lacunar infarcts?

Hi everyone,

I just came back from a visit with my EP on test results from a recent MRI.
I have three lacunar infarcts. I know these are strokes, but dont understand what is going on? They took my bp three times. It was normal and has always been normal or low. I was told these type of strokes are from high blood pressure not A-Fib? The Ep wants me to see a Neurologist as soon as I can, which is 6 weeks from now. I was in shocked, left the office. I called back and told the PA that I was concern on the wait & was told it would be ok. The Neurologist will help me understand more?

Does anyone have any input?....Im pretty concerned.

Thanks,

Jake D

Hello Jake - I'm very sorry to see your post and I share your concern. I just did a google search on those words and noted about 89,000 links on this topic.

The first 'hit' comes from Wikipedia which states:
.... Advanced age, chronic hypertension, smoking and diabetes mellitus are risk factors. It is unclear whether there is an association with alcohol consumption, elevated cholesterol, or history of prior stroke. Lacunar strokes may result from carotid artery pathology or microemboli from the heart as in atrial fibrillation.

Do plenty of reading and be sure you get several consults to help you determine the best course of action.

I'm channelling loads of positive energy your way. Please keep us informed.

Best to you, Jackie

Thanks Jackie, I did the search & found the same thing.

The EP really felt it was high blood pressure which I dont have . I take it every day? I dont drink or smoke. I do have high cholesterol ( refuse to take statins ). One stroke indicated it was old? Im 59 .. My last A1C was normal. I ruled all that out ,so it must be the AFib and/or cholesterol. Im dealing with Lyme as well.

I take it this isnt a common thing & dont know how serious it is. I guess I should try to get somewhere before 6 weeks?

Thanks, Jake

Jake - the concern with cholesterol is the oxidized LDL. Ample supplementing with powerful antioxidants is in order as a preventive measure. See the posts in the Health Forum on both Oxidative Stress and CoQ10. NAC would be another a/o to include - along with vitamin C.

Blood viscosity is always an important consideration. If you are not on warfarin/Coumadin, I'd be supplementing with the optimal doses of the enzyme, Nattokinase, 6000 FU daily in divided doses - every 8 hours so you have 24-hour coverage. Don't expect any physician unless in the Functional Medicine field to know about NK. The details are in the Conference Room, Sessions 39 and 40 in case you haven't read those yet.

Jackie

Hi Jake,

I'm very sorry to hear of your news. Why was the MRI scan carried out in the first place? Had you had previous problems?

The lacunar infarcts are serious and as Jackie says, these can be caused by AF, so it is really worth considering warfarin.

The other possible cause is atherosclerosis. This can be tested for. When you see the neuro, ask about this. Indeed he should be able to examine the MRI scan to see if there is any narrowing of the cerebral arteries. There is also a test on the carotid arteries, which can get restricted with bits breaking off and causing strokes/TIAs. This test is a doppler scan and can check how clear these arteries are. I would try to get this done asap. It only takes about 10 minutes and would provide really useful information for the neuro.

The best of luck,

Mark

Mark - clarification - that's what I found in the Wikipedia search... I didn't 'say' it.

Since Jake has been battling Lyme disease, most likely it is because there is a tendency for Lyme's patients to be hypercoagulable. Addressing that becomes critical since the spirochete is apparently very difficult to kill. The blood viscosity issue plus the biofilm produced by the pathogen are a difficult combination to correct. We had addressed this in another post regarding the use of the nano-particle colloidal silver as a means to get rid of the bug.

Jackie

Hi Mark,


I had a headache when I was in the EPs office for a rountine check up. I told him my neck around my carotid artery was sore & pointed to the area plus my head really hurt. He said that area was a muscle & not to worry. People with A-Fib worry too much about headaches and stokes. I also had blurred vision & was in what I call a brain fog. He noted that I hadnt had a MRI of the brain so ordered it then. Had to wait for a week to get it done & two weeks to see the EP again.

I know I had my last lacunar infarction sitting in his office that day! He didnt even examine me. My BP , heart rate, oxygen & EKG was normal. The head ache & confusion lasted all day, but was gone by the next day.

They call these things the silent killers for a reason.

Jake D

Hi Jake,

I would really try to accelerate the visit to the neuro. Lymes disease may be a cause alongside AF and narrowed carotids. However I don't think that colloidal silver is effective. A 1996 the FDA stated it was not aware of any substantial scientific evidence that supports the use of colloidal silver ingredients or silver salts for disease conditions such as Lymes.

Can you get your carotid artery scanned? It is very telling that it was sore. An EP is not an expert at strokes, particularly from non-AF sources.

Mark

MarkS - your comment on colloidal silver needs some clarification.

While the FDA may not have approved it...or found it useful as an antimicrobial, that in no way means it isn't effective... and it is safe to use.... otherwise, we'd have seen long ago a lot of death-by-silver notices. I've been using it for about 15 years for various reasons and have had success and no adverse effects. I was even using the ionic form which is now considered not as effective as the nano-particle form.

It's important for you to review some of the past posts on this topic... the most extensive being the one titled
" Flu, Afib, Lyme Disease, ‘True’ Colloidal Silver"
<[www.afibbers.org]>

Because Lyme Disease can involve many interrelated complications as well as opportunistic 'bugs' that compound the problem, the nano-particle silver is thought to be a useful adjunct to other therapies.

A thought about the FDA approval statement.
The current issue of Life Extension magazine has on the cover an aspirin tablet and the words...Three million needless cancer deaths - Courtesy of the FDA. The introduction:

“Back in 1983, Life Extension strongly advised aging people to take aspirin each day. The FDA responded by threatening criminal charges. A new Oxford University analysis conclusively shows that low-dose aspirin slashes overall cancer death risk by 20%. The result of FDA censorship is that millions of Americans died needlessly of cancer and vascular diseases.”

Historically, the antimicrobial properties of silver have been known and used and some silver-containing products are in use today such as silver in bandages for burn patients who are highly susceptible to infection.

It is well acknowledged that Lyme Disease is an extremely difficult disease to cure and it has a very long duration making it a financial burden and very depressing for those affected. The holistic physicians treating Lyme have a variety of protocols and colloidal silver is one of many. Long term antibiotic therapy comes with its own set of complications so people using the CS to assist in killing the Lyme spirochete are grateful for any assistance that helps them back to health.

Jackie

Jackie,

I've had a quick look at that link and there appears to be a shortage of any double blind trials comparing ingesting colloidal silver to anti-biotics. It is possible it has some effect, but that doesn't appear to be proven.

Colloidal silver has an effect as a disinfectant, I've drunk water cleaned by silver and had bandages supplemented by silver, but that's very different from an effect in the body.

I wanted Jake to consider mainstream therapies first before moving on to the alternatives.

Mark