Numbness in hand and half of cheek? - Stroke Message Board

lylone · 12-27-2006, 05:34 AM

Hey all,

I had a wierd thing happen to me last night. I was laying on the couch and my thumb and two fingers went numb. No pins and needles, just out right numb. I sat up thinking that layin on my shoulder did something and then the rest of my fingers started to go numb. I started to shake my hand to wake it up and then the right side ofmy cheek and lips started to feel numb. Then it moved to my tongue. After about 10 minutes is all subsided. I was checking my blood pressure during the whole thing and it never wen above 135/85.
I called my cardio's nurse and she said not to worry unless my bp is like sky high example she gave was like 190/120.
Should I be worried? I had forgotten to take my daily 81mg aspirin that day. I am on medication for hbp and svts, and also are on birth control at age 35. I would stop taking the birth control, but then it would cause other issues.

What do you all think? Could it be stress and anxiety because I have had issues with that as well.

Lyl

ZippyENG · 12-27-2006, 09:47 AM

Hi Lyl,

I think If i was you i would call my primary doctors and maybe the local E/R. I am not an expert on stroke only having had my own stroke in the middle of October. Your symptoms may be nothing to worry about. But remember the old adage "better safe then sorry" It could be a pinched nerve or something else. But if you are having warning signs of a stroke ( or similar event) the sooner you get checked the better off you do. I was lucky I had mine and was in a major stroke hospital within 2 hours. I lost the ability to move my left side. communication was very hard. The Dr. found i had an aneurysm that burst and bled into my brain. I had a craniotomy within 48 hrs of diagnosis's. since then I have regained the full use of my left side. My speech is back to normal. I am returning to work and can drive. If you never knew I had a stroke you would never suspect. But the sooner you get a complete evaluation the better you will feel and if it is the beginning of a stroke ( and I really hope not) the sooner it is determined the sooner treatment and recovery will happen. Let us know how you are doing!

lylone · 12-27-2006, 10:13 AM

I feel pretty okay today at work. I am trying to get up and walk around more often and will probably get on the treadmill when I get home. I think over the holidays I sat around too much.
I have a call into my GP for his nurse to call me. I have known her for 6+ years and definately respect her opinion.
Is it true that when you have a clot your blood pressure would go sky high?

It was pretty normal last night when the scare occurred and is been normal-low all day. I don't feel dizzy or anything.

lyl

ZippyENG · 12-27-2006, 11:50 AM

I can imagine every onset could be different. God only knows what my bp was when I had the bleed or what it was that morning when I had the last warning sign that something was wrong. You see earlier that morning I had a headache after I sneezed , that pain in my head was so bad I had to sit down. Unfortunately for me the pain lessened over time till It got to the point where I thought I could drive. Normally my blood pressure ran in the 110-130/ 60-86 range. I think that when your bp is elevated it can have any number of reasons. Pain, Anxiety etc. Well in my case it was an aneurysm that burst causing a bleed into my brain. I guess this produced the pain that caused my elevated BP. When I arrived in the E/R I was somewhere in the neighborhood of 230/190. It took the Dr. a long time to determine what was wrong with me. I had CT's, MRI's , x rays AS well as ultrasound. They were finally able to pinpoint my bleed with a MRA. I am glad that you are feelings better and that what you experienced last night was a one time thing. I had a few warning signs. that i passed of as nothing to important. Now when I look back I wonder if I should of done something different. I did not have anything similar to you. I am glad you contacted a trusted friend. It will make you feel better and another point of view can only help.

The body and the mind are capable of doing some odd things. At one point in my life I lost the use of my left arm for about 2 months. I had a pinched nurve in my upper back. It was the type of pain that you may get from sleeping in front of an Air Conditioner. If I had it now I would think .. Hospital.. STROKE. Where I am still early in the recovery stage I am overly cautious. Enjoy the tread mill

lylone · 12-27-2006, 05:19 PM

Thanks guys for your opinions. I spoke to my GP's nurse and she thinks it sounded more like an allergic reaction. I had some peanut brittle and probably ate it with my right hand close before I had the incident. Even though I am not allergic to peanuts and have had peanut brittle before, it still could have been the mixture of the ingredients that caused a reaction. I don't eat it often.
She also confirmed that a stroke or even a blood clot would definately show in my blood pressure and I would have more than numbness. If I had lost motor control in something then she would be concerned. She did tell me if it happened again to call the doc on call so they could ask me more questions about my symptoms. She said that it would have freaked her out also and she would let my doctor know and call back if he wanted to take any action, but she doubted it.
I hit the treadmill tonight for a good 30 minutes and felt fine. No shortness of breath and 20 minutes afterward my bp was 100/65. I think I just need to keep up the walking regimen because it seems to keep my medical anxieties away.
Also, I have a grandmother who is 90 and she has yet to have even a mini-stroke. No blood clots or stokes in my family thank god!

Thanks all,
Lyl