Hello there and thank you for taking the time to review my question. I am a 26 yo female that had a traumatic carotid dissection 3 years ago from a skiing accident. The dissection was discovered on angiogram and I spent 2 weeks in hospital on IV heparin and went home on coumadin for another 6 months. I had a follow up that fall and all was well and I did not have to see me neurologist again unless I had any more trouble.
This brings me to now....3 weeks ago while on vacation I had a horrible headache come on very suddenly over my right eye. It lasted all night and when I got up in the morning I had numbness and tingling all along my left side....face, arm, leg. I also had some weakness and a loss of perfieral vision in my left eye. The dr's flew me out to a bigger centre where they did a CT right away and started me on heperin that night while awaiting an MRI/MA. I had the MRI/MA the next afternoon and it showed no evidence of stroke. They continued my on the heperin and over the next few days did an LP, EEG...I had an eposide of syncope....heart echo, and another CT. All were negative. They did not want to expose me to the risk of an angiogrqam because the MRI showed that my carotid looked good.
A few questions...although the MRI/MA was negative could I have torn my carotid again but by the time they did the MRI was it possible for the dissection to have not shown up? Also could I have had a small stroke that did not show up? This is the second time in 3 years that I have had the exact same symptoms and I did show a dissection on the angio from 3 years agao while the CT and MRI were negative for it. If I have torn it agian, am I at risk for another tear and stroke?
Also since I have been home I have had one brief eposide of increased weakness and my mouth and eyelid were drooping. This only lasted an hour or so and then resloved. Could this have been TIA? I am on one asprin in the morning. Is this enough considering my history?
Thank you very much for your time...much appreciated.
Janet