Finding out I have a PFO

By Carolina M Tuesday, July 03, 2007

- A
- A
- A

Hello, I am a 25 yr old healthy female that found out that I have a PFO. It all started as what I thought was a migraine headache and then realizing that this headache was lingering on for too long.. I went to see my Dr. and then she had me go in for a CT scan that came back abnormal. After that I was supposed to go get a MRI done the next day, but that morning the pain on my right side of my head had gotten worse so my Dr. had me go to the ER and have the MRI done at the hospital. Within minutes they told me that I had, had a stroke. I was in shock! How can a healthy female have a stroke is what I kept thinking. Well it happened to be that since I get migraines with aura and was on the pill and I had a PFO that I didn't know about is what led me to have the stroke (TIA). I am still in shock. Its going to be 4 weeks since this all happened, but I still have so much more to go through. My Dr.'s want me to go through the surgery to seal the PFO but I just have so many questions still. So I am a stand still for now. My perspective on life had completely changed. Im scared, confused, and depressed! But with God's help, I am going to try to be as strong as I can be and get through this difficult time in my life.

Comments (4) | Add comment

Chronic HA

7/ 3/07 11:08pm

Dear Carolina,

I'm sure everyone on here is concerned for you. We will all be including you in our prayers. I had a cousin who had a debilitating stroke when he was in his mid 20's. Dr's did not think he would ever walk again, but he did, and got well enough to live alone. Keep the chin up, take a hug and know you are not alone.

Leslie Van Houten

7/ 4/07 12:11am

I'm very new on this site and haven't written my sharepost yet, but I hope to do it, if not tonight, then tomorrow.

Forgive my ignorance, but I'm totally new to this whole area of migraines and all the situations that can bring them about. Would you mind explaining to me what a PFO is? Sorry I don't know. In 1995 I was treated with Gamma Knife Treatment to the occipital lobe of my brain due to a AVM that was there. My last MRI back in 1997 showed that it was gone. The neuosurgeon didn't feel there was any connection between having this AVM and my experiences with migraines with auras.

I've had migraines with aura w/ and w/o headaches. My first, at age 20 (I'm now 44yrs old), it scared me to death, but I never told anyone. From that point on I would get these from time to time. Over the past few months they have become much more frequent usually lasting the 20 minutes and then passing with no headache.

However, a week ago this past Monday I had one of these aura migraines, but the blind spots, and distortions didn't disipate after the 20 minutes. Right now I still have the blind spots. It's very annoying and aggravating. I had another migraine with aura Last night as I was praying for my 8 yr. old daughter, and this upset me, and again once the initial aura was over, the blind spots, ziz zags, etc. remained.

My opthamologist checked my eyes out and said they are very healthy, but he believed them to be visual migraines. I talked with my medical doctor/nutritionist about it and she is trying to locate a migraine doctor who is familiar with the auras w/o the headache. I also have an appointment to see my GP this Thursday to set up for a MRI.

I have to fight fear and worry that these blind spots may last a long time or may be permanent. I wonder if I have had a stroke. I'll write more of my story in a sharepost soon, I have alot of physical and medical complications that make my story a challenge to explain and it will take time for me to write it,

I really wanted to encourage you to hang on to your faith in God in order to have the peace of mind and strength to get you through.

I know I would never have been able to overcome all the obstacles and challenges I have had to face in my lifetime without my faith in God to give me the peace of mind and strength to get me thorough.

A few days ago after had woken up for the third morning and the blind spots where still in my visual fields, so I began to talk with God and I asked Him to please speak to me and help me to trust that He has got this thing under control.

God brought to my mind Heb. 13:5b-6 which says "...I will never leave you, nor forsake you. So that we can boldly say, "The Lord is my Helper I will not be seized with alarm, dread, or fear." I try to remember this when I start getting anxious. I hope this helps you to have some comfort and peace through you situation as well.

Finally Free

Carolina M

7/ 5/07 11:40am

Hello,

In response to the question about what a PFO is. Its a opening or a "hole" in the wall between the upper chambers of the heart. This wall is supposed to be closed shortly after birth but there are many people that for some reason this wall never closes. It is usually remains closed during most of the time, but for some reason a blood clot may escape and go threw there and go to the brain. The Dr's told me that my chances for the blood clot forming were higher since I was on the pill and I have migraines with aura. So the did the TEE test and then they also discovered that I have a PFO(patent foramen ovale).

Solveig

7/ 6/07 5:03am

hei there. I wery sorries to hear what you has be go tru and I does know how wery scarie it all is.

I has hads several TIA's and I has hads two aneurysm. To boots I has HM attacks whish wery much looks like a strokes is happenings so that confuses tings. During mine first surgerie to clips aneurysm someting happen and I dids bleeds into mine brain and almost die.

Now few years laters I has new one and it no is ruptuer so them want to does another brain surgerie to clips it. I scare to death over this since what dids happen in mine first surgerie.

I tells you all this so that you knows you no alones when it comes to hasing soak a lot of info in wery quick and that it can be wery confusings and scarie to be face a big surgerie.

One ting I has lernt (tru all this plus mine other health issues) is that it godt to writes down you questions, it godt to has someone wit you during appoitment, and perhaps most valuables tool for me when I was talk wit neurosurgeon was i audio tape the appontemnt (I ask first) and each time mine Hubby and me listened to it we heards someting new and it hits us how much we reallie did "miss" during the meeting wit the doc. So I WERY much recommends that.

Please to know I keeps you in mine prayer and that I sending you a hug.

Hugs,

Solveig

Finding out I have a PFO

Ask a Question