Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) alert

Thankfully, I've never been (and I hope never TO be!) the victim of one. However, now that a second family member is experiencing them, I feel like some public awareness needs to be raised so my readers can watch their loved ones for any risk/experience of them. (My mother has had several and has not had a recurrence, thankfully, due to her doctor's immediate prescription of Plavix. My father-in-law had one last night and likely faces a similar regimen of diet/exercise/medication to what she's followed for the past decade plus.)

Put simply, the American Heart Association's web page devoted to the topic explains TIA as (quote from their site) "a "warning stroke" or "mini-stroke" that produces stroke-like symptoms but no lasting damage. Recognizing and treating TIAs can reduce your risk of a major stroke.

Most strokes aren't preceded by TIAs. However, of the people who've had one or more TIAs, more than a third will later have a stroke. In fact, a person who's had one or more TIAs is more likely to have a stroke than someone of the same age and sex who hasn't.

TIAs are important in predicting if a stroke will occur rather than when one will happen. They can occur days, weeks or even months before a major stroke. In about half the cases, the stroke occurs within one year of the TIA."

The site goes on to describe TIA symptoms as being the same as those for a stroke (e.g. sudden numbness on one side of the face or body, sudden confusion, sudden severe headache without known cause, trouble speaking/understanding, loss of balance/coordination), but much more brief in duration (about five (5) minutes) and leaving no lasting damage in its wake.

If I've managed to educate only ONE person with this information today, my work is done. Please feel free to share this information with friends and loved ones. They may thank you later for doing so! (And if you don't share my post, at least refer them to the American Heart Association's site for more information--they would appreciate the information being disseminated widely!)