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Headache, One Hand Cooler Than Other, Short Term Memory Loss, Has Hypothyroidism. Any Ideas?
My father is 61. He is overweight and smokes. Heis being treated for hypertension , diabetes, and cholesterol concerns. He has been diagnosed with hypothyroidism , but does not take his medicine because after taking it for 2 weeks, he said he didn t notice a difference. He had an episode at work where he became dizzy and unsteady on his feet. I came to pick him up and by the time we came home he said he was feeling some better, bit it took a day for the dizziness to go away. He complains of a headache and has noticed that one hand is cooler than the other hand. He has very little memory of that night, but remembers what has happened since. Any ideas what might be going on?
posted on
Thu, 11 Oct 2012
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Thu, 11 Oct 2012
Answered on
Thu, 11 Oct 2012
Last reviewed on
Hi, thanks for using healthcare magic
With a history of diabetes, excess weight, hypertension,smoking and high cholesterol, you father has all the risk factors for cardiovascular complications (heart attack, stroke, aortic aneurysm).
It is possible with a history of abnormal sensation in one aspect of his body (the cold sensation), dizziness and headache , that he may have suffered a mild stroke or transient ischemic attack- which is transient reduction in blood flow to areas of the brain resulting in neurological symptoms that resolves in 24 hrs.Persons with a history of a transient ischemic attack are at risk of a major stroke.
Your father needs to modify his lifestyle to reduce his risk, this would involve smoking cessation, control of the blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes by diet , exercise and medication.He should consider restarting his thyroid medication.
He should consider visiting his doctor for a neurological assessment.
I hope this helps
With a history of diabetes, excess weight, hypertension,smoking and high cholesterol, you father has all the risk factors for cardiovascular complications (heart attack, stroke, aortic aneurysm).
It is possible with a history of abnormal sensation in one aspect of his body (the cold sensation), dizziness and headache , that he may have suffered a mild stroke or transient ischemic attack- which is transient reduction in blood flow to areas of the brain resulting in neurological symptoms that resolves in 24 hrs.Persons with a history of a transient ischemic attack are at risk of a major stroke.
Your father needs to modify his lifestyle to reduce his risk, this would involve smoking cessation, control of the blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes by diet , exercise and medication.He should consider restarting his thyroid medication.
He should consider visiting his doctor for a neurological assessment.
I hope this helps
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