Bret Michaels: PFO

Rock legend Bret Michaels described how doctors discovered a hole in his heart after being hospitalized for stroke-like symptoms. For more information, visit www.TheDoctorsTV.com.

[@marthavaldivia9702]

Bret this is the first time I have seen these interviews. I am doing research for class and stopped to listen. You have really inspired me, with all the hard times that you have had you always look so cool and so calm. I have problems with a bleed on side of the brain that has given me some hard times.Your experiences gives courage to so many people that have these problems. You are a Great person.

[@KN-lq4zv]

Im only 45 and have always lead a healthy lifestyle gym through the week at night, jogging once a week too. Don’t smoke and only drink socially, no junk food I haven’t even had soft drink in 20 plus years, but had a clot and bleed in my brain a week ago, no one could explain as I am so healthy exactly the same as Bret I have a PFO, so I will be getting it closed, I hope I can go back to normal life after it.

[@frankn2080]

Any updates? How did it go?

[@nicolecooper7108]

😭😭😭😭thank god his still alive rocking. Amen

[@SarahM-jv7pk]

I had a stroke at 36 and was diagnosed with a PFO. I had my repair in July 2018.

[@texastornado2martinez68]

EXACTLY the same thing happened to me! It was crazy!!!

[@iamsean92]

i had to have this done last year.

[@iamsean92]

im 29 years old

[@thebatkidsmom]

Do you feel any different after the closure? I have chronic fatigue and wonder if closing the PFO helps alleviate that and make me more active.

[@yaminahvannest2054]

I was told the same thing. I was making it up. So frustrating. Told I needed cognitive behavior therapy and was asked if I was abused! Wtf! I’m still being told I need to wait till I have a stroke or heartache before they see me as a risk. Despite the dizziness, tightness to chest, becoming winded easily, and massive migraines where I’m needed to apply I’ve to my head. I’m being treated with aspirin and headache/migraine medications. I’m told I’m too young and the procedure is too risky.

[@albertp6565]

I had all the same symptoms until they got bad enough to cause TIA’s when I slept. I began waking up unable to breathe with numbness on my whole left side. I was rushed to the ER 5 times in 8 months the hospitals my doctors all blamed it on PTSD. When I had 3 TIA’s in one month and still they thought I was just scared and suffering from a mental health disorder. The last ER visit I checked myself out of the private hospital and went to the VA and refused to leave because I was at this point terrified that I would die the next time I went to sleep. Thats when after numerous tests and blood work they found the hole in my heart. They still tried to send me home so they could discuss when to do the operation, I still refused to leave. After 1 day they flew in a cardiologist to do the procedure to close the hole. I never had another TIA and most of my symptoms have subsided! I hope they can get your fixed before it gets worse

[@yaminahvannest2054]

@@albertp6565 That is crazy! Thank you for sharing! It shouldn’t have to require so much convincing on our part to be heard and be taken seriously. It’s sad!

[@chrisrose5740]

Wow !

[@RD-xu8cv]

Love you you are amazing 😘

[@lindasmith5467]

I am looking for where Bret talks about his symptoms that led to finding the PFO. In 1997 I had a strange thing happen that was never explained where the world began to spin like color being added to white paint. It looked like the table flew up to my face and my knee-jerk reaction was to block it but I was stunned that my hands felt that it was still flat on the floor. I got up to call for help and my left side didn't want to go (sluggish). I was in my mid 20's so no one took me seriously. Now, June 2015, I was checking out a house in Atlanta with a contractor. Walking back to the car I felt really out of breath all of a sudden (I mean on the way there I was singing "this is gonna be the best day of my life, Woot! wOOOooOOt!" So I was feeling good, mentally and physically.) I have known the contractor for a long time so we shot the breeze for a minute and I kept feeling slightly dizzy and seemed hard to talk - like I couldn't get as many words out w/o pausing for a breath (Like "Stevie" from "Malcolm in the Middle"). My A/C needs work in my car but it still does ok as long as the car is moving. So I got in my car and headed home. Traffic was heavy. I made a few phone calls via speaker phone and my car is a Mini so gotta talk loud over road noise. I was having to take a breath between every two words. Then the highway in front of me began to spin like paint colors mixing together and I was fainting but I sat up straighter to fight it off. My head felt funny. More than "lightheaded," it was surreal but felt weird too. I got off phone, turned my head to see if I could merge to get off the road and the spinning highway turned on it's side and the fainting was coming again. My arms, hands and legs were shaking so violently it was hard to work the clutch. I thought once I get to the emergency lane I'll just breathe and calm down. But it wasn't working. Being a seasoned hypochondriac, I was going through the big ones in my head - no headache or puking w/o nausea so probably not a brain issue, no chest pain, tingling or numbness, so no heart attack. I reached in my purse for a glucotab although this didn't feel like any low glucose trip I'd ever been down before. My mouth was so dry I could hardly chew it up. My heart was pounding and I was fighting hard to stay conscious. I called 911 and breathed deep and slow and stared at the highway exit sign directly in front of me to stave off the spinning until the ambulance arrived. The severity was coming in waves. Same result as 1997, no conclusion when I got to the hospital what was going on, even though it was still happening. A month later same thing, same freaking place on the highway and this time in gridlock traffic. I felt that oddness in my head coming on and I said "No, not this time." I threw on the flashers and hauled ass to the next exit (3 miles) and another 3 miles to the nearest gas station where I bought a smart water, drank half and doused myself over the head with the other half and I was fine in about 15 to 20 minutes. Today I am wearing a heart monitor and I have to wear it for a month. I wonder if Bret's mini stroke symptoms were similar to my experiences. Were my symptoms related to the heart or heat? or something else, entirely? I'm pretty freaked out.

[@Tulips77755]

Hpw do you feel nowadays and did you make pfo closure ? Please reply me?