Migraine/PFO/Visual disturbances 24-7

[skimordiegirl]

A brief history.... I was born with a hole in my heart.... dr;s said this hole healed on its own, per my parents. I have had migraines since child hood. I gave birth to my son on Dec. 3rd 2009 and since then have had vision dimness, eye floaters, flashes of light, slight grainy vision, vision trails and tracers as well as after images. I know that most of the stuff I have researched about PFO it says there are no symptoms. I know that most migraines with aura last for a short amount of time.... I know all of this.... however.... what are the chances that my PFO never healed and actually got worse during the strain of child birth? I am at my wits end with dr's saying they have no clue what is wrong with me. No answers for me because I do not fall in to a typical category..... Why are dr's not looking further into this ever growing phenomenon that is wreaking havoc on many unfortunate lives!!!!! I thought having a baby would be the beginning of my life...... I wake up every day thinking about how un-normal I am and how rare this is and that I will probably have this forever. Why me?

I often ask myself...... Is there someone out there who used to have these symptoms and they went away, but of course they wouldn't be on the internet reporting it.... they would be living their life!

Back to my main question..... what are the chances that I have a PFO, (will be getting this looked at asap), and that dirty blood is being unfiltered and going straight to my brain causing inflammation or some type of chemical reaction causing this hyper type state or allergic reaction if you must???


Thank you!

[skimordiegirl]

I am so sorry to hear. That was when mine was first diagnosed, however via Xray they said it closed.... That was in the 80's. I am going to get it checked asap. Bless her heart, I hope they are able to help her with her migraines. Hugs to her!!

[HRHSmommy]

Hi, my 5 yr old daughter had her PFO closed a year ago and the cardiologist said that research suggests that PFO's do cause headaches. Her headaches have not gone away but she also has many other heart defects(single ventricle). I would say getting an echo would be a good idea.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
Thank you for the update. While waiting, try to avoid stressors,  get  busy, and enjoy your baby to avoid anxiety build-up. After child birth, hormone levels may also change and could lead to other symptoms as well. Take care and hope to hear your updates.

[skimordiegirl]

Thank you! I am in the process of setting up an appointment to get it checked. I will let you know how it goes :)

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? An echocardiogram  or transesophageal echo may help determine the presence of patent foramen ovale (PFO). Normally the foramen ovale closes at birth when increased blood pressure on the left side of the heart forces the opening to close. if  the atrial septum does not close properly, it is called a patent foramen ovale. This type of defect may be exacerbated with certain conditions when there is more pressure inside the chest. Migraine headaches are said to be more common with PFO. However, there are not enough studies done confirming the improvement of migraine symptoms with closure of PFO. Have this checked by your doctor for proper evaluation.Take care and do keep us posted.