Good1Son Asked February 2016
What, if anything can be done about my mom who may have had a mini-stroke?
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I think Mom may have had a mini-stroke. What, if anything can be done? She seems Ok now.
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1. Once the TIA has occurred, there's generally nothing that can be done for that particular TIA because it's past and over with, but the proactive approach is to get medical advice so that tests can be done in an attempt to identify if anything else is amiss or if there are medical issues that could cause another TIA or major stroke.
2. A cardiologist can be of assistance as well in ordering the various tests that could indicate issues, such as checking status of the carotid artery. That was the route we took.
3. A neurologist is a also a necessary participant. I used to get copies of my records after an ER visit, and one indicated that I had had a stroke. Panicked, I saw a neurologist, got an MRI and learned that no stroke had occurred. It was either an error in records transcription or a misinterpretation by someone who treated me at the ER.
So do follow up on this to find out to the extent possible exactly what happened.
4. In the meantime, are you with your mother 24/7? If not, does she have a medical pendant or device that alerts the monitoring company if her position changes? It's a good idea to have one whether she has TIAs or not.
5. Read up online at one of the respected medical sites such as Mayo or Cleveland Clinic to identify the signs of a TIA so if it happens again you can be prepared.
6. Since you're her caregiver, I assume you also have a list of meds, history, current and past conditions, contact information for backup relatives or friends, treating physicians, etc., that you could bring with you to the ER if necessary. I usually keep my medical notebooks in the car with me, or at least handy so I can just grab them when an emergency occurs.
7. There's another condition which doesn't necessarily mimic a TIA, but can happen and cause blackouts - it's called syncope. When these occurred preceding falls and fractured legs, I took my father to his cardiologist and neurologist for thorough tests, but no cause could be determined. At least we knew though that he had blacked out but the specific reason was unknown.
Yes, it sounds like she had a stroke. She needs to get worked up, probably by neurology and cardio to prevent another one. So much easier to do this in the hospital. Call her pcp today and seek her/his guidance.
Just as a general piece of advice, you've now reached the point where your good judgement trumps your mom's sense of " I don't want to be a bother". When in doubt, call the doc or go to the ER.