Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Help! Looking for input on Surgical intervention to prevent Stroke

Hi,

Is there anyone who had such procedures? Can you share your experience?

I'm in Philadelphia area, and had two strokes in the past two years due to the narrowing of the carotid artery, which is 80% blocked. I'm only 38 years old.

I went to Thomas Jefferson's stroke center, and the doctors there couldn't figure out what caused this narrowness,and they told me to come back till the next episode happens.

But I don't wanna live in the fear everyday. If anyone had this kind procedure, could you please share with me? even if you are not in the Phila area.

Thanks a lot!!!!!!

Desperate Stroke surviver
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Apparently I was wrong about your very narrow carotid artery not being a risk factor.  It appears to be so.  Sorry about that one.  

Still find out that even if you have a full stroke, what are your chances of a full recovery?  

One of things to do, is to have office mates and family members aware of the warning signs that you have had a stroke, because if you get to the hospital quickly, you can usually stop most of the bad effects of the stroke.  But often when someone has a stroke, they have no idea about it.  I am very tuned in to my body, but waking up in paralysis and not being able to speak, I didn't have a clue that anything was wrong with me.  Ones' judgment can be affected by the stroke.

Let me know what you think about anything that I have written.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Did the doctors explain to you what the procedure would be and the risks?  I looked up about installing a stent in the carotid artery to open up my nearly completely closed carotid artery. It said that there is risk of having a stroke either during the surgical procedure or within 30 days.  I don't recall what the other risks were, but I think I remember a small risk of death as well.  Also the literature said that following the surgery, the artery often closes up again. I don't know if that was the procedure that your doctors were referring to, but I don't know what else it could be.

I have already had a major stroke and it has caused severe 24/7 migraines which my neurologist said that the nearly closed artery is causing them. But my neurologist has said nothing about my nearly closed artery causing another stroke.  It has been closed like that for the past 5 years since my stroke, so I wonder if your closed artery is even a risk factor.

I wonder if you actually had TIAs since you're not speaking of stroke disabilities.  Are you aware that the chances of having a full stroke after a TIA are about 33% within the next 5 years.  (Did you have carotid artery dissection strokes like I did?  They are most common in people who are 30 to 60 years old.  Then your chances of having another one is only 1% a year for the next 10 years.  Unless you have some genetic abnormality of very fragile arteries.  Tell me if you had that type of stroke for more info.

There are a lot of other things that you can do to avoid having another stroke.  Smoking is the top cause of it.

I understand your desperation about having another stroke.  I just read an article that said that 1 in 4 stroke survivors have post traumatic stress syndrome following their stroke, especially younger people who have had mild strokes.  It's very understandable.  

Aside from my migraines, I have had great success following my stroke which began with difficulty both speaking and understanding speech, plus paralysis.  The younger that you are, the more likely you are to have good recoveries.  But I entirely understand your fear.  I do wish you the best.  
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Stroke Community

Top Neurology Answerers
1780921 tn?1499301793
Queen Creek, AZ
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease