Bronchial Artery Embolization

[LouLou]

wow Khristina you take the cake!
thank you all for your stories and advice.
I'm going to make a list of questions for the doctor and will probably repost it on here to see if I got it all.
I feel pretty confident about moving forward with the procedure.
Seeing that none of you say "I wish I'd never gotten started down the embolization route." makes me feel good about my decision. Hopefully the first time is a long term solution.

A couple questions for you all...
Anything to note about recovery?
Were there any restrictions on your abilities in the days following the procedure?
How soon after the embolization could you do Vest, etc.?
Do you know what material you are embolized with?
If you've researched various materials do you feel this is the best one?

 

[LouLou]

wow Khristina you take the cake!
thank you all for your stories and advice.
I'm going to make a list of questions for the doctor and will probably repost it on here to see if I got it all.
I feel pretty confident about moving forward with the procedure.
Seeing that none of you say "I wish I'd never gotten started down the embolization route." makes me feel good about my decision. Hopefully the first time is a long term solution.

A couple questions for you all...
Anything to note about recovery?
Were there any restrictions on your abilities in the days following the procedure?
How soon after the embolization could you do Vest, etc.?
Do you know what material you are embolized with?
If you've researched various materials do you feel this is the best one?

 

[LouLou]

wow Khristina you take the cake!
thank you all for your stories and advice.
I'm going to make a list of questions for the doctor and will probably repost it on here to see if I got it all.
I feel pretty confident about moving forward with the procedure.
Seeing that none of you say "I wish I'd never gotten started down the embolization route." makes me feel good about my decision. Hopefully the first time is a long term solution.

A couple questions for you all...
Anything to note about recovery?
Were there any restrictions on your abilities in the days following the procedure?
How soon after the embolization could you do Vest, etc.?
Do you know what material you are embolized with?
If you've researched various materials do you feel this is the best one?

 

[LouLou]

wow Khristina you take the cake!
thank you all for your stories and advice.
I'm going to make a list of questions for the doctor and will probably repost it on here to see if I got it all.
I feel pretty confident about moving forward with the procedure.
Seeing that none of you say "I wish I'd never gotten started down the embolization route." makes me feel good about my decision. Hopefully the first time is a long term solution.

A couple questions for you all...
Anything to note about recovery?
Were there any restrictions on your abilities in the days following the procedure?
How soon after the embolization could you do Vest, etc.?
Do you know what material you are embolized with?
If you've researched various materials do you feel this is the best one?

 

[LouLou]

wow Khristina you take the cake!
thank you all for your stories and advice.
I'm going to make a list of questions for the doctor and will probably repost it on here to see if I got it all.
I feel pretty confident about moving forward with the procedure.
Seeing that none of you say "I wish I'd never gotten started down the embolization route." makes me feel good about my decision. Hopefully the first time is a long term solution.

A couple questions for you all...
Anything to note about recovery?
Were there any restrictions on your abilities in the days following the procedure?
How soon after the embolization could you do Vest, etc.?
Do you know what material you are embolized with?
If you've researched various materials do you feel this is the best one?

 

[moxie1]

Hi Lauren,

I'll try to answer some of your questions, but it's been awhile since I had my last embolization so I don't remember everything.

1) Recovery time was practically zero for me. Once those 6 hrs were over, I was up and walking around. I did not have any pain.

2) I don't remember any restrictions except maybe to hold off strenuous exercise for a week. I think I still walked on the treadmill, but I don't think they wanted me jumping on the trampoline. That might have been to give my lungs a chance to heal.

3) I think I was able to do my vest pretty much right away, but again I am not positive about that.

4) For me, they injected small beads into the arteries. That was my only option. I've heard other people mention coils, which sound good too, but I'm not sure what is better.

Feel free to ask any other questions. It really wasn't a big deal at all and I am the world's biggest wimp. I remember being extremely upset and crying when I found out I was going to be awake through the procedure. Also, I was upset that it was actually going to take a couple of hours.

However, the first time does take a while, because they have to map out your arteries so they can make sure to avoid the spinal one. They gave me medicine in an IV to relax me and make me not cough. The only painful part was when they put the numbing medicine into my groin. That felt kind of like a bee sting. Kind of the same as when they numb your arm before putting the PICC line in.

The other awful part (for me) was having to bare all to a room full of people. They shave your privates and you don't have undies on. I wasn't quite prepared for that and on top of it I had my period. It was very embarrassing!!!!

