Just caught this thread -- Wow, what you must have been thinking this whole time. Shows how strong of a woman you really are. It's good that you now know what's up so you can do something proactive about staving off future ones. A girlfriend of mine had a "mini" stroke about a year ago. (I forced her to go to the doc, she's sooooo stubborn.) In the end, she felt lucky actually b/c it served as an early warning before things escalated. She takes some blood thinners and such now and feels wonderful again.
I wish you and your family all the best.

(And you know where to come to get all the "extra" encouragement you need. They are a great group of ladies, are they not?)

take care

Cindy