Has anyone had any experience with a stroke caused by PFO? I had a stroke a few weeks ago with no damage and I was only affected for less than a minute. They think that it was caused by a PFO which is a hole between heart chambers which everyone has at birth and usually closes shortly after birth. About 25% of folks retain the hole and most are not aware of it but it is a point where clots can form and get into the other chamber and release a clot to the brain. They are presently doing a whole bunch of tests to determine the next step and I will not know what happens next for three or four weeks.

In the meantime it is causing me quite a bit of anxiety and my wife is sure that my days of backpacking, especially solo, are over. All other health issues are good and all labs, blood pressure and cholesterol are in normal ranges. I contend that this did not give me any issues for 73 years and if I can last another 73 years without another incident I will be just fine. I would be willing to carry a SPOT or similar for her peace of mind but staying near civilization does not appeal to me.

Anyone else have any experience with this situation? In the meantime it is making me tense wondering where do I go from here and I think I should go out backpacking for a few days.