Session #1 - Absolute Ethanol Embolization Treatment for Vascular (Venous) Malformation
Timeline
2022 November 1st week – I reached out to Dr. Mohal Banker from the Bankers Vascular Center in Ahmedabad via WhatsApp from their website. Got an online appointment.
November 16, 2022 – My online appointment with Dr. Mohal Banker via WhatsApp after paying INR 1000 via UPI. He patiently explained everything and answered all my questions including treatment process, insurance coverage, number of sessions I would need, what I can expect at the end of complete treatment etc.
He explained that the treatment has to be done in several sessions because there is pain and swelling involved as part of the treatment and it is best to do it in stages. He explained that based on my previous reports, it would take me 10 to 20 sessions with between 2 to 4 weeks between subsequent sessions.
Nisha, Dr. Mohal Banker’s assistant, had applied for the pre-authorization for cashless insurance claim for the procedure.
November 21, 2022 – My cashless claim is approved. This took some work because the insurance company got back to the application with requests for latest MRI, Xray, USG scans and blood report. I got clear instructions from Nisha throughout the process and after I sent them the reports the pre-authorization was approved.
November 25, 2022 – This is Day 0, the day of my first session. I reached Saraswati Multispecialty Hospital in Ahmedabad for the procedure. I had initially thought I’d have it done at the Bankers Vascular Center but I suppose the cashless insurance claim meant I had to visit this bigger hospital.
I got there and got admitted. Everything was smooth. The room and the facilities and the staff were excellent.
They prepared me for the procedure and the procedure started at about 2pm and would continue till 5pm or so.
I was anesthetized with a nerve block to my forearm and fingers. And also sedated to minimize pain and movement. I was semi-conscious for the whole procedure and when I woke up I saw that my forearm was bandaged and it was quite swollen.
Before the procedure Dr. Banker asked me which part of the forearm hurt the most. I told him it’s my hand. So he said that we’ll start from there. The procedure involved first the anesthetization and then an injection of 16cc of ethanol, as I was informed after the procedure. The injection was done in about 12 spots on my forearm. When I woke up I was surprised to find my forearm bandaged and not my hand, because I thought my hand is where we were going to start first. And my entire forearm was out of my control. I was told that it would be like that for upto 6 to 8hrs after the procedure since my arm was anesthetized. It was a bit scary to see my arm be unresponsive to my brain’s commands. For a moment I legitimately thought it was going to be like that forever.
2022 November 26 – Day 1
The next day I started regaining sensations to my forearm and was able to move my fingers. Dr. Mohal Banker came to my room and explained that while I was being anesthetized he was looking at my scans and after a through scan on the operating room he decided to go for the extensive malformations across my forearm and see how my body responds to the ethanol, before going for the hand.
He also explained to me that I will begin to experience pain that would gradually peak around 5 to 15 days after Day 0, and then it will gradually subside. I was given some anti-inflammatory medicine and antibiotics. For now we just had to wait and see how my body responds and based on that we would be able to calculate how much gap would be necessary between sessions and how much dosage my body can handle.
The calculation of 16ml was very conservative because for my body weight of 82Kgs I can have upto 80ml of ethanol injected at a time. But since this is the first time it was best to go with a low dosage and see how my body responds.
2022 November 29 – Day 4
I am back home and I am able to do everything. There is minor swelling and pain but it is very minor compared to what I was expecting. I am not doing anything heavy with my left hand. I am able to type and do regular work as usual. There is no significant disruption to my lifestyle in terms of activities or diet. And I can see that there is a minor change in the way my forearm feels around the area of injection. But it is too minor to state conclusively.
I have already booked my appointment for the next session. Will update more on that later.
Conclusion
My overall experience so far has been amazing! Dr. Mohal Banker and the staff are extremely kind, courteous, professional and patient, right from before the procedure to during the procedure and after. I feel confident that I’m in the right hands. I feel so much gratitude that I have found the right place for my treatment after so many years in the dark about what this even is. Looking forward to the completion of the treatment and hopefully I’ll be able to do everything that I haven’t been able to do so far in my life.
I am from Bangalore. My daughter age 8 has extensive venous malformation in her right leg. I am also exploring about absolute ethanol procedure, but it seems rarely any doctor does it here.
ReplyDeleteI have seen Dr Banker videos.
Please share your phone number, if possible.
This is my whatsup number : 9886935790