snootybutnice

I have a general mistrust of doctors and had to fight to get my mother seen last week as they told her she had labyrinthitis not a stroke but it was clear to me she’d had a stroke - which was a week after she had vertigo. The GP surgery won’t consider that my vertigo could be a TIA so I’ll have to wait it out and see if it turns into anything. My face on the left hand side feels a little tingly but I sleep on my left so I’ll see if that sensation goes. I’m concerned of course (as I should be) but Dr Google doesn’t worry me. It comforts me knowing about things so I’ve been more proactive by working less, eating better, sleeping more and taking my meds. The real reason for the post is to see how many people had vertigo around 1 week before their stroke as there is a real correlation made in studies which say it’s very hard to diagnose when someone is about to have a stroke to be treated promptly because while they may have a TIA which can include vertigo, meniers, labyrinthitis since all cause dizziness the GP doesn’t immediately think it’s an impending stroke warning.

Hi everyone My Background: I had an SAH 9.5 years ago with 2 sessions of hydrocephalus- it was minor and I’m 95% back to normal now. My grandmother had multiple strokes. My uncle went blind in 1 eye following his stroke. My mum had a stroke (minor) last week following vertigo 1 week before her stroke. I read up on medical journals and vertigo appears to class as a warning sign for an impending stroke for a small percentage of the population. So...2 days ago I had vertigo (possibly brought on by stress of my mum having a stroke?). I just want to describe my experience to see if anyone here has had anything similar and then later went on to have a stroke. The doctors however won’t treat this as a TIA and didn’t see me but just send me meds for vertigo. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I had a sudden attack of vertigo the day before yesterday which went on from 7am to 6pm (ish). At first everything swirled around like being on a Merry-Go-Round, making me feel very nauseous and taking me off-balance. It gradually abated until I moved my head either up or down and then it started again. I was ok if I sat still and worked at my computer. After around 6pm I kind of went back to normal and the world just only seemed to move a little if I tested it by moving my head up or down or if I laid down - particularly if I laid on my back - but not full-on spinning. Today and yesterday I’ve had a few brief moments of the world spinning fast when I move my head up or down but mostly odd slow-moving spinning at other times followed by intense tiredness, as well as periods of normality. Today I went to bed at 2pm-7pm after waking up at 9am as I feel that tired. I was given meds for vertigo sickness which can make you drowsy so that could be the reason, but it’s unusual for me to feel soooo tired. My head feels only a little achey and dull pain across eyes and odd pain sensations in head. I’ve had high BP and blood sugars. Lately I keep having my arm, leg or stomach just spasm for no reason when in bed. I had eye tests yesterday and no haemorrhages spotted. I know that sporadic vertigo can be a sign of a TIA indicating a warning of an impending stroke. Has anyone here had a second stroke following an SAH (or a first stroke) where they had vertigo a week or so beforehand or can spot that they had a similar experience to me before a stroke?

Thanks Win - it's funny you should say that about stress - I find that I can't cope as well as I could before with stress and now it makes me feel physically ill. Strange isn't it?! I think I'm getting a bit more worried about my health nowadays - and when I do get a pain I wonder if it might be the start of an SAH building up... I guess it's just natural to stop and think...'hey up...what's happening here'. Had my blood work done today so I'll give it a few days and book an appointment with the Doc to see what might be going on. xxx

Thanks Winb143 hahaha... don't you just love percentages xxxx

Thanks Super Mario - they did tests on my heart before a major op last year and all is fine - so it's got to be something else. I'll keep pestering!!

I was back at work after 3 months but it took a good year or two to feel like my old self and I still suffer from memory issues. Perhaps you need to think about changing surgeons or hospitals to try and look at sorting out your head pain. Sorry can't help with your disability question but best of luck x

I had my NASAH (no known cause for my subarachnoid brain haemorrhage) in Feb 2012. For the past year I have had head pains (on the right at the back of my head) that I haven't had before, walking fast gives me pain to my jaw (but my heart checks out fine) and for the past month I've been having something like muscle cramps along my left arm often in my bicep or around the inner elbow which sometimes moves to my upper arm, and last night to my leg a little and this evening I'm getting tingling in my left arm as well. I'm just wondering if anyone else has had the same? I've just been diagnosed with diabetes and need to be retested before being put on something so I'm dieting hard on low carb diet to try and improve the situation (I'm overweight). Part of me wonders if I could be heading for another SAH - while the other part says it must be my diabetes which I'm getting checked out now with the doctor. Has anyone had what they would term as another SAH or feeling that an SAH might happen and if so, how did you feel? I'm not panicking but just want to get an idea if anyone else has experienced what i'm going through now. My SAH gave me a weakness on my right side but these pains on my left are enough to keep me awake at night so yesterday and today I've taken pain killers just to help me sleep until I find a solution. Sorry for rambling!!

