Hi Vicevencey, I'm glad to hear you are taking it slowly - it's better to be cautious. As for the aspirin regimen: my Cardiologist placed me on Plavix for the first 6 months post surgery and then a...
Hi Vicencey, I am glad that you are recovering well. I would say, be patient and wait at least 6 months before any heavy exercise. In the next few weeks and months, start with low impact, as my...
Hi All, I wanted to post an update on my PFO closure to maybe help some of you in making your decisions. I had my PFO closed 4 years ago tomorrow. It was a difficult decision, but it was the right...
Hi All, Some of us have been "fixed" and we have seen the light at the end of the tunnel. I had my PFO closed 4 years ago tomorrow. It was a difficult decision, but it was the right one. I am...
Hello All, Just wanted to write a quick note. Today marks 18 months since I had my PFO closed. I feel better than ever! I am back to my normal, super active self. I am exercising regularly again and...
Hello all, Something positive... I had my PFO closed 16 months ago. I went to the cardiologist after 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and another 6 months. Today was my second 6 month appointment and... I...
Hello Everyone, I just wanted to drop a quick note. I'm glad to see this PFO thread is still going and people are still communicating about their symptoms and recovery. Today is the one year...
Hi, Butterfly0+, I'm so happy to hear you finally had the Amplatzer Occluder removed! That cardio should did a number on you, lying to you like that about the Amplatzer not having nickel. Shame on...
Hello, Blazer and Withnail1969. Blazer, to be quite honest, when I was hearing the doctors say those things and feeling the catherers snaking in and out of my body, I wasn't worried at all. But, I...
Hello Everyone, I would like to encourage all of you to join the PFO Migraine Stroke on Facebook. The website address is: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=106434738635&ref=mf The descript...
Withnail1969, I hope all went well with your procedure and that you will keep us posted. Greenhope...
All, I am glad to see the PFO thread is still going, albeit in slightly different format. I want to reassure all of you that most PFO closures are successful. Some people have some trouble during the...
Hi climbing4life, I am so sorry to hear of your troubles. Don't worry, you can post here as often as you like if it makes you feel better. We are here with a helping hand and sympathetic ear. Were...
Hi dinby, Yes, once the clot has gone I would definitely ask if there is a less limiting option than warfarin, especially because you lead an active lifestyle. I remember when my awesome cardio was...
Hi Dinby, I am so sorry to hear about the warfarin and not being able to ride horses... I think it would be the equivalent of someone telling me I can't run anymore. Any chance that one day you can...
Dinby, I am so sorry to hear about your complication. /community/emoticons/confused.gif This must be a very difficult time for you. I am sending lots of positive thoughts your way and hope that all...
Hi vnjteach and welcome to the forum! Sorry we did not get back to you before your scheduled surgery today. I hope all went well. Please check out the "PFO Closure - open Heart of Transcatherer 3"...
Hello Everyone! Angielov - I agree with CatMom that you should listen to your body. I don't remember your story but, if you weren't as sick as some of us were before the procedure, your recovery may...
Hi, Luvadog, thank you for posting your story. Don't worry, many of us have long stories to tell and it feels good to share with others who have gone through similar experiences. Has CIGNA...
Angielov, How are you feeling? I hope all went well. Please let us know as soon as you are able to. I was reading your posts about getting back to running after your procedure. You will probably be...
Beezy84, I am so happy everything went well with your procedure. Please keep us posted on your recovery progress! Climbing4Life, I am also very happy for you that your symptoms have subsided. It...
Canucks1, Great story. Similar to many of ours. Just a thought: do you think you may want to put a link to this website on your blog? You may help even more people than you could ever imagine... By...
Hi butterfly0000000, I'm sorry to hear of all you are going through. It must be incredibly difficult. It sounds to me like a case of an irresponsible doctor who did not listen to your nickel allergy!...
Hi, butterfly0000000, and welcome to the forum. Although I am not familiar with the implant you mention (at least not from the descript ion you gave), I think most of them have some type of nickel....
Hi, climbing4life, and welcome to our forum! I am glad to hear you had your closure and recovering well, although with a few bumps along the way. I think each heart heals differently, so it may be...
