Possible TIA (mini-stroke). Or could be something else

[Fastpedaller]

I wish the OP well.
Human bodies are a mystery sometimes. 10 years ago I suffered terrible vertigo - I could only crawl to the bathroom to be sick
I had an 'attack' once at 3a.m. and my Wife called the ambulance. They (at first) suggested a heart attack but said I only had some symptoms. They took me to Hospital, the result, 3 ECG's and I was pronounced to have a 'strong heart'. They checked bloods and said they could find nothing wrong. GP repeatedly dismissed my comment 'I seem to get abdominal pain when this happens'. This went on and off for a year. My Wife said 'why not see a nutritionist (sp)?' On being told my symptoms, the N said 'I reckon you have become lactose intolerance - come off milk'
She was correct. It was shocking that some cheese or milk could affect me so badly. The shops have started selling lactose-free cheese, so I can now enjoy a pizza again

 

[BrumJim]

Update for you all:

Results of heart scan are through (no results yet seen for my heart monitor or MRI), and I appear to have a hole in my heart, or PFO.

Wow, you may say. Actually roughly 25% of the population have one. It is the shunt that is there when we are still a foetus, and accounts for the fact that our lungs don't work until we are born, therefore no need to send blood through this part of our body, even though our hearts are designed to do that. For most people, this shunt disappears shortly after birth.

Doctor suggested that I looked it up myself (credible websites only, he firmly pronounced), so if you fancy a bit of reading, this one fits in with other credible sources:
American Heart Association guide to PFOs

So what next? Well, after the results of the other test are through, I will then end up talking to the cardiologist rather than the stroke clinic, who may well suggest one of the following actions:
1) Do nothing. Lets face it, 25% of the population have the same problem, and they mostly survive well beyond my age. Just keep taking the pills.
2) Stick a rod up my groin all the way to my heart, and plug up the gap. Involves general anesthetic and a day or two in hospital. Open heart surgery is not necessary.

Questions you may have asked yourself:
1. Hasn't this caused a problem in the past? Well, no. I ran a 1hr 46'11'' half marathon about 10 years ago, which is beyond most 40 year olds, and my 5k parkrun times fell to 21'40''. So having a leaky blood pump doesn't seem to be a problem.
2. Is it genetic? According to this, only in women.
3. How does this cause a stroke? Apparently the blood returns from the body often with small clots, only a mm or two across. These then happily get filtered out by the lungs. With the shunt, these small clots may get transferred across to the main circulatory system again, and lodge themselves in some minor arteries feeding major parts of your body.
4. What do you want to do? Fancy getting it plugged up. I have a healthy lifestyle, being vegetarian by proxy, active on my bike, not drinking much and never having smoked, so I have a very limited scope to reduce my risks through lifestyle changes. And I want a better chance in being around until my son grows up and leaves home. Someone has to go on those extraordinary bike rides with him.

 

[fossyant]

Glad they can repair you with a bit of superglue and a zip tie !

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Excellent stuff - looks like you won't be leaving the forum any time soon. 🙂

 

[BrumJim]

Excellent stuff - looks like you won't be leaving the forum any time soon. 🙂

Dunno. Haven't flounced yet, and want to know what I am missing. Although it will stop me posting my son's Cyclo-cross results next season.

 

[Slick]

Reckon it would be option 2 for me, which one are you thinking on?

 

[presta]

2) Stick a rod up my groin all the way to my heart, and plug up the gap. Involves general anesthetic and a day or two in hospital. Open heart surgery is not necessary.

It's an itchy wait while your pubes grow back.

 

[BrumJim]

Reckon it would be option 2 for me, which one are you thinking on?

Item 4 in my post above addresses that question.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Glad they can repair you with a bit of superglue and a zip tie !

Puncture repair kit might work better?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Puncture repair kit might work better?

I'm imagining the surgeon calling for tools. "Little piece of sandpaper... Rubber solution. Hang on this one's all dried up. No, it's ok there's a bit left, there was a rubber bogey blocking it. Leave 'til dry to the touch. Anyone fancy a cuppa while we wait?"

 

[BrumJim]

Well, just come back from the hospital. MRI results are now in, and show nothing abnormal (really, when did you last calibrate / maintain it?) that would have resulted from a stroke (ah, makes sense now, phew!), and there is lack of any evidence to show that there is any benefit from this procedure (plugging the hole in the heart) in my case.

Next step is to rule out (or otherwise) a heart atrial arrhythmia. I'm not aware of any atrial fibrillation (other than when trying to beat a PB on Strava up a steep hill, or watching cycling or rugby - both are entirely NFC - Normal for Cyclists), so we will see what the results are.

So off to hospital again soon, to get a monitor fitted that can measure heart rhythm for a period of up to 3 years. Will ask to see if it is compatible with Strava.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Well, just come back from the hospital. MRI results are now in, and show nothing abnormal (really, when did you last calibrate / maintain it?) that would have resulted from a stroke (ah, makes sense now, phew!), and there is lack of any evidence to show that there is any benefit from this procedure (plugging the hole in the heart) in my case.

Next step is to rule out (or otherwise) a heart atrial arrhythmia. I'm not aware of any atrial fibrillation (other than when trying to beat a PB on Strava up a steep hill, or watching cycling or rugby - both are entirely NFC - Normal for Cyclists), so we will see what the results are.

So off to hospital again soon, to get a monitor fitted that can measure heart rhythm for a period of up to 3 years. Will ask to see if it is compatible with Strava.

Good luck!

 

[BrumJim]

First anniversary of the event today, and a time to reflect. Sadly I'm not compatible with Strava.

So what are my memories of that day? Mostly the people. The young lady (nurse, doctor or student, not sure) at A&E who was so calm and reassuring. The A&E doctor who wasn't so calm, but dealt with it well, the consultant that I pranked by pretending to stumble when I stood up, the other patients on the ward, all of whom must have been at least 20 years older than me, almost all of whom asked for some whisky in their tea like they were the first to make that request. And the wife of one who broke down leaving the ward, having sat with him for ages trying to work out what he was trying to say, a man who a day or two earlier was perfectly lucid.

Also the Cardiologist who, on finding out what I do on a bike decided I was an extreme endurance athlete, and therefore there was a good chance I had an AF. I probably overplayed the "I'm fit and healthy" card, not realising that even the average ones on here are seen as super fit by others.

And lastly my wife, having told her I walked home. Something else she will never forget or forgive me for. But when the chips were down, the woman who suffers from unexplained anxiety attacks was the rock that I and my son needed as I lay on the lounge floor semi-conscious.