PFO Closure - Open Heart or Transcatheter

13th november i go in, and have it done the next morning. Do you think that the PVC could be because you still have a small hole? because i used to have them 24 hours, they never stopped, until i went on pariet (indegestion tablets). now i only get them when i forget to take one, my consultant told me that a lot of people with PFOs have the same symptoms. Apparantley my heart has one full beat and the second one is only half a beat. Hopefully all this will stop when i have the closure.

There doesn't seem to be amy of us that have needed closure, I don't know any one else apart from you and Mamanuss that has had it done.

When i saw my other consultant last week i mentioned this, she actually suggested try online to see if i can contact others who have PFOs. I told her that i was one step in front of her on this, and told her about this site.

I know the headaches can be really bad, i had to have yesterday off work because of a bad one but lucky for me i don't get them that often.

Take care, not long till' you see your neuro before christmas?

hi jazzyfizzle

First of all i want to wish you all the best next thurdays and my prayer's and thoughts will be with you.

I like you was freaked out about the being awake for the pfo and i was truely a mess.My surgeon saw how nervous i was the day i was to have it done and he put me to sleep.I am not sure i know they don't normally do that but i guess it can be done while asleep cause they did it for me.If you are that freaked out over being awake i would  talk to your cardio and ask if it is possiable to be put to sleep.I had the pfo done in 2005 and i was in the hospital for about 5 days i believe and i was put on plavix for 6 months.and i go for a echo every 6 months.right now all i take is a baby asprin a day.so far so good[[knock wood]]

I use to get horrid headaches before i had the pfo done and  now i might get one now and then but nothing caompare to what i use to get.I unlike you do not have any kids at home so i was able to take it easy and pretty much go at my own pace. I think the main thing will be is the lifting part and your dr will pretty much let you know  what you can and cannot do .

Please know my prayer's are with you and it might be worth it to talk to your dr about your fears of being awake as it might be possiable to be put to sleep. Please let me know how it goes when you can and if you have nay questions i will be glad to help if i can

take care

tyler's granny

I AM SOO SORRY!! Usually I get emails saying that someone has posted something on the site and I just happened to check to see if anyone had... yeah... I was being nosey...

I guess I need to ask the Ms. who just had her proceedure done, HOW DO YOU FEEL?!

I can't believe that ya'll were awake for your proceedures!! They knocked me out completely. (Which I am totally thankful for.)

I am a stay-at-home (3/4 of the time) with 4 kids under the age of 7 and my hubby is a school teacher- so he could really only take off so many days. I was, with the help of friends and family, up and going the next day. I was on my own in about 3 weeks. I had my proceedure done 3 weeks after my stroke, so I was very ready to feel "back to a normal routine" with my kids.

How is everyone?!?! Is everybody feeling good? With the holidays drawing near, are ya'll getting in the spirit?

Let me know!! I have been talking about you all and praying for you all often!!!

 

Thank you everyone for the messages! It feels wonderful to talk to people who have dealt with this. I was thinking about it, and I did at one point (I went into a diabetic coma as I was an undiagnosed diabetic), at that point, they had put in a 'port' that went from my neck down into the heart. I did go through that with no numbing and no anethetic. Would it be something like that, I wonder?
I don't feel quite so freaked out after thinking about this, and maybe they are somewhat similiar. I was awake when they pulled the port out also, no numbing.

I do get headaches also Granny, ones that are not too 'severe' but they last for days and days, even with taking tylenol or such. I will sure ask him about being knocked completely out if I feel super stressed.

Another thing that bothers me, is that they don't sew the object down, that they use to close the hole? What keeps this from moving around in the heart? That worries me too. :(


Jazzy

hi jazzyfizzle

 

The pro seal is made from two small diameter wire framework.The framework has a special fabic attached to it.THE DEVICE LOOKS LIKE  TWO UMBRELLAS SET EDGE TO EDGE.Each umbrella framework has a special springs this allows the umbrella to spring toward the hole.This very slight tension along with the blood in the heart holds the device in place.Over time tissue grows and the inplant becomes part of the heart.

 

I hope this helps you and will put your mind at rest a bit.It does take about 6 months for the tissue to grow ,but honest you will never know it is there i mean you wont feel it.And i am sure thats once it is done you will see and feel a big difference. It is truely amazing what they can do now days.

 

My thoughts and prayers will cont to be with you and if you have any more question please feel free to ask.

 

HUGS

TYLER'S GRANNY

It is way better to wait and have you keeping in touch with us than push a proceedure. (That's the selfish side of ME talking!!)

Get healthy- so you can GET HEALTHY!!!

Keep us in touch!!!
Many Blessings!!!
Mamanuss

just to let you all know i didn't go in. I think it will be in january ( they said they would comply a list in december so hopefully january)

I am still on antibiotics for chest infection but is a lot better now. Although fed up because i had got myself ready for it.

Jayfizzle how did you get on? please update us and let us know....... you have been in my thoughts and prayers

Speak to you all soon

Sorry I haven't kept up with all this. Got a new puppy that is like a two year old. I barely get time for computer time.

Jazzyfizzle, hope all went well for you. I'm thinking about you and will keep you in my prayers.

