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Questions posted in the
Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Question Title: I'm worriedForum: Neurology Forum
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Dear Dr., About 3 or 4 years ago I started being very tired and depressed. My Dr. did a number of blood tests and after about a year diagnosed me with Lupus. During this time I was also seeing flashes of light, so much so that at times I couldn't see enough to walk across the room. He sent me to an eye Dr. to see if it was something wrong with my eyes. There wasn't. Eighteen months ago, during an exam my Dr. discovered a bruit in my left carotid artery. He sent me for an ultra sound, and after that a dye test. These tests showed severe blockage in some of my carotid arteries. The left carotid artery was 95% blocked. My Dr. consulted with a vascular surgeon and they decided the best course of treatment was to clean the artery out, which they did. After the surgery I started having severe headaches and was given pain medication. The pain was present constantly, but the medication did dull it some. After two days I was discharged from the hospital, with a headache. Over the course of the next few days I continued to have a severe headache, my Dr. told me to come to another Dr's office for a spinal tap to see if I had mennigitis. I had to have help to walk. My husband admitted me to the hospital and early the next morning my husband said I sat up in bed and started talking gibberish. At that time I couldn't move the left side of my body. They took me for a CT scan and it showed bleeding in the left side of my brain. They did brain surgery on me. I was in intensive care for abouit 2 weeks. During this time I had vasal spasms. They didn't expect me to recover, but I have, somewhat. I am very thankful for what I am able to do, but there are so many things that I can't do. The right side of my body has minimal function. I have a couple of questions. First, why was I first affected on my left side and then my right? Next, I am having headaches and the back of my neck hurts a lot. The right side of my head in the back hurts and is numb at times, what could this be? Also what will keep something like this from happening again? My Dr. doesn't seem concerned. What kind of Dr. do I need to see to offer me some help? Thank You, Sorry to hear about all of your problems Brenda. The left hemisphere usually controls the right side of the body and the right the left. Depending exactly where bleeding occurs you can develop symptoms on the same side and if the brain is herniating (pushing over to the other side) you can get what are called false localizing signs that can trick you regarding the location of the bleeding. The best thing you can do to prevent problems in the future are management of blood pressure and regular followup with your doctor and listening to their recommendations. The neck pain you are having may be related to the changing mechanics induced by your right sided dysfunction - I hope that continued rehab will help with that. I think you need to see a stroke neurologist who can review your records and better explain some of the symptoms you are having and give recommendations for future care. Good luck This information is provided for general medical education purposes. Please consult your doctor regarding diagnostic and treatment options.
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