Ct Scan ~ ? Old Stroke?

[comfortzone]

Hi ~

Still battling these hugely labile blood pressures.....though HR hasn't been too bad lately. One tab of Bystolic was too much -- but it knocked my blood pressure down for a week. Tonight the familiar headache is back - and hence so is the Bystolic. I took one half a tab as my doc said. 2.5mg.

All week it was 90/60's and now the diastolic is 104 - sigh - again.

So I'm collecting medical records for Mayo Clinic in a couple weeks and I get my head CT Scan from 7/7/10 and it reads that there is evidence of remote small vessel infarction in the right basal ganglia -- and again 'evidence of small, old lacunar infarction of the right basal ganglia' I guess I have some age-related ischemic changes as well. I'm 53.

So does that sound like the stroke that I'm so worried about already happened? That's what it looks like to me - and if it does mean that why wouldn't the doctors tell me about it?

Now I wonder about all these crazy movement issues I've had since my knee replacements....that were attributed to joint hypermobility syndrome. Also my chronic pain syndrome that crept up after the surgeries the end of '08.....

Makes me wonder how much of this confusing picture was or is due to a small stroke.....

Anyone else ever find a little stroke 'incidently' ?

Now of course I'm more terrified of this wacky high blood pressure that fluctuates to low......

So I guess I'll just say ....... Now what! LOL

[potsgirl]

I hope this makes you feel better....I had an MRI of my brain about 5 years ago, and had what they called "an abnormal amount of ischemic (dead spots) lesions in my brain for my age." I was 42. They said that everyone gets them as we age, and they may do some additional testing to make sure there's nothing else going on, but usually these are nothing to worry about. In the last year or two, when I went to see some neuro specialists, they looked at my MRI and believed that one of my larger lesions was probably a small stroke. They can't do another MRI to check it against the older one, because I now have the pacemaker (4 years ago) and they can't do an MRI with a pacer. They weren't too upset, however, and did a test for seizure activity, which came up normal.

I had a CT scan of my brain about 4 months ago that now shows an abnormal loss of brain matter for my age (48), and more lesions, and I know I have nerve conduction issues with chronic pain. I'm going to Barrow Neurological Institute in early October to have that checked out, because my doctor wants me to go.

Unless it's something major, most changes in your brain are normal and part of the average aging process. Mayo will certainly do any testing they think is necessary, and you have a baseline CT to show them. If they're concerned, they'll probably do an MRI or function/nerve conduction testing. Please don't worry too much. If there is a problem, it's better to find out now, at the Clinic. Let us know!

Cheers,

Jana

[comfortzone]

Thank you ~ you are so kind to write. Off and on last night I was tossing and turning - trying to put it into the history of all that's happened in the last 2 years.......... But truly in the end - you are right - this could have happened anytime and does not mean that it caused any symptomatology at all. I do see my cardiac doctor just before the Mayo Clinic to ask him about it --

No one could explain to me - & I saw a lot of docs - why my right leg would not lift for about 9 mos. after the right knee surgery... It took a ton of physical therapy just to get it up a curb. Even now when I go up a curb - I get a wave of anxiety and have to very carefully think about how to get that leg up the curb. I do go up and down a step at physical therapy even now for exercise and my balance is better -- but anyway I digress....

I'll go back to my primary next week and tell her again about the week of low blood pressure - that is now on a trend upward & mention the CT to her....

I truly hope this neuro place takes fantastic careful care of you -- blessings to you! (Sorry about your chronic pain - I now deal with that as well - it's no fun for sure)