Cerebellum Stroke??

[skiffi]

Hello, I'm a 40 year old female, 5' 8", 150 lbs.  I like to jog and walk 3-4 x wk and in the spring ran a 1/2 marathon.  My blood pressure is usually around 90/60 and my cholesterol is in normal range.  I do however have a heart murmor.  On July 4, I got dizzy/light-headed and my right arm felt numb.  I couldn't pull myself up from the floor.  I felt pretty disoriented and ended up going to ER.  They sent me home and said it was likely a panic attack but to talk to my Dr.  My doctor ordered an MRI which came back showing a small lesion (about 8 mm)in the cerebellum.  The neurologist said he thinks I had a small stroke but we are repeating the MRI in 6 weeks.  I have had 2 other days in which I felt similar way since, but I have also been getting blurred vision and headaches almost daily.  I talked to the doctor about these symptoms but was advised to take an asprin a day and wait.  Do 40 year olds in good health have strokes?  Are these symtoms of strokes?  What kind of questions should I be asking after the next MRI?  If it is a stroke is there anything I should be doing to prevent future problems?  I'm thinking about getting a second opinion but will wait until the 2nd MRI.  I also have some concern that if it's a tumor we should have acted faster.  Any thoughts?  Thanks for your advice!

[dewald55]

They told me I had a headache(did not feel one) and sent me home when I actually had a brain stem stroke..I got home and had another, but this one was down and out on the floor...My cholesterol was normal, my sugar was normal, my bp was 124/80...You could be in excellent shape but when the MRA(Juicy/Glow in the dark version of an MRI) is done, it could reveal that you got small arteries from heredity....Yep, dear ol' mom and dad...
Not anyone's fault, but if you had a stroke..I would be concerned about your blood pressure being too low and causing the dizziness and vision problems....Although I thought I had a normal BP at 124/80..Every doc I seen now said that even that is too low and need to pump more oxygenated blood "upstairs" because of any impairments....You have the right spirit though...ASK !!!!!  I felt I was a nuisance by asking, but it is worse going home with unanswered questions....ASK...Get involed with yourself....Marathon eh?  Gave me the willies about boot camp many eons ago..Hahahahahah
Beat the pants off your stroke girl !!!!I'm not giving up either

[cmorera]

Doctors are still denyign i had a stroke, thats 6 years ago.  i guess they have to actually do work if I have a stroke instead of 100 second consultations.  oh and also they might have to pay something too, but that might caus the HMO shares to go down :(

[Jim V]

Well...I actually had one...a stroke of the cerebellum, that is.  It took a PCP visit, and two presentations to the ER over a couple of days to get them to determine it, even tho I knew what was going on (pay attention to your body, I say).  The PCP and first ER doc were convinced it was an inner ear infection.  BP, BS, Cholesterol were all normal, btw.

So, 3 months later, after 1.5 months inpatient rehab and 1 month of gallavanting around in a wheelchair, I'm starting to pull it together.  I should fully recover, but it's a battle.

Maybe some of these docs should go back to school?

[MilanMiller]

My daughter (13) was recently diagnosed with a stroke in her cerebellum from an MRI.  The doctors are telling me they believed the stroke happened before she was born, because we can't identify any instance where she suffered from any neurological symptoms.  The reason the MRI was done, was because she has been suffering from daily headaches for 3 months.  The neurologist thinks these headaches are migraines and not related to the stroke, but he also says that the headache symptoms she describes are not typical in migraines.  Could her headaches and cerebellum stroke be related also?  I'm concerned that the doctor is being too quick to assume the stroke occured before birth when he also says that an MRI can NOT show the age of a stroke.  As I read here, it seems others have suffered from headaches with a stroke, yet the doctors tell me that headache is not a symptom of stroke.  It's all confusing.

[coo25]

I am a 44 year old woman in good health -  low cholesterol, low blood pressure, normal weight, and not taking oral contraceptives nor do I smoke - and I had a stroke 3 months ago.  I went to go to bed, and felt a weird sensation in my head, and stood up and started falling down, felt very disoriented, slurred speech, unctrolled movements in limbs, vomiting, and alot of pressure and load noises in my ears.

Was taken to the hospital via ambulance and the ER did a CT scan and some blood tests and the CT scan showed no tumor or bleeding - so the assumed it was an inner ear infection and sent me home.  I went to the PCP and Neurologist two days later and had an MRI 5 days later and they saw a stroke in the cerebellum and signs of a mini stroke that they classified as 'old'.  

