New member introduction

llamero

New Member

Joined : Oct 2010

Posts : 2

Posted 10/9/2010 4:16 PM (GMT 0)

Greetings,
58 year old male here. In early July I experienced a mild TIA the morning after several days of very hard physical labor. A PFO was discovered through the subsequent TEE. For treatment my neurologist would have me take an aspirin a day, but my cardiologist prescribed Coumadin and wants to install the Amplatz closure device. I'm taking Coumadin, and Simvastatin as a precaution, my cholesterol readings are all good. I don't like the side effects of the drugs and I haven't committed to the implant.
So I'm lurking around gathering information to help me decide about long term treatment. I've seen the Cleveland Clinic website and have read about the CLOSURE 1 study, however this is my first support group. I was introduced to this site by an employee of my insurance company. Would gratefully appreciate any links or knowledge you can share.
Nice to meet you all.
Llamero

stillsmiling

New Member

Joined : Nov 2010

Posts : 8

Posted 11/8/2010 10:23 AM (GMT 0)

hello lamero, I am in a similar situation to you. I have agreed to the closure though as I will do anything to minimise the risk of another, maybe bigger, stroke. There seems to be a big difference in attitude to closure by catheter in the US. In the UK it is seen as almost a common procedure and not a big deal at all. Closure is only offered to people with a history of problems (e.g. more than 1 stroke)
I take asprin, dipyridamol and simvastatin as precautionary measure but once the closure has been done this would change and after the hole had sealed I would probably not need any medication at all - another reason to go through with the procedure. I am 46 (female) so that could be a lot of years on medication and I can't seem to find much info on long term effects of these drugs.

Your original post was a while ago. Have you decided what is best for you yet?

x Stillsmiling

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