I went to my mother’s grave site today to leave her a few things: some flowers, soil from the groundbreaking ceremony at St. Augustine’s School, and a card with a prayer for the new school.

This week was quite a special week for her.

First of all, she loved sports and the Olympics, so the success of the Canadian Women’s Curling and Hockey teams with their respective gold medals would have given her a lot of excitement and pleasure.

It was also a stunningly beautiful day. She loved the view and in her boxes of treasures she had many photos of the North Shore mountains covered with snow, just like today. I took this photo from her grave site at the appropriately named, Mountain View Cemetery.

On Sunday, all of her children were invited to attend a groundbreaking ceremony for a new school at her parish in Kitsilano, St. Augustine’s . It would have meant to world to her to know that we were ALL there. The principal wanted to get a photo with us wearing hard hats. She wanted us to know that the would not be breaking ground now without my mother’s generous support, as her contribution re-energized the fundraising efforts.

They have a nicely edited video of the day’s events. I managed to have a few words with Archbishop Miller about mom’s long association with the school and the parish.

The very best news is that the new music room will be dedicated to her memory. She loved music, she loved children, she loved her school and her church.

So, were there any changes? Three of us Canadians got together with our families at the hotel the day after the procedure. The other two women had noticeable and visible improvements. One was able to move her legs and demonstrated it for us, which led to some tears of joy. The other had many improvements that made it easier for her to get through the night and to move around.

Did I have any changes? Yes. As most of my symptoms are ‘invisible’, the only measurable ones will be with the objective data that Dr. Arata is compiling.

In the two weeks since the procedure, I have not had a single day where I shuffle when walking. I have a fair bit more energy. My hands and feet are still on the cold side but once in a while they are warm. The very best change is that my hands don’t tingle nearly as much when I’m in bed. I used to find it hard to sleep when they tingled a lot but it’s much better now.

One of the more encouraging things is that it’s getting easier to brush my teeth as the nerve tingles along the lower gum line have also reduced.

So, onward I go, hoping and praying that with good diet, less stress and exercise that I will be able to manage living with MS. As long as I can stay out of pain, I’ll be OK.

On Monday, February 3, Daniel and I flew to Newport Beach in Orange County, California. In preparation for the trip, I had supplied samples of my saliva for analysis. I kept a journal of the food I ate every day and took my temperature daily at 11:00 a.m. We settled in at the Fairmont Hotel, then Daniel and I went for a long walk. We wanted to find a grocery store and we were able to locate a good organic store, called Mother’s Market & Kitchen .

The next morning, we walked over to Synergy and had a series of tests, including MRI of my veins (MRV) and interviews. They evaluated my EDSS, took measures of my heart rate and blood pressure, and hooked me up to a machine that monitors my ability to sweat.

We then had an interview with Dr. Arata to discuss the procedure and some of the initial test results. The MRV showed altered flow in both jugulars. My temperature ran a little low as did my blood pressure. He said that my autonomic testing was ‘borderline normal’. My diet was good but he reviewed the importance of maintaining a focus on reducing inflammation and avoiding chronic stress. He also encouraged me to pursue touch therapies (massage, acupuncture, etc.) upon my return home to increase oxytocin.

The next morning (Wednesday) was the big day. There were three other Canadians having their procedure done and we were starting to get to know each other from running into each other in the waiting room or at the hotel. It was nice to develop a bit of a community of well-wishers and supporters.

My procedure was scheduled for about 8:30 a.m. I was sedated but conscious. I felt nothing and before I knew it, Dr. Arata asked me how I was doing as it was all done. He then went out and spoke to my husband and told him that both of my jugular veins had blockages but my azygous vein was fine. Daniel joined me after an hour, then after one more hour, I was free to go back to the hotel via the hotel shuttle.

For the rest of the day, I was instructed to rest and each time I changed position, to put pressure on the entry site at the upper thigh/groin area. We ordered room service for dinner — that’s the first time these frugal Canadians have ever done that!

The next day (Thursday) was the follow-up testing, a repeat of all the tests done on Tuesday. My systolic blood pressure was over 100 for the first time in a long time.

They also changed the bandage at the puncture site.

We met with Dr. Arata before I had the follow-up MRI and I will get the written descriptive report soon. (I have a DVD with images but haven’t figured out how to post them here yet.) We reviewed the next phase of my recovery. He said that the only things I can control are what I put in my mouth and what I put in my mind. He had suggestions for both. He encouraged me to remain on Tecfidera because of its antioxidant properties. And he suggested I take up yoga or tai chi.

The last thing we did before leaving was to have the follow-up MRV. I was able to lie in there with my eyes open. Claustrophobia? Yup, it’s gone now.

I don’t really know why I have been procrastinating on writing on this topic. I got a little nudge today from a friend who is curious about the experience.

First of all, I want to make it clear that I know there is still some ‘controversy’ with the procedure I had done, especially how it has been reported in the Canadian media. There is only one journalist who consistently avoids the sensationalistic language, yet most haven’t read her work. I encourage you to read this piece by Anne Kingston in Macleans .

After determining that I did have some visible alteration in the flow of my jugular veins, my husband and I spent a lot of time thinking and learning more. After viewing a talk given by Dr. Juurlink , my husband — a mechanical engineer — was most impressed with the fluid dynamics concepts that he spoke about. Most doctors do not study fluid mechanics and most engineers do not study the human body.

I understand enough about how the body works to know that good circulation is vital to nourish and cleanse our cells. The basic concept of good blood and cerebrospinal fluid circulation for a healthy brain makes intuitive sense to me.

I have read a lot of the blog written by the champion advocate Joan Beal, whose husband has made great progress since his procedure.

I also interviewed several people about their experiences, including the remarkable Lori Batchelor . With a good, experienced surgeon, the risks are low. The potential benefit to me far outweighed the risks. After speaking with Dr. Arata at Synergy Health Concepts in Newport Beach, and determining I had what he calls ‘dysautonomia’, we made the decision to go.

My procedure was booked for February 5, 2014.