I’ve had a headache for a week. Off and on, it comes and goes, but was constant yesterday. A squeezing pressure around my forehead, wrapping around my temples. My scalp is sensitive. Rated 8/10 at its worst, about 4/10 at its best. My vision has been blurry all week. When I walk, my left side is weak. I have trouble walking in a straight line. There is no facial droop. My upper extremities are fine.

The slur that I hate so much, the one that always gives me away as a stroke survivor, is worse than normal.

I maxed out my headache meds and didn’t get any relief. I called the stroke center for guidance. They said since my MRI was clear, they don’t think my symptoms are related to my stroke or my brain aneurysm. The nurse said she felt all of my symptoms were related to my ongoing headache. They punted me to the headache clinic.

I called the headache clinic, and they called me in a new prescription to get me out of this headache cluster: a 10 day taper of valproic acid. I took the first dose last night and the headache is somewhat better, but not gone.

I’m still wobbly, slurring, but my vision is better.

I’ve had at least one, and I suspect more than one, mini-stroke. My current symptoms feel like that. There’s nothing anyone can do for a mini-stroke. There’s no treatment, and it doesn’t show up on imaging studies. It’s diagnosed based on symptoms. I’m diagnosing myself at this point.

I don’t want to spend my weekend in the ER with a bunch of idiots who blew their hands off setting off fireworks. Especially when I know they can’t help me anyway. So, I’m riding it out, hoping it gets better.

A TIA is typically a warning that a major stroke may happen. I’m already on one anti-platelet. Having a mini-stroke while on an anti-platelet is not a good thing. I’m going to take some aspirin in addition to my clopidogrel for the two weeks to hopefully prevent a larger CVA.

I never thought this would be my life at 42.