Cautious good news!
Have just received an update on my daughter's condition and can now afford to be cautiously optimistic!
For those who remember, she had a bleed to the brain last October, and was diagnosed as having an AVM, which is basically a cluster of vessels in the brain that are susceptable to bleeding.
Treatment earlier this year involved giving her an extremely high dose of radiation to the site of the AVM, a 'normal' ongoing dose for a breast cancer patient would be around a grade 2 or 3, my daughter had a grade 15. The aim of the radiation was to eventually shrink the AVM thus minimising the risk of a rebleed.
She had an MRI a few weeks ago and after the discussion with her neuro surgeon last week, they found that the 'feeder' arteries (the arteries going into the site of the AVM and supplying it with its blood supply) are showing signs of decreasing in size (which is extremely good news at this early stage in the game). The other amazingly positive news is there appears to be no damage to the surrounding brain tissue from the radiation. It is too early to see the AVM itself shrinking, and probably won't see progressive signs of this for another 18 months to 2 years.
But all is very positive with this latest news.
Thank you so much to those who have been sending prayers and positive thoughts our way. Some have been IM'ing me which I am unbelieavably touched by. Many of you have probably noticed my absence in commenting in some of the communities at the moment. Life has been busy on the work front of late, so have not had much of 'me' time recently but will resume commenting once I have some time to myself to read all that's going on out there.
xxx
For those who remember, she had a bleed to the brain last October, and was diagnosed as having an AVM, which is basically a cluster of vessels in the brain that are susceptable to bleeding.
Treatment earlier this year involved giving her an extremely high dose of radiation to the site of the AVM, a 'normal' ongoing dose for a breast cancer patient would be around a grade 2 or 3, my daughter had a grade 15. The aim of the radiation was to eventually shrink the AVM thus minimising the risk of a rebleed.
She had an MRI a few weeks ago and after the discussion with her neuro surgeon last week, they found that the 'feeder' arteries (the arteries going into the site of the AVM and supplying it with its blood supply) are showing signs of decreasing in size (which is extremely good news at this early stage in the game). The other amazingly positive news is there appears to be no damage to the surrounding brain tissue from the radiation. It is too early to see the AVM itself shrinking, and probably won't see progressive signs of this for another 18 months to 2 years.
But all is very positive with this latest news.
Thank you so much to those who have been sending prayers and positive thoughts our way. Some have been IM'ing me which I am unbelieavably touched by. Many of you have probably noticed my absence in commenting in some of the communities at the moment. Life has been busy on the work front of late, so have not had much of 'me' time recently but will resume commenting once I have some time to myself to read all that's going on out there.
xxx