possible TIA..

hey all..
well sunday i was nervous about me hospital appointment monday (EMG n nerve conduction) sunday night though - had one of my turns but this time was different - me head was still hurtin but seem more painful, by 6.30pm i was really bad endin up in a heap on the bottom of the stairs - eyes rollin, body shakin , eyes waterin, legs to heavy to move, me mom/dad n sister turned up - they said me right side of me face dropped and when i came too i could move me right arm n it had kinda turned in. i could feel me face droppin. and wen i was talkin i was slurrin - i could see me mom n dad lookin at each other back at me - they reckon i had a mini stroke, dad said i looked jus like me mom did on her first stroke - me mom was aged jus 21yrs old when she had hers. well anyway - went to that appointment n then to me docs - he did a reflex test said there was difo weakness on me right side and told us i should wait for me neuro appointment nex week. got back to me sisters and doc foned me - hed changed hes mind - hed foned the hospital and they wanted me to go in get checked over.. so off i went - 7or so hours later. they said nothin showed up on the scan. so i keep askin meself wat on earth was it??? its worryin n im certainly scared!! yet no ones commented about me head /neck pain.. me mom wont hav it that they said theres nothin on the scan - she said shes had enough strokes to know what one looks like. even now i can feel that me right side isnt right still..

wat do i do, where do i go?? any advice?
i have got me neurology consultant nex week!

emz

[rod44]

Hi Emz, I was in hospital recently after suffering a drop attack, one of the things they looked at was if this was due to a Transient Ischemic Attack. These "Mini strokes" are hard to DX because they only last a few minutes. My NL is happy it was not a TIA but some kind of Syncope, all my cardiac work up was fine......

I know you get seizures and was wondering if you have had a tilt table test done?


Ray

[dkdean]

I was dx'd with a TIA before the CM was officially diagnosed....Dr Di (my NS for CM) said that TIA-esque events are common with CM...so, those events are 'ischemic events' that can be brought on by a shift in CSF flow, pressure changes, etc.  I think of them as 'chiari episodes' now...numbness, vision changes, loss of speech, etc for a 20-60min period of time.  It looks like a stroke--and (to me), it feels like what I think a stroke would feel like....but there is not anything that shows up on the MRI or CT...I've had the gammut of tests run and that didn't show up.  Now when it happens (3 times since the first March attack), I keep calm, lay down, and know it will pass...GL!!!!!

[emza1910]

rod44 - erm wats a tilt table test - cant say ive had this done!

dkdean - thats interestin.. ive got my neuro consultant appointment and as my doctor has imformed him he has sent a letter concernin all my concerns includin CM.. im guna say wat you hav said too - is that ok?

i jus want them to listen n maybe hopefully help me..

my neuro consultant is the 8th october.. fingers crossed ay! and thanx!

[rod44]

The Tilt Table Test is used to determine a cause of syncope (fainting or loss of consciousness). There can be different reasons people experience syncope. For some people it is related to an abnormal nervous system reflex causing the heart to slow and the blood vessels to dilate (open up) lowering the blood pressure. When this happens there is a reduced amount of blood to the brain causing one to faint. This type of syncope is called vasovagal, neurocardiogenic or abnormal vasoregulatory syncope and is considered benign (not dangerous or life-threatening), except for the injuries that can happen when one faints unexpectedly.

The Tilt Table Test is performed to reproduce (bring on) symptoms of syncope while the person is being closely monitored.

A trained nurse or technician and a physician may do the test. You will be asked to lie down on a special examining table with safety belts and a footrest. An intravenous line (IV) is inserted into one of your arms and a blood pressure cuff (or similar device) is attached to your other arm to monitor your blood pressure during the test. You are attached with electrodes (adhesive stickers) to an electrocardiograph (ECG) recorder to monitor your heart rate. For your safety, you are belted onto the tilt table. It is then tilted upright to a 60-80 degree vertical angle for approximately 45 minutes. You are instructed to limit the movement of your legs and not to shift your weight during the test. You will also be asked to describe any symptoms you may be experiencing during the test.

If after 45 minutes you have not experienced syncope, a medication, usually Isoproterenol/Isuprel that is similar to adrenaline that the body naturally releases, is administered while you are tilted again, for up to another 45 minutes while your heart rate and blood pressure continue to be monitored.

If you faint during the test, the table will be returned to a flat (horizontal) position and you will be continued to be monitored closely while you recover. Recovery is usually immediate.

Typical symptoms of vasovagal or neurocardiogenic syncope includes:

Nausea
Sweatiness
Pallor
Lightheaededness
Sensation of palpitations
Near-fainting
Fainting
Symptoms frequently happen when standing for long periods or changing positions from lying down to standing.

Taken from http://www.hrspatients.org/patients/heart_tests/tilt_table.asp

[dkdean]

Emza--Absolutely on sharing what I posted--I'd just be careful to phrase it as a question "Is it a possibility that this was an ischemic attack brought on by changes in fluid, etc?" as opposed to telling....I think drs appreciate that and then you can have a good idea about their knowledge.  For ex. when I asked the first neuro "Is it possible that these 'low-lying cerebellar tonsils' can be causing these problems?" and her response was "No....it absolutely could not", I knew I needed to find a different dr!  Also, 10 years ago when I was having syncope, I was dx'd with vasodepressor syncope--but didn't fail the tilt table test...b/c (as I know now) my dizziness is not caused by a cardiac issue, but a neurological one.  And, FWIW--my cousin was dx'd with CM as well and she does have seizures as oneof her symtpoms.  GL!!!