Thanks for the compassion! Please... I do not want to be pitied - or treated as though I am an idiot...
You are entitled to your opinion... but I'm not off base... Lets look at more closely at what has been said.
You said, "For most people with no increased risk of stroke, taking aspirin may be more harmful than good. Think about that for a minute... (Anyone or everyone IS at risk for stroke (How do you determine that someone is high or low? Answer: YOU don't. Is 'stroke' hereditary? ... No... Is a blood clotting gene like factor5... yes.) In most studies on people with low or no risk for coronary artery disease (Same medical bull ) or stroke aspirin provided no benefit, ( You then need to publish ALL the people that had a stroke... conveniently no one can) but increased the risk of GI bleeding. (It's been known for over 40 years that taking aspirin on an empty stomach might cause gastrointestinal issues - that is why it is recommended that is taken with a glass of water and food.)
A patch over your PFO....if you mean a PFO closure... Cardia Ultrasept... I've had this done and we'll probably do a TEE to see if my son has it.... my brother does. For those that want to see what that looks like (animation- not gory)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOtk_FSfHpw
Think of this life soft spot on the top of a baby's skull... sort of... you are born with isand in most people it close... in about 15-18% it does not... clots are flying back and forth in the heart... (because they are in your blood)...eventually they head to the aorta (out)... two vertebrals, two carotids, basilar and then to the circle of willis (kinda' like MLK highway going around Atlanta for anyone who has lived there) - The stem and cerebellum are right there.. and you have the chance of something very serious and horrible outcomes... fortunately my autonomic functions (stem/medulla/pons) did not get it.... I'll keep my blood thin - thank you very much.
Even Dr. Oz spent a whole show on aspirin within the last year... he recommends 325mg just as my cardiologist and neurologist do here - and my brother-in-law who is a medical scientist working for John Hopkins. Yes, there is a lot of information available on cancer and aspirin - you are correct. Yes, ischemic 85%, hemorrhagic 15% Yes, I needed to step back in here... even though I was born on a Wednesday... it wasn't last Wednesday. Me, my cardiologist, my neurologist and Doctor OZ... take 325 mg daily you take 81mg(although better than nothing).
This is the same "old school medical thinking" that believes hypertension is significantly impacted by the use of salt.... 1997 Portland Oregon American Heart Association annual meeting... composite study.. over 4,100 separate studies (All from Harvard nurses health study 1978-1997) studying the relationship between salt and high blood pressure... less than 2%. So... 120/90 becomes 122/91. Most hypertension is a calcium deficiency. I'll salt my food to taste thank you...
The brain... is the final frontier - not space!
Please remember... just the other gentleman said... "The real root cause of stroke is not always known... so prevention is the current path to success." I had a $93,000.00 operation to close my PFO... Nobody knows if that was root cause.... but I did throw 2 clots to the brain.
I will probably study the brain for the rest of my life... fascinating stuff!
Trust me... Stroke sux... That is why I want to help those who have had it - its personal now.