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The Mayo Clinic tells us: a brain stroke occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked (ischemic) or a blood vessel bursts (hemorrhagic), starving brain cells of oxygen. This leads to sudden symptoms like numbness, confusion, trouble speaking, and vision problems.
The symptoms of a TIA are similar to those of a stroke and include:
- Numbness or muscle weakness, usually on one side of the body.
- Trouble speaking or understanding speech.
- Dizziness or loss of balance.
- Double vision or trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
A TIA doesn’t cause permanent damage to brain cells or the brain. A regular stroke causes a prolonged blockage that may lead to lasting brain damage or disability.
What does all that mean for a practicing criminal or a dedicated investigator? Nothing good for either.
There are a number of great books/TV series these days that feature amateur investigators of a certain age. Remember Angela Lansbury in the “Murder She Wrote” series? Or the two quite different “Matlock” TV series? Many cozy books are happy to point out that just because a person is collecting social security or is retired, doesn’t mean their brains have retired as well. But, aside from the occasional nod to aches and pains of aging, I rarely hear about knee replacements or heart attacks or strokes getting in the way of solving a case or committing a crime. The aging heroes and heroines are amazingly agile and healthy, IMO.
In 1998, “Safe House” (TV movie) starred Patrick Stewart as a former intelligence officer who was quickly falling under the grip of Alzheimer’s. His family was concerned about the memory issues, but had been unaware that he had been an agent. When he began to warn them about ‘dangerous people being after him’ he was not believed. The hit 2026 TV series, “Memory of a Killer,” starring Patrick Dempsey, deals with a hitman at the beginning of his Alzheimer’s struggle, trying to keep it together while still carrying out his assignments. He isn’t always successful.
Alzheimer’s isn’t a TIA or a stroke, but symptoms of forgetfulness, frustrations with the simplest activities, and trying to cover it up, do overlap with those of TIAs.
Take a look at my cousin’s experiences:
On February 11, he was in the hospital, having suffered a TIA after his BP jumped to 246/140. He ceased being able to speak. The excellent ER care stopped the stroke in its tracks and he spent the night while they conducted many, many tests to discover the extent of the damage, if any. For the next month at home, he was exhausted by the smallest things and slept half of every day, in between watching some mind-numbing TV shows. He was lightheaded and dizzy, so walking never happened in a straight line. He felt close to fainting a couple times a day as his blood pressure shifted from waaaaay too high to dangerously low (90/55). He knew full well that he wasn’t out of the woods yet, but he was alive.
A thief planning a heist would have to postpone any involvement in the crime. Recovery doesn’t happen overnight and the brain is too busy healing to do anything new. My cousin could have conversations and interact fairly well, but any chats longer than 20 minutes made his brain hurt. It would shut down, needing to recharge before engaging again. A Detective would be placed on medical leave, perhaps be able to consult on a case he had worked on, but not be capable of coping with 12-16 hour days in a murder investigation. He would nod off during the briefings.
February 28th:
Two and a half weeks after the TIA and the life-saving hospital stay my cousin’s BP was fairly stable (in the 130s over 70s) for five days. His gait was better (less staggering and longer strides) and he looked forward to walking for five minutes at a time outside when the weather cleared. Seemed like a wild goal at the time to him, but knowing him all his life, I knew it was possible.
His brain could only handle one task a day, and only for 20-30 minutes, before a brain buzz set in, his vision clouded, and he felt like he was going to pass out. But, this was an improvement from 10 days before when sleeping all day and night was all his body/brain could handle. Small victories. In order to maintain some kind of muscle strength, he walked for 60-90 seconds when he could inside the house, in a controlled circuit without tipping over, high-stepping when possible.
An insight to the internal action of a healing brain: whenever he watched TV, read a book, or had a conversation during the first two months, his brain went on speed dial and recalled every single memory about that topic for the next few minutes. As if the computer was checking to see what was still there. He would be physically tired afterwards and need to sit, focus, and regroup.
May 11th – Three months after the TIA occurred:
Recovery at home had its ups and downs, with my cousin’s blood pressure sometimes jumping back to 185/90 and on other days dropping down to 90/55. There was no apparent cause for any of it. Like mine, his normal diet is heavy with veggies, fish, and chicken and the most sodium in our diets comes from restaurant food, not home-cooked-never-processed meals. He ate out once in the middle of the third month and his BP shot up to the 180s again, needing medication to drop it down.
Brain fog and head buzzing alternates with weakness in the limbs, but testing has revealed no clogs, no blockage, nothing. Recovery includes resting for an hour after every activity instead of the non-stop routine of always on the go. Can you imagine a detective taking a nap at the back of a squad room or an assassin staggering toward his/her target while being zapped by brain fog?
In my cousin’s case, both the brain and the body were jolted by the TIA. He is stronger than the day he left the hospital, but a long, long way from traveling anywhere or binge-watching TV or binge-reading his favorite thrillers. It took a while before he could read more than 2-3 pages at a time, but he is now up to 10-15 pages at a time. Small victories.
Best advice cuz and I can share? If you are experiencing stroke symptoms, get to the hospital inside two hours from the time of onset. That window of time for treatment can save your life.
Treatment and Recovery
Treatment depends on the type of stroke but is highly time-sensitive. Ischemic strokes may be treated with clot-busting drugs (tPA) or mechanical thrombectomy, while hemorrhagic strokes focus on reducing pressure and stopping the bleeding.
Symptoms: Think B.E. F.A.S.T.
Immediate action is crucial if you notice these signs:
Balance: Sudden loss of balance or coordination.
Eyes: Sudden vision changes or trouble seeing.
Face: One side of the face droops when smiling.
Arms: Weakness or numbness in one arm.
Speech: Slurred speech or difficulty understanding.
Time: Time to call emergency services (911) immediately.
Special Note: The major symptom cuz had was that he could not speak. He could understand everything that was happening and was being said to him. The speech returned about an hour after the treatment began. The lack of coordination appeared later. The face drooping happened later. This is his third mini-stroke in 12 years, the first two with clear cause & effect.
Three months after the fact, with some continuing symptoms cuz is experiencing, and no apparent reason for any of it, I can’t see how anyone could successfully run an investigation or a heist without tremendous support from everyone in their circle. It sure does throw a wrench into ‘working alone’ or ‘covering up’ your identity for the foreseeable future. Multiple passports? Hiding from the law? HA!!! But, it certainly makes for interesting complications in a novel. 🙂
