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Stroke Like Symtoms, Intermittent Loss of speech & Balance
About 1 1/2 yrs. ago, I started experiencing, at the age of 49, severe vertigo, visual problems, nausea and left sided weakness. I was tested for everything imaginable, no diagnosis and yet I went from being physically fit and a chef, to bedridden and sleeping 20 hours a day, because of all the gravol I had to take to get some general relief of my symptoms.
This past February, still holed up in the house, I experienced the normal 'weakness' on my left side but it progressed to total paralysis, inability to speak and inability to swallow. My husband gave me an aspirin when he realized I couldn't respond to him and took me to the hospital 5 min. from our home. I was treated as a stroke patient and sent to the downtown Toronto Stroke Centre. Unfortunately, by the time I arrive by ambulance, (about 3 hrs. later), it was too late to administer the 'stroke buster' shot that was planned. After about 4 hours, slowly, I began to regain feeling in my left fingers and forearm. I felt a burning/pins & needles sensation and within that time frame, my speech started coming back, though slurry and jumbled. I ended up being sent back to my original hospital when in the ambulance, the whole episode started again. It was like that, back and forth, speaking, drooling, paralysis until the next day around noon. Again, every test was done (MRI, CT scan), 3 times, looking for the cause.
I am now much better and not needing nearly the amount of gravol that I used to but I cannot drive because I have lost my depth perception, ability to judge speed or distance, and am clumsy. I walked 5 blocks a few days ago for the first time in 1 1/2 yrs., without staggering and bumping into things beside me. I am still not able to go into busy stores or large box stores because within about 10 - 15 minutes, I start to develop the vision problems, balance problems and become sick to my stomach. I can't tell you how this has affected my life. I have a loving supportive family and good friends, though I don't see people often. Watching people talk, their hands move, or trying to have a conversation in a large group sets the whole thing off. I really don't understand any of this.
I am 50 1/2. I am going through menopause, had some problem with depression after my kids in my thirties, and agreed after thorough testing that perhaps a neuropsychiatrist was an option. My doctor felt perhaps it is emotionally based. I agreed because I am willing to expore every avenue. The doctor I am seeing is wonderful. My husband comes with me to my sessions which are too far for me to get to on my own, waits for me, consults with the neuro doc and we sit in together and talk about things. I truly am a happy person at this time in my life. My girls are grown and successful, my relationship is great and I am basically free of burdens. What the heck is going on??
Is there anyone out there who has experienced such symptoms? Right now, I need to go and get gravol, typing this letter has made me sick. I have taken medicine for migraine but I am still seeing only spots of my screen and have pain in my temples, forehead, base of my neck and general woozy feeling. When I am like this I would definitely not go out in public. I would either be down on the ground after losing my balance completely or my field of vision would be moving and making me throw up. I am still suffering from loss of words, memory failure, jumbled words, and stuttering.
Help!
This past February, still holed up in the house, I experienced the normal 'weakness' on my left side but it progressed to total paralysis, inability to speak and inability to swallow. My husband gave me an aspirin when he realized I couldn't respond to him and took me to the hospital 5 min. from our home. I was treated as a stroke patient and sent to the downtown Toronto Stroke Centre. Unfortunately, by the time I arrive by ambulance, (about 3 hrs. later), it was too late to administer the 'stroke buster' shot that was planned. After about 4 hours, slowly, I began to regain feeling in my left fingers and forearm. I felt a burning/pins & needles sensation and within that time frame, my speech started coming back, though slurry and jumbled. I ended up being sent back to my original hospital when in the ambulance, the whole episode started again. It was like that, back and forth, speaking, drooling, paralysis until the next day around noon. Again, every test was done (MRI, CT scan), 3 times, looking for the cause.
I am now much better and not needing nearly the amount of gravol that I used to but I cannot drive because I have lost my depth perception, ability to judge speed or distance, and am clumsy. I walked 5 blocks a few days ago for the first time in 1 1/2 yrs., without staggering and bumping into things beside me. I am still not able to go into busy stores or large box stores because within about 10 - 15 minutes, I start to develop the vision problems, balance problems and become sick to my stomach. I can't tell you how this has affected my life. I have a loving supportive family and good friends, though I don't see people often. Watching people talk, their hands move, or trying to have a conversation in a large group sets the whole thing off. I really don't understand any of this.
I am 50 1/2. I am going through menopause, had some problem with depression after my kids in my thirties, and agreed after thorough testing that perhaps a neuropsychiatrist was an option. My doctor felt perhaps it is emotionally based. I agreed because I am willing to expore every avenue. The doctor I am seeing is wonderful. My husband comes with me to my sessions which are too far for me to get to on my own, waits for me, consults with the neuro doc and we sit in together and talk about things. I truly am a happy person at this time in my life. My girls are grown and successful, my relationship is great and I am basically free of burdens. What the heck is going on??
Is there anyone out there who has experienced such symptoms? Right now, I need to go and get gravol, typing this letter has made me sick. I have taken medicine for migraine but I am still seeing only spots of my screen and have pain in my temples, forehead, base of my neck and general woozy feeling. When I am like this I would definitely not go out in public. I would either be down on the ground after losing my balance completely or my field of vision would be moving and making me throw up. I am still suffering from loss of words, memory failure, jumbled words, and stuttering.
