Aspirin - I am really worried

[ocean12]

I am in early 40s(female)  I had mv repair with annuloplasty last fall (year ago). I had repair of anterior and posterior leaflets due to severe regurg.

Ever since the repair I had these unusual episodes of right eye disturbances that mimicked distorted vision lasting a minute or two. In addition I had unusual tightening of left arm left shoulder left upper back that would be very painful lasting a few moments and then going away. These episodes would be about 3-6 times per month. Dr said nothing to worry about

Three months ago the rt eye disturbances were more frequent with vertigo as a new symptom.  as well as the  left arm pain that would feel like a constricting.  Well I actually lost vision in my right eye about 5 weeks ago. Lasted 2 min. Went to dr and he did an echo. I have an atrial septal aneurysm with no shunting. Surgeon never said I had this but it is clearly there. I started taking 81 mg of aspirin for 4 weeks now and I haven't had any episodes of anything. I am so worried that the aspirin is masking something that is very wrong ( blockage, etc). I am extremely worried. Is there something more that should be investigated Should the aneurysm have been fixed during my open heart surgery.  Could emboli have been causing this from blood pooling in the aneurysm.  Too coincidental that symptoms have been a year since surgery and now they are gone since taking aspirin daily.

Thank you

[ocean12]

Thank you very much for your reply.  Can you please explain what you mean by "vascular problems?"  Can you be a little more specific.  I appreciate your help once again.

In terms of a PFO, it has been ruled out as a possibility.  There was no shunting when they did the bubble test a couple weeks ago, which would indicate an aneurysm with no other abnormality.  

[CCFHeartMD10]

The recurrent episodes of right eye visual disturbance are highly unlikely to be embolic in origin (coming from clots from the heart) as emboli would not be expected to affect the exact same artery repeatedly when they come from a distant source. Also, we are not certain whether an atrial septal aneurysm without a PFO is associated with an elevated risk of embolic phenomena. However, a more local cause is possible, such as a vascular problem, as are neurologic causes such as migraine. Migraine can be associated with PFO and also commonly causes visual disturbance that is consistent over time, and may not be accompanied by headache.
Your symptoms might warrant imaging of the brain and vasculature, and perhaps review by a neurologist.
Atrial septal aneurysms are not typically repaired during cardiac surgery. There are few if any data on the long-term outcomes of this.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online at https://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/default.aspx