 

[moxie1]

Hi Lauren,

I'll try to answer some of your questions, but it's been awhile since I had my last embolization so I don't remember everything.

1) Recovery time was practically zero for me. Once those 6 hrs were over, I was up and walking around. I did not have any pain.

2) I don't remember any restrictions except maybe to hold off strenuous exercise for a week. I think I still walked on the treadmill, but I don't think they wanted me jumping on the trampoline. That might have been to give my lungs a chance to heal.

3) I think I was able to do my vest pretty much right away, but again I am not positive about that.

4) For me, they injected small beads into the arteries. That was my only option. I've heard other people mention coils, which sound good too, but I'm not sure what is better.

Feel free to ask any other questions. It really wasn't a big deal at all and I am the world's biggest wimp. I remember being extremely upset and crying when I found out I was going to be awake through the procedure. Also, I was upset that it was actually going to take a couple of hours.

However, the first time does take a while, because they have to map out your arteries so they can make sure to avoid the spinal one. They gave me medicine in an IV to relax me and make me not cough. The only painful part was when they put the numbing medicine into my groin. That felt kind of like a bee sting. Kind of the same as when they numb your arm before putting the PICC line in.

The other awful part (for me) was having to bare all to a room full of people. They shave your privates and you don't have undies on. I wasn't quite prepared for that and on top of it I had my period. It was very embarrassing!!!!

 

[moxie1]

Hi Lauren,

I'll try to answer some of your questions, but it's been awhile since I had my last embolization so I don't remember everything.

1) Recovery time was practically zero for me. Once those 6 hrs were over, I was up and walking around. I did not have any pain.

2) I don't remember any restrictions except maybe to hold off strenuous exercise for a week. I think I still walked on the treadmill, but I don't think they wanted me jumping on the trampoline. That might have been to give my lungs a chance to heal.

3) I think I was able to do my vest pretty much right away, but again I am not positive about that.

4) For me, they injected small beads into the arteries. That was my only option. I've heard other people mention coils, which sound good too, but I'm not sure what is better.

Feel free to ask any other questions. It really wasn't a big deal at all and I am the world's biggest wimp. I remember being extremely upset and crying when I found out I was going to be awake through the procedure. Also, I was upset that it was actually going to take a couple of hours.

However, the first time does take a while, because they have to map out your arteries so they can make sure to avoid the spinal one. They gave me medicine in an IV to relax me and make me not cough. The only painful part was when they put the numbing medicine into my groin. That felt kind of like a bee sting. Kind of the same as when they numb your arm before putting the PICC line in.

The other awful part (for me) was having to bare all to a room full of people. They shave your privates and you don't have undies on. I wasn't quite prepared for that and on top of it I had my period. It was very embarrassing!!!!

 

[moxie1]

Hi Lauren,

I'll try to answer some of your questions, but it's been awhile since I had my last embolization so I don't remember everything.

1) Recovery time was practically zero for me. Once those 6 hrs were over, I was up and walking around. I did not have any pain.

2) I don't remember any restrictions except maybe to hold off strenuous exercise for a week. I think I still walked on the treadmill, but I don't think they wanted me jumping on the trampoline. That might have been to give my lungs a chance to heal.

3) I think I was able to do my vest pretty much right away, but again I am not positive about that.

4) For me, they injected small beads into the arteries. That was my only option. I've heard other people mention coils, which sound good too, but I'm not sure what is better.

Feel free to ask any other questions. It really wasn't a big deal at all and I am the world's biggest wimp. I remember being extremely upset and crying when I found out I was going to be awake through the procedure. Also, I was upset that it was actually going to take a couple of hours.

However, the first time does take a while, because they have to map out your arteries so they can make sure to avoid the spinal one. They gave me medicine in an IV to relax me and make me not cough. The only painful part was when they put the numbing medicine into my groin. That felt kind of like a bee sting. Kind of the same as when they numb your arm before putting the PICC line in.

The other awful part (for me) was having to bare all to a room full of people. They shave your privates and you don't have undies on. I wasn't quite prepared for that and on top of it I had my period. It was very embarrassing!!!!

 

[moxie1]

Hi Lauren,

I'll try to answer some of your questions, but it's been awhile since I had my last embolization so I don't remember everything.

1) Recovery time was practically zero for me. Once those 6 hrs were over, I was up and walking around. I did not have any pain.

