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Suggest Treatment For Blocked Arteries And Veins In Head
Question: Hi, maybe you can help me, but i dont have the exact name for the problem that i have. See my Doctor told me after assorted test that i pass, which are cat scan and MRI scan that i have some block arteries, small vein in my head and it worried me. I am on aspirin 81mg right now and ran-atorvastatin 10mg also XXXXXXX omega-3 fish oil and vitamin D3, but i am not sure if this is all what i need. What should i take or do? Thank you. from XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
Continue aspirin and atorvastatin, more info on history.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question and I understand that you must be very worried right now.
My name is Olsi Taka, I am a medical doctor specialized in Neurology and will try to answer and advise you to the best of my possibilities.
First of all you should not panic. The treatment you are taking (aspirin and atorvastatin) is the appropriate treatment to prevent stroke for the majority of vascular issues so you are not unprotected at the moment. If there was a stroke or something other immediately threatening possibility I imagine he would have you admitted at the hospital on an emergency basis, so nothing irreparable.
To express a more complete opinion you should try to tell me something more about your history like:
- what are your symptoms, or if you feel well now what was that prompted your medical evaluation
- when did the symptoms begin, any triggering factor, their evolution in time,
- other medical conditions especially high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity, high cholesterol, history of migraines, rheumatological conditions, heart conditions or any other condition you might have, other medications or substance abuse, hereditary factors for cardiovascular conditions or stroke.
Also try to relax and remember what exactly the doctor told you, were the blocked vessels in the head or the neck, were they arteries or veins, was there a stroke, what did he recommend that you do next, any other consults say with a neurosurgeon or endovascular interventionists. Anything you remember might be useful.
I am looking forward to your answer in order to be able to further guide you.
Continue aspirin and atorvastatin, more info on history.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question and I understand that you must be very worried right now.
My name is Olsi Taka, I am a medical doctor specialized in Neurology and will try to answer and advise you to the best of my possibilities.
First of all you should not panic. The treatment you are taking (aspirin and atorvastatin) is the appropriate treatment to prevent stroke for the majority of vascular issues so you are not unprotected at the moment. If there was a stroke or something other immediately threatening possibility I imagine he would have you admitted at the hospital on an emergency basis, so nothing irreparable.
To express a more complete opinion you should try to tell me something more about your history like:
- what are your symptoms, or if you feel well now what was that prompted your medical evaluation
- when did the symptoms begin, any triggering factor, their evolution in time,
- other medical conditions especially high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity, high cholesterol, history of migraines, rheumatological conditions, heart conditions or any other condition you might have, other medications or substance abuse, hereditary factors for cardiovascular conditions or stroke.
Also try to relax and remember what exactly the doctor told you, were the blocked vessels in the head or the neck, were they arteries or veins, was there a stroke, what did he recommend that you do next, any other consults say with a neurosurgeon or endovascular interventionists. Anything you remember might be useful.
I am looking forward to your answer in order to be able to further guide you.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Good day Doctor Olsi Taka, I believe that it's the vein and it's in the head.In the past i had moment of severe dizziness and moderated headache. But during summer time i went to see an acupuncture for my pain in the back and feet,but the she decide after looking at my chart to do my neck also, witch i had the L2 verterbra cover of blood. Two hours after that appointment i had a severe headache, i had talk to the women that work on me and she told me that it could of had being dangerous she said that the blood spread, i talk to my Doctor about it and she said that the headache has nothing to do with this. So i went for cat scan and MRI and this is how they found that i had blocked vein in the head. But i also had a bad toothache all pretty much at the same time.A couple month again i faint went to hospital in ambulance taught i had a stroke so i went for some more test no stroke apparently my fainting could be from a virus or vasovagal syncope not 100% sure. I Believe my problem had a lot to do with stress, i do not smoke or drink and not to much overweight maybe 5 pounds, i did stress test the result was good the heart is good.My blood pressure is always low around 110/60 and pulse 61 sometime higher. I also have a blocked artery in the right side of my neck below 50% block had being told not to worried about it. Well in my past i had two cesarian,a cyst on my left breast remove and left shoulder, no more uterus, ungrowed toenail removed on right side.Well it's pretty much it, except my Mother pass away at age of 90 years old in 2012 of a anorason (not sure how to write this) and my uncle died of a stroke but he was in the 80 i believe. Hope ill make it that far.
Brief Answer:
Cerebral venous thrombosis, predisposing factors should be sought.
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for coming back at me.
So if I understand well you have no particular symptoms now apart from the episodes of headache and dizziness which seem of a chronic nature, present from a long time.
In the summer after acupuncture session with some local hemorrhage you started to have a severe headache and imaging with CT and MRI showed blocked vein in the head. A couple of months later you fainted but it was deemed to not be related to a stroke.
