Hi everyone,
I spoke with Lori tonight. Please send good thoughts her way, she is going through so much right now. I just want to say I am so amazed by her positive outlook. She has inspired me to keep fighting for everyone with this disease. Please, if anyone has gone through anything similar let her know. Make your voices heard, she can use all of our support right now. She is very symptomatic, so she does not have the energy to write, but I know she reads the posts.
I am going to copy one of her emails below, (with her permission)
"Since diagnosis, the aneurysm has ‘grown’ and they discovered last week that the artery in the back of my neck on the right side has completed blocked off once it enters the brain. Therefore, I have absolutely no blood feeding the brain on my right side at all. Last week, they attempted an angio and some other cranial dye tests to determine blood flow and pressure in the blood vessels of my brain. About half way through, they had to pull out due to diminished blood pressure to my right lower extremeties. Then the femoral artery failed to seal. It was quite an ordeal to say the least.
I am presently waiting on a call from the neurosurgeon’s office for scheduling of brain surgery. They are going to have to perform by-pass around the aneurysm and possibly other blood vessel restructuring in the brain to increase blood flow to othe right side. They will take veins from my forearm and arteries from my lower leg for this proceedure.
Has anyone else had to have this radical of surgeries due to FMD? And yes, I am scared to death, but without it, they are telling me my chances are not good.
Thanks for listening and I just want to know how does others deal with this."
Thanks everyone, Kari