OT-My Mom

[sunshinegirl]

I am a Speech Language Pathologist with a neurogenic background. What the nursing student posted earlier is basically correct information.

A TIA stands for Transient Ischemic Attack. They are like very mini strokes that last in duration from about 1 sec. to 10 sec. They cause temporary dizziness, black outs, garbled speech or weakness in the extremities. They are often but not always a precursor to a CVA (stroke). As long as she gets herself checked out for both heart and neurologic issues she should be fine. Perhaps if not already recommended she should plan a visit to both a neurologist and a cardiologist. It may mean taking a blood thinner like aspirin, blood pressure may be out of whack and needs medication to get it under control or she may have some arteriosclerosis that needs to be addressed.

This sounds a lot like what I am hearing so far. She's on the aspirin for blood thinning and is supposed to see a neurologist between now and Tuesday. She mainly experienced a lot of dizziness this morning. Fortunately because my stepdad used to be an EMT, he had the good sense to get her to the hospital within the first hour so they were able to run a lot of tests pretty quickly. They put her on Antivert and gave her an IV of phenergan to help with the dizziness and nausea. So she is pretty much exhausted and passed out this afternoon. But she is home. She had just had blood pulled on Monday because her blood pressue has consistently been about 160 or 170 for quite awhile.

I hope that she can get in to see the neurologist ASAP. It sounds like he will be able to tell us a lot more about how it might have happened and what needs to happen to keep it from getting worse.

 

[3dog2kidmom]

(((Tricia))) sorry you are dealing with this. A good friend has going through this with her mother, although she is 95, not 51! Here is what she has to say about TIA's...

"Yes -- a TIA is a very tiny stroke, many times people don't even know when they have happened. It is when a very tiny piece of thickened blood (not necessarily a clot) breaks away -- gets caught in the brain for just a few seconds and then passes on -- because it is so small it doesn't get caught for a longer time, causing more damage, depending on where it gets caught. A TIA usually causes no damage at all, once the brain readjusts to what has happened to it.

It is a warning sign to see her Dr and have a few tests made. They will do a scan of arteries in the neck, etc to see if there is a minor blockage somewhere that should be handled. They will want to see that all important areas are clear - if not, they may give a blood thinner, etc. Does she take adequate medication for her blood pressure - has she had her cholesterol checked? Those are also things to find out.

She is lucky this has happened first and they recognized it. Many times, like for my mother, they may happen in clusters after a real stroke has happened. Tests at the hospital determined that [my friend] had had several TIAs before the larger stroke she had -- but they may have been while sleeping and she didn't know they even happened.

She should definitely consult a good cardiovascular Dr and have a few tests run - may save much heartache for everyone.

Hope this helps,
Nan"

You and your family will be in our prayers.

 

[DiznEeyore]

Tricia, I just wanted to say I'm sorry your mom is having to deal with this and you all will be in my thoughts and prayers! I hope she has a speedy and complete recovery!

 

[Maybelle]

Sent you a PM.

I am a speech language pathologist too, so I had a little background knowledge, but more because my dad had a TIA several years ago now, with no lasting effects and no more issues, although he continues to smoke.

Thinking and praying for your family, especially your mom and step-dad. Sounds like he was quick thinking, which is great, cause now she can take this as a warning. Many folks have TIA's without ever being diagnosed, so they don't get the appropriate treatment to prevent future problems. Your mom is lucky to have lots of people who are concerned about her. Keep your chin up!

 

[mickeyfan1]

Tricia, sending good thoughts for your mother. I suffered a stroke 31 years ago, fortuneatly I had no residuals, but I always wonder if it will happen again. Make sure she sees the doctors and follows the advice. Tell her the grandkids need her around.

 

[missymouse]

Sounds like she had a TIA but with the dizziness it could have also been something to do with the Inner Ear. I have Meneire's disease which causes me to have spells of severe dizziness with nausea. They can last anywhere from seconds to hours to days. I have figured out what I need to do to nip the attacks in the bud before they become a problem. She hasn't been ill with a bad cold or flu recently has she? If so she may have a virus that is affecting her ear. If it is by chance something with her inner ear that would be less to worry about.

Still the best thing is follow up with a neurologist and see what comes of that.

 

[murphnjamie]

Just wanted to say my thoughts are with you. My aunt had a the same thing happen to her a few years back and she had no lasting effects. If I remember correctly her and her doc started her on bloodthinners and that was about it. Hopefully it will be the same with your mom.

Hang in there!

Anne

 

[luvhockey]

Hang in there Tricia. All these prayers are bound to help.

My FIL had this about 5 years ago (in his late 60's) and is fine although he complains that he can't remember as well.

My MIL getting over a viral infection in her inner ear which made her extremely dizzy and violently ill. It has slowly gotten better but the Dr said it could come back suddenly.

Thinking about you
Angela

 

[mommyoftwinfants]

You will be in our prayers

 

[disneyfanfamily]

Just letting you know that we are thinking of you!
Angela

 

[DznyDreams]

Sunshinegirl, how is your mom today?

She is still in my prayers.

 

[Alice28]

Tricia, I'm so sorry to read this. I hope your mom is out of the hospital ASAP and that she'll be OK.

 

[sunshinegirl]

Thanks, everyone, for your continued support. She came home from the hospital late on Wednesday. Her doctor pulled her out of work indefinitely. She has an appointment with the neurologist early on Tuesday.

What is really worrying me is that she continues to be dizzy. It's been 4 days now and she is still not past the dizziness. The doctor said to expect 48 hours. So at this point we now wait until Tuesday to see what the neurologist says. Hopefully they will get her on some blood pressure medication really soon. Right now she is still only on the Antivert and the aspirin.

She's supposed to come visit me for a week in March. I hope that she can fly. It would be nice to have her here so that my stepdad could focus on work and not worry about her. If she didn't already have the ticket, I would just go down there instead. But I don't have anything to do with the kids. It's just a mess!

On top of it all, another family member got into BIG trouble the day after my mom left the hospital. I don't want to give any details because I would hate for it to ever get back to the person. Suffice to say, I forked over the money to make it all right so that my mom would not have to deal with it.

 

[sammielynn]

I thought you could use some Pixiedust and a today!

 

[DznyDreams]

I am so sorry to hear all of this.
The prayers will continue.

 

[toystoryduo]

and some for you Tricia. We're keeping your mom in our thoughts and prayers.