TIA ~ mini stroke

Numb and tingling sensations in one arm?
Difficulty with speech?
The Doctor leaned over and told him that he'd had not one, but two 'mini-strokes' or TIA's.
He didn't want to hear that.
In fact he grumped about it all the way home and the next morning when he had to look at the medications he was to begin taking.

*Why do I have to take these?*
Well he knew darn well.
He was being like an obstinate child and pouting a bit at the same time.

I tried to reassure him, that these meds where merely 'preventative medicine'. No one likes to hear that they may have health issues.
Ignore them and they go away?
No they don't.

Exercise and good eating habits don't always keep you from the risk pool. Things such as age and how your body metabolizes cholesterol, along with blood pressure factor into this equation.
It is especially hard to take when your doctor proclaimed you extremely healthy for your age at the last visit.
Easy to concentrate on that and not the current matter at hand.

Denial.
Anger.
Sad.
More Anger.
[Your body has betrayed you!]
Depression.
[How could your body betray you like this?]
Uncertainty.
[What happens next?]

Next there will be tests. But the gloom and doom of another 'Event' does hang over our heads.
I can't deny that. But at least I am prepared that not only can it happen to him, but to anyone.

Isn't it awful to find out that you are not super-human anymore?
Hard wake up call to answer to.

*A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is an episode in which a person has stroke -like symptoms for up to 1-2 hours.

A TIA is often considered a warning sign that a true stroke may happen in the future if something is not done to prevent it.

A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is caused by temporary disturbance of blood supply to an area of the brain, which results in a sudden, brief decrease in brain function. (A decrease in brain function is called a neurologic deficit.)

A TIA is different than a stroke. Unlike from a stroke, a TIA does not cause brain tissue to die. The symptoms of TIAs do not last as long as a stroke and do not show changes on CT or MRI scans. (Strokes usually show changes on such tests.)*

Taken from:

Medline Plus, National Institute for Health