Hi all,

I am a 34 year old man and have always exercised and been in very
good shape. Last October, I had a small stroke while visiting my
parents. I had a strange tingling sensation down my left arm and leg
that lasted for about an hour. I never suspected that this could be
anything serious. I thought perhaps it was just a strange migraine.
I drove 7 hours home the next day and saw my primary care doctor, who
thought it was a stroke and referred me to a cardiologist for a
stress echo. I also had an MRI that showed a spot that was suspected
to be from a stroke. The echo showed bubbles passing through a PFO,
but the cardiologist and neurologist said they would do nothing for
the PFO until I had another stroke. A neighbor had the same thing
happen to her, and she was referred to the Michigan Congenital Heart
Center at the University of Michigan. I went there in early
December, and there was never a question of whether or not they would
do this. They asked if I was ready for it, and it was scheduled for
December 20. I was gone from home for a total of 8 hours on the day
of the surgery. On the 24th of Decmeber, I developed an arrhythmia
for about 8 hours and spent the day at the hospital, but went home
that evening. Outside of a bit of soreness in my chest, I can't
really tell that anything happened. The hardest part to deal with
was the psychological component of knowing I could have another
stroke at anytime. Once I found someone who said they would close
the hole, I felt much better. My brother-in-law is also an
interventional cardiologist, so I had someone to talk me through the
decision making process. It is a decision you have to make. There
are risks associated with it, but for me it was the right decision.
I feel like I have my life back.

Mark