Heading to Duke University!!

Today Adriana is traveling to North Carolina to meet with Duke University doctors. Goals of this visit is to address her "Watermelon Stomach".

What is Watermelon Stomach?

This is a descriptive term to describe G.A.V.E Syndrome, Gastric antral vascular ectasia. This syndrome is rare and can cause chronic gastro-intenstinal bleeding or iron deficiency anemia. Signs include vomiting blood, or finding blood in the stool. The condition is associated with dilated blood vessels in the stomach, leading to the characteristic appearance of “watermelon stripes.” 71% of people diagnosed with this condition are females and the average age affected is 73 years old. Adriana is unfortunately pre-disposed to this condition because of her connective tissue disorder, scleroderma. This condition was not caught early in Adriana. She was first diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia and had been treated with iron infusions. Meanwhile the root cause of the anemia was the undetected GAVE syndrome.

Why is This Trip So Important?

This diagnosis put Adriana's scleroderma treatments to a complete halt! Originally, she was scheduled to have a Stem Cell Transplant in Mid-March. Read more about that treatment here. However, this extensive treatment can not begin until the bleeding in Adriana's stomach is resolved. To treat the Watermelon Stomach, Adriana will undergo endoscopic laser surgery, which uses a laser light to treat bleeding blood vessels. Hence, the purpose of this current trip to North Carolina.

This trip can be a huge health risk for Adriana! Due to the current Coronavirus pandemic, traveling and being in large crowds is not recommended for those with immune-compromised conditions.

Adriana and her mother Dolores are taking proper preventative measures to stay safe. And they're rocking those face masks pretty well ;)

Stay tuned for updates!

March 17, 2020

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