Help!
Sorry to hear that you can no longer get rehab or physical therapy. Did you get any after your stroke? It can make a big difference if you can continue to do the exercises that they gave you. If you didn't get any rehab, then shame on everyone for not making sure that you would get it. Someone after a stroke is not able to handle things very well. Let me know.
sorry forgot to say I have also been left with weakness in my left arm and leg and tend to lean to the left when walking
my symptoms were slurred slow speech, mouth numbness and dizziness. I have been left with dizziness, loss of concentration , muddled speech when tired. I have asked for rehab but as I had my stroke last October I can no longer have any help. I have lost my job due to the fact that I also have a problem with spacial awareness and can't drive as I feel unsafe, having to pull over when a car comes towards me. I am happy to hear that you are progressing as am I however very slowly.
You didn't say what your stroke like symptoms are. Could you say what they are and how long you have had them. I would think that it would be helpful for you to have any rehab services that are given to stroke survivors. I did have a major stroke, but have made great gains, but I still suffer disability from severe migraines that were caused by my stroke. Let me know.
I have heard about a type of migraine that is rare but is referred to as a, 'Stomach Migraine'....I wish I could tell you more. As far as Neurological illnesses are concerned, I think there is still alot that is simply unknown and you are only, VERY lucky, if you stumble upon a Doc that has seen your specific symptoms before and treated them with success. If you don't happen upon the right professional you join the leagues of patients like me and a million others whose lives have been horribly changed, their families lives interrupted, incomes lost and self worth sent flushing down the toilet as we are told, again and again, 'it's all in your head'. The medical community has a very difficult time with admitting or saying, 'we just don't know', 'go away'. Good luck and I am sorry for your pain and suffering. T.
I finally saw the premier neurologist in Canada, Dr. King, in Halifax, N.S. He diagnosed me with Generalized Distonia a very rare, ( one in 6 million), illness that is caused by a notched gene that is heretidary and passed down, usually skipping a generation or two, through Eastern European Jewish families. Now, my father was pure Italian, first generation here in Canada with 11 siblings and no one showing any symptoms and my mother, pure English/Scottish, second generation in Canada with no known symptoms or illness such as this in her family. There has never been an Eastern European Jew in our family! Is that weird or what? Anyway, my daughter, who is 25 now was born perfectly healthy and at 6 wks., of age started displaying strange and terrifying neurological symptoms; seizures of all kinds, sometimes lasting for hours, loss of use of various parts of her body, inability to communicate, clumsy motor skills, her intelligence, though, was never impaired. She was classified a mystery child...a lot of good that did for us. Life was hell on wheels. We couldn't leave her with anyone but a registered nurse because we were never certain if, 'this would be the episode that killed her', we had to fight to have her placed in the regular school system because they didn't want the responsibility of 'what could possibly happen on school property', and so on. Other than the very unpredictable, and, very violent grande mal seizures, she came out of the episodes weary, sometimes dillusional, sometimes overly emotional and took a day or so to recover after the output of physical energy.
After reaching puberty and her period started, her symptoms lessened immensely. She was left with an intact and high intelligence, physically still a little clutzy, but able to read an entire text in an hour or less and describe it in it's entirety. She has a degree in Art History and another in Literature but....the big but, she suffers from a severe form of anxiety, agoraphobia, depression and will not any of her family in her life anymore. As her major caregiver and advocate when she was a child, this kills me, but, in a way, I am also relieved after 16 yrs., of anxiety and sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what the next phone call would entail. i.e. she's seizing in a ditch somewhere, she doesn't seem to be breathing, she is drunk, on medication and is non responsive...and on it went. I had to do the tough love thing for both of us. She insists now that I abandoned her when she needed me most.....
I became menopausal in 2006, my period ending in 2011, but, starting at the earlier date was the onset of all of the above symptoms. They slowly worsened to the point of me being bedridden for 2.5 yrs., unable to stand up and walk straight or walk without walking into walls, people, displays, etc. Then came stoke like symtoms, slurred speech, not able to access words, attacks of weakness, alternating sides, and in the last two or three years, horrid attacks of muscular twisting, clenching, almost like a charlie horse roaming thoughout all major muscle groups, causing rigidity, retraction of tendons and muscles both upper and lower at the same time and now, my toes are curled under, my calves constantly taut and painful sometime causing me to walk without being able to bend my knees, gluts and quads now joining in, left hand becoming curled forward, tendons knotting in my palms, right shoulder encapsulated unable to move even though I undergo therapy, pain running down to elbow, wrist and fingers and worst of all in the last year, attacks of these spasms starting under my right breast running up through my chest, up my neck, shoulder, jaw, cleft area and ear. The pain absolutely wrenching, I am almost not able to move or breathe and it will hold me paralyzed on and off for 12 to 14 hrs., varying in serious intensity. I wish I could just die. Honestly, it feels like what I feel would be a heart attack but the emerg. Doc told me it was inflammation of the muscles that connect my rib cage from bottom to top and the resulting clenching tissue, nerves, etc. She said, excruciating but not life threatening. Give me a break! I have had 7 years of torture and now even with the aid of Steleevo, Propranolol, Sertraline, Valproic Acid, Clonapapam, and others, I still suffer immensely.
