Yesterday I had an appointment with a brand new neurologist. I really, really liked her. Now, for me to say that I really like a doctor, especially a neurologist, and use 2 reallys to boot – that’s QUITE a big deal. QUITE. All of the neurologists I’ve seen have been arrogant BLEEPS. This lady was not at all. She was quite the opposite. She was humble, she listened to everything I had to say, she didn’t dismiss things. She didn’t try to push me to take pills. She even said at one point “you can probably teach me more than I can teach you.” Yes, I most definitely can. That’s the way a doctor should be.
No one knows why this happened to me. I’ve had tests out the ass that all came back very, very normal. Whatever normal is. Anyway, the ONLY thing they found that was abnormal about me is that I have a PFO in my heart. PFO = patent foramen ovale. It means that there is a hole between the upper 2 chambers of my heart. It used to be that if you had a stroke and a PFO was discovered, you had heart surgery ASAP to close that sucker. Now, things are different. Now, there is research to say that a PFO has no correlation to having a stroke. They just completed a new trial and the neurologist lady yesterday said “now we have 3 studies that say there is no correlation between PFOs and stroke.” The heart surgeon that I saw in the months following the stroke said “PFOs have been blamed for all the ills of the world.” So – no one knows anything.
Categories: Brain stuff, Health, Recovery, Stroke stuff
Normal! Ha!
Yeah.
Congratulations on finding a neurologist you like! What a find!
Seriously! Thank you, I think I should probably say all this stuff directly to her. I would have appreciated that when I was a PT.
The Queen of Abby Normal says, “Normal, what’s normal?” The thing about ant abnormalities in the heart is that clots can form because it’s beating irregular. WTG on finding a doctor that you can work with and listens…two very hard to find commodities these days.
They are extremely hard to find, that’s sad. I’m weeding out everyone that isn’t like that.
That’s what I do and have for years now. I look at it as a employer/employee relationship. I’m the employer. Over the years these same doctors have gained my respect and I theirs.
WOW! This post made me sit up. I can’t stand my neuro. And I have to wait months to see another. When I had my “episode” as the neuro calls it, they couldn’t find anything on any test. They discharged me in three days. I still was unable to walk, use my right arm and think even a complete thought. Everyone who looked at my chart told my husband, “We were sure she had a stroke. But the tests don’t show it. So we thought she maybe had a TIA. But TIA symptoms don’t last more than 24 hrs! Because I have very lucid moments when I think clearly, my neuro at the last visit was very condescending and basically told me, “Just make a goal and reach it!” She never said, “I want to see you back” or anything. My family knows something happened. They can tell. I can tell. All symptoms point to a stroke! One little line on a report early on keeps jumping out at me: “Possible unstable lacunar infarct noted on the left side!”
My husband & I have almost given up. The one doctor I have seen the most, basically said they have to come up with new tests all the time to diagnose what the current tests don’t show. On every piece of paperwork in my file, he has written Diagnosis: Stroke.
So maybe I’m just confused…..did you get definitively diagnosed as having had a stroke?
Yes by one doctor. The other, thinks I had a TIA, but can’t explain the “residual” symptoms lasting over a year!
I am so thankful for the docs at Stanford. They have done nothing but given hope….well, there was one DB when Z was still in the testing phase..but he was a fellow, I told on him, and he never returned. boo-yah. Anyway, they have all been very straight forward, yet very hopeful. They have said things like, “He’s doing great considering all he went through.” “He should just keep getting better.” “I am not sure how long it will take for him to recover, or how much he will recover, but our brains make new neurons so he will and can get better…” Stuff like that. I appreciate it. Your doc sounds a lot like Z’s neurologist. Humble, easy to talk to, willing to talk, etc. Very lovely attributes to have in a doc. Congrats, friend!
Wow! You are lucky! My neurologists were not positive with me, except one guy.