ROTTED CAROTIDS

About a month ago Pat and I were here in the family room surfing the net, when Pat said to me "I can't see out of my left eye". WHAT??? In a few minutes his vision returned. I told him he should go to an opthamologist NOW. He finally got an appointment not with an opthamologist but an optometrist.

[As a side-item, it is not easy to find medical care here. I have been told that the reason is that doctors choose warmer climes over the north so there is a shortage of doctors here. We are in the military health circle which makes it somewhat easier for Pat - he can visit a VA Clinic and the VA Hospital in Syracuse.]

Back to my story.

The optometrist dilated his eyes and said he most likely had an optical migraine. He was relieved. I was relieved. But then a few days later a friend of ours woke up in the morning and was blind in his left eye. His vision never returned.His diagnosis - a stroke.

So Pat in his infinite wisdom decided to check with an opthamologist at the VA Hospital where that moment of vision loss was diagnosed as Amaurosis Fugax. Cutting to the chase - it meant he had a TIA. A TIA is a warning sign of stroke...in fact some websites call it a "mini-stroke". Thankfully, that doctor recommended he have several other tests - such as an MRI, CAT scan, and Doppler Ultrasound of his carotid arteries. When all these tests were completed everything was fine EXCEPT for his carotid arteries. The Doppler found the left carotid 70+% blocked and the right about 50% blocked. Not the kind of news we wanted!

Pat has met with the chief Vascular Surgeon at the VA Hospital and he is scheduled to have the left one reamed on July 17th. The right one they will keep an eye on. Noone looks forward to surgery - but I think both of us are looking forward to having it in the past tense. Pass the valium,please!