tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23700649698699953762024-02-02T16:29:07.648-05:00My VVM JourneyJuliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-9558523811498200392012-09-08T22:07:00.000-04:002012-09-08T22:07:11.342-04:00MRI appointment and reflectionsLiving in Canada gives us access to a good healthcare system that doesn't require out-of-pocket payment for treatments. One down side is the crazy hours they expect you to accept for MRI scans. I just received an appointment time for my next MRI scan. 1:15AM at Toronto Western. Factor in the 45min drive each way and 1hr long scan. Are they crazy? 1:15AM on a Thursday morning? With the scan being digital, and with Durham region having modern MRI equipment, why am I not able to have this scan done at a local hospital or at a reasonable hour? Why isn't my interventional radiologist able to have my MRI done then a follow-up appointment within the same day, saving me two trips downtown Toronto? IF this was a life-threatening condition, maybe I'd not be so grumpy about travelling into Toronto for each appointment. But it's not. These treatments are my choice, my decision to improve how I live, look and function. After 6 treatments, I'm ready to quit. There aren't any improvements. The swelling is still the same, if not WORSE than it was before. I now have jaw movement issues, minor, but just the same, still there. When my cheek swells, my jaw movement is tight. When the swelling decreases, it improves. This is why I am having an MRI, to see what's going on. Maybe my next step should be a visual improvement. See if they can reduce just the discolouration, not the swelling. Wait... there's makeup for that, right?<br />
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Perhaps this is bothering me more because we'll be starting all our Fall programs this week. New kids, more stares, more questions. I don't mind the questions. I encourage them! I really hate the stares. The heads that pivot when I walk past. I worry that my kids see this. That they notice others staring at their Mom. I do my best to make light of any odd questions (hey, what's with your face? ....Oh, I was going to ask about that strange tattoo - a carny at the fair. Like I could ever take that seriously!! ;) I also try my best to teach my kids not to stare at people with visible differences. <br />
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I've dealt with this for my entire life. I really can't complain. As far as differences go, mine is pretty minor. It doesn't affect my speech, breathing, or eating. It doesn't affect my movement. It doesn't affect my day-to-day activities much. And most of all, it doesn't cause pain. There are many people with conditions and ailments much worse. My life is good. I have three beautiful children who make me feel like everyone else. I'm married to a wonderful guy, who loves me despite my facial malformation. With all this, I am blessed. <br />
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Or perhaps, I should stop drinking wine while blogging.<br />
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<br />Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-55339046077163810002012-08-03T13:22:00.004-04:002012-08-03T13:22:46.890-04:00One week later.Can I whine? A week later and I still have to squish timbits to eat
them as I can't open my jaw wide enough. I'll be calling the clinic on
Tues if this continues.<br />
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Still needing the occasional advil for pain, too.<br />
Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-46429828050090071442012-08-01T08:30:00.002-04:002012-08-01T08:30:37.107-04:00Wednesday.It's Wednesday. 5 days later.<br />
I'm looking at my breakfast thinking.. how am I going to eat this? Every morning the aching pain in my cheek is more than the previous night. It diminishes by evening, but after a night's sleep, it's worse than ever. I wonder: Is my pain tolerance low? Are my expectations too high? <br />
So I'm writing this post. That way, next time, I'll remember that 5 days later it ached. A radiating, tooth ache type ache. But it's not my teeth. It's up in my cheekbone, closer to my ear. <br />
