Sorry Sandy, but i haven't heard of this before. I am also sorry that this group is not a very active one, so I'm not sure what to tell you. Hope you find some answers and comfort soon. God bless.

Had 2 major strokes @ 46 yrs old 3 yrs ago...I was also found to have a PFO that caused them. Had PFO repair done April 2010, my strokes left me with severe anxiety and was totally scared to have the procedure, but it was not as bad as I thought and have had no problems...other than anxiety...since.

Hi, Please fill me in........what is a PFO ? I hope you are doing better. Sometimes you have to explain more about your problem.

Hugs, Gwen

A PFO is a small opening, hole, between the two sides of your heart. About 28% of people are born with it, and it usually self-repairs. In my case it became a problem when I developed a DVT. I started on blood thinning therapy to dissolve the DVT, it was gone, but then I had two TIAs (mini strokes). The cause being the thickness of my blood (the INR was 1.9 on the day of the last stroke on Coumadin) and the PFO which allowed the clot to go directly from my heart to my brain. The PFO repair is inserting a wire with an umbrella on top through the groin to the heart where the umbrella opens, covering the hole.

Thank you Sandy. I appreciate your explanation. I had not ever heard of that particular heart defect. I was born with a Bicuspid Aortic Valve, another very common birth defect. So far I just have mild side effects but sadly I passed it down to my daughter.

It sounds like terri had a successful repair of her PFO. I hope you hear more good results from others here. This isn't the most active board here at DS. They do have heart related support groups as well tho.

Good Luck and Hugs, Gwen :-)