Stroke/PFO

Good morning all,
This is my first time posting and wanted to share my story to see if others have had a similar experience to me and what your outcome was etc. Just to give a bit of back ground, I am a 47 year old with no previous medical conditions. Back in September 2021 I was out and about one day and had an awful coughing fit and whilst coughing I can only describe it as a I had a popping sensation in my right eye and my vision in the eye went strange. I should also say I had had a terrible headache all of that morning. I then lost feeling down my left side and again can only describe a feeling that my brain was spinning round in my head . An ambulance was called and in the hospital they confirmed I had a blood clot on my brain which had caused a stroke. Following this I had lots of tests and they discovered I had a hole in my heart (PFO) which they say may have caused the clot. I have been waiting a long time but now have an appointment at St Thomas’ in April to discuss what action, if any should be taken. I would therefore be really grateful to hear from anyone else that has had a similar experience to see what your outcome was, did they advise a PFO closure etc? Thank you, Sarah x

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@SW31 Hi Sarah, welcome to the group. Sorru you’ve had a stroke. It must have been scary at the time.

I’ve heard of lots of people having PFO closures but not been through it myself. I think it rely depends on how large the PFO is & the likely risks vs benefits.

As @Mahoney has said. Write down any questions you have so you can make the most of your appointment.

Best wishes.

Ann x

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Hi there,

Good evening everyone,

Some useful information relating to stroke/pfo.

https://differentstrokes.co.uk/pfo-closures/

I had this procedure last year, after a stroke in 2020, at age 32.

Best wishes.

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Thank you, thats much appreciated xx

Hi Sarah, I understand what you are going through.

In September 2021 I suffered a cerebellar stroke. I was 46 years old and had no indication that this would happen.

I had an outpatient bubble echo appointment which identified a large PFO (hole in the heart). I was referred to a cardiologist who agreed that the PFO should be closed subject to a few outstanding blood tests.

I was referred to a haematologist for the blood tests which resulted in me testing positive for Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS). APS is a disorder of the immune system that causes an increased risk of blood clots. My PFO closure procedure was delayed indefinitely due to the added risk of further blood clots and I am now being treated with warfarin for APS.

I was told that 1 in 4 the population have a PFO.

If they haven’t already tested for APS then I would speak to your consultant before they recommend the PFO closure.

Hope this helps
Glen

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Thank you. I’ve not heard of this before so will definitely look in to this.