[sicknfedup]

Hi my name is Dave

I am needing any feedback, as to whether anyone else seems to have or have had recurring stroke like symptoms, 3years after a small stroke.
8years ago, att 39 yrs old I was a senior manager at a large uk ftse company, I had a massive nervous breakdown.
This was due to 20years of 15hour day 6days a weeks workaholic lifestyle, in business management and also running my own parttime business as well as working for private and public companies.

I suffered with hypertension, high cholesterol, and abnormal electrical QT wave diagnosed when I was 24years old, due to constantly having heart pain, I underwent stress tests which I couldnt complete and after having an angiogram,it was found that under stress, my heart arteries and blood vessels constrict severely causing me pain.

All this eventually with my high work ethic, caused me to have a breakdown, I then was unable to work and fell into severe depression.


3years ago whilst having a nice stroll near the beach at cleethorpes,with my wife i experienced loss of feeeling in my left leg for approx 10minutes and then the same thing in the left arm. My wife and I laughed it off, wondering what was going off, I also felt unwell and dizzy so we decided to drive back home to Doncaster.

My left side felt weak, so after having a couple of drinks he went to bed early.
The next morning I was unable to get up properly, so my wife came upstairs and noticed i had the drooped mouth and eye on the left side of my face.
I was unsteady and weak on my left leg and left arm, and I had a severe pain behind my left eye socket and was very slurring and unsteady due to dizziness.
Luckily my 24year old daughter who had popped in stated that this looked like a stroke, and the paramedics were called and came out and confirmed hospital treatement.

I was treated for a stroke and subsequent scans and consultant reports within the next 48hrs states scans have shown white changes on the left hand side of my brain, which should have affected the right hand side, and I had no changes on the right hemisphere to cause the left side issues.
A conundrum as one specialist called it.

I am on treatment, for the above confirmed illnesses, but ive been told that the stroke type symptoms are due to stress and called functional symptoms and I have been recommended for psychotherapy,but will not be allowed down this road until my depressions stabilises.

My grown up children, aged 30, 24 and 21 and myself and wife are getting exccedingly worried, as I am having more of these episodes especially over the last 8-10months.

These episodes are now as frequent as three times a day and sometimes 7days a week, where I suffer episodes of stroke type symptoms, during my sleep, and twice during the day.

These attacks which can be from light to severe attacks are as follows, a light attack is like an electrical current going through my head to a bad one sometimes precedes with a tingle initially in lefthand side of my face, which then ends with me displaying the symptoms as already described on numerous occasions and literally ends with me sleeping,and my leg and arm feeling like a lead weight, these have been seen by many medical professionals within Royal Hallamshire Sheffield Hospital, Doncaster Hospital, the nurses at the local GP and local CMHT.

Once i have recovered ie woken up after a sleep from 2 to 4hrs, i feels sometimes like I am drunk and hungover for a day or two, and i am unable to walk once these attacks happen and i am very weak on my left side leg and arm continuously.

A heavy attack has the following symptoms,severe pain behind my left eye socket, dizziness, pain in my head, a drooped mouth and left eye and left handside face, weakness in left arm and left leg, unable to walk, slurred speech, tingling in the lefthand side of face, blurry vision.
These attacks whether light, medium or heavy, always ends up with myself being completely fatigued and then my brain forces me to sleep, from 2 to 4 hrs or so.

These attacks happen during my sleep, as my wife is unable to wake me up in the morning and when i do finally wake up, i have the telltale left sided face droop etc, they can happen anytime of the day, whilst im sat watching tv etc. sometimes 2 to 3 times a day for upto 7days.

My memory is terrible, i am unable to concentrate for long periods,i also lose my balance a lot, painkillers do nothing for the pain in head and eye socket its a nitemare.

Ive been tested for bells palsy, ms, but no joy..does anyone have these effects or symptoms after 3 yrs after a stroke?

Im under a neurologists at Sheffield Royal, but theyve put it down to functional symptoms due to stress,..we need help or any info from stroke survivors, has anyone suffered or experienced anything like this...ps excuse the length of this.

I have also been experiencing in addition to the other symptoms, pain in my bones on my left side and back, especially when i retires to bed at night, to the point where we have had to obtain a loan to purchase, a £3000 hospital type adjustable bed, which has not really alleviated the pain.

I have never ever regained the strength in my left leg or arm, this was only a small stroke, due to furred up carotid artery the consultants have informed me.

I am constantly in turmoil over this, feeling very depressed and very suicidal on a daily basis, I just need some answers or other experiences and how they have coped or resolved.

This is affecting my whole family too, in a depressive way.

Thanks

Kind Regards

Dave and Nicola

[Alffe]

Hi Dave and welcome to NeuroTalk. Here is the link to our Stroke Forum

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum23.html

You certainly need answers to your questions. I'm glad you've joined us.

[MelodyL]

Hi there.

I see that you have been the link to the forum that will help you.

I am so sorry that you are going through these problems. Please know that someone on the other side of the country is thinking of you, praying for you and sending positive energy your way.

I am amazed at what people go through and can still keep on fighting.

That's what you are you know. A FIGHTER!!!

Take care
Melody

[en bloc]

I have had several small strokes and numerous TIA's. My first thought in reading your post is; did you have a stroke or not? The radiologist reading your scans should be able to tell whether you had one...without question. If you present with symptoms of a stroke and have what appears to be an acute infarct, then the conclusion would likely be a stroke. Again, the radiologist should be able to tell.

Then you need to be assessed for WHY it occurred. Have you been evaluated for clotting disorders? Simple blood tests can answer these questions.

Your anxiety is probably making the problem worse, but you should still have your scan re-read to determine IF you had a stroke or not. Then address the result accordingly.

Are you taking any blood thinners to prevent future strokes or TIA's...until they know for sure?