Just found out I’ve had a silent mini stroke!
After a fall, my doctor ordered a CT scan, and an “incidental” find was a silent mini stroke (not TIA) in a small vessel. Age indeterminate, so not sure how long I’ve had it.
I’m scheduled for Carotid artery Doppler, and a coronary artery CT. Doctor put me on .81 aspirin, and awaiting results of scans.
I’m quite concerned that this increases my risk for a large stroke, or more mini strokes. I’ve changed my diet, losing weight, getting cholesterol down (which wasn’t overly high) and watching BP, (which is normal). I’m 73 and otherwise in good health…. I thought!
Have you had similar findings? What have you experienced?
Thank you. I love our Mayo Clinic group.
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Glad your doctor is listening. Hope the MRI is normal. Good health habits are always good. Probably most of us could do more there. Best of luck to you.
An update to my above post…. After all the tests, and an MRI, It was found that I didn’t have a stroke! The CT scan “was over interpreted” and not accurate. Huge relief. So, I urge all who have had a CT scan to follow up with the “gold standard”… which is an MRI.
I complained to my primary care doctor for a year about all my symptoms. Thru research my focus was on Long COVID, which had as many unknowns as CSVD. Finally when my doctor really couldn’t find anything I was referred to Mayo Rochester Care team, went thru a team of specialists head to toe. I should say toe to head, as the Neurologist was last and we’re it was diagnosed as CSVD. I’m not better just know what I’m dealing with, brain fog, balance, achy all the time, memory issues, speaking issues, everything related to CSVD. Hope you get answers soon.
Sorry you have been going through all of that, it is the unknown that is the worst as you imagine all sorts of things wrong, I also have balance issues at times but I assume that comes with age as I am 78. Pray you can get some help and relief.
I had complete vision loss in left eye , went black for just under five minutes start to finish, 2am in morning. I walked into bathroom again just to make sure what I was experiencing! It was scary for sure. No pain, did see some bursts of light when my vision returned. I went back to bed, but in morning over coffee, I did the google search and everything told me ‘go to ER immediately!’. It was a Saturday so I did. They kept me on temporary hold overnight, and ran every possible test, told me it looked like a TIA.
They didn’t find anything, except I do have some moderate plaque in a couple arteries in my neck.
They told me to line up all my specialists starting Monday and I did, thank goodness I already was a patient or I would have been in trouble, as we have a shortage of doctors in my area.
I first saw my ophthalmologist (all clear, nothing). She wrote amourosis fugax /TIA. Sorry not sure of spelling.
Then my cardiologist, my primary, my neurologist.
My cardiologist set me up for a 30 day holter and a TEE test, and said most likely I have AFib, even though I had never noticed any symptoms. He says women may have different symptoms, not notice the fibrillation.
It turns out I do have AFib and they think, like others here have said, a small blood clot flew into my eye, and I was lucky it left no trace. I’m now on meds for this, and hoping I never have a stroke. The thought of a stroke is slightly terrifying! My friend was left paralyzed in a nursing home after hers.
Just a comment about the statin drug the hospital put me on. After two months taking it, I came in for a consult about the holter test to my cardio physiologist, told him I suffered from extreme fatigue since I had been in the hospital, could the meds I was taking cause this? Yes, he said stop it for a couple days and see if you feel better. It was the statin. I did not realize it could do that. I will pay more attention to the literature on my prescription meds from now on! He suggested I take a half pill, but I think I may try to watch my diet instead. I hope this helps someone else, your posts have certainly helped me!
@lizjohn
Did you have your MRI? Did you talk to your cardiologist or a neurologist? Any determination on what caused your visual disturbance and your numbness a couple months before that?