info from the neurologist

hi everybody,
i cannot even begin to talk about how comforted i am with all of your well-wishes and prayers. i can say with a new sense of reality how i am now leaning on your prayers. while i surrender into this foreign world of medicine, i trust that i am in good hands.
i had an encouraging appt today with a neurologist who is now "on my team". i truly have a sense that i will be ok. although this surgery is more of an intense procedure that i'd ever want to go through, all of my instinct and faith tell me i will make it through this and will be even better on the other side of it.
this is my full report from the neurologist. i'll be in touch soon and there may be more updates on all these tests i still need to take before the surgery.
thank you beyond words,
andrea

prognosis: "definitely very good"

dr. william buxton was patient with our questions and did a lot of the poking and prodding tests.
he wants to test me for a pinched nerve bc there might have been a diff between my two legs sensitivity. and this would possibly explain the numbing in my leg.

more blood tests to verify a borderline high propensity to clot.

another brain eeg for more specific testing (on the seizures, i think).
mesial temporal lobe (brain) mri with contrast to get another look at it. (different then the functional brain mri that dr. martin requested, different times and different buildings).

later on, after surgery we will do an emg to test for a pinched nerve. this could actually make a lot of sense and answer why my leg went numb and why i have lower back pain. hugh just reminded me that a possible pinched nerve may have saved my life. holy cow. (possibly causing the numbness which made them check my brain for a stroke).

the spinal mri was clear. very good news.

he said to start taking calcium and vitamin D for bone issues due to keppra.
he approved the keppra dosage. (the rash is almost gone)

the location of my avm could affect memory, hearing, processing, smell, taste and language. possibly anxiety and depression.
he was not sure what is actually affected by my avm.

he had an optimistic view of this surgery and said "they take things out of the temporal lobe all the time and this dr. is one of the two best dr's for this in the world".

he thought i'd be in the hospital for about a week. i check in at 5:30am the morning of the surgery. i am scheduled for the first surgery of the day at 7:30am unless they have an emergency come in.

he thinks i should keep my brain active now with "crossword puzzles".

risk of stroke right now for me is less than 1 %. (this calms me because i was afraid i was more at risk)

i am not to take a bath right now, showers only.
nothing that will thin my blood.

he was not familiar with my leg's KT so any link will have to be determined later.

my energy level was good this morning although now i'm a bit tired and will rest for the day. again, i'll walk later.