A Life-Changing Experience
I was actually having second thoughts on posting this after I finished writing and reading the whole story, but something tells me I should pay it forward. So now let me share with you this life-changing experience my family went through just a couple of months ago. I didn't expect it would be this long, please be kind enough to bear with me...
Mama was admitted at the Manila Doctor's Hospital on the 29th of April, friday afternoon. Her right eye was swelling for more than a month since her former doctor scraped off the sty under her eyelid. Everyone suspected that the redness and swelling was due to infection because of an improper medication (steroid eye-drops without antibiotics) prescribed by this doctor, but almost a week of dextrose and antibiotics showed no significant improvement at all. She had a CT Scan and the result revealed no infection or abnormal cell mass formation. Doctors and nurses come in and out of our room to see her, but not one of them gave a sensible analysis. It was only until wednesday the following week when she had her first proper diagnosis. Dr. Remulla, a top-of-her-class UP-graduate who specializes in Eye Orbit, came to see mama for the first time and finally claimed that she's 99% sure she has a fistula and that the only way to ascertain and locate it is through angiography. I couldn't believe mama's condition was that critical until she told us that if it is indeed a fistula, it has to be embolized which can cost us P300K to P800K depending on the case, or around P150K for charity. She said we could still buy some time to prepare that amount because it is just a "low-flow" fistula.
It was my eldest brother's birthday and we were about to check-out and go home that thursday morning when mama suddenly felt an intolerable pain in her right eye. She had to be dextrosed again. The pain was unbearable and I knew it really was 'coz mama has a high threshold for pain. Pain relievers did not help at all. Her right eye had bulged much more she couldn't even open it anymore and it had already deviated from its proper alignment causing her to see blurred double visions. Her eye pressure increased to 50 (normal is 10) and the white spaces around her iris turned into red because of swollen blood vessels. Dr. Kamantigue, her doctor-in-charge who specializes in Glaucoma, said that mama has a "high-flow" fistula already and that she needs to be embolized as soon as possible so as not to strain the blood vessels too much and prevent the possibility of blindness... and even death.
Mama was admitted at the Manila Doctor's Hospital on the 29th of April, friday afternoon. Her right eye was swelling for more than a month since her former doctor scraped off the sty under her eyelid. Everyone suspected that the redness and swelling was due to infection because of an improper medication (steroid eye-drops without antibiotics) prescribed by this doctor, but almost a week of dextrose and antibiotics showed no significant improvement at all. She had a CT Scan and the result revealed no infection or abnormal cell mass formation. Doctors and nurses come in and out of our room to see her, but not one of them gave a sensible analysis. It was only until wednesday the following week when she had her first proper diagnosis. Dr. Remulla, a top-of-her-class UP-graduate who specializes in Eye Orbit, came to see mama for the first time and finally claimed that she's 99% sure she has a fistula and that the only way to ascertain and locate it is through angiography. I couldn't believe mama's condition was that critical until she told us that if it is indeed a fistula, it has to be embolized which can cost us P300K to P800K depending on the case, or around P150K for charity. She said we could still buy some time to prepare that amount because it is just a "low-flow" fistula.
It was my eldest brother's birthday and we were about to check-out and go home that thursday morning when mama suddenly felt an intolerable pain in her right eye. She had to be dextrosed again. The pain was unbearable and I knew it really was 'coz mama has a high threshold for pain. Pain relievers did not help at all. Her right eye had bulged much more she couldn't even open it anymore and it had already deviated from its proper alignment causing her to see blurred double visions. Her eye pressure increased to 50 (normal is 10) and the white spaces around her iris turned into red because of swollen blood vessels. Dr. Kamantigue, her doctor-in-charge who specializes in Glaucoma, said that mama has a "high-flow" fistula already and that she needs to be embolized as soon as possible so as not to strain the blood vessels too much and prevent the possibility of blindness... and even death.
It was just a sty, how can it possibly be something that critical? I couldn't believe it... i didn't want to. I know things like that really do happen but I never thought it could ever happen to us. I prayed and convinced myself that everything will be fine, but deep inside I know I should be ready for all the possibilities. I look at mama and I can feel her pain. Everytime she looks at the mirror I can feel her fears. At times I felt I'm close to breaking into tears... but I hold it back in and feel my cheeks burning. Many times I can actually feel pain inside my chest. I wanted to cry but I just couldn't... I couldn't let her see me like that, not even papa. If there's one person who carries most of the weight that would be him. I didn't know it was that hard to be strong and for the first time in my life I really didn't know what to do.
