In My Shoes: Being Presented on the 20th

Friday, May 16, 2008

Being Presented on the 20th

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Fiona got a call from the TX coordinator and her case is being presented next Tuesday to the insurance TX team. Then the appointment at UCLA will be arranged.

She is still having some problems with bleeding and the liver doctor was very sweet and called last night to see how she was doing. He is very concerned about her. It does help knowing that the team is with us this time.

Fiona is still struggling with people who just don't get it. I know to look at her she looks fine or just a little sick but they don't understand the seriousness of her condition. She finds this so frustrating. This is the age of old problem of you look fine therefore you must be fine. I am very proud of her of standing up for herself and not being bullying into things she knows she can't do right now because of her health. She is making mature decisions and taking responsibility for her life and health. Makes a mama proud!
Peggy

I LOVE SQUIRRELS

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Biliary Atresia

Biliary atresia is a condition in which the ducts that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine are not normal. These ducts can be injured, blocked, or missing. When the ducts that carry bile out of the liver are closed, bile backs up and damages liver tissue. In time the liver can develop scarring or cirrhosis. The gallbladder may also be abnormal or missing. The cause of Biliary Atresia is unknown. It occurs in one infant in every 15,000 live births. It is a serious disease which requires immediate surgical and medical treatment.

Arteriovenous Malformations AVMS

I have been diagnosed with AVMS in my lungs do to my liver disease. These have caused me to have 2 lung bleeds which were very scary. I still have more AVMS and they are causing me breathing problems. Below is an explanation of what the AVMs are and a picture of what is happening in my lungs.

Arteries and veins are part of the human cardiovascular system. Normally, the arteries in the vascular system carry oxygen-rich blood at a relatively high pressure. Structurally, arteries divide and sub-divide repeatedly, eventually forming a sponge-like capillary bed. Blood moves through the capillaries, giving up oxygen and taking up waste products from the surrounding cells. Capillaries successively join together, one upon the other, to form the veins that carry blood away at a relatively low pressure. The heart acts to pump blood from the low pressure veins to the high pressure arteries.
If the capillary bed is thought of as a sponge, then an AVM is the rough equivalent of jamming a tangle of flexible soda straws from artery to vein through that sponge. On arteriogram films AVM formation often resemble a tangle of spaghetti noodles. This tangle of blood vessels forms a relatively direct connection between high pressure arteries and low pressure veins.
The result is a collection of blood vessels with abnormal connections and no capillaries. This collection, often called a nidus, can be extremely fragile and prone to bleeding.