Hello and hope you are doing well.
Understand your predicament. But for TIAs therapy is focused on controlling the risk factors like hypertension and diabetes and taking medications like plavix to improve the blood flow. Ask her to report any untoward symptoms. Also, with the BP meds, there could sometimes be postural hypotension, a condition in which the peripheral arteries dilate, leading to pooling of blood in the peripheries. This in effect causes decreased circulation of blood resulting in dizziness/lightheadedness. This is more pronounced if the person stands up from a lying down position. This is detected by recording the blood pressure recordings in the sitting, standing and lying down positions. If the variations in blood pressure recordings are more than 10 mmHg, it is diagnosed as postural hypotension/Orthostatic Hypotension. Make this suggestion also.
Hope this helped and do keep us posted.
Thanks so much for the reply. I will urge my mother to try and follow up with her doctor re your suggestions.. In the meantime I think she can improve her diet and activity level in the ways you've noted. Thankfully as of this date she has continued to be fine and there have been no falls or feelings of faintness. After the fall she did go to her appointment but her doctor just tried to reassure her and kept her on her present dose of blood pressure meds. She uses low dose aspirin when she feels a little funny usually at night, and her doctor said she could continue to take this if she likes.
I'm of course still concerned that she could be having TIAs. I'm sure I'm not the only one to find this situation difficult to deal with. I know that if I insist too much about asking her doctor to check up on the tests, she'll be resistant and also get more anxious which is probably not so good for her either.. Her younger brother has had an episode of a diagnosed TIA just recently and I know deep down she's very afraid this could happen to her too.. But she seems to react by denying that anything potentially serious could be happening to her too. Other than that I think she's in her "right mind" so there's only so much insisting I can do but I'll try my best quietly make some suggestions.
Hello and hope you are doing well.
Was an MRA or doppler studies done? This could help assess the blood flow. It could be TIAs. TIA or transient ischemic attack, which as the name indicates there is a temporary lack of blood flow to a particular part of the brain. This usually recovers, but these people are more prone for strokes. For the TIA, if as she is a hypertensive and if diabetic, ensure to keep these under check. She should eat healthy, a low salt and oily diet and exercise regularly. To improve blood flow to the ischemic areas plavix is indicated. The drug is used to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and to treat peripheral vascular disease and claudication. Please discuss this with your doctor am sure he will provide further assistance.
Hope this helped and do keep us posted.