20 years old. I had an ischemic stroke – this is what they found.

Hi everyone,

I've been reading a lot of posts here over the last few weeks, and I thought it was finally time to share my story. Maybe it can help someone else, especially younger people.

I'm a 20-year-old male from Austria.

On June 14th, I suddenly had an ischemic stroke caused by an M1 occlusion of my left middle cerebral artery. It happened completely out of nowhere. I received IV thrombolysis (Tenecteplase) within a short time after arriving at the hospital, and thankfully it worked so well that I didn't need a mechanical thrombectomy.

After many CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, blood tests and heart examinations, the doctors finally found the most likely cause.

They discovered that I have:

• A Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) with a significant right-to-left shunt.
• A heterozygous Factor V Leiden mutation, which increases the tendency for blood clotting.

Their conclusion was that I most likely suffered a paradoxical embolic stroke.

Basically, a blood clot probably formed in my venous circulation. Because of the PFO, it was able to bypass the lungs, enter the arterial circulation, and travel to my brain, where it blocked the M1 segment of my left middle cerebral artery.

They closed my PFO a few days later with a catheter procedure, which went smoothly.

The good news is that all the additional tests came back reassuring:

• No deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
• No pulmonary embolism
• No autoimmune clotting disorder
• No diabetes
• No signs of cancer

I'm currently taking Aspirin, Clopidogrel & Pantoprazole

The first few weeks were mentally very difficult. I was exhausted almost all the time and constantly worried about another stroke. Fortunately, my fatigue has improved a lot over the last days, and I'm slowly starting to feel like myself again.

Thankfully, I've recovered really well physically, and I'm incredibly grateful for that. It's still not that long since my stroke, though, and mentally I'm struggling with knowing what's safe to do.

I really want to start living my normal life again. I want to go on vacations with my friends, get back into the gym and start lifting weights again, travel, and just enjoy being 20 years old. But at the same time, I'm scared. I'm constantly wondering if it's too early or if I'm putting myself at risk.

Has anyone here been in a similar situation? How did you know when you were ready to get back to normal life? Any advice or personal experiences would really mean a lot to me.

If anyone else here had a stroke because of a PFO or Factor V Leiden, I'd love to hear your story.

I wish everyone here strength and a good recovery. ❤️