Saturday, June 23, 2012

Did I just have a TIA or Lupus Headache?

June 23rd, 2012

UPDATE:  June 26th, 2012

I may have had a TIA, it is likely it was a pulsating severe migraine with cranial nerve involvement.  Sat eve my nose turned red and the left side of my face went numb.  My platelets tested a little more than twice the highest normal range and I was put on blood thinners.  The hospital I went to did not have a carotid ultrasound to check me for blockage.

All I can say is: PLEASE better safe than sorry.  If you have a severe headache that presents all of a sudden or numbing on one side of the body, GO to the ER and call 911 immediately.  Your life can be saved if you get there FAST!




I’m not a headache person.  At all.  I hardly ever get headaches, maybe a couple times a year.  That’s it.

This was no ordinary headache.  Thursday early evening I all of a sudden got a headache that felt pressure on the back of my head and came on hard.  Pain scale at an 8/10 and I had to close my eyes and layed in the dark in fetal position for 3 hours.  The monstrous THING did not change it stayed at an 8 for the entire three hours.

John tried rubbing my feet and putting ice on me.  I took Tylenol and aspirin.  No change.  John wrapped a heated blanket around my head.

After 3 hours it let up to about a 3 and I could lean up on pillows.  I could finally open my eyes.  Thank goodness, I knew I couldn’t take any more.  I told John one more time at that intensity and he could call 911. My mouth was SUPER DRY and I was swallowing hard.  I did not see how he could pry me out of fetal position during those 3 hrs.
Afterwards my vision was fuzzy for a little while.

Then Friday night all of a sudden my face felt weird.  I ran to the mirror thinking what the heck!  My nose was RED.  I mean REDDER THAN RED!  I sat back down and the left side of my face went numb.  I thought it was like when I had Bells Palsy (had it twice) and it felt really strange.  After about 10 minutes the feeling came back.  Afterwards I was nauseated and couldn’t eat the popsicles I wanted and I was mad about it.  I took a promethazine and went to sleep.

Today Saturday my face feels SORE.  I have a little twitch on the inside that I can feel but you can’t see.  I often have a twitch you CAN see after a TN attack.  This was not a TN attack.
My grandmother had hundreds of TIA's .  She had undx'd lupus.  In her day they called it RA.  

I've been following in her footsteps symptom-wise for years now.  She was about my age when she started getting tia's.  She and I have had livedo reticularis, high blood platelets, peripheral and cranial neuropathies, arthritis, reynauds.  All at the same time.  Also both anemic, photosensitive and have joint and muscle pain.  I was issued a cane at the same exact age she was.

I don't know what to think!  I see my GP Monday.  New rheumie apt not till August.
My platelets are high just like my grandmothers were and she had horrible problems with blood clotting.  She was on heparin.   I remember she hated it.

Monday I see my GP.  Let's hope this will be simple and straightforward, with no hmmms and maybe's and I thinks...I'll keep you (and me, lol) updated.

     Peace-OUT!     

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