In My Shoes: Vacations are Fun

Friday, July 24, 2009

Vacations are Fun

Fiona, Don
(boyfriend) and Lauren at the Jelly Belly Factory
The crazy hats are required and a well worth wearing. It is a great FREE tour and the Jelly Belly Sample Bar is a must!

We had a
wonderful time on our quick vacation up north. We stayed with Lauren and Jill and were able to really relax. We took Fiona gambling for the the first time and she came out with $.02. We went to the Jelly Belly Factory and got some Belly Flops (reject Jelly Belly Beans). Sutter's Fort was really interesting but it was so hot we wilted quickly. They had people giving informational talks which was really interesting. Coming home we stopped by Monterey Bay Aquarium. They are doing an Sea Horse exhibit that is wonderful! Well worth seeing.

Then we stopped at Hearst Castle and that is always a fun place to visit. Did you know that you can have your wedding there for a mere $10,000 for less than 50 people? What a bargain! Would love to go back and see the night tour they are now doing in period costume.

Finally, a quick visit to Grandma. She looks absolutely wonderful after a heart valve replacement and pacemaker surgery. So glad to be able to give her a big hug. Home looked good. We had been away long enough we were glad to see it when we drove up. Now the work from a vacation. Unpacking, laundry and trying to get rested from the vacation!

Life is good
Peg

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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.