AVMs can self-heal, I'm proof

AVMs can self-heal, I’m proof.
I’m 65 and just had a second opinion and mri for my cranial avm, after waiting 5 years from the first diagnosis. My neurologist was delighted to give me the good news: my body self-healed, shutting off the blood supply to the avm. It no longer exists! He was quite surprised since avms usually get worse with age as vessel walls become thinner. The fact that my avm 'disappeared is miraculous to me. It is only visible on an mri by injecting contrast dye DURING the mri, which shows that no blood got into the avm. It shows up as a ‘ghost’ of its former self. There is calcification around the site, which is not uncommon, but poses no threat. So my message is: don’t give up hope and think you’re doomed. Our bodies have amazing self-healing abilities that we don’t fully understand. AND ALWAYS DO FOLLOW UPS, GET SECOND OPINIONS ETC. for you and your family’s own interest. If my daughter hadn’t insisted that I finally get a new mri, I’d still be thinking I could die at any minute from any rise in blood pressure. Thank God miracles do happen.

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AMEN!!! Congrats!!

Janet,
Do you have any idea how your AVM
spontaneously disappeared ?
Moira

My neurosurgeon said my body just turned off the blood supply to the avm, all by itself, with no intervention of any kind. I was taking no meds for it as I had been told by a different neurologist that since it was inoperable, there was no need to try and do anything about it, and that I should just make my peace with the fact that I was terminal. Any rise in blood pressure would surely cause a rupture in the altered veins and arteries involved, resulting in a spontaneous bleed out and immediate death.

He said he’d never seen this ‘self healing’ by the body before, neither had his colleagues. I could find no stories like mine on the internet, except in the case of small children, who have been known to have amazing healing events happen to them.

But the bottom line is: no dr. should give you a death sentence when they don’t have all the knowledge in the world. I think God’s healing power was at work. Pray for yourself, and have others pray too. Asking for healing puts God’s focus on you and your need. It worked in my case, it could work for you. I’m sending God’s blessing to you and ask him to provide healing.

Sincerely,

Janet

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Dear Janet,
What a fascinating story. Thank you for your thoughts . I do wish medical science would devote some thought to formulating even a speculative view of this type of phenomenon- which does happen in other conditions too- sudden,otherwise inexplicable “cures”.

BTW,this was my first conversation with an ABM member; I had intended just to watch and read to begin with,and here I am already in discussion! So much for good intentions.

Moira

Ladies, the only physiological thing I can think of is calcification in the AVM. In other words, that an AVM can choke up and effectively self-seal. I think relatively low-flow things can calcify, e.g. a cavernoma more likely than an AVM but I am working from things I think I’ve read about here, rather than being certain.

This feels less encouraging than a miracle but I half remember a story when I was young of a devoutly Christian man, shipwrecked at sea. A helicopter happened past and offered to winch the man from his wreck. He refused, saying “it’s ok, the Lord will save me!” A while later, a boat passed by and he gave the same answer. Indeed several vessels happened past and he refused them all.

Unfortunately, the man drowned and arrived in heaven later in the day. “Lord, I don’t understand why you let me drown,” he said. “Why did you abandon me?”.

The Lord said “my child, I would never abandon you. It was me that sent the helicopter and the boat and the surfer and all the others”.

In other words, I’ve no idea how God works his miracles but sometimes they may appear more mundane. I’m happy to interpret it either way.

Lots of love,

Richard

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I’m glad you ‘got involved’ right away, thanks! Networking needs all the voices it can get!

Amen!! That is awesome!!

Very many congratulations. That is brilliant news. Thanks for sharing.

I just wanted to let people know that they should never give up. Miracles do happen!

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This is wonderful! ! Amen thank God and congrats !!!

I believe it too, because I find that at times I have almost NO symptoms of my AVM. If I listen real hard in quiet room can hear the whoosh but I find it interesting that at times I got no pain no issues barely any sound and then bam…turn my head slightly or need to look to the side for a long time whilst driving and then I’m hearing the roar and in agony or it just randomly happens…almost as if the body is attempting to self heal.

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Oh, I do so hope your body is working on healing itself! I used to have UNBEARABLE headaches, that’s how I found out I had a cranial avm. I ended up in ER with the worst headache of my life, in total panic mode, almost unable to breathe. The imaging they did told us why my head hurt so bad. I suffered still, but got anti-seizure meds to help. But slowly, the headaches slowly lessened still they completely stopped over time. My daughter insisted I get a new mri and that’s when I found out my body self healed over a period of 5 years. Thank God my daughter insisted on a second mri or I’d still be under the impression I could die at any minute from an aneurysm.
I truly give God ALL the credit for my healing. Pray for it every day and have faith that He truly does work miracles!:blush:

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Can an AVM move? I was diagnosed a few weeks ago and have a raised area on my left temporal side. Today, the area between my eyebrow and hairline is raised, about an inch further? The area where the AVM normally is, isn’t raised. I still hear bruit at night, so I know it’s still there. I have been having about 2 cups of coffee lately rather than my half cup.

I haven’t heard of an AVM moving, as I was told we were most likely born with that abnormality in its place, wherever that may be, according to the individual. But it is possible that your avm has changed, perhaps building up pressure and raising the skin. Call your dr IMMEDIATELY and let him/her know about the changes. This is all new to you so you don’t know yet what is ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’. You’ll never regret calling and getting more info on your particular type of avm. Make that call ASAP!

About you increasing your coffee intake: it sounds like a bad idea all around. Anything that raises your blood pressure heightens your risk of having an aneurysm, and coffee DEFINITELY raises your blood pressure. Remember, arteries and veins are ‘clustered’ into tightly woven clusters, and increased blood pressure will increase your chances of rupturing one of those veins or arteries. In the cranium, that could mean instant death, being in the brain area. Don’t do anything to increase those risks. I had a cranial avm and did everything to not aggravate it. Thank God, it ‘healed’ itself. My body cut off the blood supply to that area, in short, killing the avm and all risks associated with it.
Here’s a link to Mayo clinic regarding the caffeine issue:

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Yes Janet i am fully agreed with you that anything can be self healed provided your strong will power.
Doing regular PRANAYAMA and YOGA , I hav also succeeded to stop the blood supply to the avm and got reduced the size of AVM to 70% less. with in one month, But my family members and Doc not allowed me to remain as it with ruptured AVM. So forcefully i had skull based surgery.
any way but now putting good conditions of health with normal life,
but what you said that miracle can be happen.

Ben, thanks for that affirmation on miracles DO HAPPEN. I just want people to know they should never give up hope. Tomorrow is a new day with new expectations!

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So glad to hear all the positive and encouraging words especially about miracles. I too believe in miracles and the different ways God can use to perform these. I am here to tell you all that there there are new techniques being developed and have already been used. Dr. Rene Chapot in Germany is using techniques never used before to cure AVMs that were considered inoperable before. He is using a venous approach which has never been used before. My son just had his 3rd surgery and he is cured. He had a grade 5 AVM, had more than 12 bleeds during the last almost 19 years. He had a major bleed 2 year ago which left him with significant deficits. His case was seen by the best doctors in the USA, including Dr Spetzler, and was treated by Dr. Berenstein who referred us to Dr Chapot. Dr Berenstein was present During the last surgery, I am praying that these surgeries will eventually be able to perform in the USA although I understand, it’s not only the skills but some of the equipment which takes 5 years for the FDA to approve. We have to advocate for this to be brought here so more people can be helped!