Quote:
Originally Posted by AliceT  Hi,
Last week my father had two small strokes (TIA). He is fine with no effects thank goodness (we are all considering he extremely lucky). However he has since been diagnoses witha PFO that is 4mm. He is 70 and is very fit and does a lot of activity. He is more like a 55 year old!
He is seeing a cardiaologist tomorrow and he neurologist have been vey conservative in their recommendation about whether to close the PFO or not.
So, in a nut shell, I too am interested in others expereiences and advice. What are the potential complications of a closure? He has been living perfectly well for 70 years with it so is it worth the risk?
Thanks. Greg I hope you're OK...
A |
Hi Alice,
I have been really nervous about having any procedure done, but the results of my TEE exam show that the hole is large enough to worry about and my neurologist , hematologist, primary care physician and a second opinion cardiologist all agree it is best to close. I scheduled the procedure (they don't like to call it surgery so it is basically an outpatient procedure with an overnight stay) is scheduled for the 22nd. I just received the paperwork today from the cardiologist and the hospital confirming the time and date so I am assuming it has been approved by my insurance (my doctor told me they wouldn't authorize scheduling the surgery until the HMO signed off on it).
I feel relieved to finally have some "closure" on my closure and am much more confident in the procedure's success after talking to several people and reading about it. The biggest thing is that you have to believe that what you are doing is the right thing and that it will work.
I am extremely healthy otherwise, 48 years old, don't smoke or drink, have low cholesterol, low plaque, good to low blood pressure and all tests show that I am in great shape. I am a massage therapist and active in the gym, have a physically active job day job, make healthy lifestyle choices including diet and exercise, breathwork, rest and meditation. The idea of having a debilitating stroke is unthinkable and the decision has not been easy but the possible consequences could be awful.
Is your father in good health otherwise? Did he get a second opinion? It sounds like this procedure is actually fairy simple (basically a catheterization) and many people have gone through this with good results. I have only had one other surgery in my life; an emergency appendectomy (ruptured) so there was no time to think about it - they just rushed me into surgery from the ER - in one way that was better because there was no time to question everything and wonder what to do.
I wish him the best in whatever he decides - I don't get the feeling it is a very complicated procedure and I am going ahead with it - just depends on what he is willing to go through. It doesn't sound like there is much downtime afterwards and up to 6 months of light duty with regular check-ups and more TEE exams. Thanks for your response
Greg
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