Unexpected TIA on Wednesday! What next...

Daaaaaamn. Have not had that, but did have a big scare at age 25 with AF.

I can't offer help, but I will offer a virtual hug and ask you to try and not worry too much.

If only I knew what a TIA was.

If only I knew what a TIA was.

It's like a miniature stroke.

Yep, I had to look up TIA.

I’ve had several caused by issues with the effectiveness of my anticoagulants.

It’s not caused any issues with my riding. I still enjoy myself and it’s not left me with lasting weakness in my limbs.

Cant help with TIA advice as mine turned out to be not a TIA, just very similar symptoms with no findable cause. Buts its bloody scary isnt it 🙁

I did find the specialists were awesome though and able to answer a lot of questions general A&E could not! And quick too, I saw one in 2 weeks after event!

Give the Stroke Association helpine a call (Im assuming youre not in Scotland where id suggest a different number.

https://www.stroke.org.uk/finding-support/stroke-helpline

The helplines can be really good at helping you get grounded whats happened and what comes next.

@boredmarriedwithkids I was diagnosed with TIA many years ago when around 40ish and was put on Clopidogrel to minimise the risk of stroke. 59 now and no further dramas since and have mostly carried on life as normal apart from other unrelated medical issues. I was interested when you said your left leg wouldn't move as I had something similar. I went to docs following an unexplained bout of double vision and he asked if I had experienced any other strange symptoms. I remembered a time from my mid thirties when I was at the top of some stone stairs ready to come down when it suddenly seemed as though I had forgotten how to walk and just had to stand there for a minute or two until it suddenly came back to me. It was very weird at the time, does this sound like what you experienced with your leg?

Thanks for the insights all.

Indeed my leg didn't seem to know what to do, which I found the most confusing, not to mention I couldn't lift my arm and was very heavy.

I'm up to speed with the medical side of things, 14 days aspirin followed by Clopidogrel ad infinitum including statins to lower cholesterol.

My main point, which I should have made clearer, is what could the future hold in terms of riding, intensity, endurance etc.

Not to mention Mrs Woman having a say.

Interesting times ahead!!

2 years to the day since I had mine which was milder.

I wasn't told to ease off exercise (which is a bit sporadic for me anyway), but given the usual lifestyle advice...not all of which has been followed! I'm on pills ofc.

Not sure if that helps. My feeling is that the drugs reduce the risk significantly so hopefully all is ok.

A forum member had a TIA whilst out riding, though he didn't know it.

He posted the symptoms on here and was immediately told it was a likely TIA....and it was!

Was a couple of years or so back?

I always remember that thread when it gets a bit negative on here.

Amazing knowledge base in this forum.

My feeling is that the drugs reduce the risk significantly so hopefully all is ok.

I recently was taken to A&E after a funny turn that I thought may have been a stroke. It wasn't and the doctor I saw said it was very unlikely I would have a stroke while on clopidogrel. I had never been told this before and I don't know how true it is but I hope so.

Presumably you're seeing specialist's soon? They might have some additional insights into root cause.

I've had a full stroke and a TIA. Unless you were a neurologist you can't tell. I'm very lucky.

If you don't have any side effects then I'm not aware of a reason to change activity assuming you are mostly fit and active. (I'm not a doctor mind....). If there is some differences than do your physio and with time things should improve.

Happy to chat more if you send me a pm.

So this is my story, it may or may not be relevant!

Stroke at the age of 57, after being very fit and healthy. No obvious cause so the Drs looked at my heart and found a patent foramen ovale (PFO) which is a hole in your heart that should close just after your birth but in 25% of people doesn't. It may be linked to strokes, but lots of debate on that. Also maybe linked to migraines (even more debate, but mine have now stopped). I had the PFO closed privately 2 years ago, just in case it did cause the stroke. Also on meds  since the stroke, Atorvastatin and Clopidogrel.

Now, at 60, I have been diagnosed as having epilepsy, which is more common after 60 and a stroke.

The stroke didn't stop me doing thing, but epilepsy does. No driving for at least a year, and I've stopped cycling until I know the seizures are under control of the medication (Lamotrigine). I had 2 seizures while riding and was very lucky just to get a few dents.

My understanding is that a TIA doesn't mean you'll have a stroke, but they are linked, and the damage a stroke does may lead to something else. So do everything you can to find what caused your TIA, and take the meds.

Good luck.

I think what it means for you is something only a doc can tell you and may depend on other factors. I was never told to limit my exercise in any way and have regularly been blowing out my arse with heart pounding to no apparent ill effect.