I fortunately did not have ongoing loss of speech, or weakness in limbs etc...but have suffered from weird dizziness and electric shock feelings in my head. They seem to get better - but then get wrose again....Dr's are saying it is maybe anxiety --but is not.  I have had anxiety before and these are different.  Also often seem to feel like eyes are blurring some.  I have had 4 MRIs and they are not showing anything beyond the stroke.  Had checks for artery dissections and a weird inner ear issue that were all clear.  I am hoping the recovery continues and I will start to not have these feelings in my head over time.

Just writing to let you know that seemingly healthy women do have strokes,  Through many tests, they think I have too much C Protein in my blood and also have a wavy stem in my heart that could be the culprit where blood sat and built into a clot that then moved to my head.??  

Here are hopes for everyone to recover to their fullest

[mariedar]

Hi -- I wanted to let the list know that a PFO (a congenital hole in the heart) can sometimes be the cause of a cerebellar stroke -- it happened to me.  I'm 47 and had an operation 3 yrs. ago -- after the surgery I had 3 days of intense vomiting.  2 wks. later I had a cerebellar stroke -- the symptoms were vomiting, vertigo, and complete loss of balance.  The ambulance got me to the ER, and the ER drs. at my NYC hospital were great.  The CAT scan and MRI revealed the cerebellar stroke (the doctors called it a "significant stroke).  After I was discharged I had 8 mths of rehab and finally was able to walk without a walker.

Months later my neurologist set me up for a test where the drs. put a tube w/ a camera down the esophagus into my heart, and it showed the PFO (the hole in the heart).  The neurologist who sent me for the test then told me that he suspected a PFO because the stroke was in the cerebellum.  He said that the severe vomiting after my surgery might have widened the hole in the heart I was born with.  A Doppler test revealed bubbles in the circulation of the heart, which usually means a hole.  I had a PFO closure (where the cardiologist puts a device into the heart to close the hole).

I wanted to mention this to all of you because you should check with your doctor about the possibility of a PFO if you don't know why you had a cerebellar stroke.  The Doppler test is easy and non-invasive, but don't go through the heart test w/ the tube down the esophagus if your doctor dismisses the idea of a PFO.  I found that test very difficult.   Hope my experience helps!

[heavenlyitems]

I had a stroke in my cerebellum 4 months ago.  I let the symptoms keep on for almost five days. I am not picture perfect health but it just runs deep in my family history,  I have no blocked arteries.. I have small vessel disease and dr. said it can only be helped with an aspirin. I am not OLD, I consider myself young.  

[hbob]

I am 52 on June 30 I became violently sick throwing up, dizzy I could not stand up had to crawl just to get to the bath room and extreme head pain from the top of my head back to my spinal cord I have a plate in my neck and thought that was my problem it turned out to be only part of the problem, so I continued throwing up all through the night falling over when I tried to sit up in bed but having to throw up when I tried to lie down, my wife had left for work at 3:30am and had slept on the couch (not wanting to disturb me) and did not have a clue how sick I was until 11:30am the next morning I was about to pass out from the pain and there was nothing left to throw up.
She called an ambulance right away being I use the V.A. she had to call for permission first, as soon as I arrived at the ER I was stabilized then rushed on to their larger hospital in St.Louis I was told I had a cerebellar stroke went through one and a half months of rehab four months later I still suffer lack of balance, inability to walk a straight line, I have an anger issue, confusion, loose of memory.
In short keep an eye on your blood pressure mine was 125/113 my Cholesterol was normal I was being treated for the blood pressure.
Good luck to all of you.  

[MsJoy77]

I had a cerebellar stroke at age 30. Almost perfect health too and not on birth control. I realized it was a stroke because I had severe vertigo, vomiting, and could not walk. After I made it to the ER, they too thought it was an inner ear infection. Before the tried to send me home, the doc wanted to take just one more test. That test revealed that it was something other than an infection. Therefore I was admitted. I had a variety of CT Scans, and MRI, and two neurologists visited me the next morning with my results. There was a small tissue scar located at the back of my brain.

They decided to complete an Echo Cardiogram. The results showed a possible PFO. There were no traces of blood clots in my entire body after dopplers. A week later I visited the neurologists for a bubble study. They noticed a shunting and extra bubbles trickling after they stop the saline injections. Thats then they discovered the PFO and requested that I have surgery. Results also showed that I had low Protein C levels (causes the blood to coagulate easily). I was placed on Plavix for a while.

During my PFO surgery, they realized that I did not have a PFO...instead, I had a Pulmonary AVM! It is very rare but they were able to fix it while they were "Poking" around in there.

Hope this helps you!