2) I don't remember any restrictions except maybe to hold off strenuous exercise for a week. I think I still walked on the treadmill, but I don't think they wanted me jumping on the trampoline. That might have been to give my lungs a chance to heal.

3) I think I was able to do my vest pretty much right away, but again I am not positive about that.

4) For me, they injected small beads into the arteries. That was my only option. I've heard other people mention coils, which sound good too, but I'm not sure what is better.

Feel free to ask any other questions. It really wasn't a big deal at all and I am the world's biggest wimp. I remember being extremely upset and crying when I found out I was going to be awake through the procedure. Also, I was upset that it was actually going to take a couple of hours.

However, the first time does take a while, because they have to map out your arteries so they can make sure to avoid the spinal one. They gave me medicine in an IV to relax me and make me not cough. The only painful part was when they put the numbing medicine into my groin. That felt kind of like a bee sting. Kind of the same as when they numb your arm before putting the PICC line in.

The other awful part (for me) was having to bare all to a room full of people. They shave your privates and you don't have undies on. I wasn't quite prepared for that and on top of it I had my period. It was very embarrassing!!!!

 

[Diane]

Hi Lauren,
In answer to your questions..................
<b>Anything to note about recovery?</b> Do not think its best to sit and do nothing to let your lungs heal. I did that with my first embolization and lost quite a bit of lung function because of it. This last time....as soon as the 6 hours were up i was up and walking( limping) in my hospital room.

<b>Were there any restrictions on your abilities in the days following the procedure?</b> I dont think they wanted me to lift anything heavy for about a week, or doing anything too strenuous. Leaning over to pick something up was out of the question since i was still in pain.

<b>How soon after the embolization could you do Vest, etc.?</b> i waited probably a few days and started by lowering the pressure and frequency. Since my 3rd embolization was the most painful , i was in pain for about 4 or 5 days ( each day getting less and less)

<b>Do you know what material you are embolized with?</b> They used particles and coils in me. What he did this third time was insert a coil first, then particles, then another coil to help prevent that particular area from re-generating another weak blood vessel. He did tell me while he was in there looking around he could see where my blood vessels from previous embolizations had regenerated .

 

[Diane]

Hi Lauren,
In answer to your questions..................
<b>Anything to note about recovery?</b> Do not think its best to sit and do nothing to let your lungs heal. I did that with my first embolization and lost quite a bit of lung function because of it. This last time....as soon as the 6 hours were up i was up and walking( limping) in my hospital room.

<b>Were there any restrictions on your abilities in the days following the procedure?</b> I dont think they wanted me to lift anything heavy for about a week, or doing anything too strenuous. Leaning over to pick something up was out of the question since i was still in pain.

<b>How soon after the embolization could you do Vest, etc.?</b> i waited probably a few days and started by lowering the pressure and frequency. Since my 3rd embolization was the most painful , i was in pain for about 4 or 5 days ( each day getting less and less)

<b>Do you know what material you are embolized with?</b> They used particles and coils in me. What he did this third time was insert a coil first, then particles, then another coil to help prevent that particular area from re-generating another weak blood vessel. He did tell me while he was in there looking around he could see where my blood vessels from previous embolizations had regenerated .

 

[Diane]

Hi Lauren,
In answer to your questions..................
<b>Anything to note about recovery?</b> Do not think its best to sit and do nothing to let your lungs heal. I did that with my first embolization and lost quite a bit of lung function because of it. This last time....as soon as the 6 hours were up i was up and walking( limping) in my hospital room.

<b>Were there any restrictions on your abilities in the days following the procedure?</b> I dont think they wanted me to lift anything heavy for about a week, or doing anything too strenuous. Leaning over to pick something up was out of the question since i was still in pain.

<b>How soon after the embolization could you do Vest, etc.?</b> i waited probably a few days and started by lowering the pressure and frequency. Since my 3rd embolization was the most painful , i was in pain for about 4 or 5 days ( each day getting less and less)

<b>Do you know what material you are embolized with?</b> They used particles and coils in me. What he did this third time was insert a coil first, then particles, then another coil to help prevent that particular area from re-generating another weak blood vessel. He did tell me while he was in there looking around he could see where my blood vessels from previous embolizations had regenerated .

 

[Diane]

Hi Lauren,
In answer to your questions..................
<b>Anything to note about recovery?</b> Do not think its best to sit and do nothing to let your lungs heal. I did that with my first embolization and lost quite a bit of lung function because of it. This last time....as soon as the 6 hours were up i was up and walking( limping) in my hospital room.

