Lost friends since telling them about small vessel disease

@melissa711 Please, don't give up on your Drs. If they can't help you, push them to tell you someone who might, even a list. Ask your insurance if they would send you a list of Drs in their Network that could care for you. Even with proper training, you never know when a single symptom may set them on a new path. It was that single bit of information that triggers a memory, or your body jogging a memory of someone they knew or heard about, that they can discover helping you.

I apparently had been having "mini-strokes" can never remember the 3 letter abbreviation🤯 LOL.
I had to keep pushing, I kept falling down, & some things my adult son saw & mentioned that led to discovery of bring able to sort out symptoms & tests that they began to unroll what was happening. It ended up being a familial trait, that we ended up being able to direct cause & quit just having symptoms checked. My younger sister presents differently. It was like getting the last "clue", that was unfortunately was gifted through much damage & pain, from my mother. She had major stroke & brain bleed. She improved (not regaining) many of deficits resulting from that. I am now being treated for that, as is my sister. We now know to have our kids tested before that even becomes an issue for them. You never know what is medically causations.

Yes, tell me about it! One friend said “I saw you getting your mail yesterday, so you must not have had anything more than a TIA.” I had told him that I had small vessel disease, after an MRI, which also showed 2 recent lacunar strokes! Another friend said “You look fine to me!” when I told him that I hadn’t been around for a week or so, because I’d been at the hospital, and i am recovering from a stroke! I haven’t seen either friend, since! What really upset me the most, though, was when my own brother, an Attorney, said to me “ You talk fine, and seem normal to me”, and, by his smart aleck remark, of implying that I complain to much, and he didn’t believe me when I told him that I had a stroke! A few years ago, when we had a major tragedy, where my Mom died, I was there for him, when he needed support the most. He was my Mom’s favorite, so he took her death, really hard! I was always supportive of him, since. Now that I have been afflicted with 4 different major health conditions, diagnosed, and I truly need family support, I feel like my brother has completely dropped the ball! He has all but walked away from our previous fairly good relationship! For years I had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease! It’s just, within the last 3 months, that I have been diagnosed wth Atrial Fibrillation, Strokes, and an auto-immune disorder ( Hypogammaglobulinemia, caused by Chronic Inflammatory Polyneuropathy)! Over the years I have seen that
some people are reluctant to stay close friends with other people who have been diagnosed with serious diseases! It’s just the way the cookie crumbles, as the saying goes! On a positive note, though, this Mayo support forum has been a blessing to me, because I’ve made friends here, who have stuck with me, through thick and thin times, so to speak!

@shelley65 could the letters you are trying to recall be TIA (trans ischemic attack)?

@foundryrat743 people who say “you don’t look sick” or anything to that effect are plain ignorant!

“Not had anything more than a TIA” …?? Does that “friend” even know what a TIA is, much less has experienced one??

You’re better off without such people in your life anyway!

@rashida You are the best! Your wise advice has helped me before, and now, when I need advice. you are here for me! I can’t thank you enough, for all you’ve done to help me, as I deal with many difficult emotions! It was not only the casual neighbor friend. that mentioned about the TIA, Rashida, if I may address you with your name, but, and this hurts emotionally, the most, to me, and that is the smart aleck remark, that my brother made to me! My brother stated that I talked and looked fine in a picture he saw, implying that, perhaps, I was exaggerating. Then he went on to state that my complaining of 2 strokes, found on the MRI, that was an emergency session, because of my symptoms, were merely TIA’s, and that our Dad had a TIA, 10 years before he died! So, my own brother, who is a near malignant narcissist, in my opinion, dismissed me, and stated that he wanted to talk about doing fun stuff, that he liked, and he all but crushed me, emotionally! Because he is my blood brother, I’m much more vulnerable to criticism. from him, as compared to a casual friend! Over a period of the last 5 years or so. he has disrespected me, at times, and hurt my feelings. My wife has told me over and over, that I don’t need him in my life! I must be a glutton for punishment. I’ve decided to follow your’s and my wife’s advice, Rashida, and cut him out of my life, once and for all! Thank You, once again. for helping me, by being so supportive, and showing that you really care! 😃