned that it could be a migraine as sometimes they show stroke symptoms without a headache.

stayed in overnight and saw consultant next morning, she said she’d be happy for me to go home and go to clinic outpatient next week for mri. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go home as obviously scared after what happened and especially as don’t know why it happened.
I thought about it for a few hours and decided to go home as she had no worries about this.

whilst in the ward I spoke to another patient who said they had a mini stroke or tia I think it’s called and he had same symptoms as me but little less.

also on discharge I noticed it wasn’t my consultant who wrote discharge letter but a trainee doctor who had seen me at initial
dosvussion with consultant day before but whom i didn’t speak to. On this letter it says very briefly that I was admitted with voice disturbance and mentioned when I smiled in Mirror. This all happened before I got to hospital. Nothing is mentioned from when o got there like the not being able to speak, the high blood pressure, the leg weakness, the mouth not being symmetrical, nothing at all.

also says I declined admission over the weekend for an mri due to childcare commitments which also isn’t the case, childcare wasn’t an issue and the reason I left was due to being told they couldn’t see any problems and to visit outpatient for scan. I at no point asked to go home.

sorry for long thread. Thanks for reading and any advice would be appreciated.

OP posts:
FannyFifer · 26/08/2023 23:22

This is very poor care & simply not good enough.
Have all your symptoms resolved?
How high is your blood pressure?
How old are you?
When are you getting MRI?
Sorry 20 questions. But the lack of urgency & care when someone has presented with stroke symptoms is appalling.
Hope you are ok.

FannyFifer · 26/08/2023 23:24

If you have anything else like this happen you need to phone an ambulance or get to A&E as quick as you can.

Fingerscrossed11 · 26/08/2023 23:27

@FannyFifer
thanks for your reply. My blood pressure was up and down. Just as I left was okay. Hour before was 120/99
Im 41
MRI on Tuesday
feel little light headed now and again but the symptoms I had all gone

OP posts:
Fingerscrossed11 · 26/08/2023 23:27

@FannyFifer
thanks x

OP posts:
FannyFifer · 26/08/2023 23:34

It sounds really scary. Have you a way to check blood pressure at home the next few days?
I'm assuming they will have taken bloods.

Fingerscrossed11 · 26/08/2023 23:36

@FannyFifer
they took bloods when I was admitted yesterday.
unfortunately I don’t have a home blood pressure monitor, never thought of having one before now. I’ll maybe see if I can order one online.

OP posts:
FortofPud · 26/08/2023 23:46

Is that the only local a&e you have available? Sometimes, unfortunately, the level of care depends on the hospital and how well everything is run there. If there's a different one within a reasonable distance that has a stroke centre or is a big teaching hospital then I'd make the trip to a&e if you feel anymore lightheadednsss (or perhaps even if you don't).

FannyFifer · 26/08/2023 23:47

Any concerns at all get yourself to the hospital.
Would also make an appointment with GP, they can follow up on bloods & check other stuff.
If u get BP monitor do it twice a day & write down readings as GP usually wld ask for you to do that.
If you have very high readings get urgent medical advice.
Take care.

Fingerscrossed11 · 26/08/2023 23:52

@FortofPud
thank you for your reply.
theres another a little bit further than the one I went to. I thought the one I went to would be the Best but it’s also closest.

OP posts:
Fingerscrossed11 · 26/08/2023 23:53

@FannyFifer
thank you so much for that.
Will do. Thanks for the advice. x

OP posts:
Tilllly · 27/08/2023 00:09

Did they not tell you to take one aspirin per day?
I was told that when I had a small stroke, whilst waiting for MRI to confirm?

WetBandits · 27/08/2023 00:19

Clear CT head is very reassuring.

I had similar symptoms a few years ago (I was about 24 or 25) and was convinced I was having a stroke because my leg wasn’t coming with the rest of my body, I was slurring my speech and my face looked weird. When stroke was ruled out, I was diagnosed with hemiplegic migraine. I haven’t had another one since and would probably be similarly terrified if I had one again!

If your symptoms recur before your MRI, you absolutely must go back to A&E.

Fingers crossed for you Flowers

MrsFiddle · 27/08/2023 00:32

Google hemiplegic migraine as see if you think any of that is similar. I had a suspected tIA several years ago but in the end they decided it was this possibly due to the onset of menopause and hormonal fluctuation.

Lifeinlists · 27/08/2023 00:53

When DH had a stroke his CT scan was clear. It wasn't till he had an MRI several weeks later (!) that the stroke damage showed up. It wasn't a tia.It had affected his vision so he was being bounced round Eye Hospital and 2 teaching hospitals as the consultant worked for both. The lack of joined up communication was something else which was probably the cause of the MRI delay.

They did, however, start him on clopidogrel immediately which was a good thing.

Do go straight back OP if you're not happy and if you have someone to advocate for you, so much the better.

Fingerscrossed11 · 27/08/2023 17:31

@Tilllly
thanks for your reply
I’ve to take 300mg aspirin a day

OP posts:
Fingerscrossed11 · 27/08/2023 17:33

@WetBandits
thank you for your reply.
can I ask was one side of your face not dropping but not as symmetrical more around the mouth?
also did you find it difficult to speak and get words out and stutter?
did they tell you what caused it?
thanks

OP posts:
Fingerscrossed11 · 27/08/2023 17:34

@MrsFiddle
i had a look at that.
did they tell you why they thought it happened?
thank you

OP posts:
Fingerscrossed11 · 27/08/2023 17:37

@Lifeinlists
thank you for your reply
hope your husband is better now

OP posts:
lostparcel · 27/08/2023 18:20

It sounds like a TIA. Since the symptoms disappeared quickly. They usually do within 24 hours.

Make an appointment with your GP who will prescribe you meds and do further tests. Good luck at the hospital.

Fingerscrossed11 · 27/08/2023 18:22

@lostparcel
thank you for your reply
will do 👍

OP posts:
MrsFiddle · 27/08/2023 19:54

Fingerscrossed11 · 27/08/2023 17:34

@MrsFiddle
i had a look at that.
did they tell you why they thought it happened?
thank you

Hormone fluctuation.

cptartapp · 27/08/2023 20:35

Presuming you're not on the combined pill?

Fingerscrossed11 · 27/08/2023 22:33

@cptartapp
no I’m not. I was asked that at hospital too.

OP posts:
Lifeinlists · 28/08/2023 09:38

Fingerscrossed11 · 27/08/2023 17:37

@Lifeinlists
thank you for your reply
hope your husband is better now

Yes he is thanks. It was 3 years ago and he's on permanent medication but otherwise fine.I suppose my slightly laboured point was that strokes aren't always clear cut at presentation. The doctors were unsure until his mri.

I hope all goes well for you Smile

Pollymollydolly · 28/08/2023 09:40

Stroke symptoms can also resolve quickly - it all depends on where the stroke ‘hits’ and the severity.

as previous posters have said, sometimes CT scans can be clear but an MRI will show that a stroke has occurred.

Op - if your MRI shows that you did in fact have a stroke please push for further tests. In particular a transoesophageal echocardiogram which will show whether you have a PFO (patent foramen ovale) this is a tiny hole in the heart which approx 20-25% of the population have, in most instances it causes no issues but in some cases a small clot can originate from the PFO and cause a stroke. If this is the case a PFO closure can be performed - sounds dramatic but it is actually a fairly small procedure, a small ‘umbrella’ device inserted via the groin.

I just want to be clear I have absolutely no medical training, I know about this issue because a close family member had a stroke caused by a PFO. Closure was done and now living a completely normal life, takes low dose aspirin daily but more for peace of mind.

best of luck op

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