(PFO Occluder placed in my heart to close the hole.)
Bright lights, movement, sounds, all causing excruciating pain. For years I'd dealt with migraines, migraines with visual disturbances (auras) that would put me down for hours. A healthy, athletic young lady, I'd just pushed through these horrible headaches.
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
Bright lights, movement, sounds, all causing excruciating pain. For years I'd dealt with migraines, migraines with visual disturbances (auras) that would put me down for hours. A healthy, athletic young lady, I'd just pushed through these horrible headaches.
One day in early July, 2005, I'd again suffered a migraine, while eating dinner with my young son (2.5). He'd dropped his plate; when I tried to speak I remember sounding like a slow motion record. I stood up and fell to the ground, I had no feeling on my left side. I tried again; nothing. I recall my left arm seemingly moving on it's own, almost in slow motion. I motioned to my son to get the phone; he helped me dial 911.
Was I all of the sudden allergic to shrimp? What was happening? As best as I could, I told Jordan that the ambulance was coming and he needed to help mommy.
When the medics arrived, I recall being scared, not knowing what was happening, scared for Jordan, what would happen with him? The next thing I remember was seeing my son riding on a paramedic's shoulders in the ER of the hospital. The next thing I recall was waking up the next day in a hospital room, not the same hospital I started at, and my mother [from Wyoming] was in my room. It was the 4th of July.
The shock came when the doctor came into my room and explained that I'd had a stroke. A STROKE? I was 30 years old, how is that possible? He went on to explain that I'd had a hole in my heart, because I was on birth control, that caused a clot that went to the right side of my brain.
PFO or Patent Foramen Ovale and the connection to migraines had just started being recognized and studied by medical professionals. I was lucky, I'd just returned from Wyoming the week prior and I lived in a cardiology and neurology power state, I was in great hands.
It has been determined that migraine sufferers with a visual aura are twice as likely to have a PFO. Now you can have a PFO and never have a stroke, however if you are suffering migraines, you're now able to have the hole closed prior to having anything more catastrophic than a bad headache!
In November of that year, just before my 31st birthday, I had heart surgery to close the hole and have been migraine and symptom free!
I suffered residual damage from my stroke, loss of feeling to my left hand, only 30% feeling to my entire left side (it feels like pens and needles all the time), short term memory issues, and mild aphasia, which is where I lose words in my normal vocabulary while speaking.
Overall I'm super lucky, I've been around stroke survivors who have had life altering outcomes so I'm reminded how lucky I am.
I've become an Ambassador for the American Heart Association where I get to speak to groups about Stroke education and the importance of quick action.
My stroke allowed me to be more aware of the blessings in my life, the friends and family that I may have taken advantage of previously. The small things, smells, sounds, memories.
Be heart healthy, know the signs of stroke and act fast! Teach your children how to dial 911 it may save YOUR life!
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