# I'm back in the hospital



## Tracyarts (Apr 17, 2017)

I may have had another stroke, not sure yet. I'm in the hospital waiting for answers. If it was a stroke the damage is minimal again. It may have been a TIA or mini stroke. I'll know more tomorrow. But something happened and we have to find out what. 

Can I say fuck this shit?

Because fuck this shit.

**** Edit: The neurologist just stopped in, it was another stroke. Fuck this shit.


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## Tracii (Apr 17, 2017)

So sorry you went thru that again.
Neurology issues suck I have had 2 seizures so I understand to some degree.
Prayers your way girl.


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## Dr. Feelgood (Apr 17, 2017)

If it turns out that you can't say 'fuck this shit', let me know. I'll say it for you.


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## Tad (Apr 17, 2017)

I dedicate this song to your health issues

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gH993_Td_w[/ame]


(and of course sending all the 'be strong' vibes I can)


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## Tracyarts (Apr 18, 2017)

Tad, that song was perfect. When I was dealing with the neurologist today, I just blanked him out and played that song in my mind. 

So it was another right parietal lobe stroke. We know that much. Still no idea what caused this one or the previous one. Fortunately, I dodged the bullet again and the hand of God just thumped me a good one because my face drooping, word slurring, and left side weakness has mostly resolved and I'm up and walking around today. The damage should be minimal. 

The staff neurologist here is a prick. He dismissed it as a fat diabetic thing and if he had his way, he'd discharge me now with orders to go home and lose 200 pounds and get my A1c under 5.5. 

Fortunately he doesn't get to make that call, I'm officially under the care of an internist who thinks the fat diabetic explanation is too simple, and we need to do more tests. My cardiologist agrees. It may turn out to be another cryptogenic stroke, one with no obvious explanation. And if so, I go to a stronger blood thinner and hope for the best. But they're not satisfied with that explanation yet. 

Today they did some more cardiac tests to look for or rule out any kind of heart issue that could be producing blood clots. They may transfer me to a larger hospital with more advanced equipment, including an MRI that can accommodate my implanted cardiac monitor to get another really good look at my brain and look for or rule out any circulation issues that could be producing blood clots. 

So, that's where it stands as of now. But I have two doctors advocating for me, so that's good.


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## Green Eyed Fairy (Apr 18, 2017)

So sorry Tracy. Glad you have two doctors that want to help you.

Get well soon


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## cinnamitch (Apr 18, 2017)

For some reason,first thought I had was something is making your blood clot too easily



Tracyarts said:


> Tad, that song was perfect. When I was dealing with the neurologist today, I just blanked him out and played that song in my mind.
> 
> So it was another right parietal lobe stroke. We know that much. Still no idea what caused this one or the previous one. Fortunately, I dodged the bullet again and the hand of God just thumped me a good one because my face drooping, word slurring, and left side weakness has mostly resolved and I'm up and walking around today. The damage should be minimal.
> 
> ...


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## Tracyarts (Apr 19, 2017)

It's not a clotting issue, in terms of something in my blood. They still don't know what the problem is, but they know a lot of things it isn't. It's not narrowing or hardening of the arteries, not a heart valve issue, hole in heart, or arrhythmia. Not hypertension, and not related to diabetes. 

A possibility is Transient Vasospasms of the Extracranial Internal Carotid Artery. (I had to copy and paste that). Basically the artery spasms spontaneously and resolves itself spontaneously. My case fits it, but I'm going to need more tests to confirm or rule it out. So, either tonight or in the morning, they're going to transfer me to a larger hospital to have another MRI. 

I'm not even thinking past being transferred because I really don't want to torture myself over what if. But the doctors are working to figure it out.


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## Tracyarts (Apr 22, 2017)

I'm home now. 

They never were able to determine a cause for the stroke, just like last time. So, I follow up with a very experienced neurologist as an outpatient next month to keep looking. I wasn't ever transferred for another MRI, because I was stable and my stroke symptoms had resolved. So, that'll be something to do in outpatient treatment. 

But, they ruled out a lot of things. And I learned that my heart and arteries are very healthy. Which is good, because now I don't have to worry about that. And the new neurologist will know what not to bother investigating.

