Monthly neurological attacks

[coyote44]

My wife has attacks that resemble TIA’s for the past 12 years. (Lightheadedness, numbness going from arms to legs). These attacks last approx 30 seconds but come on very suddenly and are scary. After these couple of days there is no apparent after effects but over time her memory has been getting pretty bad. I don’t know if this is related.
My wife is 77 years old and is getting more concerned about getting a stroke from one of these attacks.
These attacks occur on the average of every 44 days (varies every month). She gets about 6 per day and it usually lasts 2 days.
She saw a neurologist early on but she had not come across any thing like this. She put her on 240mg of Verapermil but this not help. She also had a MRA which came out negative.
I have looked via the internet many times to see if any cases have shown up that resembles hers but haven’t seen any.
I wonder if you can supply any information on just what this condition is and any thing that may help her.

[jofrst]

my wife has 5 or 6 tias daily had MRI cat scan to date cannot find cause started  two weeks after gallbladder surgery  last August

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
I am sorry to hear about your wife’s problems. Since her symptoms come in a cyclical manner, repeat after a few days and last two days only, chances of a hormonal imbalance is high. Even though she may have attained menopause, it is important to get her estrogen, progesterone, FSH and LH levels measured. Thyroid and adrenal gland problems should also be looked into. Certain pituitary disorders too can cause similar symptoms and hence all pituitary hormones should be checked.

Lyme’s disease also presents with cyclical onset of symptoms. Hence, this should be investigated for. Another possibility is autoimmune disorder like lupus.

Postural hypotension is another possibility. Look back and see whether she got up suddenly or changed posture suddenly when she had these symptoms. It can also be fluctuating blood pressure and this fluctuation can wary from time to time.

Definitely, it can also be transient ischemic attack, especially if her Brain MRI shows vascular disease or ischemic disease. I am sure she may have had a brain MRI, if not, then she must get one.

Certain cardiac causes with low cardiac output too can cause cyclical dizziness and numbness depending on the level of exertion. So, if she has been working more than usual on the days she gets these episodes, cardiac causes should be ruled out.

I sincerely hope you will find this information useful in diagnosing your wife’s problem. Please discuss these options with her doctor.

Hope she s well soon! Good Luck and take care!