Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
On October 8th, 2018 @ 13:30 I lost control of my left arm. When I tried to move it, it would wobble in the direction I intended, but without success. Then I noticed the sound of my breath, when I looked into a mirror, I noticed the left side of my mouth slanted. When I tried to speak, it was slurred.
I suspected it was a stroke, SMSed my family a video of my condition, and asked a colleague at work to drive me to the hospital, where my family were waiting for my arrival.
Examined by the Neurologists, and was diagnosed with transient ischemic attack (TIA), also referred to as a mini stroke.
Took a minute to listen and trace the beeping sounds around me, only to discover they were from gadgets nobody uses. So happy to switch them off, and nobody noticed :)
I’ve been in the ER for ten hours: two CT scans, one Echocardiogram of the heart, and one Carotid Doppler ultrasound of the neck. I was then allowed to rest and snooze in an ER room for a couple of hours.
2AM, I was transferred to a room outside ER, to properly rest for the night. Scheduled to be examined further by the morning teams. I was later discharged with medication, to continue as an outpatient.
I had to visit another hospital to do an MRI, the queue here was only two days away vs. a couple of months in the previous one. Always ask for a copy of the CD to take with you.
Ah, one more thing I took with me from the MRI session, those ear plugs.. They’ll be very useful in meetings :)
Be well, live healthy, and exercise when you can. Those are minor steps to help you avoid incidents like the above. Peace.