In My Shoes: Saturday Update

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Saturday Update

Fiona is starting to feel a little better. Her labs are coming out of the critical ranges into her normal low ranges. The preliminary on her echocardiogram showed no fluid on or around the heart. I think with all the aggressive treatment, anitbiotics and tamiflu, they have stopped whatever is going on. She is still in the hospital and won't come home until tests come back and she symptom free. She also still needs the MRA of her lungs, which we missed yesterday. Of course it is the weekend, so not seeing her regular doctors. Will probably not know much until Monday.
Thanks for everyone for their prayers and concerns.
Peggy

2 comments:

Lisa said...: I am praying for you Fiona. PLease know you are an inspiration to soo many. You are loved by our family. Hang tough... and keep the faith.

XO; October 11, 2009 at 9:37 AM
Laurie Johansen said...: Peg, I have been an awful friend. But please know that you are not far from my thoughts. I am always praying for Fiona. I love you guys.

Laurie; October 11, 2009 at 5:46 PM

Post a Comment

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.