Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffStroke or TIA — often the first indications of carotid artery disease — are emergency medical conditions. If you or a loved one develops signs or symptoms of a possible stroke, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately. Don't attempt to drive yourself to the hospital.
Signs and symptoms to watch for include:
- Sudden weakness or numbness in the face or limbs, often on only one side of the body
- The inability to move one or more of your limbs
- Trouble speaking and understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Dizziness or loss of balance
- A sudden, severe headache with no known cause
If you have risk factors for carotid artery disease, make an appointment with your doctor. He or she may run tests to evaluate the health of your arteries, and may recommend treatments and lifestyle changes to reduce your risk of stroke.
Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your doctor.
Information to prepare in advance
- Write down any symptoms you've experienced, including whether you think you may have had a TIA, and when.
- List your personal risk factors for stroke, including family history of heart disease or stroke and lifestyle habits such as smoking and lack of physical activity.
- Make a list of your key medical information, including other recent health problems you've had and the names of any prescription and over-the-counter medications you're taking.
- Find a family member or friend who can come with you to the appointment, if possible. Someone who accompanies you can help remember what the doctor says.
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask questions during your appointment at any time that you don't understand something.
What to expect from your doctor
To determine your risk of stroke, your doctor may start by asking questions such as:
- Have you had any stroke-like symptoms, such as weakness on one side of your body, trouble speaking or sudden vision problems?
- When did you experience these symptoms? How long did they last?
- Have you ever seen a doctor for these symptoms?
- Do you smoke? How much?
- Do you drink alcohol? How much?
- Do you exercise regularly?
- What do you eat in a typical day?
- Do you have any family history of heart disease or stroke?
- Have you been diagnosed with any other medical conditions?
- What over-the-counter and prescription medications are you currently taking?
Next, your doctor may run tests to get a detailed picture of your carotid arteries.
- Lee JT, et al. Peripheral arterial disease. In: Rakel RE, et al. Conn's Current Therapy 2008. 60th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/151488178-7/866918859/1621/197.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4435-2..50101-1_1467. Accessed July 23, 2009.
- Riles TS, et al. Cerebrovascular disease. In: Townsend CM, et al. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/151488178-3/866914256/1565/622.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3675-3..50068-X--cesec4_3762. Accessed July 23, 2009.
- Schwartz JB, et al. Vascular disease. In: Libby P, et al., eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007.http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4106-1..50078-9--cesec28&uniq=151488178&isbn=978-1-4160-4106-1&sid=866915121#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4106-1..50078-9--cesec95%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-1-4160-4106-1. Accessed July 23, 2009.
- Carotid artery disease. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/catd/catd_whatis.html. Accessed July 23, 2009.
- Carotid artery disease, stroke, transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). Society for Vascular Surgery. http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Carotid_Artery_Disease.html. Accessed July 23, 2009.
- Furie KL, et al. Secondary prevention of stroke: Risk factor reduction. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 23, 2009.
- Angioplasty and vascular stenting. Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=angioplasty. Accessed Aug. 28, 2009.
- Questions and answers about carotid endarterectomy. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/carotid_endarterectomy_backgrounder.htm. Accessed Aug. 12, 2009.
- Greelish JP, et al. Carotid angioplasty and stenting. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 23, 2009.
- Greelish JP, et al. Carotid endarterectomy: Preoperative evaluation; surgical technique; and complications. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 23, 2009.
- Sodium. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4708. Accessed July 23, 2009.
- Stop smoking: Resources and tools for quitting. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3038010. Accessed July 23, 2009.
- Rundek T, et al. Risk factor management to prevent first stroke. Neurologic Clinics.2008;26:1007.
