In AVM News...

I am currently undergoing embolizations with Dr. Wayne Yakes @ the Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, CO every 8 weeks! Seems our lives are either planning a procedure, having a procedure or recovering from a procedure! The trick lately seems to be to keep the "bleeds" under control! We've gotten to be pretty good @ this! When I say "we", of course I mean my husband and caregiver Mark! He has become an expert wound care therapist, not to mention all around bundle of being just exactly what I need to get through the day and this ordeal we call an AVM!
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Hi Everyone!

Well, we were are gearing up to celebrate Gregs birthday today! He wants a rhubarb pie instead of a birthday cake, so... his wife Celia and my husband Mark each took on that responsibility! Actually, Mark made 2 pies (with the crust from scratch) - a rhubarb/strawberry pie and a rhubarb/pineapple pie! While Mark had his pies in the oven, I was on the computer ... and I felt an itch right under the top of the tegaderm. (Where my wound dressing is) I scratched it and then I looked @ my finger and saw red. Uh oh, I thought it was maybe a slight bleed, so I got up to look in the bathroom mirror. Nope! The wound area was filling up w/blood. Yikes! I called out to Mark and he ran to get the wound care bag as I got to the kitchen sink! I had a hard time telling where the blood was coming from - I would have to pull off the tegaderm! Mark was waiting w/a piece of surgicel, and when I pulled the tegaderm off, a stream of blood jetted out! Yowza! After putting pressure on the area, we got surgicel on there and had it under control! Before going out to the island, we went to Walgreens to pick up some much needed prescribed ointment that Mark puts on my wound area! We then headed out to join the rest of our family!

Here is a photo of me w/the birthday boy! He and my sister make all our trips to CO possible! They very generously decided they're making sure I get the necessary help in order to beat this avm! Here I am w/Greg and Saba! See the beautiful flower arrangement? Celia got those for Greg and arranged them herself! We ended up having a great evening, having dinner, dessert and playing Farkle! Here is more of my support group - my mom and her husband Vicente! He is a big fan of mine and always reminds mom to check on Cinderella! The other photo of course is my sister Celia and her husband Greg! Celia accompanies me on these Colorado trips sometimes to give my husband Mark a break once in a while! The only good thing about this avm is I think it's brought us even closer as a family! I'm so blessed to have a family full of faith and love and lots of strength! I'm so proud to say how our family came together during this time of crisis to help me get through this! It has certainly brought my husband Mark and I even closer! We had a great marriage already, but now we've come to realize how much we deeply love each other!

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Go see there pics... here

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Don't ask me why soaps.... I don't know why.