EnableMe | enableme - stroke recovery and support

Hi All. It's great to find this forum & to talk to people who can share their experiences. Stroke seems to be so diverse that I'm finding there is no benchmark. Mine was 3mths ago Rt side Ishaemic MUA. 3 clots. Fortunately it was the middle of the day & I recognised symptoms so got help within the hour. I needed a bit of convincing that an ambulance wasn't being over-dramatic so thanks to my friends for making that happen. Within 4hrs of that I had a thrombectomy followed by 2 days in hospital. Although my speech went AWOL the next day I was able to communicate more clearly on the 2nd day due to reduced swelling hence the requested discharge. There is no rest in hospital! I felt very fatigued - still do & wanted my own bed. Until the paramedics arrived I did not know I had AF. Of course on reflection I did know my heart rate was different but somehow I didn't address this & I can't tell you why because I don't know yet. Due to luck & timing I am making a full recovery. If this had happened at 1am instead of 1pm this would be a very different story. In fact, I know I would not be able to communicate. Or I would be deceased. And so, I am extremely grateful to everyone who helped & more so for the timing. Feeling very blessed & in appreciation for the opportunity to do better with my health. This is where I need the benefit of your experience. Prior to the stroke I had begun to address my severe sleep apnea. Apparently this caused the AF & the AF caused the stroke. The orthodontist recommended Invisalign with mandibular advancement surgery to correct a 9mm overjet. Seemed very violent & dramatic to me. Now that I'm on anti-coags & statins for life that makes any surgery a bit complicated. So I am seeking other opinions. The ENT specialist agreed with this as my lower jaw is receded which puts my tongue too far back. The heart specialist changed my Ratesetter med to Sotalol to see if it changed the rhythm & did not recommend the jaw surgery as he said it could create new problems. My dentist recommended a splint & but I have a strong gag reflex so I not sure. He also said forget the invisalign as it would only fix the overjet by a max of 3mm. He also said the jaw surgery doesn't always work & could lead to other disfunctions. While I need implants the money is better spent on that function he says. I have appointments soon with MaxFax to discuss jaw surgery and a 2nd opinion to come from respiratory. The urgency is that I need to address the severe OSA. If I get a splint I can't have that & Invisalign. CPAP I trialled for 3 weeks & got zero to no sleep. It's out. I'm in my late 50s & prior to this have never had any health issues at all. Never been in hospital or an ambulance. Ticked NO to every health question. That's changed a bit. I would value your input from experience & thank you in advance.

Hi Eileen,

Thank you for posting on EnableMe and for your questions about Sleep Apnoea (OSA) and surgery. Thank you for also sharing about your early stroke experience which highlights the importance of a timely admission to hospital. It is good to hear that you and your friends knew about stroke like symptoms. I am very glad to hear about you making a full recovery.

On StrokeLine we cannot provide specific recommendation about treatment for sleep apnoea as we are not medical professionals. As you mention there is a link between Sleep Apnoea and Atrial Fibrillation (AF). For others reading this post, you can find this information in the link here and here

I would definitely suggest continuing to speak with all of your specialists to weigh up risks versus benefits of surgery/ treatment. It would be good if all of your specialists could liaise with one another. Second opinions can be helpful in the search and this link may be helpful in getting good health care. Sometimes it can be confusing trying to find the best solution, but it sounds like you are doing your best to educate yourself.

From a stroke perspective, it is important to ensure that you are taking all other secondary preventative measures that can be viewed here. One of these measures is taking your prescribed medication. If you do end up having surgery, please make sure that your cardiologist liaises with your surgeon about whether you need to titrate, stay on or come off any medications for a period of time. They will look at the risks versus benefits of surgery and coming off medication.

I hope this is helpful.

If you need us, please don’t hesitate to call us on StrokeLine 1800 787 653 (Note: we will be closed for Christmas on 24 December 2020 and will reopen on 5 January 2021 at 9am AEDT)

Warm regards,

Kath (StrokeLine)

Minefield of medical appointments

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