Although a TIA should not have a long-term impact on your daily activities, you must stop driving immediately. If your doctor is happy that you have made a good recovery and there are no lasting effects after 1 month, you can start driving again.
Because mild strokes do not typically cause major impairments, recovery is usually fast. Sometimes recovery from a mild stroke can occur within 3-6 months. Other times it can take longer. There are many variables that affect the time it takes to recover.
After a suspected TIA, everyone should have an ECG. You may also need to wear a Holter monitor for 24 hours or longer. Your doctor may also order an echocardiogram. Blood tests.
You must stop driving for at least 1 month after a transient ischaemic attack ( TIA ) or mini-stroke. This includes amaurosis fugax or retinal artery fugax. You can restart only when your doctor tells you it is safe.
Driving after a stroke – insurance
Your ability to buy motor insurance should not be affected by a stroke or TIA, even if your stroke has left you with a disability that means you start driving an adapted vehicle.
In the emergency room, you learned you'd had a transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a mini-stroke. While symptoms went away within several hours, your concern that it could happen again did not. The good news is you absolutely can live a full life after a mini-stroke.
Commonly these included arm and limb weakness or numbness, slurred speech, memory problems, confusion and visual difficulties. In most cases the symptoms improved over time. Some people experienced just one residual symptom, whereas other people had a combination of different ones.
Even if your mobility is restricted after a stroke, it is likely you will be able to carry out some form of exercise to improve your overall wellbeing.
Fatigue affects the majority of people who have a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA or mini-stroke). It can have a big effect on your life.
Try to walk as much as you can – making sure to use any equipment recommended by your therapist, such as a walker or cane – without overexercising. Pushing yourself too hard can cause other complications such as post-stroke fatigue.
The Role of Sleep in Stroke Recovery
Quality sleep has many benefits, especially for stroke survivors. Getting a good night's sleep supports neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to restructure and create new neural connections in healthy parts of the brain, allowing stroke survivors to re-learn movements and functions.
Some people might have more than one TIA and it is possible to have several TIAs in a short space of time (for example, several TIAs within a day).
The underlying cause of a TIA often is a buildup of cholesterol-containing fatty deposits called plaques (atherosclerosis) in an artery or one of its branches that supplies oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Plaques can decrease the blood flow through an artery or lead to the development of a clot.
Trouble walking, talking or understanding. Difficulty swallowing. Weakness, tingling or numbness, typically in one side of the body. Confusion.
Unlike a stroke, TIA symptoms do not persist and resolve within 24 hours – and often much faster. A TIA doesn't leave any permanent brain damage or cause lasting neurologic problems.
Higher levels of stress, hostility and depressive symptoms are associated with significantly increased risk of incident stroke or TIA in middle-aged and older adults.
You do not need to be admitted to hospital because of a TIA, but this is often done because of the absence of an alternative. Many TIA clinics now offer a “one-stop” service for which the patient is assessed, investigated (or investigated before the appointment), and given results at the same session.
In a previously reported study, 31% of TIA patients showed an acute infarction visualized by MRI including DWI. A strong association was found between neurological symptoms, speech dysfunction and weakness and an evidence of acute infarction by MRI including DWI (Al-Khaled and Eggers, 2013).
The risk of subsequent stroke after a transient ischemic attack is between 2% and 17% within the first 90 days after the initial event. Understanding the mechanism of the stroke syndrome allows a rational approach to early intervention.
If you still have problems after one month
you may be able to drive again, as long as your GP agrees but you need to inform the DVLA. You must inform your insurance company that you had a stroke or TIA before you drive again. This is usually when a month has passed and your GP is happy for you to return to driving.
Always treat a TIA as seriously as you would a stroke. "Even though the symptoms resolve, there might be damage to the brain, so you need to see a neurologist," Dr. Rost advises.