It’s been just a little over a week now and it appears that our family is finally starting to feel the imact of all that’s happened. We’re exhausted, tense, and annoyed with each other. Just like normal.
Dad went home on Friday afternoon, just one week after the brain hemorrhage and AVM discovery. He’s made an amazing recovery and we’re all so thankful for that. His first night at home was a little difficult, but I think he and my step-mom are getting the hang of their new routine, how much medicine to take and when to get in front of the pain, etc.
He will go back on Thursday this week to have a glue procedure on the AVM in the front of his brain; there is a minor risk of blindness that has us all a little worried, but we are staying positive and hopeful that everything will come out okay.
After her visit to the hospital waiting room, my 3-year-old niece rediscovered her obsession with Band-Aids. So cute!
I’m so glad that your dad is doing well and everyone is getting the hang of it. I know how life-changing this can be. I noticed in one of your earlier posts that you think other members of your family may have had an AVM and that you’d been advised to be tested. My one-year son’s AVM ruptured last March, but I was ASSURED that it was not genetic. As my husband and I ponder having a second child, I’m certainly interested if you have heard otherwise. Your family continues in my thoughts.
Hi Amy - our doctors have had different opinions on the genetic issue. Because there is a family history of AVM (my dad, cousins on my grandmother’s side, likely my grandmother, and potentially my grandmother’s father), my doctor was concerned about the possibility of Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT, aka Osler-Weber-Rendu). Here’s a website on this: http://www.hht.org/about-hht/
I had an MRI and MRA last week while I was home for a few days between visits to Dad and everything came out clear; my sister had the same tests a few years back when she was hospitalized for severe headaches and they didn’t find anything. My aunt will have her tests in a few weeks.
It’s really the family history that has everyone worried; without that, the doctors said there would be no reason for concern because it would be an anomaly in my dad. In what I’ve read about HHT, it seems they have identified the genes associated with the disorder. I don’t know how costly or what is involved in genetic testing, but perhaps that is an option for you and your husband for peace of mind as you make your decision.
