apage
10-16-2006, 11:43 PM
About a week ago, my mom awoke to a tingling/numbness sensation that she also calls a warm blood rush that started on the left side of her head, ran down through her left ear, down her left shoulder to her fingers, then down her leg into her left foot. She went to the hospital and had a CT scan and blood work drawn. Nothing was found and she was sent home. She was told to follow up with her internist in which she did about 3 days later. They did an ultrasound of the carotid artery in which they found "mild blockage". All other tests were normal. They told my mom that it was "unlikely" that her symptoms were caused by this "mild blockage" of the carotid artery and to be rechecked in 12 months. Now...I am NO doctor by any stretch of the imagination, but something tells me that this is just not correct, especially after everything I've read about TIA and the carotid artery. My mom is now complaining of NO sense of taste and just generally feels unlike herself.
What should our next steps be?
Thanks!
apage
What should our next steps be?
Thanks!
apage
Sponsor
Josh Mann
10-17-2006, 12:02 AM
Go back to your doctor and present the new changes and if you are still not happy with what the Doc is saying, get a second if not third opinion.
Cheers
Josh
Cheers
Josh
angelique5
10-17-2006, 03:05 AM
See if you can get an MRI.
I had a CT scan after my stroke...and it showed NOTHING. Thankfully, in the ER, when the neurologist came to see me, my balance etc was still off, and he ordered an MRI. If not for that MRI, they would have sent me home telling me I'd never had a stroke!
I had a CT scan after my stroke...and it showed NOTHING. Thankfully, in the ER, when the neurologist came to see me, my balance etc was still off, and he ordered an MRI. If not for that MRI, they would have sent me home telling me I'd never had a stroke!
feelbad
10-17-2006, 10:44 AM
while you are getting that MRI request an MRA be done as well(they can actually do both tests at the same visit into the tube).the symptoms you described in your mother sound almost exactly like a couple of episodes i had before my aneurysm was actually Dxed a few weeks later.
i also have severe spinal cord injuries which creates all kinds of strange and freaky neuro wierd stuff to happen on an almost daily basis,so i wasn't quite sure if this was just "normal" for me and my freaky body functions.i was really really shocked when my NS called and told me that i actually had an aneurysm inside of my brain.this was not picked up on completely with just an MRI.because the aneurysm was actually located at a deep bend in the artery and also very close to the junction with another artery,it didn't actually fully show til they did the MRA a few days later.but i had that same warm heat "flush' that your mom has had but this went up the back of my head and then down my back area.it actually happened to me twice.i also didn't feel 'right" either.there were other little things that i had in my head that were a bit odd but to this day i still don't know if it was related just me and my neuro crap or the formation of the aneurysm.the thing is,while this is expanding and forming,this is when you get the wierd heat stuff and other strangeness.if she had one and it actually had let go on her,she would have complained of one hell of a huge incredibly painful headache.i actually didn't really have any head pain.alot of people don't with aneurysm formation.that wont usually happen til it gets much larger or is actually affecting a nerve.
but i would very highly reccomend that you get her in asap for that MRI/MRA.this would tell you with pretty good certainty whether or not this is what is going on.it would most likely reveal a possible problem even if this is not an actual aneurysm.an MRI/MRA will show you a very good portion of her entire brain in some capascity.
believe it or not,this "could' also be a problem stemming from the c spine as well.thoguht you might like to know that just incase nothing shows up on the brain films.just another possibility to explore if need be.but hopefully just getting her in and having the films done will be enough for a Dx of her problem.the thing is,something caused that sensation and other symptoms,it just needs to be found out.
i wish you both tons of luck with this and hope it is something treatable.my aneurysm was able to be coiled at 98% so i was very very thankful that i wouldn't have to go for that clipping of it that would have involved a craniotomy and deep brain surgery since my aneurysm is actually in like the deepest area of the brain,right up against the front of the brainstem.i will think positive thought for you.please let us know how things go,K?marcia
i also have severe spinal cord injuries which creates all kinds of strange and freaky neuro wierd stuff to happen on an almost daily basis,so i wasn't quite sure if this was just "normal" for me and my freaky body functions.i was really really shocked when my NS called and told me that i actually had an aneurysm inside of my brain.this was not picked up on completely with just an MRI.because the aneurysm was actually located at a deep bend in the artery and also very close to the junction with another artery,it didn't actually fully show til they did the MRA a few days later.but i had that same warm heat "flush' that your mom has had but this went up the back of my head and then down my back area.it actually happened to me twice.i also didn't feel 'right" either.there were other little things that i had in my head that were a bit odd but to this day i still don't know if it was related just me and my neuro crap or the formation of the aneurysm.the thing is,while this is expanding and forming,this is when you get the wierd heat stuff and other strangeness.if she had one and it actually had let go on her,she would have complained of one hell of a huge incredibly painful headache.i actually didn't really have any head pain.alot of people don't with aneurysm formation.that wont usually happen til it gets much larger or is actually affecting a nerve.
but i would very highly reccomend that you get her in asap for that MRI/MRA.this would tell you with pretty good certainty whether or not this is what is going on.it would most likely reveal a possible problem even if this is not an actual aneurysm.an MRI/MRA will show you a very good portion of her entire brain in some capascity.
believe it or not,this "could' also be a problem stemming from the c spine as well.thoguht you might like to know that just incase nothing shows up on the brain films.just another possibility to explore if need be.but hopefully just getting her in and having the films done will be enough for a Dx of her problem.the thing is,something caused that sensation and other symptoms,it just needs to be found out.
i wish you both tons of luck with this and hope it is something treatable.my aneurysm was able to be coiled at 98% so i was very very thankful that i wouldn't have to go for that clipping of it that would have involved a craniotomy and deep brain surgery since my aneurysm is actually in like the deepest area of the brain,right up against the front of the brainstem.i will think positive thought for you.please let us know how things go,K?marcia