Trip #4 to Toronto Western Hospital for Percutenous Bleomycin injections.

Pre-Surgery: Wednesday Nov. 16th 2011


Post-Surgery Friday Nov. 18th 2011

I'm expecting the swelling and bruising to appear mid-day tomorrow.

Updated photos

I don't think I've ever taken so many photos of myself.  I find that they turn out best when I use the mirror and live-view with my DSLR.   That being said...

Today's update. 9 days post treatment #2

 The big bruised spot has receded, leaving some new dark red/purple splotches.  All around, it feels like it's gone down a bit.  The 2 of the dark dots (of 5 total) feel harder, not as smooth as before.  Perhaps in another week or two the area will change again. I'll post more photos next week.

I'll be booking procedure #3 this week. Should be mid-September.

Julia

2 days post treatment

My throat started hurting yesterday morning, perhaps even Friday night.  It's not a cold-type sore throat, more lower, making some food feel like it's sticking.  Today it has improved to a dull irritation.  This morning I awoke to much bruising and increased swelling.  Hopefully it will recede in a couple days and we'll be able to see an improvement! 

Bleomycin Treatment #2 - Post procedure

There's something comforting when the nurses in the day surgery unit remember you. :)  I'm doing great.  Very thankful that these procedures are quick and relatively painless.  I sit here feeling more tired from the 5:30 wake-up, fasting,  and gen. anesthetic than from the procedure itself.  I am blessed and thankful every day that my vascular malformation is mostly a cosmetic malformation, not impairing my speech, breathing or jaw functions. 

This time they treated the area near my ear.  I'll post photos later. :)

This Friday!

Back to Toronto Western on Friday.  Hopefully this procedure will actually make a difference, unlike the first one. 
I'll take another photo and post it before I go on Friday. :)

Bleomycin Treatment #2

Called my interventional radiologist's office today.  Found out it may take 2 or 3 procedures before I notice any changes.  So...with that knowledge, procedure #2 is now scheduled for August 19th, 7am check-in, 9am procedure.  Much sooner than I expected, only 5 weeks after the first treatment.  I was expecting a 6-8 week wait.

A Before shot...

A Week or so later...

It's been over a week since my treatment.  I'm not sure what I was expecting.  So far I look the same as before.  I am finding I am experiencing more swelling and pressure during everyday tasks.  Any amount of bending over causes my neck and jaw area to swell more than before.

I need to book a followup appointment with my specialist. Hopefully that MRI will show some improvements over the pre-op MRI.

Guess this really is going to be a long journey.

Me. July 24th (9 days after)

A few photos. Still have to locate my 'Before' Shots
My friend says I look less swollen today.
DH is away at a golfing tournament for the weekend.


8pm post surgery day

8pm post surgery day

Day 1

Day 1

(self-portraits with webcam are terrible)

Bleomycin Treatment #1

I made it through the first treatment!!
Let's just say I look the same as before. I'm hoping in the next few days I'll start seeing a change? At least a small change? Anything??

I'll get the photos up soon! But for now it's bedtime for me, early.

Tomorrow's the Day!!

Tomorrow is Treatment #1!

No anxiety yet, excited but not scared.  This is the right decision and the right time.

I have 'Before' photos I'll post later.  I'll take an 'After' series of photos too.

I could do without the 5:30 wake up.  6am in the car, 7am check-in at Toronto Western. 9am is the scheduled procedure time.  I dislike the word Surgery, as that implies cutting, etc, which this is not.  Injections that make me wonder why I need General Anesthetic, but that's their preference, so I go with it.

Hoping to be home early afternoon tomorrow.

My new blog and background

This is my new blog to document my treatments for my Venousvascular Malformation or VVM.

I have an extensive VVM on the right side of my face, extending into my neck.  It it superficial, not interfering with anything. Basically, it's excess veins on my face and neck which developed before I was born. As I grow, it changes, slowly growing. 


Starting in July, I will be treated with Interlesional Bleomycin injections directly into the vein mass at Toronto Western Hospital by Dr. TerBrugge, a Neuroradiologist.  Bleomycin is a cytotoxic anti-tumour antibiotic drug that destroys the cells in the vascular wall.  It's a day surgery procedure, if all goes well I'm sent home by noon the same day.   Each session will be 6-8 weeks apart.  Due to the complexity of my VVM, Dr. TerBrugge was unable to predict how many sessions I'll need to see an improvement.  Reviewing my MRI with my neuroradiologist, I was shown that my VVM consists of 1 or 2 large 'pools' and many (50?) smaller ones.  The quantity of the smaller ones will be the challenge as each one would need to be injected to be obliterated.  The plan right now is to start with one area, then review our progress and prognosis.

I'm going to try to blog my journey.  I'm not the best at keeping up with blogs, but think this will be easier to keep everyone up to date. :)