Today I will call the clinic and see if this is normal.Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-66784372939380688222012-07-27T21:25:00.001-04:002012-07-27T21:25:05.767-04:00Treatment #6 Photo<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEine_717QnSXQPtu2KXSZFFRAEWxjJYsq7NE7BMzDJeuxaTp_1Fn11ivXS8jFZhYOUshWjTsP-Ow8v0axXYK0DXD89WgEXagzbzJMp3ASOX_1J_48IAf8z6FpLf2WgXBcmUi1sDJx4rqH8R/s1600/12+-+1%25282%2529.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEine_717QnSXQPtu2KXSZFFRAEWxjJYsq7NE7BMzDJeuxaTp_1Fn11ivXS8jFZhYOUshWjTsP-Ow8v0axXYK0DXD89WgEXagzbzJMp3ASOX_1J_48IAf8z6FpLf2WgXBcmUi1sDJx4rqH8R/s320/12+-+1%25282%2529.jpg" /></a><br />
The little dots are needle marks. I'm thankful for General Anethesia when I see this.</div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-78108093828263981142012-07-27T21:22:00.002-04:002012-07-27T21:22:19.300-04:00Trip #6!I am not a blogger, a writer or a journal person.<br />
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Today was Bleomycin trip #6. As I didn't update #5, here's the highlights from both:<br />
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I see minor improvements with each procedure. The interventional radiologist (whatshisname??) and I have decided to work from the top down, so focusing on the cheek area first.<br />
They now use gel under the monitor pads to avoid the skin discolouration that can occur with bleomycin and adhesive. This is good, as I still have faint red circles from Nov. 2011's treatment.<br />
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Trip #6, I had a different Interventional Radiologist. I was out longer and seem to have more needle marks. <br />
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The only lasting side-effect is the skin pigmentation that I have on my left shoulder and upper back. It looks like tanned scar lines. Not terribly noticeable, but it's there. It should eventually fade.<br />
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I'll post photos later. :) <br />
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<br />Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-36390521939563482492011-11-18T19:45:00.000-05:002011-11-18T19:45:29.318-05:00<div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Trip #4 to Toronto Western Hospital for Percutenous Bleomycin injections.<br /><br />Pre-Surgery: Wednesday Nov. 16th 2011<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_jKWQfEJV1qmLzJNqrb48WAyZXlwnROq_lsPHH-oGdjlQNM4hytdKbuSiRgqyU1adPb9sUgIfSGTc1NN2xbAkJCa-FrVLd7451PZFBDjekbCyjRcvOUbdn3kIaDmi2FFWgpSYoMSh6L-/s1600/snapshot-55.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_jKWQfEJV1qmLzJNqrb48WAyZXlwnROq_lsPHH-oGdjlQNM4hytdKbuSiRgqyU1adPb9sUgIfSGTc1NN2xbAkJCa-FrVLd7451PZFBDjekbCyjRcvOUbdn3kIaDmi2FFWgpSYoMSh6L-/s320/snapshot-55.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Post-Surgery Friday Nov. 18th 2011</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0y_jKJ9lDsuPmVuXxyhiPSHhyphenhypheneNHSth6zou2CdYy6MLBMXYWFBdx5K9KvlpsnulsZHhueS8bpEDnAmLRI1iFkua9fyo6iGEk9dlAb2zxRWWJQi2mq7SJ_p-m21sQluodhlJQmqRW-1q3/s1600/snapshot-57.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0y_jKJ9lDsuPmVuXxyhiPSHhyphenhypheneNHSth6zou2CdYy6MLBMXYWFBdx5K9KvlpsnulsZHhueS8bpEDnAmLRI1iFkua9fyo6iGEk9dlAb2zxRWWJQi2mq7SJ_p-m21sQluodhlJQmqRW-1q3/s320/snapshot-57.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div>I'm expecting the swelling and bruising to appear mid-day tomorrow.<div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-36134244988996240042011-08-28T20:02:00.000-04:002011-08-28T20:02:55.849-04:00Updated photosI 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...<br />
