Monday, January 17, 2005

Monday - Migraine Article

I'm woke up with a pinch in the side of my head, nothing unmanagable but I know what's coming if I don't take it easy. I'm having coffee, caffeine helps they say.
Okay so this article out of the Province totally jumps out at me.
MIGRAINES COULD BE LINKED TO MINOR HEART DEFECT!!!
Mom did you tell me I had a little heart thingy as a baby, I don't really remember.
K I just have to type some of this out.
A simple heart operation could cure migraines. Doctors believe there is a direct link between minor heart defect, present in up to a quarter of the British population, and a migraine, which affects one in 10 adults. When patients have a procedure to close a "hole -in - the - heart," some reported that their migraines had disappeared or had been reduced in severity or frequency.
The heart defect is known as paten foramen ovale (PFO). Most people live their lives unaware that they have it.
About 20 yrs ago, it was found by chance that, in divers, there was a link between PFO and migraine.
When they needed a PFO closure to treat decompression sickness, those who suffered migraine reported that attacks had stopped.
With PFO, a flap between the two upper chambers of the heart fails to close completely at birth. This allows balls of deooxygenated blood in the right atrium to pass into the left atrium, where they mix with the oxygenated blood being pumped to all parts of the body including the brain.
These balls of blood have not been filtered properly and carry with them bits of a clot or chemicals. It is this, the doctors speculate, that could trigger the migraine attacks if they reach the brain.

Moral of the story be nice to people who get bad headaches because the're not faking it, it really hurts!!!!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Get an appointment to see if you have this!

Lisa's Diet said...

I don't want someone to cut open my chest and create a big scar. I'll mention it next time I go in.

Anonymous said...

They don't open your chest to do the surgery. They don't even put you under - usually done under general anesthetic... Google it!