GypsyGirl
Senior Member
- Messages
- 165
- Location
- North Carolina
I was wondering if anyone had a stroke, or stroke-like symptoms, during the onset of ME/CFS (or a similar illness).
This week I was organizing new records, and came across stroke symptoms by happenstance. My initial onset includes all the typical stroke symptoms: started with a couple hours of nausea and extreme tiredness/heavy exhaustion, progressed throughout the evening with my first ever episode of absolute vertigo (could not figure out where my body was in space), loss of vision but not of consciousness, numbness in legs, severe headache with visual issues (very sensitive to light, difficulty with peripheral vision). I had trouble speaking and being understood, and my hearing/understanding of words were affected - but only for a few minutes during the worst of the episode. The worst of lasted throughout the night, then I felt really out of it for about 4 days - just foggy and strange, with some vision/headache issues and that horrible lead-weight heavy feeling (I could NOT get up...had to scoot around the house on my butt).
I never sought immediate medical attention at the time because I had no insurance. I didn't see a neurologist until about 10 months later (after being diagnosed with ME/CFS). I had a non-contrast MRI and the doc said it was fine.
No one ever brought up stroke. I was 30, a healthy weight & lifestyle...fit none of the risk factors for stroke, so it's not surprising it was never brought up. But it was such a dramatic episode, and that's definitely the point where everything started to spiral downward.
I've heard Lyme disease can mimic things like MS symptoms, and two doctors have told me they think I have Lyme (they don't treat it, but think I have it). Can Lyme mimic a stroke??
...so, yeah... all that just to ask if anyone had a similar experience. It was a sudden and dramatic start to illness and I haven't seen anyone describe their onset like this.
...anyone?
Thanks for listening.
**If there's a more appropriate category to post this, please let me know.
This week I was organizing new records, and came across stroke symptoms by happenstance. My initial onset includes all the typical stroke symptoms: started with a couple hours of nausea and extreme tiredness/heavy exhaustion, progressed throughout the evening with my first ever episode of absolute vertigo (could not figure out where my body was in space), loss of vision but not of consciousness, numbness in legs, severe headache with visual issues (very sensitive to light, difficulty with peripheral vision). I had trouble speaking and being understood, and my hearing/understanding of words were affected - but only for a few minutes during the worst of the episode. The worst of lasted throughout the night, then I felt really out of it for about 4 days - just foggy and strange, with some vision/headache issues and that horrible lead-weight heavy feeling (I could NOT get up...had to scoot around the house on my butt).
I never sought immediate medical attention at the time because I had no insurance. I didn't see a neurologist until about 10 months later (after being diagnosed with ME/CFS). I had a non-contrast MRI and the doc said it was fine.
No one ever brought up stroke. I was 30, a healthy weight & lifestyle...fit none of the risk factors for stroke, so it's not surprising it was never brought up. But it was such a dramatic episode, and that's definitely the point where everything started to spiral downward.
I've heard Lyme disease can mimic things like MS symptoms, and two doctors have told me they think I have Lyme (they don't treat it, but think I have it). Can Lyme mimic a stroke??
...so, yeah... all that just to ask if anyone had a similar experience. It was a sudden and dramatic start to illness and I haven't seen anyone describe their onset like this.
...anyone?
Thanks for listening.
**If there's a more appropriate category to post this, please let me know.