I am a 24 year old male. I went into the ER about a month ag...

I am a 24 year old male. I went into the ER about a month ago and was diagnosed with a TIA. They also told me I had inverted T-waves. I had a follow up with my primary and he referred me to a cardiologist. I have an appointment with him on Wednesday as well as with a neurologist. However, about five minutes ago the right side of my face began to go numb just a little, so a rushed and had some aspirin, the only medication that I have been on since my ER visit (baby aspirin) to be honest I’m quite scared but don’t want to panic and go into the ER for nothing. The numbness isn’t there really however I do feel a little weird on that side of my face and head. What should I do?

Go to an ER! Urgently. Don't drive yourself. Get someone to take you. It is not safe for you to be driving under these conditions.

A TIA is a "transient ischemic attack" ... a mini-stroke. It sounds as if you've had another stroke type event although it doesn't sound quite as "transient".

TIA's often are of cardiac origin ... tiny blood clots carried up to the brain or insufficient blood supply to the brain.

Inverted T waves in the heart are indicative of a significant cardiac blood supply problem.

Hi this is Ulises again. Thank you for the advice however I’m sorry to say that I didn’t go to the ER. I waited about an hour and felt ok so I forced myself to sleep after a lot of prayer. Thank god I woke up ok went to work and I feel fine. I don’t see my doctors till Wednesday, what are key things that I should be asking them? I’m I ok with waiting till Wednesday what do you think?

"I'm sorry to say" ... who are you apologizing to? Your life or death doesn't directly impact me, although I would be sad that someone who has a life threatening condition is far more concerned about the words of a stranger on an internet forum than going to a doctor when I know that they are reporting some pretty serious symptoms here.

I had what I now realize was a heart attack one morning in July 2008, but because it didn't present like most heart attacks, as much as I had a suspicion as to what was happening, I chose to ignore it. That same afternoon, the same thing happened again. I didn't ignore it this time ... I called EMS and I was whisked to two hospitals where I discovered I needed emergency bypass surgery, with the words "Without this surgery, you will die tonight" and even with it, there's a 40% chance you will die". Apparently that 40% was optimistic. I was moments away from dying until the surgery was complete.

So, the message is, it's easy to deny the symptoms ... nobody wants to believe they have heart or stroke risk and could die, but doing NOTHING is what kills them. Doing something gives them a fighting chance for survival.

Just because the symptoms of what appears to be a TIA have passed doesn't mean that some moment between now and your next doctor's appointment you won't have another stroke

The key thing you need to do is to get a diagnosis as to what's causing the TIAs and what do they intend to do to fix whatever is going on and keep you alive while they work it out.

Call the doctor and tell them you've had what you believe to be another TIA. Ask THEM what you should do ... wait or go to an ER.

Thanks, I wasn’t apologizing because I didn’t follow what you said. I said that because I regretted not going when I felt the symptoms. However it came back again last night before I went to sleep. My right arm began to go numb not completely just a bit so I went to the ER. They did a CAT scan, EKG, and blood work. The EKG still showed inverted T-wave but everything else came back good. The doc said he doesn’t know what is happening, he said if I was 62 with diabetes he would be certain I was having a stroke but he stated that I’m too young and it doesn’t explain it. He said to be honest I don’t know what you have just follow up with the cardiologist. He instructed me that if I become or felt weak in any way to go back in.

I'm sorry if my response seemed a little agressive or uncaring ... it's just that I'd never consider looking to the internet to find out about symptoms like you presented with, especially after you said you'd had a TIA. I'd be high tailing it to an ER post haste! You couldn't see me for dust (well, I'd call an ambulance, because I wouldn't trust my own safety to take myself!)

After several months posting here, I am finding it quite astounding how people are looking to the internet for answers to pretty serious medical problems when they should be going to a doctor. Even a doctor will under most circumstances refuse to make diagnoses for people they've not been physically able to see. (People in remote places, like Antarctica are the exceptions!)

Were I in your shoes, I'd probably take the maximum daily dosage for aspirin until you can get to the cardiologist ... but that's something you should talk to your doctor about ... perhaps a call to his office?


Good luck BUT I really hope that you don't need it!!!! Do let us know what the cardiologist has to say.