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Avatar universal

did i have brief mini stroke

Today seated at work on the computer, I had for a split second a moment where like a pulse came into my brain causing me to jerk my head a few inches while at the same time my balance and/or dizziness seemed to be with me for a split second. My head felt a little funny the rest of the day.

I am 63 years old of normal weight. In good health except I take 15 mg Lisinopril which controls my BP quite well. And I take 100 mg x 2 of Felecainide, 50 mg of Metoprolol, and 3.5 mg of Warafin since July 2009  (which pretty much has stopped the Afib so far) for my non-persistent atrial Fibrilation which started in Jan 2008..  

This all started when I fainted once in early 2008 after having afib. At that time Dr put a pacemaker in because my normal resting heart rate was 49-50.

Could I have had a stroke today.....Only symtoms I described above. Should I have gone to ER. What tests would they run>    THANKS
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Avatar universal
THANK YOU both for taking the time to answer back. Since this little incident, I have not had stroke symtoms show up and I feel OK. I did email my electrophysiologist (sp?) . on Friday just to let him know. Your information is very helpful....Tibbar
Helpful - 0
690060 tn?1247841741
NTB
hi, it's a complicated matter. At the ER, all they could do would be to take a CT of the brain to check for a bleeding stroke, which shows up immediately. An ischemic stroke (from a clot traveling from AFib heart to the brain, e.g.) wouldn't show up until a day or two later, as changes occur to the dead brain tissue. Still, if blood flow is restored by itself, and there is no permanent damage, then nothing would likely show up anyway.

Also, you could in general take a CT today, and maybe see a shadow, but not know when that particular one happened.

An MRI would probably show an ischemic stroke immediately, but not necessarily.

Or the affected area might be so small that nothing would be seen.

Or the whole episode might have originated with inadequate blood flow, from other causes - like low BP or low heartrate.

Or it could even have been low blood sugar.

Irene is certainly correct that you should call in. If it was a TIA, then that means that conditions are ripe for it to happen again.

I'd also alert my co-workers to keep an eye on me. I remember an account of a woman who had a stroke at work but didn't notice it. Her co-workers noticed her slurring and called 911.

I'd also look up "reperfusion injury" and take anti-oxidants as a safeguard.

Good luck.
Helpful - 0
187666 tn?1331173345
If it was a TIA, it would be a mini-stroke which is often a warning sign that you may be headed for a larger stroke. Only your doctor could check for that. I'm not sure which tests they would do. I know they can look into your eyes to check for pinpoint hemorrhages.

Since you're on Warfarin, do you have your blood checked regularly (your INR)? That should be monitored too so your blood is the right. . . .  consistency I guess you'd call it.

I lost the sight in one eye a couple years ago. It went all blurry for about 10 minutes. I did check in with my doctor just to make sure I didn't have a TIA. Everything was clear.

At least call and ask to see if they think it's significant. Be sure to mention your a-fib.
Helpful - 0
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