Thanks everyone for feedback - really appreciated. Well so far it is 4 out of 6 people who, just like me, have a crease on just their left ear following an SAH - which is 66.67% (and below the American Journal of Medicine which ran at 88%) ...but it's still early days yet so I'm hoping for more responses! I wonder if it's a fluke that for those who DO have a crease, it so far seems to be just on the left side? mmm.... interesting to see where this goes! Wouldn't it be great if we could say this is a potential warning sign for others to get themselves checked in order to reduce morbidity levels for SAHs? The only thing is, I don't actually remember if I had the crease before my SAH or after - do you? (if you do, please mention that in your response).

A crease line on your earlobe (known as Franks Sign) is purported to be a tell-tale sign of a stroke and heart disease (I'm obviously focused more on the stroke example being a survivor of an SAH). The Daily Mail (see link here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4548952/Ear-lobe-crease-tell-tale-sign-stroke.html said that scientists who examined 241 people who had experienced a stroke found more than three-quarters of them had the mark. It's thought that clogging of the arteries which increases the risk of a stroke also leads to poor blood supply to the ear lobes causing loss of elasticity and creasing. The American Journal of Medicine said 78 of 88 patients who suffered a full-blown stroke (88%) had creased ear lobes. Other sources say an earlobe crease is a potential indicator of coronary artery disease and/or diabetes. My SAH happened back in Feb 2012 and I suffer a small amount of weakness on my right hand side of my body and the odd night twitches, but otherwise made a full recovery (one of the lucky ones) although I had hydrocephalus complications and needed my brain draining twice at the time. I have a crease on my left ear. I wonder how many other SAH survivors have a crease on their earlobe too?

Hi Jimble I also get weird hot spots in my body - on my arm or on my leg or on a specific point on my head e.g. forehead - and I've put it down to my body being pre-menopausal and just hot flushes which aren't full on menopause hot flushes but perhaps impaired hot flushes due to damage caused by the SAH. I don't know of course. I used to have tinnitus but after getting cranial osteopathy it resolved it. So glad to hear you recovered for a second time xx

Thanks everyone... well I guess I'm normal then! LOL xxxx

Thanks for the replies Realistically I suppose it can't be anything serious - if the hydrocephalus has returned then its returning more slowly than before - which is a good thing and if it's anything else I'll find out about soon enough from the MRI scans. I just like to know what's going on and don't like waiting LOL. Sandi - I know that feeling of feeling like a hypocondriac with doctors akjnutt-I'm not sure hon, it doesn't sound too nice getting an infection so hopefully you can get it cleared up soon with antibiotics. I guess there's always a risk of infection when they do ops but you would have thought that getting an infection from the tube meant that it wasn't properly sterilised - it may be worth following that one up with the hospital?

Thanks for all your advice I've gone with one where I can eat grapefruit as I love this in salads - and from memory cos I can't be bothered to go downstairs and take a look - the tablets are called 'Ritalin'? (I've probably got that wrong!). The take home monitor did monitor me for 24 hours and at hospital it went up to something like 172/xxx although it stayed around 145-155 most times (I forget the lower figure but it was around 80-90s I think). I'm a bit peeved that the tablets are supposed to be for life though. I told the doctor we'd reassess it when I've lost some weight - so she agreed! Not feeling right at the moment though and hope it's just a blip. Nic x

I'm not sure if its the hydrocephalus (mild) returning slowly, but I'm getting a vice like pressure around my forehead around to my temples - and around the point where my neck reaches my head/skull. Does anyone else get this? (I had an MRI yesterday so if something is going on I should get the results soon). Is it a high blood pressure symptom? I'm also very short tempered, cranky and can't seem to concentrate for the last few days. Thanks Nic xx

Hi everyone I had a blood pressure monitor attached to me last week - and the upshot is that the doctor wants to put me on tablets/medication for high blood pressure (even though when I went in it to see them and they took a reading I appeared to be normal/low...which just goes to show how random it can be I suppose). I wondered what everyone else has been prescribed for JUST high blood pressure (I know some of you are on betablockers and other hypertension drugs to help with headaches etc). Thanks Nic x