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Arianna's Battle with Tuberous Sclerosis

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We intend for this site to not only give updates on our precious little angel but to hopefully provide more information on this disease and raise awareness.

It is our battle to get the best care for Arianna but also for the millions of people in this world that have Tuberous Sclerosis. If you need more assistance or some else needs info about TS please direct them to Arianna's site or the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance Click Here. Or you can EMAIL US and we will gladly share what we know

Please pass Arianna's story & website along so more people can know and understand Tuberous Sclerosis and what many face each and every day.





Famous quote by Ronald Regan (1980's):
"When life buries you in more than you can handle, just dig."
As parents of a special child we find ourselves diging alot, either through medical information to help Arianna, through the experiences of other TS parents, and just through life itself for a better life for not only our TS child but the millions of others that are in the world.

We will continue to dig for a cure!



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How has Tuberous Sclerosis effected Arianna?
She had a tumor in her heart called a rhabdomyoma Click Herethat was removed when she was 4 days old **THANK YOU DR NORWOOD with out you, our sunshine wouldnt be here with us today** and now has a VSD~Venticluar Septal Defect (hole in septum) Aortic Valve Leakage,damage to her Mitro Valve as well as her Pulmonary Valve and an aneurism on the left ventricle wall because of how the tumor was laying against the heart muscle. When the tumor was removed it collapsed. Arianna has to have another open heart surgery to correct these problems. Her doctors will attempt to do a ROSS procedure. For more detailed pictures and explaination of the surgery you can CLICK HERE In my terms its where they remove the Aortic Valve and transplant her Pulmonary Valve in its place and use a donors valve in place of the PV.
Arianna has three different tumor types in her brainClick Here that effect her with slight delays, uncontroled seizures and some motor skills issues.
She also has Poly Cystic Kidney Disease, which is cysts in the kidneys and has multipule tumors in both kidneys called angiomyolipomas or AML's Click Here, which thankfully havent become to be a problem, but w/ TS you never know when it will stop being simple and move quickly to problematic. Arianna also has a very low immune system. We dont quite know if it is a part of the TS or if it is because she is a cardio survivor, or both. But when she gets sick it isnt for a day or so, its for weeks. On the outside of her little body the only thing that would lead you to beleive she has anything going on is a few skin patches called shagreen and also some ashleaf spots. They are spots that have no color, which look different then the other skin around it. Click HereYou'd miss them if you werent looking for them, unless she is out in the sun and then they are pretty clear. Then is the scar going dowin her chest and the few from her pacemaker wires and chest tube. Her chest scar is healed pretty well and is now a faint line, but the rest is still very visable.

BUT, even w/ these things on the outside, does she look like she has a horrible monster inside her? Does she look any different then the kid next door? No? Thats one of the reasons we started this website. People often think of people who have disabilities and disease's as having a certian look, hopefully by coming here that will clear up alittle of the sterotypes that are in some minds. Arianna looks and acts for the most part like a toddler on a mission to wreck havoc and be cute and smilily to get out of trouble. She has a huge heart, loves life and almost everything it has to offer, but she is also 1 out of 5000 people that have Tuberous Sclerosis...

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:)




"Just Like Everyone"
courtesy of Chris Hawkey
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Born:

Weight: Length:

Dreams Coming True....

Journal

Thursday, June 11, 2009 6:47 PM CDT

Today is day 4 here in Cincinnati. We got here on Sunday. It was "Supposed" to have been a cut and dry regular appointments. NOPE. Monday, frist thing in the morning was cardio. that set the pace for the whole week I think. It went BAD to say the least. We were supposed to get a clean bill of health so she can have surgery on her left lung tomorrow. She has a mass that needs removed and has some lung issues that they are hoping to take care of with a bronoscope. Its like a cleaning fro your lungs. Well, we got the clearence for the surgery. But we also got the dreaded news that she HAS to have another heart surgery ASAP.. Like in the next few weeks. It reminds me so much of the last time she had her last surgery, how we found out she HAD to have surgery or she'd die. You can only imagine the thoughts right now.... June 30th will be her 3 year anniversary. Hmm guess we can be thankful she has lasted 3 years now right? On top of the bad heart stuff, you have good and bad blood cells in your body. Arianna's bad blood cells are attacking the good ones at the valve, acting like it is regjecting the valve. NOT good. So not only does she have to have the valve replaced by they also have to remove the blood and then cycle it to freeze the bad cells and then cycle it back into her body. I cant think of the technical terms of it right onw, but its pretty harsh on the body.

So tomorrow is the day that could rock the boat to speak. We were told that they are going forward with the lung surgery and IF there are complications tehy will go ahead and do the open heart surgery at the same time. Turing our short visit to who knows.

Im going to try to update more as we go, but if Im not able to I will have a friend do it for me.

PLEASE keep our family in your prayers and send lots fo them for Arianna.
Bridget

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Hospital Information:

Arianna Venetta
WERE HOME!!!!!!
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Links:

http://www.tsalliance.org/pages.aspx?content=247  

TS ALLIANCE FAQ'S GIVES YOU ALL THE FACTS ABOUT THIS SUCKS DISEASE

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Please visit some of these other caringbridge sites, these kids need some encouragement and it would be great if you can stop in and say hi
http://www.geocities.com/tsc_friends/  
Other TS Kids Sites. Please take a min and stop in and say hi



 
 

E-mail Author: tsc_baby2003@tmo.blackberry.net

 
 

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