My Fistulagram

I had my interventional radiology procedure (fistulagram) this morning. The radiologist said that the entire upper half of the fistula (in my uppper arm) is blocked. Blood is not flowing through that part of the vein. So, the lower part of the fistula found a different route to get the blood to a larger vein and eventually back to my heart. The connecting tributary is very small, and the radiologist did not want to try and enlarge it for fear of tearing up the vein. The small tributary is the reason that the flow rate is so bad. The radiologist decided that the best course of action would be to talk with the vascular surgeon to figure out what to do next. I am hoping the vascular surgeon will call in the next two weeks to let me know what is going on. In summary, I learned that my fistula is blocked up in my upper arm and that the radiologist couldn't help. The good news is that they did not have to put in a temporary catheter in my chest (which was one possible outcome).

For those of you praying, please pray that the vascular surgeon will be able to come up with a good solution to fix my fistula so that it provides a better flow. I am not sure what will happen next, so stay tuned for more information. You will know more when I do!