Then, she turned around and explained everything I needed to know about AVMs. I didn't show off my degree in "Brain and AVM Anatomy" that I had earned in the last 3 days. I listened intently and asked a lot of questions. I learned about vascular resistance bed and how fast moving blood between arteries and veins in AVMs (bypassing the resistance bed) could weaken the vascular walls over time.
And then we talked about the real stuff I wanted to hear from her. I was ready to hear it all and I didn't want her to mince words. Oh boy. By the time she was done, I wished she had minced her words. Here goes it:
- She said my AVM is medium to large in size.
- Instead of being in a nice little cute clump, my AVM was being naughty and spread around a bit in my Occipital lobe (don't give me all the good news at once).
- Given my age and AVM characteristics, she said there is roughly 30% to 40% chance of my AVM bleeding anytime within the next 10 or 15 years (refer to my previous post on all the fun a bleed could cause). If you are wondering, by this time, my face was like this:
- Given the risk of the bleed, my relatively young age, and my problems with peripheral vision already, she said something may have to be done (oh o). But...
- She wasn't sure what exactly could done. Huh? Now, I was confused like this:
- Since the AVM was spread around, a regular brain surgery (craniotomy) may be very risky. But its size also means it may be too big for a radio surgery (gamma knife).
- Either way, there is a chance of losing some or all of my vision on the left side of my eyes.
So, like any good doctor worth her salt, she ordered more tests. Specifically a cool (or scary) sounding thing called Cerebral Angiogram. Apparently this will give the best images yet (clear high resolution 3D image) of AVMs in the brain.
Her office scheduled that procedure for Wednesday Oct 1. And once she has those images, she will consult with a few other doctors and recommend a course of action.
Her office scheduled that procedure for Wednesday Oct 1. And once she has those images, she will consult with a few other doctors and recommend a course of action.
I got back to my car in the underground parking lot, sat there for the next 15 or 20 minutes blankly staring at the concrete wall. I was completely drained emotionally. My mind was trying to synthesize all the information.
One way or another, I desperately wanted this to be a open and shut case (either nothing needs to be done or a straight forward treatment if needed). But it wasn't. Bottom line,
- this stuff is real
- may be something could be done or may be not
- and my vision may get screwed along the way.
On the bright side, I have something else to look forward to for next week. May be the angiogram will reveal my brain is fine 100% and that something was wrong with the machines that took my MRI.
