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Urgent..Did I have a TIA??

i am a 35yr old woman with diagnosed arrhythmia and second-degree av block morbitz1 i presented to ER with a severe headache on the right side of my head, my eyes had gone blurry and just feel weird, very slurred speech, some confusion, full numbness in right arm from fingertips up to shoulder and part of right side of mouth, extreme dizziness while sitting and standing causing walking straight almost impossible.  All this lasted about an hr from onset and ER drs witnessing these symptoms first hand initially thought i was having a stroke.  Stroke did not show, nor did anything else on MRI, CAT scan, ECG or in bloodwork.  With my heart condition is it reasonable to assume this could be a TIA in your opinion?  I have presented to ER 2 other times within the same month with same symptoms exact but a bit milder and each time the drs dismiss me with no possible explanation.  The other two times tho the symptoms had disappeared by the time the ER drs had seen me after a four hr wait each time in  the ER waiting room.  The first visit i had been seen right away but her end diagnosis was a probable migraine and sent me homw with two tylenol 3.  The other two times the syptoms were the exact same except milder - no migraine just light headaches on one side. I had one more episode the exact same as the others that I completely ignored out of frustration that nothing would be done anyways.

I have had Carotid Artery ultrasound, MRI, CAT scan, Echocardiogram, Bloodwork, Holter Monitor, BP Monitor and the only thing it confirmed was the two heart conditions listed. The results of the BP are not available yet.  I dont get to see any specialists for a few weeks still as I am on waiting lists but i have had 4 episodes of something that I am worried about..can anyone provide some idea??  No dr who has come accross me will confirm that its a good possibility mostly because of my age they say!!!
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471949 tn?1236904026
JKJ
so sorry as it sounds like you are getting the run-around.  i had a TIA many years ago and age isn't a factor in TIAs as i was only in my early 30s at the time.  my symptoms weren't near as severe as yours.  i had an intense severe headache on the left side of my head and lost all vision in my right side for about 30 minutes.

the ER docs did some tests and said that i had a TIA after they could find nothing else wrong.  they did say that some of my right side reflexes were "off".  i also have severe migraines and a history of SVT with 2 ablation procedures and high blood pressure and angina with unknown cause.

i think i've had another TIA since then, but i didn't go to the ER (i know, bad me) because the symptoms were just about the same.

don't wait for the specialists to call you.....call them.  like they say "the squeaky wheel gets the grease".  

good luck!
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187666 tn?1331173345
I know you had an ECG but I was wondering about an EEG (electroencephalogram) which is used to track brain waves. It seems to me if a person is having a stroke, the brain waves would be different on one side of the brain. And it's an easy enough test to do. But I'm just guessing.

With the ECG's I'd think they would have seen your arrhythmia and could tell you what showed up. Atrial fibrillation has a distinct look to it as do many of the other arrhythmias. Certainly you should see a cardiologist for follow tests and a treatment plan. It's so hard when they don't tell you everything.
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Avatar universal
i am not sure which arrhythmia that i have because i have not been to the cardiologist yet.  I am still waiting after a month and a half now to even get an apt time.  The referral was submitted last week by my dr so hopefully i will hear soon about an apt. My apt with a neurologist is not till mid june and i am thinking a cardiologist is still going to be a month or so away.

Yes the drs have done ECG's at all my visits to the ER but they are not showing the irregularities during the few seconds they have the ECG on.  

Helpful - 0
187666 tn?1331173345
Which arrhythmia do you have? I know atrial fibrillation can be a source of clots that could trigger a stroke. But if you have a-fib I assume you're on medications to control it.

Another general question to others out there: do hospital staff ever do EEG's for stroke victims? I thought that might be one way to check brain activity.

I'm sorry you have to wait so long till you see a specialist. But if you get those symptoms again, go to the ER. I know you probably think it's a waste of time but you can't take a chance of a larger stroke happening and doing permanent damage.
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