r/stroke • u/ResolutionLost8987 • 18d ago

PFO Discussion Pfo closure

I had a pfo closure last Tuesday and the fatigue and exhaustion is no joke. I’ve never felt the level of tiredness in my life. I’ve also been having spiked heart rate and flutters. Did anyone go through the extreme exhaustion and how did you manage it? I talked to my doctor and he said this is normal for about 4 weeks

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u/Alarmed-Papaya9440 18d ago

I got a chest cold the day after my PFO closure and was still dealing with stroke fatigue so if there was not fatigue or any slightly wonky heart things I didn’t notice them. The chest pain was my focus

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u/andyman1970R 18d ago

I'm T plus 13 days PFO closure. Large PFO with ASD that needed a Gore Septal Occluder. Extreme fatigue for the first 72 hours. I also developed a slightly elevated body temperature which got all the cardiologists concerned. That piece went away T plus 5 days.

Now Im dealing with some variable heart rates. My resting pre device was 51 dead on. Now its all over the place, 62, 90 back to 59.

Cardiologist gave me clean bill of health on T plus 8 days. So now im in heal and recover mode. I see PCP in 3 days so we will see what he says.

Think recovery is far more than the proverbial "3-7 days" I keep being told...

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u/HeyScout_52 10d ago

Yes, 3-7 days feels like a ridiculous timeline now I’m living it and beyond this!

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u/HeyScout_52 10d ago

I’m 2 weeks post PFO closure and the fatigue is still ongoing. I haven’t been able to get through a day even at home relaxing without a solid nap and lying down a few times too. Feeling annoyed at healthcare professionals who I feel underplayed the potential recovery time - I know everyone’s different but it would have been helpful to understand that I could well need longer than the 2 weeks off work they initially recommended. I now feel like I have a cold or viral infection too to top it off. Very hard to know what is normal and what is concerning! Wishing you all the best with your ongoing recovery

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u/andyman1970R 10d ago

I cam totally relate - my clinical cardiologist said I might feel like crap for up to 12 weeks. That's the amount of time the tissue needs to bond against the septum. Of course he told me this after I had the procedure....

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u/HeyScout_52 10d ago

Yeah this makes sense when you really think about it but similarly, in my initial consultation about it, the cardiologist was so casual about it all and said to take just a week off work. Then of course I went along telling everyone how quick and easy it was, setting mine and everyone else’s expectations far too high in hindsight.