DeeDee is waiting right now to see the neurosurgeon. Prayers are always appreciated, and I will update this post after I talk to her.
UPDATE: So she saw two neurologists who looked at the MRI/CT scans she had sent (from a year ago, when she had severe seizures, and a month ago), and decided they wanted an updated one to see if the angioma is bleeding now -- they put her at the head of the line to get it done so that she could do it today and not have to take yet another day off work; also because they have deemed that it is urgent to decide what to do. They did tell her something we hadn't known before, which is that a major blood vessel is feeding the cluster, which makes surgery more of a risk. They confirmed that it must be the occasional bleeding of the angioma that causes her seizures, and that it could be causing her headaches, though they are not as certain about that.
She will go back on Monday to consult with another neurologist, when he has had a chance to read the new CT scan and compare it to the one from a month ago, about how to monitor the angioma and whether/when/how they should treat it. She did find there is a slightly less invasive surgical procedure, where the skull doesn't need to be laid open, but it would still mean a lot of trauma to the brain, of course.
Thanks to all for continued prayers!
4 comments:
What is the ultimate goal? To remove the angioma?
Bill, the surgery would be to remove or shut off the tangle of vessels (the angioma). I guess that now they know one of the major vessels is their supplier, it complicates matters. I haven't had a chance to do any further research on it. It's absolutely terrifying to think of someone probing my sweetie's brain and messing with her blood vessels!
Here is the link to a group of people who have had to deal with this condition: http://www.angiomaalliance.org/
There is a lot of info there about what it is, how the surgery is performed, when it's necessary, all that. I haven't yet looked specifically for the problem of having a major blood vessel involved.
Thank you for the update, Beth. I've been keeping my eyes peeled for more info. Will keep her in our thoughts and prayers and hearts.
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