PFO Trial - next step was - ECHO heart test

Further to going forward with the PFO trial, I went for the Echocardiogram exam on my heart to see if I had 'the hole' so we could move forward to a possible cure.

Well, I spent about an hour yesterday closely looking at my heart and my technician was very candid with me so I go a lot of information. At first he did all the measurements and took the required pictures. Then he said that I had to take one more test whereby he was going to put little bubbles in my heart to see if they passed through a hole and into the other side, but he had to call someone else in to put a tube in the vain in my arm and we would have to wait for her. While we waited, he had asked me if I minded telling him why I was here.

I told him that I was on a trial for a migraine study and I was hoping for a hole in my heart and why and that "I bet you never had a patient that wanted a hole in their heart". He smiled. He started to ask questions about migraines and when I answered them he asked if I was able to work. I told him that I used my vacation days as sick days and that I found ways to cope through life.

We were finally able to do the bubble test and he tried many times to try to get those bubbles to the other side of my heart. We could both see that it just wasn't happening. He was very kind.

My heart is just fine and healthy.

I am in a very quiet mood today. Yesterday my boyfriend kept asking what was wrong and I couldn't answer. I just kept staring. No thoughts really. I just want to get to work and forget about it.

Today I have a migraine, just like every other day. No vacation this year either. Got to get to work. My heart is fine. This chapter ends.

I tried to get in one of the studies also but didn't get as far as you did.

Last year I had an echocardiogram for other reasons and was hoping the hole would show up but didn't. I felt the same way, like there was a chance something could be done to help the headaches but now that didn't exist. I know exactly how you feel. Back to surviving.

i also had my hopes dashed. although i did have a tiny pfo, found coincidentally, it was decided that the cure was worse than leaving it alone. a person has to be on PLAVIX for several months before pfo surgery.

this would not be good for my bleeding disorder. then i also read, later, that the only people for whom fixing the pfo helps migraines are those with aura. i have never had an aura. so life goes on, with a seemingly unfixable head. dianne

Enigma,

I am happy that you don't have a PFO. I hope the cardiologist does look over the echo to rule out an obvious problems that could show on an echocardiogram.

What is more disappointing at least to me is that you had to wait so long, and in fact wait for being accepted in a trial to have a very, very common test which is very low in cost. Medicine at times just defies all logic.

One positive, your heart should be good--now it's time for the neurologist to step up.

I have not been optimistic with the MIST trial and migraineurs. It gave way too many people false expectations for a quick fix, when frankly there isn't a whole in their heart's septum causing problems to begin with.

Reminds me of the moron interventional neurologist that after doing a brain angiogram with negative results, wanted me to see another neurosurgeon to have holes drilled into my skull to test for micro-mesial seizures. The problem, all along was heart rhythm.

Sorry for all your stress.
PF.