Hi, dontlookback, and welcome to the forum. Unfortunately, I don't know whether Healthnet would cover your procedure or not. You may want to ask your cardio's office staff, they would probably know...
Good luck, Beezy84! I'm sure you'll be back to normal in no time. You are young and strong and this tough experience will make you even stronger. Too bad you had to go through such a tough time at...
Hi Charley 2006, I completely agree with butterfly0000000 and completely disagree with Selmer. Although PFOs are common, people need to be very aware of the fact that on occasion they can lead to...
Hello everyone and welcome to all the new people to the forum! Jeannamarie - I am so happy your procedure went well! It was better to have it done now, rather than to wait until your body...
Dejaboo, I am so happy for you that your PFO is closed! That is great news!!! It'll be good to just rest and take it easy in the summer as you say not having to worry about surgery and doctors'...
I am, Dejaboo. One baby aspirin (81 mg) a day for the rest of my life. Greenhope...
Hi Everyone, CatMom5, I am so sorry to hear that the PFO has not closed after one year. This must be so frustrating for you! But, on a positive note, it does seem as if the closure is working,...
Hi Tom H, I'm sorry to hear your latest news. I think usually a PFO with an ASA is covered by insurance here in the US (although normally it is true that the prerequisite is at least 2 TIAs, but the...
Hello everyone and welcome to the new people to this wonderful forum! Wow! So many new posts - I hope I am able to keep up and answer most questions: Dinby - I am so sorry you are having TIAs....
Hi Tom H, Yes, I strongly recommend reading Tedy Bruschi's book. I am not a football fan myself, but he speaks from the heart and identifies with so many of us who are going through this rough period...
Hi pannc, what a scary experience! How long ago did this event take place? Did the doctor put you on an aspirin regimen or other blood thinner since the thought it may have been a clot? I'm not sure...
Hi, TomH. Most of us here can only speak from our personal experiences. My PFO was closed via catherer and at my 3 month echo the cardio told me that my PFO had closed. So, my advice to you would be...
DeerMarie, I am so happy that everything went smoothly for you and that you are feeling so well after the procedure! Have a wonderful time in Belgium! CatMom5 and Dejaboo, best of luck on your...
Hi Dejaboo, It was supposed to be done Feb. 2nd, but they rescheduled that date as well (after rescheduling from Jan. 19th). Anyway, all's well that ends well. And, I think you'll be very happy to...
I have wonderful news to report. I just had my 3 month echocardiogram this morning (it was postponed twice by the doctor's office!). My PFO is closed. The doctor basically said I can get back to my...
Hi Tom D and welcome to the forum. I would also encourage you to read the PFO closure threads where you will get much valuable information on PFO closure procedures. I know they helped me a lot when...
Hi, 01IRISH, and welcome to this forum. I can only tell you what I am planning to do and what I know; perhaps this may help in making your decision. I think they only do the echo because the main...
Hi, Nancy, and welcome to this forum. If you read some of my first posts, you will realize that I wasn't choosing between being active or having an implant put in my heart, I was choosing between...
Hi Dejaboo, I also had racing heart beat and occasional skipped beats. My heart would get specially bad if I leaned forward and stayed like that for too long; apparently this compresses the chest...
Thank you, Bob, for writing such an important and informative post. Greenhope...
Thank you, CatMom5 for your well wishes. I hope it's closed too, or at least making good progress. I was supposed to stop Plavix at 3 months. However, since the doctor has not seen my heart yet, they...
Hi, Dejaboo, I have had mild heartburn for years which I take care of with 2 or 3 Zantac (over the counter acid reducer) so I know mine was definitely not brought on by the procedure. My heart rate...
Quick update - I just finished yoga and I feel wonderful. The yoga I practice is active with movement coordinated with the breath. It's the first real type of exercise I have done in the past 6...
I agree. Our symptoms are atypical. But doctors need to get with the program and start realizing this and dealing with it accordingly instead of brushing us off as hypochondriac females - which I am...
Ides is correct in that you need to get a copy of the EKG from the place where it was performed. If it was a hospital, they should have no problem providing you with a copy of it to you, since they...