Dr. Kamantigue said that there is only one team here in the Philippines that specializes in embolization, the team of Dr. Renato Carlos, a Neuroradiologist. Thank God that he is a colleague of the wife of one of papa's conductors, he was very kind to conduct the embolization that night right after the angiography although we still haven't provided the money. The operation was conducted in PGH, considering that it was the hospital nearby with the medical equipment that wouldn't cost us too much (relatively).
The operation lasted for almost four hours, from 12 am to 4 am of May 6. At last, after so much restlessness we were so relieved to see mama out of the O.R. There is still one big problem though the operation was a success. Dr. Carlos said that during embolization, many collateral arteries arose from a tiny branch of the meningohypophyseal arteries (the ones they embolized). They also tried to embolize those but there is one tiny artery that they cannot touch for it might cause a stroke. Catheters are too small to go through it and it is located near the brain. Because of this, Dr. Carlos taught us a massage therapy to be applied on the carotid artery at the left side of mama's neck. With this technique hopefully the tiny artery will somehow close by itself after some time. But for now, it is forbidden for her to get mad, get tired, bend down, and exert any form of effort forcefully.
It has been two months now, and Mama's recovery was fast. Her right eye is still a little swollen but the pressure is now down to normal values. The redness around her iris is clearing out although some swollen vessels are still visible. Her vision and balance are getting back to normal. She is much stronger now, and we're very thankful. There are no words to ever express how happy we are seeing her regain her health and strength.
What happened in a week has changed our lives forever. We have realized so many things that we couldn't possibly have if none of these ever happened. We have seen how truly powerful a prayer can be. In behalf of my family, I want to take this oppurtunity to again thank all the people who have been there in one of the most difficult times of our lives... for all the financial help, for all your prayers, for all the love... we owe you my mother's sight, my mother's life. May graces pour unto you a thousand fold. Most of all, may all the glory be to God Almighty, whom we owe everything that is good in this life.
An Arteriovenous Fistula/Malformation is an abnormal channel between an artery and a vein. Normally, blood flows from arteries into capillaries and then into veins. When an arteriovenous fistula is present, blood flows directly from an artery into a vein, bypassing the capillaries. The area can swell quickly if blood escapes into the surrounding tissues. If a large acquired arteriovenous fistula is not treated, a large volume of blood flows under high pressure from the artery into the vein network. Vein walls are not strong enough to withstand such high pressure, so the walls stretch and the veins enlarge and bulge.
Dural Arteriovenous Fistulae are blood vessels that represent abnormal connections between arteries veins that are found in the covering of the brain.
Carotid Cavernous Fistula is a specific kind of Dural Fistula that involves the carotid artery (or its branches) and a large vein (cavernous sinus) behind the eye.
Embolization, a fairly new treatment method, is a way of closing, or at least drastically reducing blood flow to one or more blood vessels that are doing more harm than good. The term "embolization" derives from embolus, which can be any object that circulates in the bloodstream until it lodges in a blood vessel—in this case, a synthetic material or medication specially designed to occlude the blood vessels. The material is passed through a catheter, its tip lying in or near the vessel to be closed.
The first step in embolization is to perform angiography to locate the exact site of bleeding or abnormality. A thin catheter is introduced through a very small incision into the femoral artery, a large groin vessel, and guided by TV monitoring as close as possible to the area of abnormality. Contrast material then is injected and a series of x-rays are taken where even tiny thread-like vessels can be seen. An appropriate embolic material then is chosen and injected through the catheter to lodge at the treatment site. Repeat angiograms are done until bleeding is controlled or there is enough embolic material in a tumor or vascular malformation.
mood: indescribable
the wind blew @ 7:13 PM
3 whispers in the wind:
Thank you for posting that, please continue to share with us when you can.
:)
Truly a life-changing experience. Ang galing nyo naman. I'm happy for you and your family.
I am having the same problem now with my mama... sad to say we are not getting the same attention that you got at PGH because no matter how much we want to have the operation ASAP the operation is being stalled, aside from the fact the we are having financial crises. The first time we were there, we were told that it would cost us 200k and just when we thought we had already been able to raise the amount, lately with another doctor who was there for her consultation, we were told that the cost would be 1M... and all the while I thought PGH is ISO accredited.
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