TIAs/Neurological Testing

[Mothering3]

I got diagnosed with Celiac Disease on Friday through a positive blood test after I started having liver problems.

About 3 years ago, while pregnant, I had a TIA (ministroke). They never found the cause of it, so (rather foolishly) diagnosed it as a migraine because of my age (25 at the time), and my being pregnant, even though my symptoms were classic TIA, and very atypical for a migraine.

A little over a year ago, I had another. This time I was at a better hospital. They admitted me for stroke care, did way more testing, and still found nothing. They diagnosed it as a TIA, with underlying cause unknown. They put me on aspirin therapy.

Now that I have been diagnosed with Celiac, I am wondering: Is there a test I could do to see if my TIAs are related to Celiac? If they are, I could probably stop aspirin therapy. Should I see a neurologist in addition to my GI?

Thoughts?

[eatmeat4good]

Yes, I would. If you can see a neurologist they may be able to help you now that you have been diagnosed with Celiac. That is too serious to make the decision about stopping aspirin therapy on your own. But I wouldn't hold my breath that you will be able to find a neurologist knowledgeable about Celiac. But maybe if you can find a smart one, they will be willing to get up to speed on it to help you in your situation.

That is incredible that they called it a migraine. And that you had to suffer it again. Thank god you didn't stop looking for answers. Stay strong and yes, I would see a neurologist. They should be able to monitor such a thing with scans or something.

[Mothering3]

  On 3/21/2011 at 4:28 PM, eatmeat4good said:

Yes, I would. If you can see a neurologist they may be able to help you now that you have been diagnosed with Celiac. That is too serious to make the decision about stopping aspirin therapy on your own. But I wouldn't hold my breath that you will be able to find a neurologist knowledgeable about Celiac. But maybe if you can find a smart one, they will be willing to get up to speed on it to help you in your situation.

That is incredible that they called it a migraine. And that you had to suffer it again. Thank god you didn't stop looking for answers. Stay strong and yes, I would see a neurologist. They should be able to monitor such a thing with scans or something.

Well as far as the TIAs, they do not show up on a scan even if I have had one. They diagnosed it based on self-reported symptoms. I was curious if there is some kind of test that people do to check for Celiac-related neurological damage. I don't know if that is possible or not.

Jade

[Mothering3]

  On 3/21/2011 at 4:28 PM, eatmeat4good said:

That is incredible that they called it a migraine.

I know. Don't you love when doctors diagnose an individual based on broad health data rather than the person in front of them???

I've heard this happens with celiac disease a lot. Just heard of a woman who was told by her doctor that she did not have Celiac or need to be tested for it because she was overweight, and "Celiacs are underweight".

Seriously, if you are going to be an MD it is important to understand how medical statistics work. And that is not how they work.

[ravenwoodglass]

Do you have balance issues? If you do mention them to the neurologist if you do see one. Have the TIA results sent to him or her also. They can do an MRI that looks for brain lesions, UBOs, that are found with celiac that has attacked the brain. There are tests they can do to see if you have had a TIA including a CT scan of the brain. There is also the possibility that what you had was indeed a migraine as that is something quite a few of us suffer from. The most important thing is for you to get right to an ER, calling an ambulance if needed, if it happens again.

[Mothering3]

  On 3/21/2011 at 7:06 PM, ravenwoodglass said:

Do you have balance issues? If you do mention them to the neurologist if you do see one. Have the TIA results sent to him or her also. They can do an MRI that looks for brain lesions, UBOs, that are found with celiac that has attacked the brain. There are tests they can do to see if you have had a TIA including a CT scan of the brain. There is also the possibility that what you had was indeed a migraine as that is something quite a few of us suffer from. The most important thing is for you to get right to an ER, calling an ambulance if needed, if it happens again.

I did have those tests done at the time of both of my TIAs and have not had any neuro symptoms since then. They did not find anything. I think they would have seen lesions if that's what was causing the activity, but I don't know. My understanding is that it is common for TIAs to not show up on a brain scan, though sometimes they do. But what defines it as a TIA as opposed to a stroke is that there is no brain damage. If there is brain damage, even slightly, it is considered a stroke. I guess sometimes there are some other signs on the scan that some activity has happened, but oftentimes there is not. Also, since I went straight to the hospital at the onset of symptoms, they could also potentially see a migraine on the scan, but did not.

Migraine has not been ruled out.

Migraines are typically: accompanied by a headache or visual disturbances, last an hour or more in length, come on gradually, if numbness is involved it is typically bilateral numbness.

TIAs typically: come on suddenly, no headache or visual disturbances, last 1 minute-1/2 hour. come on suddenly, if numbness is involved it is typically unilateral.

My episodes fit all of the criteria for TIA and none for migraine. (Also involved aphasia, common TIA symptom). But it is definitely possible to have a migraine aura with no headache that seems like a TIA, it just seems less likely than a TIA to me given my symptoms.

[ravenwoodglass]

Hopefully a good neurologist will be able to get to the bottom of what is going on. It must have been a very scarey experience and I hope it doesn't happen to you again. I agree with the other poster that you shouldn't stop the asprin until you have gotten an ok from a good neuro.

[Mothering3]

Oh yeah, I wasn't intending to stop the aspirin without talking to a doctor. I was just thinking one reason to see a neurologist is that if we could find a connection, it might make sense to stop the aspirin. Wouldn't mind having one less pill to take!

  On 3/21/2011 at 10:37 PM, ravenwoodglass said:

Hopefully a good neurologist will be able to get to the bottom of what is going on. It must have been a very scarey experience and I hope it doesn't happen to you again. I agree with the other poster that you shouldn't stop the asprin until you have gotten an ok from a good neuro.