Carotid Arteries Blocked

[Kas111]

Recently fainted, left leg had pins and needles just prior to fainting. Went to ER and admitted to hospital. Before incident, appx 2 months, trouble grasping words, making mistakes at work, general confusion, extreme fatigue. While hospitalized and had CAT chest, head w/dye, carotid and heart ultrasound and MRA showing 100% blockage left carotid and 69% blockage right. Have an appt with a vascular specialist and the cardiologist who treated me in hospital. No mention made to me of any problems with the heart. Which is better to see, the vascular or cardiologist; and is the surgery or stenting better? What is the prognosis and recovery?

[laaz]

I don't know how old you are but my Father had carotid artery surgery on his left side. If I recall he was 80%, maybe more, and about 50% on the right side.  He went in for surgery , the doctor told us that it is less than 1% of having a stroke during surgery.  Well I guess we should have went for a second opinion, as he had a massive stroke on the table.  The doctors gave him one month to live, I took him home to my house to take care of him and he lasted 3 yrs.  (What do doctors know)  I'm not telling you this to scare you but maybe to get a second opinion.  It has been 8 months today that my Father passed away and I would tell anyone to get a second opinion about any type of surgery, because if I would have made my Father get a second opinion maybe, just maybe he would still be alive today.       Take care and don't let anyone tell you or make your decision - if it don't feel right - then maybe you should think long and hard.   Just a few little things that I wanted to tell you.  What ever YOUR choice is , I hope that it is the right one and that everything turns out just fine for you.       Laaz

[disasterman]

Prognosis and recovery are great these days for anything they go in and remove, whether by surgery or stinting.  Stinting of course much less risky than surgery, so that's preferable if they can do it that way, and at least around here in Florida, most cardiologists are also vascular specialists (although I'm beginning to question mine......)

I would definitely request they perform a heart catheterization on you though to definitively see if there is any blockages in your coronary arteries.  The blockages you get in your carotids will usually be the same kinds of blockages elsewhere. If you have one, likelihood is high that you have the other, and heart arteries being blocked can kill you quick.  I'm surprised they didn't do that already, but then I'm surprised they don't want to look at anything BUT my heart.  Maybe we should switch doctors, LOL.

I love it that they did an MRA on you.  I needed that done, and they didn't, just an ultrasound, which I've since been told doesn't always show up all kinds of blockages.  Now, since I have a new heart stint, I have to wait 8 weeks before they can do any magnetic imaging......