I have been to a neurologist and he put me on another type of anti depressant. I'm on two now but it has stopped the headaches. He did an MRI and I have scattered signal changes in the white matter of the brain but he says no evidence of a stroke. Not sure I understand what all of this means and why I had those TIAs. Will find out in January when I go back to see him again. I doubt that my cardiologist who got a copy of the report will be able to tell me anything at the end of the month when I see him again.

Still trying to find out what all that means because I can't wait till January for answers, I'm nosy.

Still no news about what is happening with me.  The Tuesday before Thanksgiving I fainted.  Had never done that before in my life.  The weird part was that I was in the closet getting some clothes to put in the washer and felt lightheaded and was trying to get to the bedroom to sit down.  I woke up on the floor, hit the back of my head and thought I was playing with the puppy.  I got up and it took a while but I realized I had fainted and that the puppy was outside!  Went to the ER and the doctor gave me some fluids and said he thought I had orthostatic hypotension which is where my blood pressure drops real low.  He said he thought it was caused from some of the medications they have me on.  I'm on Coumadin so they had to make sure I wasn't bleeding from the fall. Felt real bad for about 3 days and got real lightheaded quite a bit after that. Scary stuff.   

I haven't been to see my cardiologist yet.  Got the stomach flu this week (when it rains it pours and they say there's a drought here in Georgia) and had to reschedule to next week.  Sure wish someone would figure out what is wrong with me.  My husband is ready to trade me in for something young and healthy!!!!

Hello to all of you. I am 38 year old female with 5 children. I had my PFO patched with a CardioSeal on 11/29/07. I had a stroke on 9/20/06. They found the hole through the TEE on 9/21/07. I have had two TIA's since then while on asprin 325mg. I have suffered migraines, also. I went to two specialist, cardio and neuro two months ago. They decided best option was closure. My MRI showed 2 TIA's prior to the stroke last September. The neuro I had in the hospital didn't notice them on the MRI that showed the stroke. I have spent the last year thinking I was losing my mind all the while I was having TIA's. She kept telling me it was my brain healing from the stroke. Also, the headaches which began in the hospital, were from the trauma of the stroke. Thank God I went with my instinct that something was really wrong. Good doctors came to my rescue with God's grace. Anyway...

I am now 4 days post op and am having chest pain. It feels the same as when I first woke up after the procedure. It feels muscular and I am treating it with Advil. I have to go in for an echo on Thursday. The doctor is letting me treat with Advil as long as it doesn't get worse or different. I do not want to go back to hospital. I had to stay the night after my closure for observation due to chest pains and problems getting up. They did echo and several ekg's. Everything was okay. I could see the actual implant on the echo.

Did any of you that have had the procedure done have chest pain afterward and if so for how long? Please let me know. Thanks and God Bless!

Dinby,

Mollie has been such a good girl for about 3 days, then today she decided to eat the Bible, chase the cat, eat the directions for my weather radio, ate the Toys R Us add, rearranged my Christmas village and terrorized my other dog.  All in 20 minutes! 

She's not interested in the Christmas tree YET, why not, she has too many other things to eat, chase and terrorize!  The last I saw of my cat, she was packing her litter box and running away.  Believe it or not, I don't usually have these problems.  I even have a baby gate to keep her out of the back of the house so the cat can get some peace and quiet but while I was moving a chair, Mollie got into the back of the house and reaked havoc. 

Needless to say, she went in her crate and now looking at her, she's just cute and sweet and I could ALMOST like her again but I'll get over that!  Mollie's slogan in life is: another day, another chance to be utterly terrorizing!  What were my husband and I thinking?

D Sig, so sorry about Mollie But i was laughing all the time reading your post. I know it isn't funny for you at the time but when things settle down you will laugh at all her antics. When my son was 4 he got up early one morning in the summer, and you know when you wake up (it was about 4.30 in the morning) and you get a feeling things don't feel right? well i went down stairs and my son had painted ( i was decorating at the time ) my settee, the fire place and worst of all my German shepherd! yes my dog was painted magnolia!  It took me all day to try and get the paint off every thing. It was the dog and my son that had the most paint on them. Lesson learnt from that......... always make sure lid on paint is on tight and stored well away from children....... and dogs

 

I put my Christmas tree up last night made me a bit tearful, when i put my tree away last year i felt that ill i didn't know if i would be here this year.......God works in mysterious ways doesn't he?

 

God bless D Sig Take care

Was you feeling tired all the time before your procedure? I think having 5 children must have been hard for you at times to keep up with them? The most important thing is that you have had it done and i guess that side effects (or the healing of the closure ) is better than not to have it done at all.

I have been lucky i haven't had tia's. But once all the results came through it was clear i needed it done. The coward i am wanted to be monitored ( and still do! ) But i have been told i need it now. only thing is i keep getting chest infections.

I wish i was you and was now post op, cos' then it would all be finished........ told you i am a coward!

I have been talking to a few people who have had it done, through this thread, and they all gave me posative feedback to have it done. so hopefully yours will settle down. I know that D Sig has got other health issues but she has not once advised me not to have it done nor has Mamanuss, or the others, so i have faith that you will feel a whole lot better soon

I am from England so please excuse me everyone, i talk as i think! And always from my heart.

Take care