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Today's update. 9 days post treatment #2<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWp69Q0x8Lpbou53iKvbdXf2SrdP12Dll0-y5zSi0iJfVMNMzYGUTseoGofsTXDcySnA8adsWVB4UES_IDWEiB5W0f2aJL_XZdgczk2Tnf90rIWez7FcaesY6RLYWvcQJluAAYfz0Wdl7/s1600/snapshot-30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWp69Q0x8Lpbou53iKvbdXf2SrdP12Dll0-y5zSi0iJfVMNMzYGUTseoGofsTXDcySnA8adsWVB4UES_IDWEiB5W0f2aJL_XZdgczk2Tnf90rIWez7FcaesY6RLYWvcQJluAAYfz0Wdl7/s320/snapshot-30.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4yZ89MwFTgKPdtFIx4Y85Sh6mXTNJ_wYRZtkA6_2UI_xB13C5D-7lqyPXR4pODzpPv-An97JE7cl4bDb-ux1gZ3zH1zqB5XAmgcMy9PuvayWbn6883XH9ApDcQkZAw12Rjr_UGvqAOO7/s1600/snapshot-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4yZ89MwFTgKPdtFIx4Y85Sh6mXTNJ_wYRZtkA6_2UI_xB13C5D-7lqyPXR4pODzpPv-An97JE7cl4bDb-ux1gZ3zH1zqB5XAmgcMy9PuvayWbn6883XH9ApDcQkZAw12Rjr_UGvqAOO7/s320/snapshot-32.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwKDiOaRjG3qo8oG2CYfoo63Cs1oznNSTyxREug9Y33WARNjqhVXKswfet3ilywAKanlg3z9LsviXIaTv2X1bjgvkKJ8KxzPg9D4TlMFHKmaOtWPgjEjFM_EsylQ_-aYXMYpwa-RUcS4y/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwKDiOaRjG3qo8oG2CYfoo63Cs1oznNSTyxREug9Y33WARNjqhVXKswfet3ilywAKanlg3z9LsviXIaTv2X1bjgvkKJ8KxzPg9D4TlMFHKmaOtWPgjEjFM_EsylQ_-aYXMYpwa-RUcS4y/s320/023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_8-IpaBFW1VdkA2gLJ0JO09_Kri0HZpzyGuQo3Pmp9-HjmxvwtO-zVFeMuSOaWRKuKe4nxegYOhNBYkq1hX72ljXFfTNqF6EagaaX2uIIfBwUNju3apgoSLwvJEDM5E7Q4pcoFdPJdVt/s1600/024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_8-IpaBFW1VdkA2gLJ0JO09_Kri0HZpzyGuQo3Pmp9-HjmxvwtO-zVFeMuSOaWRKuKe4nxegYOhNBYkq1hX72ljXFfTNqF6EagaaX2uIIfBwUNju3apgoSLwvJEDM5E7Q4pcoFdPJdVt/s320/024.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> 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.<br />
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I'll be booking procedure #3 this week. Should be mid-September.<br />
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Julia<br />
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Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-84988631508072207192011-08-21T16:36:00.000-04:002011-08-21T16:36:24.685-04:002 days post treatmentMy 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! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitz0JqoqvjlFTMyw8n-wPXWWk0yfyPusCW18F90cM4XdqLGvRPRFotApmoAplypEjA6eySPchCVkB4LrUHbEA_DWVW502-wX_8Agm6zO_qlPlDKJgWZWBCYMl4GljHhC33uOVuVTrQXoNT/s1600/snapshot-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitz0JqoqvjlFTMyw8n-wPXWWk0yfyPusCW18F90cM4XdqLGvRPRFotApmoAplypEjA6eySPchCVkB4LrUHbEA_DWVW502-wX_8Agm6zO_qlPlDKJgWZWBCYMl4GljHhC33uOVuVTrQXoNT/s320/snapshot-18.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-84285332696689862882011-08-19T16:13:00.000-04:002011-08-19T16:13:30.759-04:00Bleomycin Treatment #2 - Post procedureThere'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. <br />
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This time they treated the area near my ear. I'll post photos later. :)<br />
Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-13662111247245200342011-08-16T22:14:00.000-04:002011-08-16T22:14:43.938-04:00This Friday!Back to Toronto Western on Friday. Hopefully this procedure will actually make a difference, unlike the first one. <br />
I'll take another photo and post it before I go on Friday. :)Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-52192860708384024602011-07-25T16:56:00.000-04:002011-07-25T16:56:09.410-04:00Bleomycin Treatment #2Called 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.Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-63770792671243501342011-07-24T21:02:00.000-04:002011-07-24T21:02:11.144-04:00A Before shot...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMb7RqWccW4CVSpgdrSDQBXXubAuc5DvyyJ_taN2QGYN_aSSH91nBQuT1gYEBMaNPqFgYVliN08WAcBznmZaSIItKexCorNO0cUJ3Ev5J_x2bQzXRzqckwXDcHWUkoggHN2T98YYrULCK/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMb7RqWccW4CVSpgdrSDQBXXubAuc5DvyyJ_taN2QGYN_aSSH91nBQuT1gYEBMaNPqFgYVliN08WAcBznmZaSIItKexCorNO0cUJ3Ev5J_x2bQzXRzqckwXDcHWUkoggHN2T98YYrULCK/s200/019.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-60649702318039132742011-07-24T20:53:00.002-04:002011-07-24T20:55:29.022-04:00A 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.<br />
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I need to book a followup appointment with my specialist. Hopefully that MRI will show some improvements over the pre-op MRI.<br />
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Guess this really is going to be a long journey.<br />
