Current Events > I'm honestly worried I've had some kind of a stroke

(+) Yeah! (+)

Over the past couple weeks I feel like it's been harder to speak. I can still pronounce everything properly but it's like I have to try harder. The words don't just fly out of my mouth the way they always did.

My tongue also just feels weird in my mouth, but I wonder if it's that I'm hyperfocused on it due to my teeth not lining up properly and I'm always worried about grinding them...

Yet all the simple tests they say to do to determine it, like sticking your tongue out, smiling, speaking sentences, raising arms up, I do all those without any problem.

I wonder if it's just anxiety over all the changes going on in my life.
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go to the doctor?
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DocileOrangeCup posted...

go to the doctor?

Or urgent care.
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DocileOrangeCup posted...

go to the doctor?

I did recently for a physical exam... he didn't really check too much though and ordered blood work to check everything, and it was all normal except for an overabundance of FAT. Triglycerides I think is what they call it.

Would those tests detect a stroke or would I need to get an MRI or something?
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okay look i'm not a physician but you can't tell a stroke from the level of trigs in your blood as far as I know.

how recently are we talking? did you bring up your speech issues?
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joestarrr posted...

okay look i'm not a physician but you can't tell a stroke from the level of trigs in your blood as far as I know.

how recently are we talking? did you bring up your speech issues?

It was 2 weeks ago and no we didn't talk about speech issues. We mainly just talked about how fat I am and today I started the Nutrisystem diet. That could certainly be making me feel weird as well.
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Ex-Kefiroth posted...

EastKingStar posted...

Would those tests detect a stroke or would I need to get an MRI or something?

CT or MRI of the brain would, but I hope you either have good insurance or don't live in the US, because those scans are $$$$$

This is correct. You need a MRI / CT scan of your brain to determine if a stroke has occurred. It sounds like even if you did, it was incredibly minor, but you still would need to determine what set it off, or rather, what slowed down the blood flow to your brain. The tests you mentioned are if the left side of the brain was affected. The right side of the brain affects you differently.

Talk to your physician and get a scan done.
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So_Hajile posted...

This is correct. You need a MRI / CT scan of your brain to determine if a stroke has occurred. It sounds like even if you did, it was incredibly minor, but you still would need to determine what set it off, or rather, what slowed down the blood flow to your brain. The tests you mentioned are if the left side of the brain was affected. The right side of the brain affects you differently.Talk to your physician and get a scan done.

0_o really

Is there something I can do to check if it was in the right side?
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So_Hajile posted...

Ex-Kefiroth posted...

EastKingStar posted...

Would those tests detect a stroke or would I need to get an MRI or something?

CT or MRI of the brain would, but I hope you either have good insurance or don't live in the US, because those scans are $$$$$

This is correct. You need a MRI / CT scan of your brain to determine if a stroke has occurred. It sounds like even if you did, it was incredibly minor, but you still would need to determine what set it off, or rather, what slowed down the blood flow to your brain. The tests you mentioned are if the left side of the brain was affected. The right side of the brain affects you differently.

Talk to your physician and get a scan done.

^^^^^^

This.
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Yeah, usually it's a CT angiogram and a FLAIR MRI if stroke is suspected as far as I know.

Stroke symptoms are extremely variable, since the location of strokes are variable, though there's certainly more common locations.

Either way, if you're really worried, just go to the doctor.
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EastKingStar posted...

So_Hajile posted...

This is correct. You need a MRI / CT scan of your brain to determine if a stroke has occurred. It sounds like even if you did, it was incredibly minor, but you still would need to determine what set it off, or rather, what slowed down the blood flow to your brain. The tests you mentioned are if the left side of the brain was affected. The right side of the brain affects you differently.Talk to your physician and get a scan done.

0_o really

Is there something I can do to check if it was in the right side?

If there's any physical issue with the left side of your body (right side of brain affects left side of body and vice versa), attention span, recognizing things you see and heart. Also, denial in you not having any issues. Sounds silly, but often when people have a stroke that affects the right side of the brain, they believe there's nothing wrong and try to do everything like normal.

Again, it's not so much about determining if you had one that affected the left or right side, but simply finding out if you had one at all and then figuring out what made it happen.
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So_Hajile posted...

Also, denial in you not having any issues. Sounds silly, but often when people have a stroke that affects the right side of the brain, they believe there's nothing wrong and try to do everything like normal.

Heh that's interesting. One might say I'm purposely looking for things that are wrong with me...

Let me ask you this because you seem like you know things, is the R sound associated with this in any way? It seems specifically like saying the R sound that's giving me trouble, like I'm becoming someone who would say oww instead of R. Which scares the crap out of me. I just had to tell a guy on the phone that an item weighs 40 pounds and it came out like fouwty.

It's just the worst having to answer calls for work while worrying that I'm not speaking properly.
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EastKingStar posted...

So_Hajile posted...

Also, denial in you not having any issues. Sounds silly, but often when people have a stroke that affects the right side of the brain, they believe there's nothing wrong and try to do everything like normal.

Heh that's interesting. One might say I'm purposely looking for things that are wrong with me...

Let me ask you this because you seem like you know things, is the R sound associated with this in any way? It seems specifically like saying the R sound that's giving me trouble, like I'm becoming someone who would say oww instead of R. Which scares the crap out of me. I just had to tell a guy on the phone that an item weighs 40 pounds and it came out like fouwty.

It's just the worst having to answer calls for work while worrying that I'm not speaking properly.

Yeah, that type of mispronunciation is common.

I'm not an expert on the subject in the slightest so definitely don't rely on just my word. The little knowledge I do have is from my mother suffering a stroke 2 years back and again just 3 weeks ago. She had kidney stones removed, probably caught a staph infection (common in hospitals if you're in contact with tubes or instruments), and caused little bits of clotting in her blood stream. The clotting was enough to slow down the blood to her left side of the brain. She's getting better everyday and it, thankfully, was a minor stroke, but she's still having to work at it every day. Her stamina is very weakened and she has to work to say what she wants, often feeling frustrated as she can't think of the word she wants to use along with trying to pronounce words correctly.
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