The ABC's of an AVM

Before I continue on with my story, I thought I would break down just exactly what an AVM is.

An arteriovenous malformation is a tangle of abnormal arteries and veins that have a high risk of bleeding, meaning they can cause a lot of damage. For me, the AVM was located in my brain, but they can occur in many parts of the body. I was lucky enough to not have a ruptured AVM when they found it, which gave us more time to get everything figured out.

This condition is labeled as rare and occur in less than 1% of the population, which of course made me feel extra special.

The cause to an AVM is unknown, but many researchers believe it happens in utero or can occur from serious head trauma. We may never know what caused my AVM, as I have had no head trauma and my parents had me thoroughly examined for problems at birth. This condition can occur in any person, no sex or race is more likely to develop one.

Doctors can help predict the bleeding risk of an AVM based on your age and the fact that the risk increases 4% per year. Therefore, the earlier discovered, the better chance for treatment and survival.

Treatment is crucial when it comes to an AVM, especially because of the risks present. People with an AVM may experience headaches,seizures, aneurysm, stroke, blood clot, paralysis and in extreme cases, death may occur. The possible treatments include surgical removal, endovascular embolization, and stereotactic radiosurgery. Before any of those can happen, there are several different tests that a person will likely undergo. Those include cerebral arteriography, also known as an angiogram, a CT scan, and an MRI.

After being told I had an AVM, I waited impatiently for my first appointment with my neurosurgeon, where I would find out more about my own treatment plan.