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Frank lost his speech and use of one arm at the end of a long-haul flight. He was told he had a hole in his heart which may have contributed to the TIA, but he has decided not to have an operation to repair it.
Frank is retired and in his 60s. He is married with two adult children. Ethnic background/nationality: White British.
Stella had a stroke in 2009 and her left side was paralysed. She spent several months in hospital and now lives in a nursing home. Since the stroke she has had several TIAs, which often leave her feeling tired, but she does not remember much about them.
Stella is a retired teacher, and she is widowed. Her daughter Deborah is a self-employed book-keeper. Ethnic background/nationality: White English.
Yvonne was driving to work when she found that her vision was becoming fuzzy and her limbs felt numb. When she got to her workplace she felt very unwell but carried on working albeit with difficulty. The next day she went to work again but felt similarly unwell. At a routine GP appointment the next day she mentioned her symptoms and was referred to a TIA clinic, but as she was unaware what TIA meant she delayed the appointment because she was on annual leave from work for a few days. Eventually
Yvonne is married and has an adult daughter and 2 young grandchildren. She is a police officer. Ethnic background’ White British
Susan has been registered as disabled since she sustained a spinal injury in an industrial accident 15 years ago. She has a complicated medical history and suffers from a number of medical conditions including fibromyalgia, adrenal fatigue, allergies, Reynaud's, peripheral neuropathy, and ME. She was diagnosed with a TIA several years ago after an episode where she felt confused, spaced out, unable to coordinate her speech and thinking, and generally confused and muddled.
Susan retired from her job in pharmacy sales 15 years ago following an industrial accident. Ethnic background; White British.
Peg had some numbness which she thought at first was a migraine. After 3 days she went to the GP, who said it might be a TIA. She went to hospital for tests and was told it wasn't a TIA, but she is waiting for an MRI scan to investigate further.
Peg is a retired benefits manager. She is married with no children. Her ethnic background is white British.
Gilly collapsed at work and was taken to hospital by her colleague. Although TIA was mentioned as a possible diagnosis, Gilly was told to see her GP the next day, however some months later Gilly still does not have a definitive diagnosis and is still waiting for an appointment with the neurologist.
Gilly is married and has five children who are mostly now grown up and living independently. Ethnic background; White British.
Keith was sitting on the sofa talking to his wife when he suddenly found he was unable to speak properly and began to feel disorientated. His wife called for an ambulance immediately and he was taken to hospital. The next day he had a similar episode and was admitted to hospital for 3 days during which he had a variety of tests and was diagnosed with a TIA.
Keith is married with one adult son who lives at home. He is a primary school head teacher. Ethnicity; White British.
Jennifer had a major stroke and a TIA at a time when she was caring for her terminally ill husband. She feels that stress played a major factor in precipitating her condition. She has overcome many of the physical symptoms she experienced, but finds it difficult to cope emotionally sometimes, particularly as she is now widowed and living alone. She had always associated strokes and TIA's with elderly people but now recognises that they can affect people of all ages.
Jennifer is widowed and has two adult children. She has retired through ill health. Ethnic Background; White Scottish.
Clare had a TIA when she was at work one day, an ambulance was called and she was taken to hospital where she stayed in overnight. Her consultant believes it was caused by a trauma to the neck, but Clare is unsure whether this is the case. She felt vulnerable and emotional for some time afterward, and some physical symptoms persisted for a short while but she is now fully recovered.
Clare is married and has three adult children. She works as a drugs counsellor. Ethnic background; White British.
Brian was sitting at his desk completing some paperwork when he began to feel disorientated and was unable to write coherently. His secretary noticed something was wrong and called for help. He was taken to hospital where after a short while the symptoms disappeared. The duration of the TIA episode was relatively short and there have been no further repercussions since then.
Brian is a world famous author whose novels and stories have been published all around the world, and he has been awarded an OBE for his writing. More recently he...
