Only 2nd hand experience with my husband. Went to ER where they did all the tests: CT scan, EEG, EKG, etc., but nothing showed up, so they were sending him home. I knew it was a stroke but who am I and where did I get my M.D.? They would release him as soon as he could walk around the little ER cubicle with help from a tech. He could sit up but could not get off the table and stand up. So they admitted him to a general “we have no clue” room overnight.
The next day they sent him for an MRA, deep brain scan, and found that the part of the brain that controls balance had had a stroke. Admitted to stroke unit for four days, after which he was to go to rehab but on release day said he didn’t need rehab, and he didn’t. 9 years later there is no perceptible trace of the stroke, except sometimes, after a lengthy walk, I can hear a slight foot drag every other step, but nothing, really.
Now, at the time he was 66, in very good general health, no mental issues (to speak of) and I don’t know how any of this compares to an 80-something alzheimers patient.
My only advice would be to insist on an MRA and watch her carefully. Good luck!
Yes, it was the MRI that determined it was an actual stroke. They are saying it was from the heart, I don’t understand it all, but a fib? Anyway, her heart has had a lot to do for many years and it may be what we need to accept, and with her Dementia declining as it has been, well, you know. It’s in Gds hands.