Hello everyone.

I am becoming a nervous wreck with worry/fear.

First off I don’t have any insurance and very little income. I turned 62 on Dec 11th.

On Dec 10th - WHAM my left arm went numb and I could hardly talk. I live by myself and called my two step daughters.

90% of the numbness and weakness was gone in about 15 minutes. I still had some speech slur and droop on my left side when I smiled. The rest of it was gone in about 9 hours.

I spent almost three days in the hospital and had many many test (the sight of that bill will no doubt finish me off).

From CT .... the neck sonagram (sp) type test - swallowing test - blood test - all the way to and including the MRI (head) and the (same machine) neck version for the carotid artery.

They finally said the MRI did show some damage and started calling it a stoke (vs a TIA) - then later changed their mind again and ended up calling it a TIA - I assume because all the symptoms/problems went away. For all I know that damage they said they saw was from 1998 (see below).

The only test that they wanted me to have and I did not have yet was the echocardiogram - after I waited all day long - stayed an extra night then waited all day long - the person that administered that test ......... up and left the hospital.

The Drs mentioned they did not really expect to see much from that test due to other heart test that all looked ok.

I got out of the hospital on that one on Wednesday at about 4pm. On Friday at about 1:30 pm WHAM - one of the fingers on my left hand went numb (bad bad numb). In a few minutes it started to get better and WHAM a different finger went numb (bad numb) - then it switched to yet another finger (all same left hand) the ring finger and stay there for about 15 minutes then it all stopped.

I went back to the hospital - but long long long before anyone talked to me - the symptoms were long gone. This was last Friday. This time all the symptoms (which were much milder) were all gone in about 10 minutes.

Then at about 6:30pm today (the next Friday) WHAM - from the first joint to the tip of my first finger (same left hand) went bad bad bad numb almost instantly. In about two minutes my thumb started to go but stopped and it backed off and in another couple of minutes the finger stopped being numb.

Have I actually had THREE TIAs in the last 10 days?

Since they can not seem to find the cause ........ what is in store for me. Right now I am thinking I am headed for a full on stroke - and I am scared to death.

I live alone - can’t afford to call 911 every time this has happened - am already going to get a HUGE bill - and 911 would have done ZERO good anyway - except to add another $5,000 on top.

Recap - the first time Dec 10 was worse - I had the drooped mouth - speech slur and weakness (plus the entire left arm went numb) - the weakness was down to about 10% in about 15 minutes and all was gone at 9 hours.

Both time 2nd time (last Friday) and this time (this Friday) just some (serious) finger(s) numbness that was gone in 5-7 minutes.

Sorry for the ramble but ....... I am pretty nervous about all of this.

I died in 1998 - no one knows how long I was dead - they said it was my heart but there was no damage or disease and I have had no problems since.

Well I do have perf neuropathy.

Thank you for any ideas