[alwaoul]

My mother-in-law (age 49) had a stroke around Christmas eve. She was admitted to the ICU two days later after being diagnosed with a Cerebellar stoke. She stayed there for around a month. She then spent 3 weeks in a rehab facility. Now she is back home.

She still vomits 1-3 times daily, has dizziness and headache almost all the time, can barely move with the walker as well as some blurriness in her eyes. She is also feeling very down.

We are totally clueless on what to expect and on the road to recover (partial or full).
Could you share with me the stages that you went through before you felt better? Are her symptoms "typical"? When can she expect improvements?

I appreciate any help.

[Demie]

My husband 46, had a right cerebellum stroke in November 09.  He is recovering, but I am very interested in those who have the foggy brain, anxiety, or live wire feelings.  This is one of his main issues.  Doctor's don't understand, have prescribed anti-anxiety meds, which do not appear to be helping.  Appreciate any words of wisdom.  Well wishes and prayers for everyone's recovery.  

[Asrai37]

Hi,

I am a 37 year old woman, normal weight, low blood pressure, normal cholesterol, blood sugar, exercise 6 times a week and no oral contraceptives. About a week ago I had 3 small strokes. I had every test under the sun done from 2 MRIS, 3 CAT scans, an esophageal echo cardiogram (say that 10x fast), and EEG oh and the vampires too 17 viles of blood from me. So they are saying my heart, lungs, caradide arteries all good.... all the tests aren’t back yet, but damn. I am in the best shape of my life and 3 strokes.  Like a couple people above my came on the same way.  I felt extremely dizzy like the room was moving and a WICKED headache upper right by my forehead, but that was it. Next thing I knew I couldn't talk or swallow.
They say that there is no permanent damage, but my legs, right arm, and face feel "weird" & tingly, very tired, and I have a hard time remembering things.  I know this will get better with time, I guess I just want some answers of why.  I guess I was always under the misconception that a stroke only happens to older people.

[Sharon14]

I am 56 yr old female.  In May I went in for an outpatient cardiac ablation.  I made it through that without problems.  They put me under and I have a difficult time waking up.   After 7 hours my husband was getting very anxious and kept telling the medical staff that it was taking too long for me to wake up.  I did at the end of the day start having a bad headache at the base of my head.  When I woke up I still had the headache and I couldn't focus when I had my left eye opened.  I had a Cat Scan that confirmed I had a large stroke to the cerebellum.  I was sent to Neruo ICU for 4 days.  I was lucky not to have any paraylsis but I am very tired.This happened a month ago and I am still tired.  I do have some weakness but that is it Thank God.  So how long should I have this tired feeling.  I also have periods of lightheadedness and slight dizziness.  So how long does this go on.

[redbirdwoman6]

During an MRI ordered because of frequent migraines, the doctors discovered that sometime in the past I had a cerebellar stroke.  They say they can't determine when it occurred.  My ex-husband and I both thought I had suffered a stroke after a spinal operation I had, but although I went back to the hospital in an ambulance, the CT scan ordered in the ER showed nothing.  I have had a few time periods where I seem to suffer more than my usual balance problems, and fall down almost daily.  Are these still effects from that mysterious stroke?  Signs of another coming up?

[narhi]

hi...i have red your condition on stroke. And its nice because you had coordinated health professionals earlier. Few times you era suffering from abnormal balance right? It is surely that abnormal effects could disrupts you again because stroke has a high risk of complications...
what can i say is for you to continuously coordinating with your physician especially Neurologist. i hope and pray  you will be okay.
***by the way can you show me the result of your MRI and CT scan if you don't mind.
God Bless...

[daddysgirlmar172011]

I just lost my dad on Mar 17 2011 to a stroke in the cerebellum. He was 68 years young and I miss him terribly. The difference I think in his case vs most of yours is he was taken to the wrong hospital by ambulance. Instead of them taking him to a hospital that had an MRI, they took him to the closest hospital. He was stable and walked into the hospital but another 15 minute drive and they would have been at a hospital that could have determined that it was a cerebrell stoke by doing an MRI. Then they could have given him blood thinners to help him break down the clot with no risk of it being a bleed in his brain. They didn't know what kind of stroke he had for more than 24 hours and then he had had a major stroke. I asked for him to be transferred to a hospital with and MRI but they said they couldn't and that he was getting the same treatment that they would be giving him at Western or Sunny Brook. He was in Ajax hospital in Ontario and the only good thing about that hospital was one wonderful nurse. I really feel like they were just chasing there mistakes instead of being proactive, which in turn lead to the death of my father.  I'll I can say is know your rights and scream as loud as you can for the people you love.

