Hello, I do have a type of TIA, it ceriously annoyes me tbh! I get kinda 2 types -
1) Suddenly i get this bad feeling. My heart flutters, and suddenly i get very, very quisey, then my heart pounds a bit. My blood rushes to the brain, and for like 15 to 30 seconds, i just have to sit down, and do nothing. I dont have any visual problems, just my heart pounds somewhat, and my balance just kinda goes. I got a bad feeling for it, sometimes it almost makes me sick. But this really only happens for 2-3 minutes, every clears and thats it. I have no head ache, or anything.
2) Sometimes my right arm, gets bad circulation. So much so that i can hardly feel anything onmy right hand. It pass's, but Then my right head goes pretty numb also. My teeth even feel numb! Once its gone, i get a small headache.
Ive often talked to my docs, but they never really know what it is, so i just list it down as a very basic TIA. It does not really stop me from anything, but its not very nice.
I dont believe theres anyway to stop this, so i just get pass it. I get number 1 every 2 weeks maybe, number 2 once every 2 months, sometimes. On occasion on number 1, i get it twice almost right after the first, and give sme a small headache.
I have the first almost every morning without the pounding heart. I just sit down for a few minutes and it goes away, but until reading your post I really hadn't thought a lot about it.
When my husband was first diagnosed with his AVM, we went to the hospital because of numbness in his face (mouth and teeth like he had been to the dentist) and numbness in his right arm. He was given the stroke protocol but they ruled out a stroke. He was diagnosed with a left frontal lobe AVM which has since been removed with a craniotomy. What they say this numbness is are small seizures, and he is on seizure medications, which decreased the frequency of these events. Is it possible that the facial and numbness you are experiencing is a seizure? If so, medications may really help! Hope you get it figured out!!
I agree it’s seizure activity. That’s the way mine came about. I take keppra and my cardiologist put me on Coreg 3.125 twice a day it controls the heart pounding.
Must admit, never really heard of the seizure activity/seizure, just didnt think about that much. My right side is the weak side - so on occasion, i would get the numbness, and the teeth also. Before my third stroke, i would have this: Visual distortion; numbeness, and then headache. But dont get it anymore, just the numbness and the odd headache.
I will have to research a bit more about the seizure activity. As for the "TIA" above (or seizure!) its really not that bad, just bloody annoying if anything.
I actually don't know what the stroke protocol is exactly, but the doctor's said they did it and there was no sign of a stroke. So then they did a CT scan and MRI and found the AVM. But our neurosurgeon (a top doctor at Columbia/New York Presbyterian) says that the symptoms my husband experiences are seizures and NOT mini-strokes. My husband's tongue goes numb and then is spreads a bit to his face (right side since his AVM was on the left) and he feels as if he's been at the dentist. Sometimes it spreads to his arm and his arm will get weak or numb. These happen very infrequently now since he's been on the meds, but were happening often before...
Seems you need a good Internist who will check you out and probably send you to a Cardiologist to check out your heart ! Doesn't sound like a TIA to me....a trans ischemic attack. (Those weren't the symptoms my late husband had with his frequent TIA's years ago. ) Wherever you got that term, or however you chose it, is certainly curious. Nevertheless, it absolutely appears to need a physician to give a correct diagnosis. Contact one soon ! Then follow their advice of a correct diagnosis. Take care ! And best of luck !
My daughter gets the same thing (#2). That's how we discovered her AVM three years ago - she's 13 now. It starts in one part of the left side of her body (6 cm AVM in right side of brain), lets say the left side of her mouth and moves down to her leg.. one part numb at a time, and back up to her mouth. They would last anywhere from 45 mins every 6 months to 45 mins every 12 hours for four days. The doctors thought they were seizures and put her on Keppra. The meds didn't change anything so they took her off the Keppra. Interesting that she had them monthly for a while right when she had her period (TMI :)… she had her first numb spell when she started puberty. It seems like hormones had a play in it. But she hasn't had one now for seven months!!!!!! She stayed at UCSF for a few days last Oct. to try to capture one of the episodes on an EEG. They didn't get one (I knew they wouldn't because they were happening every 6 months), but they did say that they could tell by her normal brain functions that she isn't prone to "seizures". That's when they took her off the meds. They don't know what these episodes are. We just ride the wave when they happen. Anyone else get these? How many years have they been happening? I'm just wondering if she will have this for her whole life. I guess if this is the only side effect of her large AVM we would be lucky. :)
I experience numbness in the left side of my body including tongue, limbs, (AVM on the right side of my brain), distorted vision, speech, hearing as well as having a bad headache and I've been put on anticonvulsants to help control these. I'm not sure if you might also be experiencing seizure like activities also? To be honest, I'm also a bit confused about my situation as the EEG said I didn't have epilepsy.
