I am a 34 year-old active, white female, average height, very healthy weight. I had an interior carotid dissection over a week ago, they think from a sports trauma (though I didn't do anything where I knowingly hurt myself). Luckily, I have 100% collateral blood flow, no brain damage, no shifting, etc...best possible outcome.
Interestingly, in addition, I have tested positive for antiphospholipid antibodies (after testing false-positive for syphilis---common, who knew). More tests reveal that I test positive for anticardiolipin antibodies, negative for lupus. They have hooked me up w/ a hematologist for follow-up on this (and he is monitoring my Coumadin for the next 3-6 months). He is running other tests to make sure that I do not have anti-beta 2 glycoprotein 1 instead of anticardiolipin. Evidently, the test he ran 1st is not a specific test? For some reason, the anti-beta would be worse? I don't really understand all of this. He doesn't seem to think there is a connection between what
happened to me (icad) and the antibodies, but there seems to be some research saying that there might be (several journal articles). He says my antibody levels (whatever type they are) are low, so they just need to be monitored & if they
ever get high, I might need aspirin therapy to avoid a stroke.
Right now, my biggest frustration is that NO ONE seems to be able to tell me what I can and can't do. I guess I am some sort of scientific anomaly, given that I survived this w/ no evident complications or neurological deficit. Plus, they are dealing with someone who is used to lifting 3 days per week & doing cardio 3 days per week. Can I drive? Can I bend over? Can I do laundry? Go Christmas shopping? Work? Have sex? Exercise? One doctor says I'll never exercise again. One says, maybe in 6 weeks. One says maybe in 6 months. BUT, everyone qualifies everything they say with, "but I'm really not sure." Can I just walk around a track right now? Isn't that kind of like walking at the mall? Can I do whatever I want as long as I keep my heart rate below X? The official word from my discharge is not to lift anything over 2 lbs. and to pretend like I had abdominal surgery. Please, I can lift a 30 lb. dumbbell over my head without even thinking about it, & I can do my fair share of sit-ups, so give me
some information that is relevant to me. So, I contacted a sports medicine orthopedist that I have seen to see if he knows any doctors who work with athletes recovering from this condition or other head/cardiovascular type injuries/stroke. If you can point me in any sort of relevant direction, or know anyone I should talk to, I would appreciate it. You know, no one ever thought Lance Armstrong would get on a bike again. I just got certified as a personal trainer & was in the process of opening up a gym. This is not just a simple inconvenience to me. All this indecision makes me wonder if I shouldn't have asked more questions when they said surgery
wasn't an option for me (too dangerous when blood thinners should do the trick). Do they REALLY know how to treat this condition? Where is the cutting edge science/medicine with respect to carotid artery dissection taking place? I just want to find a doctor who wants to try to help me get back in the gym if at all possible.