If it was a vein and not an artery which was blocked then it's the case of a cerebral venous thrombosis. It is a little perplexing because it shouldn't be related to acupuncture session and usually happens in young women after birth due to the increased clotting properties of the blood to face the birth process.
Apart from making the diagnosis through imaging predisposing clotting factors should be sought for, especially in your case when no birth was involved.
Such factors would include infections (should be detected on imaging), malignancies, or clotting abnormalities (such as antiphospholipid antibodies, protein C, S, antithrombin III deficiency, hematological conditions, lupus etc), so there is a battery of tests which must be conducted for those.
The treatment consists in addressing the cause, and treatment with anticoagulants (like Warfarin) which should last at least for 6 months and whether to continue for longer depends on the cause and if it's still present.
So I think you should ask from the doctors who treated you to:
-confirm whether cerebral venous thrombosis was indeed the diagnosis (perhaps you misunderstood or they oversimplified their explanation),
-what was their conclusion regarding the cause or predisposing factor and
-if you never had anticoagulant treatment why was that.
Whether Aspirin is enough now that the 6 months have passed or you still need anticoagulants depends on their answer (aspirin would still offer some protection, but if a genetic pro-coagulation condition still present then anticoagulants might be even better, if no such condition aspirin is fine).
I don't mean to scare you, it's not a question of rushing to the emergency room in panic, the most dangerous stage of that event is already behind you, just to ask for information in order to lower the risk of re-occurrences in future years.
As for the <50% stenosis I agree that Aspirin and Atorvastatin are fine.
I hope to have been understandable in my reply.
Cerebral venous thrombosis, predisposing factors should be sought.
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for coming back at me.
So if I understand well you have no particular symptoms now apart from the episodes of headache and dizziness which seem of a chronic nature, present from a long time.
In the summer after acupuncture session with some local hemorrhage you started to have a severe headache and imaging with CT and MRI showed blocked vein in the head. A couple of months later you fainted but it was deemed to not be related to a stroke.
If it was a vein and not an artery which was blocked then it's the case of a cerebral venous thrombosis. It is a little perplexing because it shouldn't be related to acupuncture session and usually happens in young women after birth due to the increased clotting properties of the blood to face the birth process.
Apart from making the diagnosis through imaging predisposing clotting factors should be sought for, especially in your case when no birth was involved.
Such factors would include infections (should be detected on imaging), malignancies, or clotting abnormalities (such as antiphospholipid antibodies, protein C, S, antithrombin III deficiency, hematological conditions, lupus etc), so there is a battery of tests which must be conducted for those.
The treatment consists in addressing the cause, and treatment with anticoagulants (like Warfarin) which should last at least for 6 months and whether to continue for longer depends on the cause and if it's still present.
So I think you should ask from the doctors who treated you to:
-confirm whether cerebral venous thrombosis was indeed the diagnosis (perhaps you misunderstood or they oversimplified their explanation),
-what was their conclusion regarding the cause or predisposing factor and
-if you never had anticoagulant treatment why was that.
Whether Aspirin is enough now that the 6 months have passed or you still need anticoagulants depends on their answer (aspirin would still offer some protection, but if a genetic pro-coagulation condition still present then anticoagulants might be even better, if no such condition aspirin is fine).
I don't mean to scare you, it's not a question of rushing to the emergency room in panic, the most dangerous stage of that event is already behind you, just to ask for information in order to lower the risk of re-occurrences in future years.
As for the <50% stenosis I agree that Aspirin and Atorvastatin are fine.
I hope to have been understandable in my reply.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
it's me again i have a very hard time to understand all the Doctor medical term, i do get confuse with the history of my problem this is why i'm going to take another appointment with my Doctor to clarified all this again. i do thing that anything that had to do with the head it's serious. Thank you very much for communicating with me, you help me a lot. THANK YOU
Brief Answer:
Thank you and good luck.
Detailed Answer:
I completely understand. Sometimes because of us doctors taking for granted that patients are able to understand our terminology, other times because human body and modern medicine is so complex to explain in a single conversation, it can be difficult to understand especially when one is scared for his health and not always able to think clearly.
I would be happy to answer further questions. If/when you have no more questions I would kindly ask you to close the query.
Thank you for your appreciative words. I wish you good health.
Thank you and good luck.
Detailed Answer:
I completely understand. Sometimes because of us doctors taking for granted that patients are able to understand our terminology, other times because human body and modern medicine is so complex to explain in a single conversation, it can be difficult to understand especially when one is scared for his health and not always able to think clearly.
I would be happy to answer further questions. If/when you have no more questions I would kindly ask you to close the query.
Thank you for your appreciative words. I wish you good health.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
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