Numbness in L side: early sign of stroke? Posted: 01-22-07 14:13pm
Here is my story, last Tues. I was doing
some housework, and went to make a step,
and noticed my left leg and arm was numb,
was like I was walking on an air cusion,
left side only, like I had a force against
my arm, leg and foot..didn't fall...was
like a rubber band...went to lay down on
the couch for awhile..got up and still had
a problem, like I didn't have much control
over my leg. This all lasted almost two
hours before I was completly back to
normal.
What could it have been? I didn't go to
the doctor, cause I was home alone, and my
husband was at work, and didn't want to
bother him, just in case it was nothing to
worry about...just wondering what it could
have been. Should I be concerned?
Looking Forward to getting an answere.
Thank You
Kathy
|
DoctorAnswer
Doctor Answer
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General Q&A Answer A2210 Posted: 01-26-07 11:17am
According to the symptoms you describe
(the left arm and leg have become numb for
2 hours) and given your medical history
(high blood pressure and cholesterol), you
might have experienced some type of
transitory ischemic attack (TIA). TIA is a
kind of cerebral-vascular disorder where a
thrombus stacks in a brain artery
(embolia) and causes a temporary stop in
blood flow (ischemia). The fibrinolitic
system in the blood dissolves the thrombus
and restores the blood circulation before
irreversible brain damage (necrosis) can
occur. That’s why the symptoms (no
matter the severity) last only
temporarily. The type of neurological
symptoms of TIA depend upon the location
of the ischemic area in the brain. TIA is
not a serious condition by itself because
all the symptoms disappear completely.
However, TIA is a warning that something
more serious is on the way, like a stroke.
You must regularly control your blood
pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar and
take all the necessary medications for
them if you want to prevent another TIA or
a stroke.
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