They decided not to put me on a stronger blood thinner, but added low dose aspirin to my regimen. And I need to keep walking every day, and adjust my diet a little. But it's nothing extreme or complicated. Some medications were adjusted, and that was about it. 

The stroke symptoms all resolved by Tuesday afternoon. There are also no further noticeable physical or cognitive deficits. The only sign it ever happened is a bit of additional damage to my brain that's visible in imaging. 

So, basically...

Tracy-2
Stroke-0


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## loopytheone (Apr 22, 2017)

Tracyarts said:


> I'm home now.
> 
> They never were able to determine a cause for the stroke, just like last time. So, I follow up with a very experienced neurologist as an outpatient next month to keep looking. I wasn't ever transferred for another MRI, because I was stable and my stroke symptoms had resolved. So, that'll be something to do in outpatient treatment.
> 
> ...



Well you are officially the most badass human being I know. How amazing. :bow:

Sorry that they haven't been able to find out the cause yet, that must be worrying to you.


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## moore2me (Apr 23, 2017)

:doh: Hi Tracy, Sometimes life is BITCH!!!!! I lived with my mom during 39 years of her taking blood thinners. She survived that regime tho, and lived to be over 90 years old. She had to be very careful around knives and anything else that would pierce her skin. Some foods also interfered with with the medication. It was also very helpful when she went thro menapause. Menstrual periods were sometimes bummers.

You can tell your "d*ck wad" of a physician, that if everyone who had his criteria of A1c levels of blood sugar and needed to lose the weight he mentioned, probably would put 1/4 of Americans in dire threats of strokes.

Also, ask him isn't there something in that vow that says . . . . First. do no harm? Your mind is raveaged enough with the strokes without advice that could apply to millions of Americans? Or as I like to put it, a quarter of the shoppers at Walmart. It would be more helpful if such medical advice could be narrowed down a wee bit.

May the force be with you.
M2M


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## Tracyarts (Apr 27, 2017)

Well, I'm not on Coumadin/Warfarin yet. They added low dose aspirin to my Plavix for now. 

Thankfully that prick of a doctor was just the hospital staff neurologist, and I'll never have to see him again. I am working on getting my blood glucose under tighter control though, but my endocrinologist says a1c 5 or lower is not always realistic. So my goal is to simply improve it. Since the strokes are still unexplained, I'm working on improving my overall wellness in general. 

Next step is outpatient followup with a neurologist to discuss the vasospasm possibility, and with a rheumatologist to discuss possible vasculitis inflammation.


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## Am Jim (May 11, 2017)

It's got to be pretty frustrating not knowing what's going on. At least there is quite a bid of good things they are finding out. Plz keep us posted.


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## Leem (May 11, 2017)

So sorry Tracy.


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## Tracyarts (May 13, 2017)

Am Jim said:


> It's got to be pretty frustrating not knowing what's going on. At least there is quite a bid of good things they are finding out. Plz keep us posted.



So far, no news. I'm still scheduled to see a new neurologist at the end of the month, he received all of my relevant medical records to review, so hopefully when I see him he will have some ideas of where to go next to try and find a diagnosis.


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## Tracii (May 15, 2017)

I hope they figure it all out and you can get better.


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## Tracyarts (May 30, 2017)

I saw the neurologist today. He's sending me for another MRI, to see what kind of damage was done when I had the second stroke in April. Since it'll be done on an outpatient basis, I get to have it in an open MRI machine. 

He's not committing to any diagnosis this early on, but wants to investigate the weird autoimmune related lab results I had last spring. They came back right on the borderline for Lupus and Sjogren's, but since I can't take steroids, the treatment option was some really serious medication and my doctor and I felt that borderline blood work didn't justify it. It's not terribly likely to be the cause, but something to look more closely at because autoimmune diseases can cause vasculitis which can cause strokes. 

I like this doctor, he's been practicing longer than I've been alive, and I'm on the back side of 40. He's approachable and kind. A complete opposite of the prick I dealt with in the hospital last month. I think if there is an identifiable cause for my strokes he'll be the one to find it. And if not, I can accept that no stone was left unturned after he's done all he can.


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## Tracyarts (Jun 8, 2017)

Well, fuck me...

