A healthcare worker recently shared her experience of a patient whose stroke presented as stomach discomfort and continuous belching.
In a recent TikTok, the nurse told viewers: “I’m making this video not to scare anybody but to bring awareness that symptoms of a stroke in women can manifest differently.”
She recounted treating a woman in her fifties complaining of “severe abdominal pain”, believing her discomfort stemmed from Mexican food she’d eaten the previous night.
But despite taking medication at home for what she believed to be heartburn, her symptoms persisted.
The nurse is raising awareness of atypical stroke symptoms
|TIKTOK / GETTY
The patient had a history of atrial fibrillation, but her vital signs appeared normal upon examination. The situation took a turn when the patient started belching, however.
“So everything is fine, until the call bell rings, so I go in to check on her. And she is sitting up in bed, and she is saying to me, 'I cannot stop burping - I’m just burping and burping and burping. I feel like I’m having hiccups and am just burping'," the nurse explained.
The patient was prescribed an antacid medication by the medical staff, which appeared effective at first.
Although the patient confirmed she felt improved, events took a tragic turn later that afternoon.
When the healthcare worker returned for her evening shift, she learnt that the patient had died at approximately 3pm after suffering a “massive stroke”, despite the absence of typical stroke indicators.
“This was the first patient I have had that this had happened to,” the nurse stated, leading her to approach new cases involving women with newfound digestive complaints with heightened vigilance.
She stressed that unexplained burping episodes and abdominal discomfort in women warrant immediate cardiac assessment, and could potentially save lives through early intervention.
“I’m making this video not to scare anybody, but to bring awareness that symptoms of a stroke in women, especially, can manifest differently,” she said.
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Some stroke patients present with atypical symptoms
| GETTY“It’s not always a droop in the face, slurred speech, those are the classic signs of a stroke.
“It could be indigestion, it could be constant burping that comes out of absolutely nowhere.”
The NHS website confirms that while face drooping, arm weakness and speech difficulty identify most strokes, some present with atypical symptoms.
These can include sudden vision loss, dizziness, and confusion, underscoring the importance of immediate medical attention when any of these signs appear.