Karwoski Life

I just wanted to post an update on our visit to IA City. Matt went in for his 4th angiogram yesterday…at 7:30! YIKES! They got right to work on him and spent about 2 hours looking at the blood vessels in his brain. What they discovered is that the abnormality in his brain is an AVF…the fistula I wrote about before. They were able to do a test run, so to speak, to be sure they could get up into the affected veins and they can. They did not need to do the WADA testing, because they were able to get to the places they needed to and felt good that the risk of causing further damage is low. The doctors recommended the embolization treatment, injecting glue up into the affected veins to close them off. They feel pretty confident that this is the safest and most effective route of treatment for Matt. They also explained that they will be able to tell right then if it successfully closed off all the affected areas…which will give us all a peace of mind. There is a possibility that it ma...

Blessings: We had a WONDERFUL weekend!!! The weather was just gorgeous this weekend, and we took full opportunity of it and got a lot of things done, as well as took time to enjoy ourselves. Saturday I did a bunch of things around the house that needed to be done and also did my usual weekend cleaning. It was so great to bustle about cleaning with the windows open and the radio on. The fresh spring air blowing in just made everything smell so clean and good. Matt did his morning workout routine with his dad then spent the afternoon relaxing in his recliner…watching TV, reading his magazines, and snoozing. Sunday, we ventured out into the garage! It was the first time we’ve spent any time out there since last September. The TA’s battery had died, so I pulled the Grand Am up in the garage and Matt helped me hook up battery cables and we jumped it. He could reach the engine throttle on the Grand Am from his chair and revved it up while I tried to start the Trans Am. It took a few tries an...

Well, we made it back safe and sound from our trip to Iowa City. It was another long day on the road, and we spent a lot of time waiting for doctors! We saw three doctors and their three respective resident doctors as well…phew. There was a Radiation Oncologist who specializes in radiation treatments, similar to the Cyberknife we have here in Des Moines. There was also a Neurosurgeon, who would coordinate the radiation treatment IF that’s the route that is chosen. Then there was a Neurosurgeon/Radiologist who specializes in embolization (inserting glue into the abnormal blood vessels). Well, all three doctors agreed that they want Matt to undergo another cerebral angiogram with super-selective WADA testing. Apparently, they have the ability there to get a more detailed picture than those of Matt’s previous angiograms. The WADA testing will also help them make the decision on which treatment option would be less invasive, provide the lowest level of risk, and give us the best possibilit...

Just a quickie…Matt and I will be heading to IA City next week to meet with the doctors there and discuss the options for treating his AVM. We go on Tuesday, so be thinking of us that day. We’re hoping they’ll have some good options and we can get this GOING!

The Good, the Not-So-Good, and the Other Tid-Bits of Info! The Good: Buddy is home safe and sound! Over the weekend the vet had him on IV fluids and drugs to treat his pancreatitis, but he made very sure I knew that Buddy was dangerously ill. Each day he would check in with me and update me on his progress, and each day he seemed fairly surprised at how well Buddy was bouncing back. On Friday I went up to see him for a bit and already I could see he was feeling a lot more like himself. He had pulled his IV out, so the girls put a bandage on it and let me take him for a stroll out in their back yard. He was so happy to see me, to walk outside, and sniff all the wonderful smells in the air. He had a big cone on his neck to keep him from messing with his IV and of course he kept running in to everything with it…including my leg SEVERAL times! It was so good to see him feeling so much better and running around with his usual good spirits and curiosity. It did my heart a lot of good...