I can't do the open MRI this time, I have to go back to the huge hospital to have it done in the closed tube style machine again. Because the open machine isn't safe to use with my implanted cardiac loop recorder. But the closed one at the huge hospital is, and I've had it done there before with no issues, so Monday afternoon I take my third trip through it in less than a year. 

At least it's the wider bore closed type machine. From what I've been told, they come in two diameters, and I can't fit in the smaller one. This one is 70 cm I believe. And it's still a tight fit, my upper arms are jammed up against the walls. But as long as you can freely slide in and out of the tube on the bed/rail thing, they go with it. 

Thankfully I'm not claustrophobic, and it's only going to take a half hour or so to do the scans. The worst part is the heat. I always freak out that I'm being microwaved or something when I start feeling warm during an MRI. It feels like being out in the sunshine during certain parts of it. 

And I can only have a light meal no sooner than 4 hours of arriving at the hospital, so that means a light early lunch around 11 since my check in time is 3. And because it takes forever to deal with an outpatient procedure at the hospital, I'll be getting out between 5-6 pm, and I will be starving. The consolation is that there is a Mediterranean all you can eat buffet between the hospital and the freeway we have to take home, and we'll need to kill a couple of hours while the rush hour traffic dies down.


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## Tracii (Jun 8, 2017)

OMG I have done the closed MRI and I am super claustrophobic so I'm ready to kill when I get out. I was a lot smaller when I did the closed MRI so now I don't know if I would fit in a reg one.
Not being able to move is another thing I have problems with I have to be free to move.
That comes from my first marriage because he was pretty abusive and would always hold me down.
Best of luck I hope all the best for you.


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## fattycakes (Jun 8, 2017)

Lordy I would be terrified at the thought of having a stroke! I lost 100 pounds when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The doctor mentioned I might have a stroke when I was over 300. Actually he said I was a stroke waiting to happen. I am by no means thin now but thankfully out of stroke territory. You need to face reality and lose weight. You have been lucky so far but you might end up with a droopy face and lose the ability to walk. My neighbor is only 38 and was over 400 pounds and had 4 small strokes a few years ago then a big one which put her in a wheel chair and her face droops on one side. She cant use the PC, drive or even walk. She has lost 200 pounds but that is only because she cant chew and has to eat smoothies and baby food. her life is over. Listen to the neurologist and lose weight. You don't have to get thin just get out of the danger zone.


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## Tad (Jun 9, 2017)

Fattycakes, trying to diagnose someone else's health issues online, based on your experiences, is rather fraught with problems. Probably not the best introduction you could have given yourself.


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## Tracyarts (Jun 9, 2017)

fattycakes said:


> Lordy I would be terrified at the thought of having a stroke! I lost 100 pounds when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The doctor mentioned I might have a stroke when I was over 300. Actually he said I was a stroke waiting to happen. I am by no means thin now but thankfully out of stroke territory. You need to face reality and lose weight. You have been lucky so far but you might end up with a droopy face and lose the ability to walk. My neighbor is only 38 and was over 400 pounds and had 4 small strokes a few years ago then a big one which put her in a wheel chair and her face droops on one side. She cant use the PC, drive or even walk. She has lost 200 pounds but that is only because she cant chew and has to eat smoothies and baby food. her life is over. Listen to the neurologist and lose weight. You don't have to get thin just get out of the danger zone.



See, here's where you put your foot in your mouth (keyboard style). 

Nobody knows why I had these two strokes. Believe me, I wish it was as simple as my blood pressure, or blood glucose, or sleep apnea, or my lipid profile. Because those risk factors can be managed. Both of my strokes have been deemed cryptogenic, meaning that despite running about every test that can be ran on me, no cause has been found. The only thing I can do to manage my risk, not even knowing what the risk factor(s) are, is take blood thinners to help prevent another clot from forming, and live as healthy of a lifestyle as I can. And cross my fingers. 

Because as of now, there is a very long list of things we know didn't cause the strokes, and only a couple of guesses as to what might have caused them. 

And I know for a fact that fatness didn't cause them. 

Because it doesn't work that way, it's not that simple, there is a progression of steps between fat and stroke. And not all fat people ever even encounter those steps. And even if they do, it still doesn't guarantee they will have a stroke. All of the weight-related health issues that can increase stroke risk have been ruled out as a possible cause in my case. For middle aged people, strokes are rare, even for supersized middle aged people. 

