TIA

[lafbm]

I had a TIA in July but was not brought to the ER by anyone.  I only recall the very beginning of it/or the actual TIA starting  (had trouble talking, walkingbut then the rest of the day except for tiny bits and pieces are gone from my memory.  I had a EEG to see if it was some sort of seizure and a U/S of my Carotoid artery.  The EEG was fine.  The U/S showed some plaque but no blockages.  My father's side of the family has a very strong history of strokes and heart attacks.  My dad died at 63, grandfather at 59, etc.   I am 56.  It was recently found that I have Factor V Leiden and take baby asprin daily.  I had a similar episode back in 2008 which I never went to the doctor for but feel it was a TIA then.  The similarities are to great.

My BP and Cholesterol has been high and difficult to control and have been hospitalized 3 times for my BP going so high.  I'd changed doctors for a while due to moving and when I moved back and started with my previous dr. again he asked me how many heart attacks I'd had and was surprised I said none.  He said I had some sort of genitic predisposition to stroke or heart attacks.

My question is this.  Should I be worried that a bigger stroke will happen, or that I'm not doing enough to control it happening again?  The doctors say there's not residual damage as it was a TIA and that was all.  I do not know how concerned I should be with my family history and my troubles in getting my BP and Cholesteral down.

Please if you know anything that could calm my nerves, please comment.

[nitwit154]

Thank you so very much for your reply.  I really do appreciate your answer and story.  

Do you mind sharing the types of tests you were given?   The next time I see the neurologist I would like to ask him about them.  In fact over this weekend I was very sick with the flu, but once I was feeling better and speaking with my daughter I seemed to have trouble telling her things and I know we all have our senior moments - especially once we hit our mid 50's and above, but I told her the same thing about 3 times and seemed confused for a few minutes.  

I seem to always be either alone or in a situation where I just do not know if I should go to the ER, call 911, or just wait it out.  This is why I ask what tests you had that finally found your aneurysm.... if you don't mind.  If you are uncomfortable, I understand, and thank you for your reply.

Lynn

[Chellejamison]

I have had two TIA incidents in less than a month at the age of 43 - I too have a strong family hx of strokes/heartattacks on my maternal side. There is a cause for a TIA event to occur - bug your Dr to keep digging to find the cause. A TIA can lead to a bigger stroke. I had tests run for a month on my brain and heart & was told everything was fine. Then after the second incident, a Dr ran a study on the arteries in my brain and found a small aneurysm.TAI's are very disturbing and I can empathize with how you feel. Hang in there but keep looking for the cause. I hope this helps.