At a routine check up at our local hospital eye clinic in November, 2023, it was noticed that my field of vision had reduced since I was last examined in 2020. Covid and major heart surgery in late 2022 meant that I wasn’t called for an appointment for over three years. This suggested I’d had a minor stroke at some point, confimed by a MRI Brain Scan in February. I had no recollection of this happening. Has anyone else had a TIA without knowing? I’m due to be seen at the Stroke Clinic in early April.
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Hi @Ashcombe and welcome to the forum 
Could your TIA have happened around the time of your heart surgery, maybe even as a symptom/result of your heart condition/surgery.
And yes, unfortunately, they can very well go undetected, for years even. It they are mild enough that the effects are too minor/minimal to even alert to the possibility of it being a TIA then they can easily be brushed as you just having an off day, going through a bit stress, anything like that. There are folk on here who only discovered they’d had several TIA’s in the past only discovered in MRA after their strokes.
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Hi @Ashcombe and welcome to the community. Sorry you’ve had cause to join us but hopefully you’ll find it a useful place to be.
It is very possible to have a TIA without knowing. As @EmeraldEyes mentions you may just have felt a bit odd on one occasion & because it passed quickly you never thought any more of it.
There are a few on the forum here that had TIAs without knowing (and some had unknown strokes too).
Write down plenty of questions for your appointment so you don’t forget to ask them. It’s very easy to forget them when the consultant goes through everything with you.
Best wishes
Ann
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Thank you both for your welcome messages and suggestions.
I have wondered about the TIA occurring during my heart operation, too, @EmeraldEyes Another possibility is that labyrinthitis was wrongly diagnosed (in a telephone consultation) by a GP in August, 2022. I had never had it before but it left me feeling very disorientated during a tribute concert where I was a steward. I had to leave while I felt capable of driving then I was fine at home. Subsequently, I reacted badly to loud music at two ballet performances and only managed to remain in my seat by breathing deeply to relax. No problem with music since then.
Yes, @Mrs5K that’s wise advice. There are a few questions I have already typed into notes on my phone ready for my appointment. I’ll let you know how it goes.
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Hello and welcome to the forum @Ashcombe
What you relate above is all reasonable speculation. One small nitpick; If you had a neurological event that has left a legacy it’s not a TIA t as in temporary it’s a stroke.
A less than widely discussed topic are silent strokes. When I eventually had an MRI scan it revealed that I have had multiple silent strokes prior to the one that has left physical deficits.
When you attend a stroke clinic make sure the risk factors are covered off (PFO AFib blood pressure sticky blood…) and your medication is confirmed appropriate.
This is a good place to ask questions and the magnifying glass is a good way to find answers
Ciao
Simon
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Thank you for your interest, @SimonInEdinburgh
Your points are certainly valid. The ophthalmic consultant has actually called it a small stroke in his report. Wonder of wonders, I actually had a face to face appointment with a GP (for a steroid injection in my finger that will have to be done at the hospital) 10 days ago where he was so concerned about the delay to my Stroke Clinic appointment that he adjusted my medication so I’m now on Amlodipine, (5mg) Clopidogrel (75mg), Atovastatin (increased from 20mg to 80mg), besides the Ramipril (10mg) and Bisoprolol (5mg) which I’ve been on for several months for my BP.
I am glad to have found this forum and I’ll add to this tread after the 2nd April.
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To me that all sounds like that was when you had the TIA, but hey, I’m not a doctor.
But TIA’s are the warning sign to heart conditions/strokes and you subsequently had major heart surgery in late 2022. And if you discuss all this with the doctor they’ll most probably agree; it fits the time line anyway. TIA’s are a temporary blockage in a vein or artery which interrupt the oxygen supply to the brain.
Going forward, which is what matters the most here, look after your health, look after your heart, keep active, eat healthy, keep taking the meds and that’s about as much as any us can do to reduce the risk of another episode. Stay strong, onwards and upwards 
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