The doctor I saw recently has been treating stroke patients for 48 years and he looked me in the eye and said "your current or past weight didn't cause this, we won't waste time addressing it. It would be great for your mobility and long-term wellness if you could lose more weight, but that is independent of dealing with these strokes". And that's good enough for me. I'll continue to lead a healthier lifestyle and make wellness a priority, but I'll only step on a scale at the doctor's office to watch for unexplained weight fluctuations. It's simply not a priority. 

The prick of a doctor who rode my ass about my weight at the small neighborhood hospital the week after Easter wasn't even a stroke specialist, he was an epilepsy specialist, and admitted that my case was out of his league and tried to get me transferred to a larger hospital. So his opinion isn't worth that much to me. I listen to the stroke specialist neurologists at the huge hospitals in the medical center. 

I also don't like how you said your neighbor's life was over. It's not, she's dealing with the challenges caused by a serious brain injury, but she's still alive and her life still has value and meaning. 

Also, you think you're not at risk for a stroke having lost some weight? Hitting your head hard can cause a stroke. So can a bad reaction to medication. Or coming down with certain illnesses. Even migraines can cause strokes.


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## fattycakes (Jun 9, 2017)

Your in denial. 200 pounds overweight at your age is begging for a stroke. The human body is not designed to carry that much weight at the age you are right now. This is reality honey. God bless you on your journey.


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## Leem (Jun 9, 2017)

No she is not. I have a close family member who is rail thin, works out regularly and always eats properly and in moderation. He suffered a stroke at 40 and they still don't know what caused it. Yes some people who are obese have high blood pressure that is related to weight and this puts them at a slightly higher risk of stroke than a normal size person with high blood pressure. There is no causal link between just being fat and having a stroke in your 40s. I would also say coming on a size acceptance board and telling someone to lose weight is counter intuitive. All of us deal with people like you every day and this is not what this site is about. It is a group of people who are supportive and accepting of who we are.


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## Tracyarts (Jun 9, 2017)

fattycakes said:


> Your in denial. 200 pounds overweight at your age is begging for a stroke. The human body is not designed to carry that much weight at the age you are right now. This is reality honey. God bless you on your journey.



Dude,

If I was going to have a weight related stroke, I'd have had one when I was 180 pounds heavier and my blood glucose and blood pressure were out of control. And given that the two strokes I've had weren't weight related, I think it's safe to say that it's not something to worry about at this point in time. 

What I'm worried about is the fact that nobody has a clue why this is happening to me, so they can't tell me how to more effectively minimize risk. Even if I lose 200 pounds I'll still be just as much at risk for another stroke. 

But thanks for the blessing, I take them where I can get them.


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## moore2me (Jun 17, 2017)

Dear Fattycakes,

Traci has undergone some "slings and arrows" that most of us never had to deal with at her tender age. I have seen grown women brought down by strokes. Some of these women never talked again, or could not drive, or could not live life independently. What Traci has done so far is a miracle. Sure medical science helped, but most of the heavy lifting has come from her. Instead of being critical or snarky, you should thank her for letting us know what strokes do and how to react.

As we live longer, we will see more and more women suffering from strokes. Some fought thru them and re-emerged a winner. The actress Patricia Neal is a good example. She had a stroke early in her life and amazingly was able to complete a career in movies and stage. This was in the past when we only had B/W film. My favorite role of hers was in the movie Lonesome Roads with Andy Griffith. She was also in the Sci Fi flick the Day the Earth Stood Still.

You csn also watch another stroke victim in a PBS Weekly show "Sewing with Nancy". This lady continues to work and inspire others even tho she clearly has a drawn mouth, one eye slouched, and a bit of a lisp. Yet, she continues to sew intricate quilt pieces with precision like a NASCAR driver.

Now, before you get into deep water, best apologize, behave, and stand aside and watch a real woman at work.


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## domenc2 (Jul 24, 2017)

I'm sorry to hear that, you should adjust the number of good mood, will better.


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## ashishverma011 (Sep 20, 2017)

So sorry for you. 
You will recover fastly.
My wishes are with you honey..


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## Rahul123 (Jan 27, 2018)

Get well soon...


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