I had a catheter closure a month back.i had no symptoms…how I managed to cross’s 35 years of my life without paying here to my symptoms…I was still better off before closure…I’m still not fully back in control…am facing so many side effects…migraines with aura has been so frequent…is there any treatment for this…or we will have to make it a part of our lives…I’m told by my cardiologist that my heart is fine…rest all is ignored…I guess I’m living a poor quality of life…getting up everyday thinking what s in store today…
Hi Amy,
Sorry to hear you are not well. I had a large ASD closed with catheter on Dec 23 2018. I have had migraines since I was in my 30’s. The ASD was discovered after I had a tia (sometimes called a warning stroke). I had a serious headache for several days, was in the grocery store and bent down to get something from a lower shelf when I became very lightheaded and lost the vision in my left eye for just a few
moments. That evening I lost vision again in my left eye for a longer time.
Long story, but saw my GP who sent me to the ER. While I was in the hospital, I was seen by a Neurologist who couldn’t find a medical reason for the event. After some time with repeated migraines but no other typical precursor for stroke , he sent me
for an echo with contrast and a bubble study. They saw severe left to right shunting. This was followed up by a Cardiologist who ordered a TEE that showed a large ASD/PFO. The condition was managed by Interventional Cardiologist with meds for a while but symptoms worsened. I was recommended to another Cardiologist who repeated the Echo and Bubble study and the results were not good. I had the procedure to close within a week.
I feel so much better. I have some palpitation/arrhythmia that is managed with meds. I still see the Neurologist for the migraines, but they have decreased tremendously in severity and length. I take a medication called imiprimine as a preventive and it seems to be working well.
I am very relieved to have had the closure. It was a very large hole putting me at high risk for stroke. There was a real possibility of not being able to close it using the amplatzer-occluder. Some of my relief comes from not having to go through open heart surgery.
I don’t know if this helps you in any way, other than to say that I am truly sorry for what you are experiencing. My advice is to trust yourself and don’t ignore your symptoms. If you feel like you are not being heard by the Cardiologist, get a second opinion.
Good luck,
Martha
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hii im on same boat i told the same to my cardiologist and he said everything is fine but i suggest you to go to cardiac surgeon because they understand this problem even in my case who did my procedure he denied that it’s not due to device but surgeon believes that it presist in some patient and they will 1st manage it with medicine if it doesn’t work then go for device explantation. im also going to explant my device because since i got device i never felt normal and fine . i believe that the material of device is causing malfunctioning in the brain i hope u understands . and i think this symptoms is only managed by blood thinner but can’t cure . if u need any help reply me
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Hi Amy, a lot of people who have device closure have new onset of migraine. I had the same I Beleive it is caused by a nickel allergy reaction which causes platelet aggregation. In most cases it goes away within 3-4 months, till the device gets completely endotheialised ( Covered with tissue ) . In some cases it will stop if you continue blood thinners like aspirin or a combination of aspirin and clopidogrel. Also try taking crushed garlic with honey every morning on an empty stomach . It is known to help. If it still does not go away after many months you may have to consider device explantation and patch repair.
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Hi,
if you experienced a stroke i can highly recommend consuming lions mane mushrooms 1-3g everyday. It is safe and it promotes neurogenesis
its actually a good supplement everyone can take daily.
hi. i also have this new onset migrane with visuals and palpitations. ıts been 6 months it happens once a month(migrene)
what do you mean by
device explantation and patch repair.
does it mean the device is getting damaged? also i take NAC 600mg it cures all my palpitations interestingly.
Thanks, I will check it out.
No it does not mean the device getting damaged. It means removing the device through an open heart surgery and closing the asd with a pericardium( Heart Tissue ) patch
Hi @Amy
I am currently going through the same issue as you I have an upcoming visit with a migraine specialist/neurologist appointment to discuss migraine headaches I am experiencing increasing headaches since closure in 2019 I am experiencing up to three migraines in a month and ongoing chest pain & back pain that my cardiologist and primary care doctor state are not related to the heart. It is very discouraging to hear my symptoms dismissed and attributed to probably stress or even heartburn. Have you had any recent encounters with medical practitioners ? have they made any recommendations ? how are your symptoms any improvement?
@Yviarihs Did you ever get resolution on this? Did you try to get a nickel allergy test to see if this was the cause of your headaches/pain?