Success 3/3/10!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where do I begin? Yesterday I was the first person to have Dr. Zamboni’s Liberation Treatment performed at Georgetown University Hospital.

We (my wonderful husband and I) arrived at 6:30am. Went up to the cardiac cath lab holding room, and had to explain to the wonderful nurses exactly why we were there. I don’t think that they believed me when I told them that we were going to be making history that day. I guess they hear that a lot, or just thought I was a crazy lady.

Then Dr. Neville called them in for a meeting. They came back all excited! That’s right, ladies. I don’t lie!

They wheeled me into the cath lab and I met Dr. Laredo. He is another vascular surgeon at G-town who was assisting Dr. Neville. In addition to the techs and nurses, there was also an Interventional Radiologist from NIH there to observe. Interesting, huh?

The nurses gave me Fentanyl and Versed to make me a little loopy (yeah, yeah, I know you all think I’m already a little loopy, but they don’t know me that well!). Dr. N. numbed the insertion site in my groin, and we were off! It was hard to pay attention, cause the drugs wanted me to just close my eyes and lay there. But I wanted to hear everything that was going on!

At the point when he first saw the stenosis in my right internal jugular he said, “I’m excited! And I don’t get excited.”

Someone else in the room said, “Yeah, he doesn’t get excited.”

To which I (still loopy, but, being 40 and all, felt the need to acknowledge my ability to excite a man) replied, “I’m flattered!”

The right IJV was 95% stenosed (narrowed), and I definitely felt the balloon being inflated on that side. It didn’t hurt, but it was an odd sensation.

Here's the "before" picture of the right side.  It's supposed to be a thick black line all the way from the top to the bottom, but notice that about 2/3 of the way down, it just stops.  That's where the stenosis is!  The greyish area below is empty vein where the blood/dye should be flowing.

Here's the "after" picture, just as the blood/dye was beginning to flow through the open vein.  So cool, huh?!?

The left side was 75% stenosed, and I didn’t feel the ballooning at all.

He looked at the azygos vein and he saw a small amount of blood/dye reflux. He looked from many different angles, but couldn’t find any obvious causes, so he left it alone.  Then they were done!

I went back to the holding room, and within 15 minutes my neurologist was there with a big grin on his face. Dr. N. had called him right after it was done and gave him the glowing report. He was practically giddy!

I had to lay flat for the first hour so that the insertion site could clot properly. The next hour I was at 30 degrees, then finally I was able to sit all the way up. Most importantly I was able to go do what a girl’s got to do to get rid of all of that damn saline they had been pumping into me!

My brother showed up with enough yummy food from Balducci’s to feed us and all of the nurses, too. Thanks, bro!

We lounged around the holding room until about 5:00 waiting to be moved to a regular room. At that time it was determined that there were still no beds available for me, so they sent us home!!!!!

We signed all the of the papers, and high-tailed it home, arriving a few minutes before the kids got home from dinner out with my mom. Thanks, Mom! Lots of hugs and kisses, and then the exhaustion set in.

I am officially on Plavix for the next two years, or until the doctors decide to stop. We’re making history here, people! Things are going to change as more info comes out.

I have a follow up appointment with Dr. Neville next Friday 3/12. I will also have an ultrasound to confirm that my blood is only flowing DOWN my veins, not up.

So...  Everything went perfectly yesterday.  I could not have scripted it better. 

The only immediate improvement that I have noticed is warm hands and feet!  This may not seem like that big a deal to you regular people, but for a girl who has spent the last million years with constantly cold extremities, this is HUGE!

Other improvements that may show up soon include:  less fatigue, less sensitivity to heat, and less "cognitive fog".  Or maybe not.  Other improvements may take longer.  We will just have to wait and see.  I am a patient woman.  It took me 20 years to get here, and I am willing to work for the next 20 to get back whatever I can!