migraines,” she says, “get them under control.” In addition, she says, have your vascular risk factors monitored and controlled early. “If you have high blood pressure, start monitoring it and stay on top of it.” These days, Eddie Denson is doing just fine. He began his work officially as a nurse practitioner in December, and, he says, “Physically, I feel great.” But his doctors never did nail down exactly what the cause was of his stroke. He did have slightly elevated blood pressure, which could be related. But the truth is, “It came out of nowhere,” he says. Luck- ily, as a nurse, he knew what a stroke looked like and how to get help for him- self. When he got to the hospital that night, he was given a tPA agent, or a “clot buster.” It worked, and he was able to go home after a few days in the hospital, with no lasting damage. While he was in the hospital, his doctors found that he had a patent foramen ovale (PFO), or a small hole in the heart. This condi- tion can possibly contribute to a stroke. His physicians are still not sure of the exact cause for his stroke or if the PFO closure is indicated. Fortunately for Eddie, he won’t have to travel far to have the Amplatzer PFO Occluder device implanted, if necessary. NCH is the only location in Southwest Florida to offer the device and procedure at this time, so he’ll be able to take care of his medical needs close to home. He also takes aspi- rin regularly to avoid blood clots, and he has gone on blood pressure medication and a statin for his cholesterol. He con- tinues to work with his doctors to inves- tigate what happened. In the meantime, he is grateful to be doing well. “I get a lit- tle dizzy and tired from time to time,” he says, “but other than that, I feel great.” Dr. Totoraitis sees a huge benefit in simply being informed that you can have a stroke when you’re younger. And then, her advice is, “Pay attention to any symptoms you might be having, and get screened as soon as something pops up, so we can catch things early and give you as much help as we can.”
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APRIL - JUNE 2019 NAPLES HEALTH
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