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Me. July 24th (9 days after) <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cw3tpzyvmapoio1cURNgo83Uk1RvWiYM_0f1OnkQjkb5H68T9_xXqFxEfrY7IQg_z2fv3PcUdQcKzDCBnmDR2gfELUv8wHQpToOUT3MddgGuiVduanjGM96K3PD06teIwh8qwO9RywT1/s1600/snapshot-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cw3tpzyvmapoio1cURNgo83Uk1RvWiYM_0f1OnkQjkb5H68T9_xXqFxEfrY7IQg_z2fv3PcUdQcKzDCBnmDR2gfELUv8wHQpToOUT3MddgGuiVduanjGM96K3PD06teIwh8qwO9RywT1/s200/snapshot-16.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-64356742942741289772011-07-16T13:44:00.001-04:002011-07-16T13:45:54.315-04:00<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">A few photos. Still have to locate my 'Before' Shots<br />
My friend says I look less swollen today.<br />
DH is away at a golfing tournament for the weekend. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jCNs5oecqslb4Hee6BKDtS-Tg-xm51Gks6m9MYjffjFPw2pfPJEFuxtakC97TRG_4N2p1PwpaarXiSQ_llK1z1pcd8CSEjQeWrSPFGRnA-XKAhcxsQGjhCQFBCCtSNeHSBOtLC1GWEtx/s1600/snapshot-1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jCNs5oecqslb4Hee6BKDtS-Tg-xm51Gks6m9MYjffjFPw2pfPJEFuxtakC97TRG_4N2p1PwpaarXiSQ_llK1z1pcd8CSEjQeWrSPFGRnA-XKAhcxsQGjhCQFBCCtSNeHSBOtLC1GWEtx/s160/snapshot-1.jpg" /></a><br />
8pm post surgery day</div><br />
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<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKwhDClZMiVjtXjGmn5Holcs-bJjQrtK-YJYrAo1hjyHuCO8U7oJGEIm4e5ilnhjO_-9KjSQgaHNMMYFGiTup-ggDFstsr6jKT2FwaOGT3e0bgtW_qqApb715-FX8RoI9NlaCGBhWAzjw/s1600/snapshot-5.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKwhDClZMiVjtXjGmn5Holcs-bJjQrtK-YJYrAo1hjyHuCO8U7oJGEIm4e5ilnhjO_-9KjSQgaHNMMYFGiTup-ggDFstsr6jKT2FwaOGT3e0bgtW_qqApb715-FX8RoI9NlaCGBhWAzjw/s160/snapshot-5.jpg" /></a><br />
8pm post surgery day</div><br />
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<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPXaE7uquNmgKSbskKVQ-qlixfWuSBJ1pkN1jbm4EZb3aJngD0VN1XB-_uU-ilD9qvOQWYsBmUM6qr3aAF8fH-rZYS3G37eQTYAE5U_BFus1xqRtJnnOi0LIV7qL4wMy1wINvwKTQtv9E/s1600/snapshot-10.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPXaE7uquNmgKSbskKVQ-qlixfWuSBJ1pkN1jbm4EZb3aJngD0VN1XB-_uU-ilD9qvOQWYsBmUM6qr3aAF8fH-rZYS3G37eQTYAE5U_BFus1xqRtJnnOi0LIV7qL4wMy1wINvwKTQtv9E/s160/snapshot-10.jpg" /></a><br />
Day 1 </div><br />
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<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIYKCwJ6Mi9JLkyfe0uLQg5o2QTMgsPDtq-f840j81HjNv_uJUDrCPZDUwFuWpAAHfqPujiP3blayxzXWEJJnG0Ul7iaLwu7TfWIiJlBOFRUInAfVh9GC6DnH9CSRINxrf1XbkpedV0i7/s1600/snapshot-12.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIYKCwJ6Mi9JLkyfe0uLQg5o2QTMgsPDtq-f840j81HjNv_uJUDrCPZDUwFuWpAAHfqPujiP3blayxzXWEJJnG0Ul7iaLwu7TfWIiJlBOFRUInAfVh9GC6DnH9CSRINxrf1XbkpedV0i7/s160/snapshot-12.jpg" /></a><br />
Day 1 </div>(self-portraits with webcam are terrible)<br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: CENTER;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-42162372888172208992011-07-15T20:53:00.000-04:002011-07-15T20:53:34.891-04:00Bleomycin Treatment #1I made it through the first treatment!!<br />
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??<br />
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I'll get the photos up soon! But for now it's bedtime for me, early.Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-79534679148532261792011-07-14T16:50:00.000-04:002011-07-14T16:50:32.159-04:00Tomorrow's the Day!!Tomorrow is Treatment #1!<br />
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No anxiety yet, excited but not scared. This is the right decision and the right time.<br />
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I have 'Before' photos I'll post later. I'll take an 'After' series of photos too.<br />
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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.<br />
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Hoping to be home early afternoon tomorrow.Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2370064969869995376.post-43904295525987574722011-06-09T08:59:00.000-04:002011-06-09T08:59:34.518-04:00My new blog and backgroundThis is my new blog to document my treatments for my Venousvascular Malformation or VVM.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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. :)Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06816489996660285474noreply@blogger.com0