Current song
Kanye West – Stronger
The standard greeting “hi, how are you” is one that we hear multiple times a day and usually have a simple response that comes to mind. While I respond with a “doing well thanks, how about yourself?”, deep down I’m really just making it through each hour until my head can hit the pillow. On a typical day I get asked the added “what happened” and I revert back to my standard list of canned responses I’ve created and practiced numerous times for such situation. But, after giving it more and more thought, it’s ironically more freeing to talk about, share my story with others, and be damn proud of it. I mean, what good will all my efforts be buried down inside versus taking others along my journey and opening their eyes to a whole different world I have experienced. I must say, turning this corner took a lot of time and I think it’s important to share that struggle publicly to bring awareness, knowledge, and insight. Knowledge is power right? Here’s some answers to tough questions in no other than A to Z PRFAQ format 🙂
October is AVM awareness month. Using the Mayo Clinic definition: An AVM is a brain arteriovenous malformation – a tangle of abnormal blood vessels connecting arteries and veins in the brain. The arteries are responsible for taking oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the brain. Veins carry the oxygen-depleted blood back to the lungs and heart. A brain AVM disrupts this vital process.
In my case, I unfortunately had the added rare layer of the vein rupturing and blood bleeding out into my brain causing me to have a stroke.
What causes an AVM?
The cause of AVMs is not clear. Most people are born with them, but they can occasionally form later in life. They are rarely passed down among families genetically.
Was this preventable?
The short answer is if it was found early on then, yes. Challenge is that with no symptoms, the only way I would have known would be from a CT/CAT scan which I had no reason before this to get one. An arteriovenous malformation can develop anywhere in your body but occurs most often in the brain or spine. Even so, brain AVMs are rare and affect less than 1 percent of the population.
What does the prognosis look like?
The AVM was removed during an emergency brain surgery procedure in Iceland December 2016. Once back here in the USA, I underwent an angiogram to ensure the AVM was taken care of and that I am cleared with no need for further surgery. The outlook forward is continued rehab for my right sided hemiparesis with no ability to know how much or what will be able to be recovered.
How am I handling all this?
Ooooof. Honestly, I am in a good place after being able to embrace acceptance. That in itself is difficult to come to terms and not be stuck in denial, but it makes the path forward more clear and I can focus on moving in that direction instead of circles. Dwelling on spilt milk won’t do anything, but taking action to clean it up and pour a new glass is the key.
It’s all about facing and sticking through the fight! Whatever the struggle, just fight and don’t give up. This can be applied to something small or large; just when you think that you can’t, you can. If you don’t at least try you’ll never know. If you try and succeed, then you push the bar a little further. Case and point – I’ve been told I wouldn’t be able to walk and I just completed a 5K race this past weekend 10 months post my incident. Lead by example! My brother from a different mother always keeps me in check asking me “Do you want to be a champ or a chump – the difference between the two is U!” So if you are running away, about face and put up those fists and show the world what you got!
#AVMawarenessmonth #unitedandrare #blessed #aboutface #survivor
