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Would be interested in hearing from others with dissections. Where was the dissection, do you know the cause, how was it treated, what's your gender, and how old were you at the time?
I had a vertebral dissection, thought to be caused by chiropratic manipulation. It was treated with stenting. I am female and was 41 years old.
Exercise Surgery Aspirin Coumadin Stroke Artery dissection Weakness Pain Stent Chiropractic
My husband had a stroke in the right cerebellum 3 years ago and he also had a dissection of the carotid artery. He was 54 at the time. The artery healed and REOPENED. His specialist told us that he had never seen one reopen after it was completely healed. He was on coumidin for awhile. His dr. put him on a low dose of hydroclorothizide for stroke prevention. He was on the coumidin for months then the doctor switched him to 325mgs of asprin daily. He had a mini stroke a few months after his major stroke but is fine.
He has a blood clot in the artery that is inoperable. It has been almost 3 years and just this week he has showed signs of weakness, loss of balance,shakiness. His doctor thinks it is possible he has had another stroke but his ct scan shows no change. He has appointment for mri and doctor appointment on the 25th. We will find out more then.
It is wrecking my nerves...sometimes as you probably know strokes do not always show up on test. His major stroke was so hard to detect. It was found in the mri (barely).
Sorry to hear that your husband's dissection reopened. Hope you have a good Dr.s appt. on the 25th. Where are you being treated and who are you seeing? Do they specialize in dissections and stroke?
I was treated in Charlotte, NC, luckily by a vertebral and carotid dissection specialist in neurosurgery and interventional radiology
EApple, he was treated at Wake Forest University
Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC. His doctor was Dr. Patrick Reynolds and he is asst. prof..
in neurology. He also had a team of neurologist that worked together. Doctors could not find out what was wrong with my husband. ED had no clue..nothing was showing up but it looked like stroke symptoms. (major). Nothing was showing up on any of the test and Dr. Reynolds would not give up, He kept telling me that he had a major stroke but he had to find it somewhere. Ct scans , mri's, mra's were done spinal fluid etc. Finally on the second day Dr. Reynolds came and told me that he found something a small spot on his mra that did not look right and he was going to investigate futher.. that is when he discovered he had the stroke of 20-30 yr. olds and he was 51 and that really made it hard for them. Usually doctors go by your age on anything. He has a blood clot in the artery and it is inoperable. He has been to two neurosurgeons and they will not touch him. If the clot breaks looks it will kill him. These are the exact words of one of the surgeons.."If you want to die_ I will operate. You will die on the table." So he is alive and that is what matters and it is by the grace of God that he his alive. We put our faith and trust in God. I hope that this info helps....Did you have a stroke?
GrandmaK
I had a stroke when I was 41 years old. My left vertebral artery dissected and then when trying to mend itself, formed and threw 8 clots to my right occipital lobe, left cerebellum, and ventral midbrain. My dissection showed up as a little white dot on the MRI. Usually they would have closed off the damage artery , hower I did not have the other right vertebral artery. They think I may have dissected it years earlier and that it closed by itself uneventfully. So with only one artery 30% open, my doctor in Charlotte,NC at Carolinas Medical Center came up with a new procedure to stent my dissected artery and keep it open, and me alive. Seven years later its still working very well.
Did I misunderstand, when you say reopened did you mean his dissection healed itself? At first I thought you meant tore open again. I hope that he is doing well with his rehabilitation. I know that Wake Forest has excellent doctors and an excellent neuroscience tdepartment for treatments. You are very lucky to have access to such a great medical center!
I have yet to be diagnosed yet with a dissection but that is what I had in both major caratods just off my aortic arch many years ago at 34 yrs old... from a horrible slip/fall injury. Was healthy, bld pressure 80/60 rose to very high levels immediately, 150/80 as an example. I was in intense pain for months. My face and all skin above my belly button turned red for months. The initial pain when it happend was worse than giving birth. I hear it is rare for young women to have this...
I am now 49. If you read my info you will see more history on my quest for help and the escalating health red flags that finally were acknowledged by medical ppl. I have not been as lucky as some in being heard or finding the right treatment.
Sounds like you found a great doc in Charlotte! I used to live there in 2000-2002 (I was then and am still not okay).
I am thinking of going to the Cleveland Clinic because they seem to have the most experienced medical staff for what I have - both arteries off the arch are almost completely blocked = stroke...
Please share any info you have.
Best to all
Hi Eapple
In 2006 my left inner carotid artery dissected. I think it was the first time I was truly afraid I would die. The thing was it wasn't immediately know what was happeneing to me. Before I knew it I was lying in cath lab undergoing angio.They were going to try to stent but the tear was too long and too close to my brainstem. The blood flow was to my brain was blocked, there was just a small trickle I was told. I was told that both of my arteries had Fibromuscular dysplasia they look like a string of pop beads. That makes them pretty fragile. They don't know what caused it to tear, said it even could have been from turning head to fast, crying hard ( which I did because 0f horrendous headache) lifting something etc. I try not to worry about it but sometimes I can't help it.
Rainy, I can certainly identify with how scary a dissection and FMD diagnosis can be!! I've tried to learn everything I can about what can cause another dissection so that I can try not to cause my neck any unnessesary trauma; then I go on with my life within those parameters. I know two other people who've had internal carotid dissections within the past 2 years. One had their dissection stented and the other had their artery close off before it could be stented. Both poeple are doing well and symptom free 12 months later. I'm 7.5 years out and SO THANKFUL that I had doctors who were able to figure out the problem and treat it quickly. Hope you do well with your recovery. Stay positive!!