Hey! I get something very similar, just wrote down below what type I experience - grade 5 AVM on my right. My mum also suspects it happens close to my periods too haha. Trying to keep a diary atm Although EEG has said that I don't have epilepsy. but anticonvulsants have helped bring them how often they occur. I have been diagnosed for 7.5 years now with the AVM, so I've been getting these for a bit more than that. And I agree, hopefully this is the only extent of a large AVM! Is there anything, lifestyle wise, your daughter does to prevent these from happening? Since these occur every 6 months only, and she is not on any meds?
I don't know about you, but I tend to get some of the symptoms you get when I'm stressed out. Like you, I just sit down or lie down and close my eyes and take deep breaths. Listening to music I like also helps me. I also get upset when I get these symptoms, but I just try to stay positive and remind myself that I can't let my avm and other crap control me.
Hi all, its interesting (altho i could do without the symptoms!) some fo us have this similar thing, but no one can really tell us what it is. Ive talked to some top neuro doctors when i visit southampton and any GPs, but all they ever do is say "hmmmmmm" but can never say what it is.
There would be no point me going to a physio and talking about this - im seriously fit! I visit the gym everyday, tennis and football, despite my painful right side sometimes, im really am fit. No heart problem, etc. All comes from the old noggin, as they say.
Has anyone else mamaged to contact your neuro doctor, GP etc? You would think someone would have researched this symptom? Theres not much out there in the net.....apart from this thread!
Do you tend to get these symptoms when you get stressed out or upset? I don't know about your avm and procedures you've had when it was discovered, but my avm is in a location and a size where doctors wanted to do 2 procedures they saw risky. One doctor recommended gamma knife and I agreed it.
A lot of crap has been going on in my life after this where I find that it's not worth it to get irritated about bs. We all got to recover and its really up to us. Like you, I jog and work out when I can and it gives me motivation and a sense of accomplishment.
I think your doctors just say those things because they don't want you to worry or get angry. Take it easy!
no, i think most of the time, it happens in the morning, when ive just woken up. I get that a few times. Then i can get it if i play too much sport, when im really running around a lot. It doesnt happen all the time, but the percentage is much higher when im running around etc. But then again, i maybe just watching TV, and off it goes, but 7 out of 10, it will be in the morning or sport.
Im not often stressed out that much, if i do my pressure is always norman.....
Hi,
I have been having them since October 2013 spiratically everywhere even in my eyes mostly they first said it was neuropathy and checked me for diabetes and that was a negative wanted to just give me Lyrica I refused because I wanted to know what was causing it a bandaid just wasn’t clarity at all. They were getting stronger,numbness and weakness on right side migraines everyday ,blurry vision, weakness,tired all the time,I really felt I was dying but no idea why so I went to a neurologist have had multiple MRI MRV MRA CAT carotid Doppler then sent to a neurosurgeon he says DAVF/AVM in brain left temporal and he is sending me to a neurosurgeon in CHICAGO for consultation to set up brain angiogram they said no bleeding shows on CaT scan so I’m grateful just don’t know what I should and should not be doing I’m praying for us all.
Hi I had what i thought was a tia 3 months ago (4yrs after avm bleed,3 half yrs after gamma knife). But I had really typical stroke like symptoms. Complete weak left side not numb, slurring, confusion, difficulty speaking swallowing, droopy left side mouth. Lack of and then blurry vision. Difficulty walking, symptoms lasted at least 25 mins but still had weakness in hands legs and strength/grip for 24 hrs. Ct and MRI were clear. Diagnosed as a seizure. I am not convinced.the specialist could not explain my symptoms as to why this was a seizure. Avm right temporal lobe ( nearly shrunk).
I don’t know if you found an answer yet, but I have EVERYTHING IDENTICAL to your daughter, from AVM location, size, and problems it seems to be causing. It is a seizure! It’s called Catamenial Epilepsy! She may also have an aura before it starts, I usually start to feel nauseous, and then get that hot sensation like I’m about to get sick, then it stops. And a few minutes later the numbness begins, starting in my left cheek. Those happen like clock work every month, 3 days before my period begins.
Numbness / tingling left arm, hand, and leg & lips. Depending on the severity, trouble speaking & swallowing. Vertigo, memory issues. The dizziness can come & go for days afterwards.