Friday, June 25, 2010


We're back at the hotel! When we got out of the shuttle, everyone was there to greet us. They cheered and clapped and welcomed me with open arms. Such wonderful people. They are so genuinely excited for my success. Dr. Fallas came in around 5:00 PM and showed us step by step the procedure and all of the images. He showed me the blockage in the azygos vein and then when it came to my left leg, he told me that I have a syndrome called May Thurner Syndrome. You can google it to learn more, but basically, in everybody's body, the iliac artery crosses over the iliac vein, but with May Thurner Syndrome, the artery causes the vein to collapse. So, no blood was getting through. He said that he opened it up with the angioplasty, but that there was a very high probability of it closing back up. He said that I need to see a vascular surgeoun and have additional surgery in the States to either put a stent in, or re-route the artery to go under the vein rather than over it. Apparently Dr. Zamboni is seeing a large correlation of May Thurner Syndrome in MS patients along with CCSVI. So, I have CCSVI and May Thurner Syndrome. Jeez. I'm just really glad that they found it because, if left untreated, it can cause a blood clot to form and travel and it can be fatal.
I had a really hard time understanding why I felt so strongly that I needed to come to Costa Rica rather than waiting for Albany. Perhaps the reason is that the dr. in Albany does not look at the veins in the legs. He simply looks at the jugular and azygos veins, as far as I know. He didn't mention anything about imgaging anything else when I spoke to him. Anyway, the results have been better than I could have imagined. We'll post some before and after videos but it has truly been remarkable. 2 days ago, I could not stand on one foot without falling. I could not close my eyes without tipping. I had a lot less strength in my left leg. I couldn't flip my left hand back and forth on my right palm, and now it is effortless! Same with my left foot. It's amazing. I'm so thankful that these are the changes that I'm having, rather than feeling my legs for the first time in years or being able to walk without a cane. I am so thankful that I was able to have this done before it got that bad. It's wonderful, and I thank my Father in Heaven for this tremendous blessing.

PS Yesterday, Sean could not feel the physical therapist touching his leg when he had his eyes closed. And now he can feel if someone just barely touches them. Incredible.

11 comments:

  1. Toby your amazing! I'm crying tears of joy for you and your family. I'm so thankful everything has turned out so well. Keep the good news coming. Can't wait to see your cute face across the street home again. Your very in tune with the spirit and the Lord directed you to where you needed to be. Love ya tons, Justine

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  2. Your stories are answers to prayers Toby. We love you and love reading. Thank you for updating us. God be with you as He always is.

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  3. amazing...seriously, mighty miracles. how wonderful. so glad to hear it all. so happy that you are doing so well and seeing such quick results. love you.

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  4. You look amazing! I love you lots. I'm so glad everything went so well for you!

    Marci

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  5. Wow! This is all so amazing! What a blessing you are in tune with the spirit and went to a place that could give you the best care and thorough treatment. Lots of love for you and grateful that you are sharing your miracles with us. Oh and my husband agreed with me that you are a total knockout!! :)

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  6. So happy for hearing it all. I t has been a great week with great results. hope it keeps going like this. Enjoy the physio now....I hear it is an amazing package we have put together for you.

    Wish you all the best Toby.....

    Travis - Passport Medical

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  7. Toby, we are so excited...to get a play-by-play report of your amazing journey. How grateful we are for this wonderful blessing that has come into your life. We love you, Aunt Bev & Uncle Tom

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  8. YAY!!! We are so excited for you and can't wait to see you!!

    Love you so much!

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  9. So happy for you!! Love you, Bishop & Marnie Peck

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  10. This is all so incredible. i love to hear your success story. It is all so amazing. Please continue to update us. Christian has an aunt and a cousin with MS and I am referring them to your sites. I hope that is okay.

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