13/09/2022
🟠 Patient: Doctor, can I go home now?
🟠 Doctor: No, mama. You just had a mini-stroke. We need to conduct a number of investigations to ascertain the cause.
🟠 Patient: Doctor, there's nothing wrong with me again. I had the weakness of my right limbs for just 30 minutes. See, I can move them now (she moved her 4 limbs as vigorously as she could)
🟠 Doctor: Mama, you just suffered a mini-stroke. It is a forerunner of stroke; a warning sign that you may develop stroke anytime from now.
🟠 Patient: God forbid! Stroke is not my portion.
🟠 Doctor: Amen! So that stroke won't be your portion, we need to thoroughly investigate you to find the cause of this mini-stroke and start you on preventive medications. I won't be able to allow you home without doing this.
🟠 Patient: You mean you will keep me here against my wish.
🟠 Doctor: Definitely no, ma. You will be allowed to go home only if you sign the DAMA (Discharged Against Medical Advice) form.
🟠 Patient: Abeg, bring the form. I will sign.
🟠 Despite further persuasion, mama signed the form and left the hospital without medications.
🟠 She unfortunately returned 5 days after with inability to use her right limbs which hasn't resolved to this day(a year after).
*LESSONS*
🧡 Mini-stroke is known as Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) in medical parlance.
🧡 It is a transient loss of brain function as a result of blockage of a brain vessel by clot.
🧡 This clot often arises from fat laden vessels in the neck (atherosclerosis).
🧡 Fatty streaks in these vessels are caused by hypertension, diabetes mellitus, abnormal lipid profile, smoking, excessive alcohol use.
🧡 The clot can also arise from the heart in patients with heart failure, abnormal heart rhythm like atrial fibrillation and diseased heart valves.
🧡 Mini-stroke will present with symptoms like transient loss of vision in one eye, transient inability to talk, transient weakness of the two limbs on one side of the body, transient unsteady gait and dizziness.
🧡 These symptoms completely resolve most times within an hour of onset.
🧡 Complete resolution doesn't mean all is well.
🧡 All can only be well when you've been thoroughly investigated for the cause and medications to prevent a real stroke are promptly commenced. For instance;
🧡 Use of blood thinners like aspirin.
🧡 Use of anti-lipid medications like statin to stabilize fat laden vessels
🧡 Control of blood pressure if the individual is hypertensive.
🧡 Control of blood sugar in diabetic patients.
🧡 Treatment of identified heart diseases.
🧡 Surgery to remove fatty streaks from neck vessels.
🧡 Adoption of healthy lifestyle like cessation of smoking, cutting down on excess alcohol intake, regular exercise, regular consumption of fruits and vegetables.
🎯Do not go to sleep after a mini-stroke.
🎯It is time 🕐 to double up effort at preventing the real stroke.
🎯 Stop stroke before it maims👨🏿🦽 you❗