Site News, TIA, MRA, RIND, Me.

Your Modern Pharisee may have gone "TIA."

"A Transient Ischemic Attack (spelled ischaemic in British English) (abbreviated as TIA, often colloquially referred to as 'mini stroke') is a change in the blood supply to a particular area of the brain, resulting in brief neurologic dysfunction that persists, by definition, for less than 24 hours. If symptoms persist longer, then it is categorized as a stroke.

A cerebral infarct that lasts longer than 24 hours, but less than 72 hours is termed a reversible ischemic neurologic deficit or RIND." (Wikipedia)

Less that 24 hours right now, and I'm trying to line up a MRA which through my insurance company, Aetna, requires "prior physician authorization" or I pay for it and then argue with them later.

"Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) is a group of techniques based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to image blood vessels. Magnetic Resonance Angiography is used to generate images of the arteries in order to evaluate them for stenosis (abnormal narrowing), occlusion or aneurysms (vessel wall dilatations, at risk of rupture). MRA is often used to evaluate the arteries of the neck and brain, the thoracic and abdominal aorta, the renal arteries, and the legs (called a 'run-off')."

I'm 55 and I have had some odd sensations and symptoms in the past week. Last night around 11pm they got a little weirder and I dithered back and forth about going into the ER until the numbness I was experiencing started to show up in several places at once, all on my left site.

Pants on.

Pants off.

Mutter, mutter.

Dither, dither.

Then I had marginal numbness on the left side of my leg and into my toes, down the outside of my left arm, and in the middle of my cheek into my lips. Not entire numbness mind you, a sort of numbing, as if I had been shot with Novocaine and it was wearing off.

Maybe I pinched a nerve in my neck.

Maybe not. The Doctor on duty assured me I had done the right thing. As a perpetual cynic with regard to all things Doctors tell me "I should have done" that involve my insurance paying, I'm still leaning "Maybe not," but we'll see.

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