I miss you daddy.
sunshine

[cafewill]

I had a right cerebellar stroke in June 2011.  I am a 50 year old man and now former smoker.  My anxiety level skyrocketed.  My doctor prescribed klonopin an anti-anxiety drug.  What a horrible experience.  I became so angry all the time.  I stopped taking it after a week and upon my cousin's suggestion started an all natural nutraceutical called Anxiety Free.  I was skeptical but I am now a big fan.  It works almost immediately and its not habit forming.  The best of luck to you and your husband.  Patience and persistence.  Here is a link for Anxiety Free.  http://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-24500-ridgecrest-herbals-anxiety-free-stress-release-formula-60-vegetarian-capsules

Do a google search to see what other people think about it.  

[cehlen]

Just investigating and came across your post.  I had my second cerebellar stroke on April 5, 2012---presented only with severe dizziness and nausea, which did not let up for a week.  The MRI showed this newer one, and that I had another one about 2 years prior.  I remember that dizzy spell and it did go away after several hours, so I never looked into it.  In seeing all the specialists, I found out that I also have a PFO which is the suspected cause.  I also have always had migraines to varying degrees, in recent years just with the weird halo in my vision.  During my latest stroke, I noticed a change in my 'halo'---mentioned that to the doctors.  I fortunately did not suffer any impaired motor skills, but have noticed I have a problem typing emails and spelling correctly and am forgetful.
So my two questions for you are-how did your PFO fix go?  And did you have residual dizziness, headache, and eye ache after your stroke, and if so how long did it last?  My stroke doctor said these things should go away after 6 weeks, but I am over 10 and still feel significantly yucky.  Any feedback would be appreciated.

[jwl0918]

hi. im a 21 year old male and would like to make my contribution to this real quick, because my case is really complicated.

so here it goes...
i was born with a single ventricle heart and had 3 major heart surgeries at ages 1, 2 and 4. i had what is called a motified fontan procedure. it is a bvery radical surgery and im lucky i survived it. my recovery was very good and now doctors say im by far one of the top so-many healthiest people to ever undergo that surgery.

well long story short i have a fenestration in my heart (basically a small hole). in January i had a small cerebral stroke in the right side of my cerebellum. you know the deal, dizziness, vomiting, ect... they released me from the hospital with an ignorant diagnosis of benign positional vertigo, after being told in great detail of my heart problems. any decent doctor with a single brain cell would have called my cardiologists immediately, but nope... anyway after 4 days of not walking right and not being able to talk correctly or move my right arm right, i went and had an MRI and MRA which showed the stroke. after hospitalization they put me on blood thinners and its been 2.5 months since and i have fully recovered on the physical side of things. the down side is i did not have headaches for the first month but then started having small headaches then every day since have gotten worse and worse. several cat scans and EKGs show no bleeding or any other problems with my brain. i have several early heartbeats per day but that has always happened. none of my doctors know why i have these headaches, so i dont really know what to do. im soon to have a catheter surgery to close my fenestration.

[mariedar]

Hi cehlen, sorry i didn't see your post to me last year. In regard to your first question about the PFO surgery, the surgery was painless and recovery time was very quick. In reply to your second question, I did have a lot of dizziness & nausea after the cerebellar stroke. Plus a constant headache, most of the time the headaches were mild. I had mild eye ache but only occasionally. These side effects lasted about 6 months.

Hope you are doing well. Sorry again about not getting back to you sooner.

[cehlen]

Hello, and thank you for your reply!  Not a problem on the time it took, as I forgot to go back and check for any response.  I came across it today since once again I am having residual issues and was back online looking for info.  Since the second cerebellar stroke a year ago I have had three small episodes.  With the first episode I went in right away for a new MRI which showed nothing different, and no issues with small vessels. My stroke doctor says she thinks it is the old one 'acting up.' My cardiologist wants to get in there and fix my PFO, but my stoke doc and PFO closure expert don't think it is necessary, and that the risk of getting afib is greater than the chance that closing it will help.  My small episodes are mainly dizziness, low grade headache on the back of my head, and eye ache, and one time I started sweating profusely. I have been out and about when these occur and have not been able to drive myself home.  I did not go thru all the doc visits again after the 2nd and third episode, but I'm getting somewhat anxious about why these keep happening.  This third time happened today, and yesterday out of the blue I had that same headache and a slight aura, which was the first aura that I have had in a year, since my last stroke.  These episodes have been inconvenient so far but getting more worrisome.  I have seen my stroke dr. twice, she is super nice, and have spoken on the phone, but she cannot come up with any reason for my initial strokes or subsequent episodes, and still just recommends 2 baby aspirin daily.  
Sorry this is long winded and I kind of forget why I typed all this!  I guess I am wondering if anyone else out there is still having after shocks and what are you doing about it.  It also seems that my memory remains worse than before.

