Hi all,
I’ve been lucky (?) enough to avoid embolization for 10 years but the changes over the last year have really made it clear I cannot go any longer!
My last experience was awful, and even though I am not having the same procedure (was treated via sclerotherapy in 2014 and just damaged my hand) and my doctor is different, I am still extremely nervous.
I had an ulcer last year as well. It healed, but I am really struggling with medical PTSD as a result.
Has anyone else had experiences with glue based embolization for a peripheral AVM? Or, being treated by Dr. KT Tan at Toronto Western Hospital?
I’m not really scared about the actual procedure, but the pain of recovering. My family isn’t good at helping people and I felt so alone and in pain and unable to take care of myself the last time. So, any good prep ideas are welcome as I’m most likely going to be caring for myself during recovery.
Thanks!
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Hi there! I just went through two rounds of glue embolization in the bottom of my left foot. I had an ulcer form on the epicenter of the AVM ( on the left side of the ball of my foot) two days before the first procedure in December. The initial round accessed my right femoral artery and then down into my foot. I also had bleomycin injected. That caused a second ulcer to form across the rest of the ulcer almost all the way to the right side of my foot. I went in for another round of glue embolization at the end of March but this time my IR did direct access into the AVM from the bottom of my foot. That did the trick! When I went in for a third round at the end of May he realized the AVM was nearly 100% resolved so no further treatment is needed for the time being. The ulcer is now about 99% healed and I’m able to wear real shoes again.
I realize hands are very different from feet, but hopefully this will give you some hope that this next procedure for you will give you some pain relief. Good luck!
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Thank you! This is such helpful info 
Aside from the additional ulcer, were there any other signs after the femoral access embolization that indicated you needed further embolization? And do you know why the ulcers happened? I’ve been very, very lucky to have only ever had one ulcer, and that one was caused by external trauma (it didn’t just appear on its own).
My only other similar experience was a necrotic injury that developed after sclerotherapy 15 years ago. My surgeon at the time was so negligent that I had no guidance on how to manage it.
That experience is honestly what I’m most afraid of now, because of how things went back then (though my current doctor is amazingly thorough and caring).
Did you originally plan for 3 treatments? In my case, my doctor said he would do mine in 3 stages to reduce the pain during healing since the veins are so large, and I’m having trouble understanding exactly how that works.
I’m mostly just interested in your overall experience. I’m trying to get into the right headspace for what I might expect :)) Thanks so much again!! Hope your 2026 is ulcer-free!!
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