Lots of reading to do, tons of questions

[Cyclemut]

Well, Hello!

I didn't ever think that I would be in this situation. I suppose that no one ever really goes around thinking "I'd like to have OHS sometime, I think zippers look cool as scars!" No, I suppose not. However, life happens and here I sit (literally, I'm in my school library trying to look busy, I'm sitting).

Middle of October of last year (2011 if you're looking at this in 2015 or so) I went under the spreader and on to the bypass machine. 5 or so hours later (wasn't looking at my watch) I emerged minus a cat's meow of a murmur and plus a ticking that's now annoying as hell with a new mechanical aortic valve (Thanks St. Jude!). But hey, I'm alive to be annoyed, so that's all right. My wife says she likes it that way, I'll go with it.

But the downside is, and it's why I registered here, I've had 4 TIA's in the last 4 months since my surgery. I went back to work early, only after 2 months, as a Mechanic, so I didn't sit on my butt and recover like I was told to do. I'm kind of stubborn and take most everything as a challenge. "Hey, you can't split that log with your head!" Oh yeah? OK, so maybe not that stubborn, but I'm getting there. It's a goal. I'll post video if I ever get there, you'll laugh, you'll cry.... you'll keep on truckin'.

When these things happen, I get a gray blob in my left eye (basically I go blind in that eye, but I can still see peripherally, around the blob, just not through it) and I get confused. I don't really realize what's happening until it's too late. I've had it happen when I was driving (that was fun, I got lost on a highway. A highway!), took the wrong exit and drove around for 15 minutes before I realized I was stupid and pulled over. Happened while I was sitting on the couch watching TV, I missed Magnum PI (I miss the shirts) and freaked my wife out. Happened when I was in Calc class, wrote a whole paragraph of notes that I couldn't read after I was done with the TIA and was eventually ambulanced to the hospital from school. I couldn't remember my own address. And then I couldn't remember how to turn my truck off. I'm a Master Mechanic, you'd think turning off the ignition of a truck would be second nature. Nuh uh. You actually think about it, and I forgot how (there was another trip to the hospital).

I've lost vision all 4 times, forget stuff every time and have the odd aches and whatevers (hey, I had OHS, I expect to have the aches and whatevers). And it doesn't help that I'm married to an RN of 17+ years that's worked cardiac and a bunch of other areas I don't even know about. I've read about micro-emboli, yada yada yada. But since I found you guys, I have a lot more stuff to worry about! No, really, I'm glad you're all here and I can get educated about this stuff. My Dr feels that "Do as I say" is a reasonable medicinal directive. I don't subscribe to that way of thinking so I'm on here.

He's raised my INR to between 3.0-4.5, that's just from last week (my last TIA) and then told me that if I have another one, live with it. Huh? Really? I'm going to poke him in his eye and hit on the head with a hammer and see if he 'lives with it'. I don't think he will, but it's an experiment, he may surprise me.

The rest of my intro:
40 years old (birthday next week, then I'm 40, exciting! 0_o )
ASE Master Mechanic
Mechanical Engineering Major @ Colorado School of Mines
Enjoy 4 wheeling (rock crawling actually), sitting on the deck watching the deer and elk and the occasional mojito.
Building things. Anything, I'll build it, I don't care.

Thanks for looking!
Allen

 

[kfay]

I can't even imagine having 4 TIAs since my surgery and my Dr telling me if I have another to learn to live with it. I would be getting thee to a new Dr. asap! Do you know what your INR was with each of these? Are they positive they aren't a complex migraine? Have they done any other testing to try and figure out what might be going on? Have you touched based with your surgeon, if so, what are his thoughts? I don't have a lot of experience or knowledge with coumadin, but I'm sure others that do will be along soon to throw in their two cents worth. Here's hoping the higher INR will keep this from happening.


Kim

 

[Cyclemut]

My INR for the first couple of ones were 1.7 and 2.4, respectively. The 3rd one was around the low 3.somethings, but I didn't go in for it (we're thinking that range as I had an INR 2 days before and 3 days after and they were both 3.3 and 3.5 respectively). The last one was at 2.4, we're unsure why it dropped again after leveling off in the mid 3.0's. Now we've bumped the INR but my wife and I (she's the smart one of the duo) is thinking that after we get it to level off again, there's a chance it will fall again, but that the new 'fall' will be high enough that I won't have another TIA.

I don't have any headaches directly associated with the attacks. The last one I had, there was a slight headache, but I was also fighting off a head cold (just getting over it now, it's nice to breath!).

I've had CT scans, CTA, MRI, MRA and a TEE to make sure everything is still OK. Nothing abnormal is showing up. Although after reading another article similar to this one Microembolus Detection I want to sit my Dr down and have him read a couple of things as well. Usually we're perusing the National Institute of Health research papers to see if anything pops up, just some light reading to help with sleeping.

My surgeon basically just makes sure that what he did isn't malfunctioning. He hasn't seen failures with these symptoms before, so he's not sure if it's a valve failure or another issue. The reason for my natural aortic valve to fail was excessive scar tissue due to a sterile impact when I was young, no disease noted with the biopsy (or whatever name they use for checking it out when it's taken out) was performed.

Thanks for the reply Kim!

 

[Lionheart]

Hey Allen,
Welcome to the site. I'm no help with the TIA thing, but it sounds like you are chasing in the right direction in your research. Although, I agree with Kim, you should seek out another opinion (Doctor) and seek out a TIA specialist. Maybe even go to a major heart center that has a super-specialist in that sort of thing. Another idea is to start another post on this site and include "TIA" in the heading to attract the attention of those who have experienced them and that might get more responses than the general subject heading in this post.
I'm a bit north of you up in Ft Fun. Let me know when you have another Mojito/deer watching contest. I'll compete.
Best,
John

 

[kfay]

Allen, I'm sure you are certain that you are suffering TIA's and not complex migraines, but just wanted to throw that out there. I have experienced almost all of the symptoms you have had in addition to going completely numb/weak on one side of my body sometimes with a headache, sometimes without, and there was some thought/fear that I was experiencing TIA's (pre-surgery), however, it turned out to be complex migraines. Also, I don't know if you saw that clip last year of that news lady who was speaking in gibberish and everyone thought she was having a stroke, but again, it turned out to be a form of migraines. Have you consulted with a neurologist at all, or just your cardio?


Kim

 

[Greg a]

Hi Allen and WELCOME to the site sorry to read about your issues

 

[Cyclemut]

Kim, you bring up some good points. I think I may have to do some research on the complex migraine thing. I was under the impression it was always a headache thing for a migraine.

Ft. Fun John? I used to live just south of CSU in the early 90's. Worked for Tynan's down on South College (with that giant flag flyin' out front). My brother lives in Windsor (great goose hunting over there, when I was into that).

May have to share some brews next time I'm up in the area. It's not that far away.

Off to more reading!