Hopefully, Sorry I didn't get to reply to this sooner. I would really recommend the neuro vascular specialist here in Charlotte, from the very positive experience results that I've had. Although I'm sure that Cleveland Clinic is a wonderful institution and I know of one person who had stenting done there. If you would like to email me, I would be happy to discuss off-line. genisol@aol.com. It sounds like you need someone who has experience diagnosing and treating dissections.
Hi Eapple just happened to check and see new reply from you. My left internal carotid dissected in 2006 I was 47.I;m female live on the SE Coast of FL.I was just in hospital in Aug. because of severe headache and chest pain. Had MRA ( have had several since 2006). I do have Fibromuscular Dysplasia in both carotids. the last report stated that disease could be worsening. I ws on Coumadin for 1yr then switched to 325mg aspirin. Lot's of trouble regulating INR. I have been without health ins for almost a year now as DH lost job . So I have gone without a lot of the follow up I should have. I have probably been to ER at least 5 times if not more in that time with severe headache and neck pain. I do have a lot of health issues Sheesh! I alway's thought of myself as pretty healthy until FMD. I have been in touch with the NIH as they were recruiting patients with FMD for a connective tissue study, They believe there is a connection. I was consented in and have sent all of my health records and blood samples. I'm still on the waiting list to go to the NIH study site in Baltimore. I've talked to others that have gone and said it was an invaluable experience. So I'm still hoping to get there. Didn't mean to ramble on , so much going through my mind right now. If you have have any questions or want to talk feel free to post back.. Rainy
Hi Eapple,
Thanks for responding, I will reply offline via email. thanks
Hi, I had a carotid artery dissection in Oct 2008, followed by 7 mini-strokes (TIAs). It was a slow recovery but I'm getting back to normal now.
I've found it extremely beneficial to talk to people who have been through the same experience and I've now got over 50 people who've had a dissection within my 'Carotid Artery Dissection' group on face book, the social networking site.
By sharing our experiences , symptoms, etc we all get a slightly better understanding of this unusual medical event.
Best wishes to everyone
Robin
Hello everyon,
I went to the chiropractor about 3 weeks ago and she claimed she could help my carpal tunnel so I let her adjust my neck 3 times in a 1 week period. Twice I felt a sharp pain in the right side of my neck and since then I have had a headache, neck and shoulder pain. It is relieved by muscle relaxer. I feel pressure in both my ears and my eyes. When I have this headache I am sick to my stomach. I cant take muscle relaxer during the day because of work. I am afraid I have a dissection.My doc only ordered an xray and no fracture showed but he does not seem concerned and is only focussing on my carpal tunnel. He thinks my pain may be from my muscles compensating from my carpal tunnel and thinks that carpal tunnel surgery will solve everything. I feel like he is not listening to me. How can carpal tunnel affect your head, ears, eyes,neck and shoulder. Can anyone tell me about their symptoms prior to stroke. Everything I have read about dissection sounds similar to my symptoms. I feel like I have to be my own advocate. How do I get him to listen without insulting his intellect which I feel I may have already done by questioning his reasoning.I am 35 years old, female and have 3 teenage boys to worry about. I am afraid. Please help
Dear Heather,
If you feel that your doctor is not listening to you or is not adequately answering your questions YOU MUST get a second opinion. DO NOT be concerned about insulting him/her this is your life, and your families' that you are dealing with that you. Most likely your doctor does not know how to diagnose an arterial dissection and they are considered rare so they aren't looked for. It may not be a dissection but you need to rule it out, so start calling around to find a doctor (neurologist, neuroradiologist, neurosurgeon) who can order the MRI/MRA and rule it out. Ask for a second opinion from a neuro specialist, if it is a dissection it could cause a stroke(and you are in the correct age group and gender for a vertebral dissection from chiropractic manipulation) PLEASE get a second opinion from a doctor that you feel is listening to you.
Hi robin . Were you able to find the cause of your dissection? I'm alway;s curious about others experiences . In my case I have Fibromuscular dysplasia. Dissected in 2006 ..so far so goodI agree about sharing experiences with others it really does help to have others to talk to and learn more from.
I had plenty of time to think about the cause of my dissection while I was off work recovering. I believe I did while stretching on an exercise mat - I was sitting and stretching to touch my toes, I then lifted my head to see how far I was stretching. I felt a 'tweak' below my left jawline and stopped. It wasn't a muscle pulling sensation. 4 days later I had my first TIA (mini stroke) during a badminton tournament.
Join the group I've created on face book to see how others dissected their arteries. By far the most exciting cause was during flying trapeze lessons!
Take care
Hi, I am new to this group. I thought I would share my story and possibly help someone or be helped myself. I was competing in a triathlon when I hit a pot hole on the bike portion of the race. I threw me forward over my handlebars and I landed on my face. Breaking my jaw, mandible, and fractured sinus. Was lifeflighted to the ER, treated and released. A week later I lost vision in my right eye, a TIA. It was then that they realized I had dissected my rt. internal carotid artery. Was put on heparin and then bridged to coumadin for 6 months. I am now 3 mo. into the coumadin treatment. I was treated by a vascular surgeon at Metro Hosp. in Cleveland, OH and also got a second opinion at the Cleveland Clinic. The scariest part for me is that my artery is now 100% blocked and the doctors say there is nothing they can do. They did not want to put a stint in initially because of my age (35 yr old female) I'm curious to know how many people have had their carotid become 100% blocked? Also, I have been treated by vascular surgeons, most of the posts discuss neuro - any insight as to what specialty is better for this treatment?
Dear JSD, Hope you will come and join the Carotid Dissection Group on Facebook. It's a great group and has very good disscusions posted. For my vertebral dissection, I was treated by a neuro surgeon who specialized in vascular reconstruction and an interventional neuroradiologist. It's one of radiology's sub, sub specialties. I guess one really don't want just anyone tootling around in his/her brain :-)
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