[unclebuck38]

I'm 53 and had a stroke of the Cerebellum.  I had a bad headache on right side of head while at work and didn't think much of it.  Very early the next morning I was so dizzy and disoriented that I was vomiting and feeling like I was going to pass out and went to er by ambulance.  The ER Dr diagnosed me with an inner ear infection and sent me home.  A few days passed with me still extremely dizzy and I visited my Dr, she wanted me to get an MRI as she couldn't see any sign of infection but sent me to an Ear nose and throat specialist the same day first.  The ENT Dr couldn't see any sign of a ear infection but the MRI scan did show the stroke in the Cerebellum so they sent me immediately back to the ER where I was admitted for the stroke.  Unfortunately by that point no one could do anything to help with the actual stroke but I did get on a recovery plan and I'm doing pretty good so far.  

I just wanted to say don't let the ER try to tell you something isn't much until they check for the more serious possible causes as they always seem to just want to send you back home with a pill.

p.s. Being dizzy and unstable most of the time is a pain but I'm alive and going to be ok. :)

[StephanieSosa82]

This happened to me. I am a 34yo female. My father passed away and we traveled 11 hours back home on the 16th. I got dizzy, room was spinning and I blacked out. Went by ambulance. The ER doctor said I had vertigo and was going to send me home. My husband said, no, something more is wrong. I was admitted only under observation. Another physician ordered an MRI, scan of my arteries and echo of my heart. The MRI showed a cerebellum stroke. Luckily I am doing much better. I had to get glasses with prisms and still waiting to see neurologist!

[StephanieSosa82]

This happened to me. I am a 34yo female. My father passed away and we traveled 11 hours back home on the 16th. I got dizzy, room was spinning and I blacked out. Went by ambulance. The ER doctor said I had vertigo and was going to send me home. My husband said, no, something more is wrong. I was admitted only under observation. Another physician ordered an MRI, scan of my arteries and echo of my heart. The MRI showed a cerebellum stroke. Luckily I am doing much better. I had to get glasses with prisms and still waiting to see neurologist!

[Glauren5]

I had a stroke two years ago at the age of 28 and I still go through long periods of dizzy spells. It sounds very similar to what you have experienced and I can only think it is somehow related to my stroke. I am experiencing the dizziness as I type this and I am so frustrated because my nuerologist and doctors don't have any answers and none of the medications prescribed are helping. I even woke up one night vomiting and sweating profusely like you mentioned. It even feels like I'm spinning when my eyes are closed. I just want it to go away. :(

[GMILLER1983]

I had a stroke about a month ago. I am 33 years old, male. Sounds like I am having same symptoms as everyone else in this room. My stroke was caused by Vertebral artery dissection. I had a CT scan, which was abnormal. MRI confirmed the stroke in my left Cerebellar section. The artery in left neck tore and caused the stroke. Had 3 MRI's; Head, Brain with and without contrast, Neck with and without contrast.

I am recovery mode now. I feel dizzy. I have dizzy spells that come and go. I have trouble with conversations and speech. I can listen well, but it is hard sometimes to gather my thoughts and return speak answers to others in conversations.

I saw the neurologist a couple of days ago. He suggested I stay on my baby aspirin regiment. Popping like tic tac's thorough out the day just to keep the headaches away. I had a EEG test done the other day. Hopefully the results come back ok.

Questions to you below or others with answers:

How are you doing now?

If recovered, how long did it take?

If not recovered, what adjustments made?

What type of treatment have you got?

[Cristal2002]

Hi my dad just suffered a right cerebellum stroke he's been in ICU now for 2 weeks since he developed pneumonia on day 3 and had to be intubated twice!!! We are sooooo worried, he didn't need surgery since the swelling went down with the medication. He went to the ER the first time since he was feeling dizzy they diagnosed him with vertigo, a day later we took him back to urgent care who said he had bppv a form of vertigo and was prescribed medication for the nausea and vomiting. My dad got worse for the 3rd time we took him back to ER who decided to do a ct scan which showed a massive right cerebellar stroke. According to the neuro surgeons his stroke happened the first time he went to the ER. I'm so upset and worried about how this will affect his life he has no balance and can't sit up straight he is 68 years old. Any advice would help, was yours on the right side? And how long did it take you to fully recover?