Could this have been a TIA?

@lisalucier Yes, I did, thanks for asking.

I saw my Primary doctor & my husband went with me. We gave her the info about what happened, how long it lasted, etc. She looked for physical evidence of anything out of the ordinary with me but said she didn't think this sounded like a TIA, since I also had not eaten since the night before, nor drank & the episode happened at 12:30pm. She asked if I had ever had any hypoglycemia in my past & I let her know I had.

She ordered up bloodwork. It came back with no flags, and she has ordered a ZIO Patch to be worn for two weeks starting Nov. 4th, as the last one I wore for a few weeks was in Dec 2023. I do not have Afib but I do get flutters very infrequently for a few seconds.

She also ordered a with/without brain scan ("just to be sure there might not be something else going on") but said that it would be unlikely that anything will show up as far as a TIA is concerned. I have declined having that done at this time b/c I've had lung issues & 7 years of annual CT scans, plus annual mammos & dental xrays taken. If I don't absolutely need any further scans, I'd rather not have them.

A month ago, my 95-year-old homebound mother went from being borderline independent and very cogent to totally helpless literally overnight. She had been feeble with a walker, but still mobile; a little slow to track conversations, but still able to engage; relatively healthy with the exception of aortic stenosis and chronic edema. Overnight, however, she became pretty much death warmed over. The EMTs took her to the ER, where she endured a few routine tests and an overnight stay. There was no diagnosis to justify admitting her. In fact, no diagnosis at all other than "she's deteriorating". The PT assessor underscored what we already knew, and we moved my mom to an assisted living facility ten days later. Over the last three weeks, however, instead of continuing to deteriorate, she has gained some physical strength and mental acuity on her own, having refused PT. She was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis two years ago, and because of her age, opted out of a TAVR. So, we've been watching for a decline ever since and have wondered if the event last month was a turning point. Instead, she seems to be rallying. Though her vitals appear to be perfect (always a surprise), she's still significantly weaker than she was a month ago and perhaps this is an indicator of the stenosis. I understand that there are a lot of factors at play here, many I've not even mentioned, but I wondered if any of this sounds familiar to anyone. It's frustrating for her to have been discharged from the ER without having received any answers other than "deterioration". And maybe there are no definitive answers to be had, so I'm searching of possibilities. Could she have had a TIA?

@dks - so, are you and your doctor setting aside a possible TIA at this time and moving onto other things, then? How have you been feeling since the Oct. incident?

@lisalucier Thanks for asking! Yes, the TIA has been set aside as I have a lung disorder that that my pulmonologist said could've had something to do with the lack of oxygen to my brain, along with dehydration & no food since the night before. The heart monitor test also came back normal, as well as blood labs. So far, so good. No further episodes.