WARNING: TIA CAN LEAD TO A STROKE

Last Friday, I was having dinner with some of my son's friends and their parents when in the middle of our meal, I noticed that the mother of his friend kept leaning toward her left side.

- GRACE CAROLE BELTRAN, MD

Each time, she straightened up again without any effort, so I didn't think much of it. After dinner, we took a short walk to a nearby frozen yogurt stall. Everyone ordered their favorite flavors and toppings, and we were laughing and chatting when suddenly, Elaine (let's call her that) started to lose her balance. Her left knee began to wobble, and she said she felt a strange sensation running down her left forearm.

Somehow, she managed not to drop her ice cream - which we all joked about later - but we quickly sat her down to rest. When it was time to go, I noticed something wasn't quite right. Her walk had changed - she was moving slowly and seemed to drag her left leg a little.

The next day, I couldn't shake the worry, so I called to check on her. She told me it felt like she was dragging three pails of water tied around her waist. Thankfully, there were no other alarming symptoms no slurred speech, drooping face, vision problems, or confusion.

By that evening, though, she still wasn't feeling better, so I advised her to go to the ER. The doctors ran several tests and recommended that she be admitted to the ASU (Acute Stroke Unit) for observation and bed rest. Thankfully, her condition continued to improve. Aside from a slight balance issue, she was back to her usual self. By 8 p.m. that night, she was discharged with a diagnosis of TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack) and some take-home medications. It was a huge relief, but also a wake-up call.

WHAT IS TRANSIENT ISCHEMIC ATTACK?

A transient ischemic attack is like a temporary stroke, where there's a temporary (transient) lack of blood flow to a part of the brain. Without blood flow, the brain cells malfunction and start to die (ischemia).