<b>Were there any restrictions on your abilities in the days following the procedure?</b> I dont think they wanted me to lift anything heavy for about a week, or doing anything too strenuous. Leaning over to pick something up was out of the question since i was still in pain.

<b>How soon after the embolization could you do Vest, etc.?</b> i waited probably a few days and started by lowering the pressure and frequency. Since my 3rd embolization was the most painful , i was in pain for about 4 or 5 days ( each day getting less and less)

<b>Do you know what material you are embolized with?</b> They used particles and coils in me. What he did this third time was insert a coil first, then particles, then another coil to help prevent that particular area from re-generating another weak blood vessel. He did tell me while he was in there looking around he could see where my blood vessels from previous embolizations had regenerated .

 

[Diane]

Hi Lauren,
In answer to your questions..................
<b>Anything to note about recovery?</b> Do not think its best to sit and do nothing to let your lungs heal. I did that with my first embolization and lost quite a bit of lung function because of it. This last time....as soon as the 6 hours were up i was up and walking( limping) in my hospital room.

<b>Were there any restrictions on your abilities in the days following the procedure?</b> I dont think they wanted me to lift anything heavy for about a week, or doing anything too strenuous. Leaning over to pick something up was out of the question since i was still in pain.

<b>How soon after the embolization could you do Vest, etc.?</b> i waited probably a few days and started by lowering the pressure and frequency. Since my 3rd embolization was the most painful , i was in pain for about 4 or 5 days ( each day getting less and less)

<b>Do you know what material you are embolized with?</b> They used particles and coils in me. What he did this third time was insert a coil first, then particles, then another coil to help prevent that particular area from re-generating another weak blood vessel. He did tell me while he was in there looking around he could see where my blood vessels from previous embolizations had regenerated .

 

[HairGirl]

Same with me, my stupid body keeps growing new arteries! You would think that would be good but not in our case!!!! The recovery was always fine, the more I had done the more contrast they used and I found that if they used a lot I would have a terrible headache afterwards, also my chest did hurt a little afterwards depending on how much they embolized. I have had both Coils and Particles and like Diane both sometimes to try and prevent. You probably shouldn't do anything too strenuous or lift anything heavy (like your little kid) as for the vest it was always when I felt comfortable, at least a couple days to make sure everything was settled in.

 

[HairGirl]

Same with me, my stupid body keeps growing new arteries! You would think that would be good but not in our case!!!! The recovery was always fine, the more I had done the more contrast they used and I found that if they used a lot I would have a terrible headache afterwards, also my chest did hurt a little afterwards depending on how much they embolized. I have had both Coils and Particles and like Diane both sometimes to try and prevent. You probably shouldn't do anything too strenuous or lift anything heavy (like your little kid) as for the vest it was always when I felt comfortable, at least a couple days to make sure everything was settled in.

 

[HairGirl]

Same with me, my stupid body keeps growing new arteries! You would think that would be good but not in our case!!!! The recovery was always fine, the more I had done the more contrast they used and I found that if they used a lot I would have a terrible headache afterwards, also my chest did hurt a little afterwards depending on how much they embolized. I have had both Coils and Particles and like Diane both sometimes to try and prevent. You probably shouldn't do anything too strenuous or lift anything heavy (like your little kid) as for the vest it was always when I felt comfortable, at least a couple days to make sure everything was settled in.

 

[HairGirl]

Same with me, my stupid body keeps growing new arteries! You would think that would be good but not in our case!!!! The recovery was always fine, the more I had done the more contrast they used and I found that if they used a lot I would have a terrible headache afterwards, also my chest did hurt a little afterwards depending on how much they embolized. I have had both Coils and Particles and like Diane both sometimes to try and prevent. You probably shouldn't do anything too strenuous or lift anything heavy (like your little kid) as for the vest it was always when I felt comfortable, at least a couple days to make sure everything was settled in.

 

[HairGirl]

Same with me, my stupid body keeps growing new arteries! You would think that would be good but not in our case!!!! The recovery was always fine, the more I had done the more contrast they used and I found that if they used a lot I would have a terrible headache afterwards, also my chest did hurt a little afterwards depending on how much they embolized. I have had both Coils and Particles and like Diane both sometimes to try and prevent. You probably shouldn't do anything too strenuous or lift anything heavy (like your little kid) as for the vest it was always when I felt comfortable, at least a couple days to make sure everything was settled in.