Around teatime yesterday, I suddenly felt extremely tired and said to hubby that I was going to have an early night. I'd only just got laid down and my hand started to tingle, pins and needles and my mouth felt strange on my stroke side - a bit like I'd had an injection at the dentists. This time, hubby rang 999! I was given a 3 hr (yes 3hr!) slot for a call back by a paramedic. As it turned out it was only half an hour. After talking to the paramedic, I was upgraded to high priority and the ambulance came after about 20 mins. Taken straight in. BP taken 180/98, blood tests done, heart tracer done, then wheeled back to the waiting room. 0045 this morning some 5hrs or so later sitting on those god awful steel chairs in the waiting room, I finally got to see the consultant. He did all the usual stroke tests and concluded I wasn't having a stroke. Phew! Massive sigh of relief.
He explained I'd had something they call a blip. He had often seen people who have these odd things happen after strokes which aren't full strokes or TIA's but sort of a 'cross wires' effect in the brain. By the time I'd seen him, it had gone completely and was fine. He said they usually clear up on their own but I did right to ring. He likened it to lights dimming when the grid is overstretched. A short loss of power for a second then back to full speed. A mini stroke would liken to the flip of the tripswitch and a full stroke - a blown fusebox!
I've got a consultation with the Stroke Consultant on the phone tomorrow and they've referred me back to the Stroke Team to try and get to the bottom of why I keep going dizzy and if there is any cause for this 'blip'. I've to take things easy for a couple of weeks and have another head MRI scan. To say I'm tired this morning is an understatement ZZzzzzz! Oh if Tinkerbell is reading.. they didn't allow hubby to come in the ambulance. In fact he wasn't even allowed to come at all due to Covid so I sat in the waiting room for 5 hrs looking like Billy No Mates with my overnight bag all alone. :(. xxx
Hi Brenda, oooh nasty wobble, can't imagine how scary that event must have been. Hoping things settle down and no repeat of last night ?yes you must be completely exhausted after that. I know your lovely hubby will take good care of you whilst you have a good rest.
pleased that you are home, safe and sound. Its hard to grasp that no one can come along in the ambulance, and that no one can set foot in the hospital.
Way back, i had these events, or blips. For me it was my pulse rate dropping. But i got so much better treatment than you experienced. I was taken straight to a cubicle and seen within minutes. Then to a bed, then discharged. All with Rosemary present. The second time it was straight to cubicle, then to a strange holding ward ward, with fancy chairs not beds. Comfy. Quiet. Staff on hand. Not once have i been subjected to the standard waiting in A+E. Times are changing I fear.
about one year ago, i felt a subtle change to the SF that plagued me. Hardly noticeable change. But what was going on was stenosis.
early this year my GP picked up on this and made the formal diagnosis of aortic stenosis, two days before the hospitals closed. I have now had a new valve fitted and i am slowly grinding forward. My point is really that other problems do arise and its desireable to distinguish whats what. My low pulse was the stenosis, not the stroke.
Stroke holds so many nasty surprises for us. luckily you are the personification of positivity. And that will always benefit your recovery.
Light hearted bit....
i was discharged one Saturday and it was difficult for anyone to collect me. So i took the plunge and hired a private ambulance. Now that was great. Whizzing thru the traffic with a medic to look after me. How the other half lives. Home in less than two hours, a jiurney that by car now takes twice that time
Hello Brenda, what a scare! So thankful that you eventually got attention. It's a relief you have follow up, too. I started writing about John's continued journey of non-attention but will leave that for another day! We're just glad it was a blip and that you might find out what caused it. Take care, Veronica and John
Thanks everyone I've had a good 2 hours sleep this afternoon something I don't normally do but I did need it. Feel a bit more like me now. Having another early night tonight to catch up - better not sleep in though as Stroke Consultant ringing me at 0900. Hubby sets off at 0515 for work so too early to wake me then (if he dare!) Brenda xx
So glad it turned out okay. I had a second minor stroke in May this year. It only affected my weak arm from elbow to fingers. Hope that was my blip. Back doing my exercise classes but still get daily fatigue, worse if I do too much.
Hi Brenda, sounds like quite a scary experience you had. Glad they ruled out another stroke quickly and you're back home now. Can't help thinking your BP was a bit high though, they may have put it down to the stressful time you had in the department but it's worth remembering it in conjunction with other symptoms you had at the time. Hope the phone consultation goes well tomorrow and it sounds like you won't have to wait too long for your follow up appointment with the stroke team. In these COVID times it's good to see you had good care even though it must have seemed like a strange experience.
So pleased that everything turned out well for you after your scare yesterday, made so much worse because you were forced to face the ordeal alone. However, alls well that ends well and it must have been very reassuring to be told that all stroke tests were negative. I'm fairly new to MSG; I had my stroke in January this year and still occasionally feel scared of a second stroke and have many days when I feel very down. All par for the course I suppose. It's helpful to hear of other peoples' experiences of what can happen post-stroke.
Hope your future appointments go well and that you continue to make a good recovery.
That must have been very scary for you and your hubby not being able to be with you. Glad it was a blip - not heard of that one - very interesting to read —get plenty of rest and hope you’re back to your normal very soon.
ive just read your message on here and found my situation quite similar.
I too ended up in hospital this week with arm and leg feeling odd and my speech was slightly slurry. All the test were done and everything is fine but the question I asked the doctors was, why does this keep happening (I've had this a couple of time before). His answer was it's because of my previous stroke and any stresses can send me this way. So that was it!
im hoping it won't happen again but imagine it will but aim to speak to my neurologist in the future about this.
Hi Mark. Just to let you know that fast forward from the post you read from a month ago... it turns out I did have a TIA and the Docs at A & E got it wrong! The Stroke Consultant rang me the next day to tell me I had definitely had one and he had arranged for me to have an MRI that day which confirmed it.
I would definitely have a word with the neurologist as these things are worrying for us all especially when you've been through a full stroke already. Hope you are feeling better now.
I've had a good 2 hours sleep this afternoon something I don't normally do but I did need it. Feel a bit more like me now. Having another early night tonight to catch up - better not sleep in though as Stroke Consultant ringing me at 0900. Hubby sets off at 0515 for work so too early to wake me then (if he dare!) Brenda xx