stroke after surgery

[Megan]

im just curious what the stats are for having a stroke or tia after valve replacement surgery both with tissue and mechanical..i am really really scared..i am 6 months post op and my inr is high right now-3.3 on monday. but yesterday i was cleaning the sink and my eyes went crazy- like my eyeballs were rolling around in my head. and i got blurry vision. but i sat down, closed my eyes for less than a minute and i was fine. and ihave been fine all day today except for the worrying. with one more thing though. my right cheek hurts. no classic stroke signs- looked those up..and cooincidentally, i had a small biopsy done yesterday on my left cheek so iw as thinking maybe i just clenched my jaw too tightly when they gave me a little shot to numb me up...but its all just weird, unsettling- i did put a call in to my dr and sent her an email but still waiting to hear back from her. any thoughts..has this ever happened to anyone? thanks
meg

 

[netmiff]

Megan, if you're the least bit worried, go to Emergency! I would do it NOW if it was me. You should be OK (your INR being high), but they should take you seriously and run some tests to make sure. Then at least you can stop worrying.

Let us know what happens.

 

[Ross]

3.3 is NOT high. I woiuld expect things like this for a while yet. Your a newborn as far as this stuff goes. I would think more along the lines of sudden BP drop, but you haven't said what other meds your on.

 

[sue943]

3.3 is near the bottom of my range, it is certainly not 'high'.

 

[Megan]

my range is supposed to be 2-3 ..and only other med was metroprolol. i do feel like a baby thats for sure! the face pain has subsided a bit-- wonder if the 2 glasses of wine helped? but im still freaked out about the crazy eye thing...it just cant be normal. good thing is that i do have an appt with my old neurologist who has ct scans to compare against from 3 years ago so -appt in jan though. she is out of country right now- typical right?if anything else changes i will go to ER i think but hopefully it was nothing and i just need some xanax!

 

[Bina]

An inr of 3.3 is totally perfect
I have had many dizzy spells from my weird BP and the Metoprolol, but blurry vision or floaters in front of your eyes would need further checking out. Avoiding all alcohol sits better with my BP also.

 

[Woodbutcher]

I'd have to agree that 3.3 isn't high at all. I get that mad blurred vision every week or two and it hasn't just started since my AVR I cant remember not having it ? It can be very frustrating, especially if I'm busy because I just have stop what I'm doing and relax and close my eyes for about 15 mins or so. It always goes away but never for long !
I hope you feel better today.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Many of our members consider an INR of 2.0 to 4.0 to be "just fine".

The Usual Recommended Range for Mitral Valve Mechanical Valve Recipients is 2.5 to 3.5 and sometimes 3.0 to 4.0 if there are other risk factors such history of TIA's or Stroke.

MANY of our members report 'double vision' or other ocular 'abnormalities' that are usually attributed to "Ocular Migraines" and NO physical cause is ever found. These typically disappear within about 20 minutes or less.

Whenever I get a 'visual abnormality', I chew either 1/2 or a full 325 mg Aspirin 'just in case', with the knowledge and approval of my Cardiologist.

Of course the ususal "When in Doubt, Check it Out" applies, especially if your symptoms are indicators of possible stroke. There is a 3 hour window where a stroke can be 'reversed'.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[netmiff]

OK, OK, guys, sorry, I didn't mean HIGH, I meant NOT LOW or HIGH ENOUGH or CLOSE or IN A PROTECTED RANGE!

 

[COLLEEN S]

Stroke would occur if your INR was low. Correct me if I'm wrong on this everyone. At any rate, 3.3 is fine. If you have concerns, contact your physician.

 

[Megan]

thanks everyone. im feeling better. didnt know alcohol effect bp but ive never had any problems with that before but good to know. think im just a litte paranoid still waiting for the other shoe to drop. just trying to keep on keeping on... maybe off line for a week or two with holiday madness so happy holidays to everyone. thank you for all of your support and love this past year. i am forever grateful for your friendship.

 

[Lynlw]

Stroke would occur if your INR was low. Correct me if I'm wrong on this everyone. At any rate, 3.3 is fine. If you have concerns, contact your physician.

You are mostly right. There are 2 main kinds of strokes Ischemic strokes, which is caused by blockages and clots that are either formed in the brain or formed in other parts and travel to the brain and are the vast majority. and these are the ones that would happen with a low INR.
The other kind is hemorrhagic strokes or bleeding strokes and are caused by a weak vessels burtsing and cause bleeding into the brain. I think only about 10% of the strokes are bleeding strokes.

 

[terodac]

3.3 is a good INR, I don't know your range but that is about perfect for me and my range is 2.5 to 3.0. I had all those little wierd pains and eye sight problems for at least a year, some days I still have them. And also ask myself could this be a TIA or what I always rule out anything bad! I would ask my doctor if you are worried, but dental work or anything like your cheek thing would cause it also. Good Luck!

 

[Cris N]

Of course you should get it checked out, but 1 thing to watch for with these weird visual effects. Try closing one eye during the event, then the other. If the effect goes away it's probably an occular event (migraine). If it doesn't go away, definitely get it checked.

I'm not a medical prof. - this is what my doc has told me.

 

[Ross]

Stroke would occur if your INR was low. Correct me if I'm wrong on this everyone. At any rate, 3.3 is fine. If you have concerns, contact your physician.

Stroke can occur anytime. Just because your on an anticoagulant, doesn't mean you won't form a clot. It's still very much possible.