Even though I have asked not one Doc will do a Spinal Tap....I've undergone Psyschiatric treatment to see if there is an underlying cause, been told, 'maybe it was a stroke', but each Doc has a different opinion on that, who knows.
This past Christmas, I could see my self becoming skeletal, even less energy than before, I could barely get two or three sips of liquid down my throat, couldn't eat solids, bruises and cuts did not heal, if I fell I couldn't get up, etc. One night I woke up with immense pain in my abdomen and was rushed to hospital where they found I was so absessed in my intestinal track that I was close to death, needed emergency surgery, was too weak and infected, told me to get my details in order, and hope that the three types of antibiotics would clean me up enough for them to go in and surgically remove all the infected areas. They also told me to expect a colostomy when I woke up.
I told them, 'no bag'. I also asked if this was related to the Distonia. Again, split responses and opinions. After 15 days in hospital and flat lining twice, I was told that, yes, the Distonic attacks affected all bodily soft tissue and it was only a matter of time before I had another recurrance of D........, forgot it's name. At the end of my stay, the Interns came to see me and informed me that they had all decided that I didn't have Distonia! God, my mouth opened, I couldn't say a word. Where the heck does someone go after so many years of dire medical issues and still, yet, no diagnosis or proper treatment?
After reaching puberty and her period started, her symptoms lessened immensely. She was left with an intact and high intelligence, physically still a little clutzy, but able to read an entire text in an hour or less and describe it in it's entirety. She has a degree in Art History and another in Literature but....the big but, she suffers from a severe form of anxiety, agoraphobia, depression and will not any of her family in her life anymore. As her major caregiver and advocate when she was a child, this kills me, but, in a way, I am also relieved after 16 yrs., of anxiety and sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what the next phone call would entail. i.e. she's seizing in a ditch somewhere, she doesn't seem to be breathing, she is drunk, on medication and is non responsive...and on it went. I had to do the tough love thing for both of us. She insists now that I abandoned her when she needed me most.....
I became menopausal in 2006, my period ending in 2011, but, starting at the earlier date was the onset of all of the above symptoms. They slowly worsened to the point of me being bedridden for 2.5 yrs., unable to stand up and walk straight or walk without walking into walls, people, displays, etc. Then came stoke like symtoms, slurred speech, not able to access words, attacks of weakness, alternating sides, and in the last two or three years, horrid attacks of muscular twisting, clenching, almost like a charlie horse roaming thoughout all major muscle groups, causing rigidity, retraction of tendons and muscles both upper and lower at the same time and now, my toes are curled under, my calves constantly taut and painful sometime causing me to walk without being able to bend my knees, gluts and quads now joining in, left hand becoming curled forward, tendons knotting in my palms, right shoulder encapsulated unable to move even though I undergo therapy, pain running down to elbow, wrist and fingers and worst of all in the last year, attacks of these spasms starting under my right breast running up through my chest, up my neck, shoulder, jaw, cleft area and ear. The pain absolutely wrenching, I am almost not able to move or breathe and it will hold me paralyzed on and off for 12 to 14 hrs., varying in serious intensity. I wish I could just die. Honestly, it feels like what I feel would be a heart attack but the emerg. Doc told me it was inflammation of the muscles that connect my rib cage from bottom to top and the resulting clenching tissue, nerves, etc. She said, excruciating but not life threatening. Give me a break! I have had 7 years of torture and now even with the aid of Steleevo, Propranolol, Sertraline, Valproic Acid, Clonapapam, and others, I still suffer immensely.
Even though I have asked not one Doc will do a Spinal Tap....I've undergone Psyschiatric treatment to see if there is an underlying cause, been told, 'maybe it was a stroke', but each Doc has a different opinion on that, who knows.
This past Christmas, I could see my self becoming skeletal, even less energy than before, I could barely get two or three sips of liquid down my throat, couldn't eat solids, bruises and cuts did not heal, if I fell I couldn't get up, etc. One night I woke up with immense pain in my abdomen and was rushed to hospital where they found I was so absessed in my intestinal track that I was close to death, needed emergency surgery, was too weak and infected, told me to get my details in order, and hope that the three types of antibiotics would clean me up enough for them to go in and surgically remove all the infected areas. They also told me to expect a colostomy when I woke up.
I told them, 'no bag'. I also asked if this was related to the Distonia. Again, split responses and opinions. After 15 days in hospital and flat lining twice, I was told that, yes, the Distonic attacks affected all bodily soft tissue and it was only a matter of time before I had another recurrance of D........, forgot it's name. At the end of my stay, the Interns came to see me and informed me that they had all decided that I didn't have Distonia! God, my mouth opened, I couldn't say a word. Where the heck does someone go after so many years of dire medical issues and still, yet, no diagnosis or proper treatment?
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