On Aug. 9, '07 as we were going out for dinner my left arm became tingly and numb, thinking it to be strange, I just looked at it for a minute and thought I should sit down, I didn't feel well, in trying to tell my husband to "call 911, something was not right"...I found that I could not speak. My husband said I was trying to talk but nothing was moving, all he could tell was I was making noise. My throat felt very tight and constricted, he said I was kinda gasping for air and all I could do was slouch in my chair. He did call 911 and they arrived timely. In assessing me, they did an EKG and tested my blood sugar, which was fine. I started feeling better even as they were on their way and thought to call them back to tell them not to come, but it was too late. My husband said the "episode" lasted appr. 2-4 min. Seemed like a long time to me! I released the EMT's and my husband drove me to hospital where they again did an EKG, CT, lots of blood work and gave me something to calm me down and an aspirin. My ER dr. admitted me for observation. The next day I went through test after test, EEG, ECHOcardiagram, CAROTID artery, and MRI/MRA and numerous more blood tests. All tests came back great, except the MRI/MRA, showing a mild stroke in the Lacunar area. My neurologist said it was from a "migraine that was stuck and constricted enough to shut off the blood flow briefly". I had, had a migraine for a few weeks off and on and really didn't feel well a week or 2 before the stroke. I had noticed the last 2 migraines had changed in the aura areas. I have had migraines for several years, with and without headpain, but almost always the visual aura. The only other negative thing that showed up with the testing was my potassium had bottomed out and we are still working with it. My legs cramp and are weak at times, enough that it is hard to walk sometimes. I was in the hospital for a few days and felt better in the hospital, than I did when I got home for the first week. It has been an uphill battle, I am up and down, the emotional aspects were rough at first, but I am doing better with that. I would cry at the smallest things and just all of a sudden out of nowhere it seemed. I felt as if I were on an emotional rollercoaster and couldn't get off. I really didn't have any last effects with numbness of my arm, sometimes it feels a little weak inside, but my strength matches my right arm. I still have some headaches, that has been hard to get rid of. For some strange reason I have pain in my Left ear too. A week later I went back to the ER with similar symptoms, only more brief and not as intense. I fortunately, had the same ER dr. he didn't seem to think I had another stroke, but just neurological symptoms from the migraine I was experiencing. My potassium was again a little low even after being on potassium pills. In the hospital I had been put on Aggrenox as a blood thinner and as I understand it put oxygen in my veins and arteries. I have since been taken off of it and put on 2 low dose aspirins a day. In these almost 3 weeks post-stroke, I have my good days and my bad days. I try to do a lot on those good days because it "feels good to feel good"!! then the bad days, I feel I can't do much and don't. As far as thinking goes, I am a little forgetful, it's kinda cloudy sometimes....does this go away? When I went back for my dr. visit 2 weeks post, he put me on Verapamil to PREVENT migraines, am doing well on it, but still have slight headaches sometimes. They come and go, so I take 2-650 mg. Tylenol, twice daily. I don't want the strong stuff that makes me loopy! I need to know how long it takes to fee "normal" again, and if anyone else has had a similar experience? Does anyone else have up and down days? I noticed after I got home from the hospital, I didn't want to be around noise, crowds or people I knew, other than my close family, and even that was iffy. I am taking baby steps in "re-entering" the world as I knew it. It's working, but it seems to be slowwww! I am so blessed that it was mild and could have been so much worse, I know God had His hand on me. If anyone else has had similar circumstances I would love to hear from you.