The first cardiologist I saw said I should not have mine closed after my stroke.
The following four cardiologists I saw all said to have it closed. Definitely
seek multiple opinions. It is too important of a decision not too.

There is no definite consensus that having the PFO closed is the right thing to
do. There are other options, such as life-long coumadin, etc. I didn't find
those options real appealing, as there are significant risks associated with ALL
treatment options. I do a lot of mountain biking, trail running, etc, so the
consequences of a bleeding event on coumadin led me to have mine closed.

You have to choose the option you feel is right after getting all of the
information you can.


--- On Wed, 8/27/08, Denise <goldilocks35@...> wrote:

> From: Denise <goldilocks35@...>
> Subject: Re: [PFOSupport] What's the truth?
> To: PFOSupport@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2008, 9:12 PM
> I had mine closed because I had a stroke.  My PFO was never
> diagnosed until after my stroke even though I had open heart
> surgery at 6 weeks of age. 
>  
> Remember- you always have the right to see more than one
> doctor and educate yourself. 
>
> Life is all about holding on and letting go.
>
> --- On Wed, 8/27/08, Mike Brubaker
> <mike_brubaker@...> wrote:
>
> From: Mike Brubaker <mike_brubaker@...>
> Subject: [PFOSupport] What's the truth?
> To: PFOSupport@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2008, 10:14 AM
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi, all,
>
> My wife just got diagnosed with PFO and a ASA as well,
> which seem
> to be the same thing, from what I can tell. Everything
> I'm reading
> online from Mayo, Hopkins, American Heart Association, etc.
> is saying
> that there is no proven link between having a PFO and a
> higher risk of
> stroke and that they do not recommend arbitrarily closing
> the PFO as a
> precautionary measure. This is also in line with what my
> wife's
> cardiologist is telling her. But, on this group, it looks
> like most
> of you have had it closed anyway. What was the reasoning if
> I might
> ask? We're not really looking to have heart surgery if
> we can avoid
> it and she has no symptoms of any kind, it just showed up
> on a EKG
> looking for why she has a heart murmur sometimes. We're
> just trying
> to figure out if it's a big deal or not. She's 33
> years old.
>
> Thanks,
> Mike Brubaker