I’m an experienced nurse and my field of expertise is Stroke and TIA (Transient Ischaemic Attack). Tom’s patients episode does not sound like a TIA. Patients experiencing TIA very rarely loose consciousness or experience involuntary movements. TIA can be difficult to diagnose conclusively and is based upon the history i.e. the description of the episode that the patient and any observers give there are not any conclusive diagnostic tests for TIA although it is thought that the damage in the brain may show on some forms of sophisticated brain scans. TIA is characterised by a loss of specific neurological function that lasts for a short time. The text book definition says less than 24 hours but there is a fine line between TIA and stroke and there is increasing opinion to say that TIAs are small strokes. The loss of neurological function can manifest in many ways and is caused by a lack of blood supply to a specific area of the brain. Typically the patient will experience a loss of movement and/or sensation down one side of the body. This may affect face, arm or leg or 2 or 3 of these. Depending on the area of the brain affected other patients may experience difficulties with speech, normally word finding problems-dysphasia. Rather than slurred speech-dysarthria (this alone can have many causes). Some times there is a loss of visual field to one side. The people above who comment that TIA can be a warning sign for stroke are right and anyone experiencing TIA should be referred to a neurovascular clinic for more conclusive diagnosis and a plan to reduce their risk factors for stroke. Most patients are put on aspirin. It sounds as if Tom’s patient experienced some form of fit or seizure, these can often be “one offs” caused by some imbalance in their body. Epilepsy would only be diagnosed if the patient had several fits and had been thoroughly investigated. Sorry for the long post but I’m off sick my self and very bored so it’s nice to be able to put my knowledge to some use.