Had Stroke With No Outward Signs. Prescribed With Plavix. Suggestions

Posted on Tue, 31 Dec 2013

Question: I have had 3 MRI's with basically no change from the first one. My doctor now has me scheduled for an MRA. The doctor told me six months ago that I had a stoke, although I didn't have any outward signs of having a stroke and have no idea when it could have happened. After the third MRI last week he told today me there was no change in the brain. He has prescribed Plavix for me today.

Answered by Dr. Meher Lakshmi Konatam (4 hours later)

Brief Answer: Symptoms are subtle and short lived if stroke is/was a minor one. Detailed Answer: Once damage occurs to brain due to stroke, healing takes months to years together. Healing of brain is a slow process. Hence your MRI shows no changes. You might not have noticed stoke if the event is a minor one. Your treating doctor must have noticed physical changes in your body on clinical examination, hence asked for investigations like MRI. MRA gives better picture of blood vessels which is not possible with MRI, hence you are scheduled for it. At the end of all this all you need to do is to take a pill a day and go for regular exercise with healthy dietary patterns, nothing more is usually required. Hope this helps. Let me know if you need clarifications

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad