TIA or Migraine??

[concernedk]

Hi. I am a 33yr old female. Just had my 1st baby in March. Last evening I thought I was getting a migraine (maybe get 2 a year) because as I was putting baby to bed, I got the "aura" pheripheral vision and a slight headache coming on. Maybe a min later, I was on the phone and I couldn't speak well. I was having trouble putting sentences together, it was very strange. I was getting scared, because I was muttling out bits and pieces. This went away as soon as it started while still on the phone and I chalked it up to a migraine symptom. but the headache never really came. i took tylenol and went to bed early and called my doc today but i wont be seen until tomorrow. after speaking to my mom today she said she has had a couple of TIA's in the past few years. Now I am afraid that is what I had. I do not drink alcohol, smoke or do drugs. I am a vegetarian, with no diabetes and my blood pressure is normal, even through pregnancy. My cholesterol was 150 last checked and although I am very overweight right now I have no health problems that I am aware of.
Could it still be a mini-stroke? And will going to the Doctors 2 days later do me any good?
Thanks!

[C.F.]

WOW!  I had a stroke 2 weeks after giving birth!  I hate to scare you, but you sound like you have the signs (slurred speech, onset of a migrane, blurred vision)....you should get an MRI asap!!!  I also had a very healthy pregnancy without any medical conditions, normal weight, etc. and it turned out to be a stroke.  It could be hormonal or something that you have no idea that you had to begin with....one of my carotid arteries was almost completely occluded (closed) and the other mostly...I had no idea until I got a MRI. I also had slurred speech and had a hard time understanding people and half of my face was numb!!!  good luck.  please write if you need support.  People really don't talk about the frightening things that can happen after giving birth.

[C.F.]

WOW!  I had a stroke 2 weeks after giving birth! I was 29!!! I hate to scare you, but you sound like you have the signs (slurred speech, onset of a migrane, blurred vision)....you should get an MRI asap!!!  I also had a very healthy pregnancy without any medical conditions, normal weight, etc. and it turned out to be a stroke.  It could be hormonal or something that you have no idea that you had to begin with....one of my carotid arteries was almost completely occluded (closed) and the other mostly...I had no idea until I got a MRI. I also had slurred speech and had a hard time understanding people and half of my face was numb!!!  good luck.  please write if you need support.  People really don't talk about the frightening things that can happen after giving birth.

[concernedk]

i went to the docs since i last posted and they were not too concerned. doc says that i am way too young and in good health. they want to do a MRI the day after tomorrow to rule anything out but they said not to worry and he thought is was "way less than 50% chance that what I had was an actual stroke of somekind". says it was mostlikely migraine related...who knows, i feel better after the appt, but will have the MRI done anyway.
Thanks!

[C.F.]

The docs thought I was too young also...I was 29!!! and also in very good health.  My general doctor wasn't concerned at all...it was my ob that got me in to see a neurologist and I was at Johns Hopkins for a week.  The lesson here is doctors don't know everything...they automatically assume that because you are young with no known health problems that it can't be a stroke...doctors can be wrong.

[AMC5]

I have had 2 episodes that they are not sure if they were migraines or TIA.  The first one was 3 months after my child was born.  I had some visual problems, followed by total confusion.  Wrong words came out, couldn't dial the phone, couldn't remember names, phones numbers, etc.  Lasted about 10 minutes max.  Had all the tests, everything normal except ANA was positive.   Was advised to take daily aspirin and continue follow ups.  I was 29 at the time. Told I was too young for TIA, but couldn't rule it out. I  don't drink, don't smoke, healthy and fit.  Then 4 years later (about 2 months ago) I had another episode that first started out felt faint for about 5 minutes.  That passed and I seemed ok, then about 10 minutes later entire right side was very heavy.  Could move it, but it was very hard.  Walked very slow.  And part of my face was numb and tingling.  Went to ER, followed up with Neuro.  Again said possible Migraine Variant or TIA, not sure.  I do not have a history of having migraines.  It is very scary and very frustrating.  I understand how you feel.  Make sure you do follow up with tests, just to make sure there isn't anything they need to find, to prevent another episode.

[[e-mail]]

Hi. Im a 34 yo healthy vegetarian long term migraine sufferer but yesterday was THE DAY that I thought I was having a stroke during an important introduction of my services meeting with the operation directors and I was unable to put my thoughts together. i was incoherent. It was awful. It was such an embarrassment. I even forgot what degree I even had. I vomitted shortly after and went to the ER. I could not even write my info on my registration info.

CT scan came out negative and I am waiting to get a MRI tomorrow.

But it was the scariest experience ever. My neurologist insist I had a bad case of the migraine but I have had migraines for over 15 years and never had this one before. I insist it was a TIA. I could not even remember cognitive facts.

Has this hapened to you before?

[joesi]

You might want to have your doctor consider a MRA.
"Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a method of producing extremely detailed pictures of body tissues and organs without the need for x-rays. The electromagnetic energy that is released when exposing a patient to radiofrequency waves in a strong magnetic field is measured and analyzed by a computer, which forms two- or three-dimensional images that may be viewed on a TV monitor. MR angiography (MRA) is an MRI study of the blood vessels. It utilizes MRI technology to detect, diagnose and aid the treatment of heart disorders, stroke, and blood vessel diseases. MRA provides detailed images of blood vessels without using any contrast material, although a special form of contrast material is often given to make the MRI images even clearer. The procedure is painless, and the magnetic field is not known to cause tissue damage of any kind."

[xninax]

Hello everyone,
Iam 19 years old and am from an area of the U.K called Stoke-On-Trent. Yesterday I was at work and I had a very disturbing episode. I felt fine one moment and the next I had 'double vision'. I sat down and had a drink of water thinking it would pass, however it got worse & I felt like I was going to pass out! About 20 minutes after my double vision I beagn to get a slight tingling in my left hand/arm. After about an hour the episode cleared. I suffer from an heridatory blood disorder called Factor V Leiden so this epsiode worried me greatly. I went to my G.P that afternoon and they did all the regular checks such as blood pressure, SATS, and everything was fine although my temperature was slightly high. They didn't seem very concerned becuase Iam only 19, however they did say they are reffering me to a neurologist. This episode has worried me alot. has anyone got any advice?
Thanks