Update …

I’ve been distracted and not up to creating blog posts.  You’ll understand in a minute.

The doctor sent me to have a CT scan because of what *appeared* to be a TIA.

The technician didn’t come out of the booth right away.  Another lady came and helped me up, and asked me to please sit in the waiting room for a few minutes.  She said it was in case I had a reaction to the contrast dye, which didn’t make any sense.  If I had had a reaction, it would have been right away.

A few minutes later, the technician came out with tears in her eyes.

Apparently, she found a 4.5 cm tumor in my brain.

A week later, I had an MRI.  The tumor is about the size and shape of a chicken egg.  It does NOT seem to be cancerous.  However, the surgeon wants it out of my head as soon as possible.  There’s no such thing as a completely safe brain tumor.

I will be in the hospital for about a week and a half, and the first few days of that will be in a special ICU, with no visitors.  My brain surgery will be the first week of June.

TIA, Transient Ischemic Attack, Mini-Stroke

Sound like a serious topic? It is. And not just because heart disease and stroke are the number one killer of women today.

Last week, I had a mini-stroke. I had one about five years ago, so you would think that I’d know enough to get my butt to the ER. Unfortunately, the symptoms made it impossible for me to explain to my father-in-law what was wrong, and so I didn’t get to the hospital. Believe me, I’ve been taken to task by my doctor for that. I’m getting a Medic Alert bracelet so that I can tell people what is wrong when I can’t speak. On the 26th, I’m going to the hospital for a CT scan.

A TIA, or mini-stroke, has all the symptoms of a stroke. In fact, it’s a warning sign that a true stroke may be in the future – a third of people who have a TIA will go on to have a stroke. It happens when part of the brain is temporarily blocked or reduced, usually by a blood clot. The only difference is that the symptoms resolve in under 24 hours, usually within a few minutes. Unfortunately, if you’re have a full-blown stroke, an hour can be too late.

Do you know the signs of a stroke? Can you recognize them in yourself and others?

The symptoms of a stroke or TIA come on very quickly:

- Numbness, tingling, or a heavy feeling on one side of your body, perhaps in only one part (hands, arm, face)

- Inability to move one side of your body, perhaps as little as a hand or arm.

- Vision problems. Thins may look blurry, dim, doubled, or you could be unable to see.

- Difficulty speaking or understanding words.

- Confusion

- Dizziness and clumsiness

- Massive headache

If you have these symptoms, get to an emergency room immediately. Stay healthy. Stay young at heart.