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| No. 20 | 
Jun 29, 2009, 07:23 AM
 Re: Nurse's Mini Stroke Came With No Warning - If It Happens To You, Act Quickly Originally Posted by pollyanna83  Thought I would respond to this since it happened to me. At 28 with no prior history and normally very low blood pressure I had either a TIA or small stroke. It started early in the morning with a headache (I NEVER have headaches). By 10:30am I was virtually blind with pain, had 0 equilibrium, could not hear out of my left ear and looked like I had bells palsy. My husband took me to the hospital where they did a spinal and found blood in the fluid. This was 25 years ago and they took a wait and see attitude. The pain subsided by the next day but I was left with 6 months of rehab and a line that goes right down the center of my body with a marked loss of sensitivity. I cannot detect pain on my left side and when I am tired my face and hand don't function at full capacity but I count myself fortunate. It could have been much worse. Today I would have reacted more quickly and perhaps would have had no residual affect.
If there was blood in the CSF and a severe (people describe it as like someone hit me over the back of the head)headache than it was most likely a sub-arachnoid haemorrhage, which is not classed as a stroke. It is common in women in 30s-40s and can be familial. Often caused by a Arterial venous malfomation (AVM) in the brain. The risk factors aren't the same as for vascular disease ie CHD and Stroke.
I am not saying that it doesn't lead to disability and isn't an awful thing to suffer. I wonder if they found an aneurysm and treated it?
 | | Advertisement Sponsored Links | | | | No. 21 |
Jun 29, 2009, 09:17 AM
Re: Nurse's Mini Stroke Came With No Warning - If It Happens To You, Act Quickly
Hi misswoosie, I feel okay on the coumadin so far, just have to watch what I eat. My cardiologist at massgeneral watches my coumadin but I have my own anticoagulation nurse through the hospital that deals with my levels. I have been low the past 3 weeks though, 1.7 to 1.9 so we are trying to find a better way to fix this. I also take atenolol because my heart rate is tachy after the closure. I am not sure if I need to be on the coumadin for life my mom had a major stroke 13 years ago and she has a fib now and on coumadin for life. I just take it day by day.
| | No. 22 |
Jun 29, 2009, 10:19 AM
Re: Nurse's Mini Stroke Came With No Warning - If It Happens To You, Act Quickly
Hi
I was an anticoagulation nurse specailist here in the UK for 3 years. While most of our patients were elderly, I always felt empathy for the younger patients. We use warfarin not coumadin, but don't think there is any difference.
In the older patients the problems were usually about them not remembering to tell us that that they had changed their other meds so that we could dose accordingly (some other meds interact hugely), or remembering to take it every day.In the younger patients it was more likely to be related to partying!
Is your target INR 2.0-3.0? Younger people usually need much higher doses than older ones.
I'm not sure if you will have to be on it for life, if it was just the PFO, which has now been closed, then I would say not, just like people who have mechanical heaart valves replacements only need it for 3-6 months.But if you have the thrombophylia then it maybe for life, I think it depends on the thrombophylia.
Good Luck anyway  | | No. 24 |
Jun 29, 2009, 01:23 PM
Re: Nurse's Mini Stroke Came With No Warning - If It Happens To You, Act Quickly
Well there are so many things that can affect the control.
Not sure how long you've been on it, or if you are generally more well than when you were stabilised on the coumadin.
Feeling unwell can mean you require less coumadin to keep INR in range, so consequently you may need more when you are well.
If you were my pt I would give you a one off booster dose and about a 25% increase on whatever your dose is now and recheck in a week.That INR sure needs a boost.  | | No. 25 |
Jun 29, 2009, 01:36 PM
Re: Nurse's Mini Stroke Came With No Warning - If It Happens To You, Act Quickly
well i have been on the meds since may 21 09. i started off with 5mg and now i alternate 3.5mg with 4mg. i got my inr today and am waiting for the result. i usually go every monday for the test. my diet is the same every week so i am not sure what is wrong. i just feel extremely tired every day. i do have anemia though.
| | No. 27 |
Jun 30, 2009, 01:11 AM
Re: Nurse's Mini Stroke Came With No Warning - If It Happens To You, Act Quickly
I work as a neurology RN, and at our Stroke Certified Center in Chicago, we have seen patient's as young as 17 with a stroke. Coagulation problems, cancer(because of increased coagulation) use of oral birth control pills and history of migraines (bad combo!), hormone replacement therapy, vertebral dissections with heavy weight lifting, and of course alcohol and drug use...specifically crack cocaine! We dubbed these 'Coke Strokes'.
Remember the following are also risk factors for stroke: hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity and smoking. Think about all the patients you care for that fit 3 or more of these categories....scary!
| | No. 28 |
Jun 30, 2009, 02:30 AM
Re: Nurse's Mini Stroke Came With No Warning - If It Happens To You, Act Quickly
In the last few days WSJ has done an article about a condition that is genetic and is responsible for a lot of medical problems. It is genetic and it causes thickening of the renal artery. It is totally under diagnosed and is present in 5 to 12 percent of all women. It can occur in men also but is not seen as often. There are a host of complaints and medical problems that women get that are not investigated properly when they actually have this genetic condition. Here are some of them, stroke, blood clots, sever hypertension drug resistant hypertension, sever head aches, a host of GI complaints including some fatal ones like messentary artery clots and anyurisms. Docs are taught in medical school that it a RARE condition. It is not rare at all, it is common and it makes very young women very ill. WSJ medical staff was alarmed enough by the study finding to use half a front page doing an article about it. If you are young women with no other medical condition or risk factors and you suddenly have a stroke you need to have a scan of your renal arteries and perhaps even a genetic test. They say the renal artery has a "string of pearls" look to it and it is a dead give away.
| | No. 29 |
Jun 30, 2009, 02:48 AM
Re: Nurse's Mini Stroke Came With No Warning - If It Happens To You, Act Quickly Originally Posted by oramar In the last few days WSJ has done an article about a condition that is genetic and is responsible for a lot of medical problems. It is genetic and it causes thickening of the renal artery. It is totally under diagnosed and is present in 5 to 12 percent of all women. It can occur in men also but is not seen as often. There are a host of complaints and medical problems that women get that are not investigated properly when they actually have this genetic condition. Here are some of them, stroke, blood clots, sever hypertension drug resistant hypertension, sever head aches, a host of GI complaints including some fatal ones like messentary artery clots and anyurisms. Docs are taught in medical school that it a RARE condition. It is not rare at all, it is common and it makes very young women very ill. WSJ medical staff was alarmed enough by the study finding to use half a front page doing an article about it. If you are young women with no other medical condition or risk factors and you suddenly have a stroke you need to have a scan of your renal arteries and perhaps even a genetic test. They say the renal artery has a "string of pearls" look to it and it is a dead give away.
Do you have a name for the condition? Sounds very interesting.Thanks!
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