I Have Had Some Unusual Sx This Past Week. Numbness

Posted on Thu, 18 Oct 2018

Question: I have had some unusual sx this past week.
Numbness and tingling in left ear and left side of face, left side extremities
Tonight I had some visual disturbances - zig zag lines both eyes. Lasted a few minutes then disappeared. Not sure if these should be of any concern or just common with old age

Answered by Dr. Vaishalee Punj (42 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Warning signs of stroke

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to Ask A Doctor service.

I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.

The symptoms on left side of body could be a red flag for an impending stroke. It could have happened due to temporary but severe rise in BP. I will suggest that you take your blood pressure medicines and measure your BP regularly at home. Keep your BP in normal range. If possible take a prescription for imaging of brain. See a doctor or a surgeon for this. No need to take the risk.

Zig Zag lines could be due to macular edema OR due to dizziness.

Hope this helps. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Dr Vaishalee

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar