So I've been having a lot of health challenges and since the beginning of the year, they've intensified, a cluster of symptoms, vertigo, tinnitus, and worsening migraines as well as intermittent vision loss.  I've also been way more tired than usual and haven't had my typical stamina. One night in the middle of the night I woke up with my left arm cold and numb, and I was having trouble swallowing and had a pressure on the left side of my neck; I was in the emergency room for a long time, they did some tests, said I was fine, and then sent me home, but told me to follow up with a cardiologist. 

So my neurologist ordered an MRI and insisted that there was a stroke on the finding (not recent) and that I see a cardiologist.  Today, I finally got into the cardiologist and was pretty shocked by what he had to say.  Based on everything that was presented and the data, apparently there is a syndrome with migraines that trace back to heart defects-people are born with it. And that is what he suspects is the case with me.  Either that or AFib.  So, he is going to narrow it down-but he seemed pretty sure that this was the case because I guess the clinical picture is: migraines and strokes, because clots go through this hole in the heart. Next, he starts talking about heart surgery to close up the hole!! Next month I am having an echocardiogram. Right now I am wearing a Holter monitor to collect data on my heart. At some point he is going to probably put me on a statin as well. I can't believe this!  

Earlier this year when I was having all of these symptoms and just feeling generally terrible, I was dizzy, exhausted and my vision was going in and out sometimes, I just could not figure it out.  I knew something had to be causing all of this, it couldn't just be coming out of nowhere.  I put the symptoms into Google, and it came back as a type of heart disease. I thought that was so outlandish and ridiculous. Here I am six months later and it turns out that is the case!!!