So, my story I guess… started a few years ago on a Tuesday morning at about 6am.
I was part of a crew of around 3-5 riders, we all worked at the same place and realised that the local trail centre was nicely on the commute between our various homes and work. So a bi weekly 5am pre work thrash around the Adelaide hills became routine. Most of the trails were quite aggressive and as always, people would come unstuck in varied and humorous ways. I was no different and one morning had a particularly hard crash. Bike was ok, I broke my thumb, badly winded.. pedalled back to the car and got my hand fixed up later that day. Over the next few months found that I was going downhill a bit, didn’t feel right and strava confirmed it. Cut to post ride Friday in Feb around 3 months later, I was putting the bike on the rack and I was hit with what they call a ‘thunderclap’ headache. Think a hammer blow to the head/pick axe hind of sensation. Thought nothing of it and drove to work, despite the fact I had no vision to the left. During the day, continued loss of vision and strange stuff happening in what I could see so by 3 I decided to head home (yup, drove myself). Once home, went to use the bathroom and then numbness, confusion, and frightened by strange people in the kitchen (it was the wife). Trip to hospital ensued where it was determined that I had damaged an artery in my head / neck and a TIA had occurred. Whilst they came up with a plan to fix the plumbing, had a lot of cognitive tests which showed a fair degree of impairment which was pretty upsetting. This was coupled with debilitating migraines, loud ringing noises and dizziness. Over the next 12 months made slow but steady improvement and 3 years down the track I’m 99% better. I was well supported with heaps of testing, physio and psychological help. I have to take it easy on the bike as excess strain kicks off those migraines (read ebike excuse) and I only on asprin now to keep the risk of clotting from the artery repair in check. Only outward sign is that my pupils are different sizes. All up - real emotional roller coaster that took me to some dark places, and I’ll never take my brain for granted again, as it’s only become ‘quiet’ in there in the last 24 months.

I had a TIA several years ago. My symptoms were more mental - aphasia - and my face looked funny according to Mrs Onewheelgod. Had all the tests, they couldn't find anything wrong. I have to say the response in A+E was terrific, it's clearly something that everyone is well drilled in. For me the biggest pain was having to take the bus to work for a month. I notice no one has mentioned this yet: https://www.gov.uk/transient-ischaemic-attacks-and-driving. Good luck OP!

Just remember to declare it on your travel insurance. Someone on here got into strife by having a related incident on holiday, then the insurance co declined to cover the costs.

Tia means that for a short time part of the blood supply to your brain has been reduced or stopped. Obviously this means that bit of you brain stops working during this and how well you recover is linked to how big the blockage is and how long it lasts.

The reasons for this are varied and we have examples on here. From kinking or blocking of arteries in your neck to a tiny clot in the small vessels deep in your head.

What your odds of reoccencnce and what effects on your future life depends on what happened. Fortunately modern medicine is good at this stuff both diagnosis and treatment.

Good luck

With regard to riding this summer. I would hope that you have some answers in a couple of weeks or start asking questions loudly. My sort of but not very informed guess would be that gentle riding increasing as you feel able would be the way. So no trips to the alps but plenty of pootling

It's all about finding what is throwing out the clots- the main culprit is normally the heart, so that my be what they investigte next for you and also why they are being a bit cautious with the advice to ease back a little on the exercise. I'd be surprised if the advice is to stop exercise all together though! You certainly want to keep on with moderate levels of exercise at least, as the health implications of not doing that will likely outweigh the risks doing it.

Thanks all.

Agree 100% the folk at A&E and the stroke unit were fab, apart from doing a BP and glucose test every 2 hrs especially when I was hanging out of my @rse trying to catch some Zs!

All the the test results came back negative with nothing found and feeling fine right now kind of makes the whole thing a bit surreal but the biggest issue now is convincing Mrs Woman that I can go for a ride on my own.

For the mo it will be gentle spinning on Zwift with no attempts at AdZ ......just yet!!

Had a TIA back in 2010. Visited A&E who ageeed that something had happened but couldn't pinpoint exactly what had happened. Sent home. Visited doctor a couple of days later and he said that something neurological had happened but wasn't sure if it was a TIA or Epilepsy. Took a couple of weeks of tests etc to work out exactly what had happened. Eventually traced to a Cholesterol build up in my neck where the artery splits to the face and to the brain. A piece of cholesterol broke free and blocked the blood supply to my brain.
Had an op on my neck to remove the buildup - 3 hour operation that I watched on a monitor and contantly talking to a nurse as they needed to monitor to see if the op affected any nerves in my neck.
Cholesterol level is/was relatively low @ 3 but now on statins. I was put on blood pressure tablets but managed to get the doc to take me off of them as they were affecting me playing 5-a-side at the time. Take Asprin daily to help reduce/prevent clotting.
Of all my friends I was the one that was least likely to have a health issue like this.
I'm now in my early 60's and still out on the bike 2-4 times a week.
No longer play 5-a-side or run but that is more to do with my knees...