My mom and her AVM

[ashakari]

Greetings everyone! My name is Angela and I want to share my story about my mom and her AVM. She was diagnosed at age 72. The doctor said she needed to have brain surgery within 24 hours, BUT that there was a 50/50 chance of paralysis and a host of other problems! I live in NY and my 1 yr. old son and I were on a plane that day in 1996. I spoke with my cousin who is a Neurosurgeon in CA, he called the neurosurgeon in Lexington KY...and lo and behold...they knew each other from Johns Hopkins! My cousin said he wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole, nor the Gamma Knife! We followed his advice. They ran tests and STILL don't know how she's still alive, alert and never had a stroke, heart attack, etc. My mom is alive and well and will be 85 yrs. old in August 2009. They say she is a case study, because most would've had a stroke by now and no longer be with us. She has prayed every night while holding her head on that area and swears by it.

She has been having some episodes of dizzy spells in the past few weeks. They have ran tests, scans, etc. and will compare the films of what the AVM looks like now compared to the last one a few years ago. I will be in KY to go with her to the neurologist and find out if it has anything to do with the AVM or is it something else. I'm so happy she chose not to have the surgery, since it wasn't bother her. They kinda found it accidently and immediately wanted to start treatment...NOT! My mom said if it was going to change her quality of life (which was good then and is good now) to be anything less than, then she did NOT want to do it. I said all of this to say ALWAYS get a second opinion. I'll always be greatful to my cousin, Dr. Al Bates of San Francisco, for his suggestion and professional opinion.