Could my 24-hour ‘flu’ bout really have been a mini-stroke?

A FEW weeks ago I felt like I had flu coming on and decided to take myself to bed. I managed to get upstairs, then collapsed and had to crawl to the bedroom. After about four hours I woke up, feeling at about 50 per cent of my strength — but the next morning when I woke up I felt absolutely fine. What would cause such a sudden loss of strength and yet recover so quickly?

IT CAN be difficult to know what causes sudden and temporary symptoms such as these, which we all experience at some point or another, often because by the time someone is in my consulting room the problem has passed.

However, the first thing that springs to mind in a case like this — particularly if that patient was elderly — would be a transient ischemic attack (TIA), often referred to as a mini-stroke.

If somebody has a stroke the symptoms remain. But with a TIA, symptoms usually last a few hours only, and by 24 hours have completely gone.

A stroke is caused when the blood supply to the brain is blocked due to a clot or a bleed, but a TIA occurs because this disruption is only temporary.

Weakness in a limb is a classic sign of a TIA or a stroke, but this would usually happen just on one side rather than losing all strength in both arms and legs at once. Anybody at risk of heart disease or stroke is also at risk of TIAs, and this is something to discuss with a GP about ongoing prevention.

This might include controlling high blood pressure or high cholesterol, for example.

Viruses such as flu or Covid typically cause aching muscles, particularly in the arms and legs, and both sides of the body would be affected equally.

This can be a very significant symptom of a virus, causing profound and temporary weakness.

Although it would be unusual for it to occur in such a sudden way and resolve so rapidly, it could happen.

I HAVE been told I need a thyroidectomy due to a nodule growing on my thyroid. Aside from feeling lethargic, I’m having difficulty swallowing. But I’m petrified of surgery and concerned about having to take a hormone medication called thyroxine for the rest of my life. I’ve heard it causes weight gain, hair loss and a

general ill feeling. My consultant didn’t seem to take my fears seriously. What do you think?

TAKING thyroxine does not cause people to put on weight, suffer hair loss or feel generally unwell.

In fact these are the symptoms of hypothyroidism, also known as an underactive thyroid, for which the treatment is taking thyroxine.

These symptoms would be apparent only if the thyroxine dose was too low.

Many people take thyroxine for life with minimal side effects. It is certainly a better option than avoiding an operation which doctors have recommended.

Having difficulty swallowing can be a symptom of thyroid enlargement.

This alone is a distressing

problem that certainly needs addressing. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland at the front of the neck.

A growth within the thyroid can be visible as a lump but can also put pressure on the structures behind, including the windpipe and oesophagus.

Thyroid nodules are diagnosed after an ultrasound scan which can show the lump in more detail.

Usually doctors will then undertake a biopsy and possibly an operation to remove the nodule, if there is a suspicion that it could be cancerous.

It is possible after thyroid surgery for people to have problems with their voice or calcium levels in the short-term, so it’s worth discussing this with the surgical team before you have the operation.