"The worst disability is a bad attitude." — Michael Muir

So, today is my two month brainaversary! 
I have improved so much in the last 2 months. Right after surgery I couldn't stand on my own, and now, two months later, I have graduated my walker and am bound to my cane for long distances and uneven surfaces. I am in out patient physical therapy at a center one hour a day twice a week and every day I improve tremendously. I can now walk around my apartment or around one floor of my house upstate without the cane or anything! I still have a hard time with stairs but they get easier with time. I also have a hard time balancing if the lights are off, and at the end of the day, or when I am tired. But I am working on all of these things... On a FANTASTIC note, I RODE MY BIKE ALL BY MYSELF AGAIN!!!!!! (slowly, and only around the col-de-sac in front of my house.... but it is still a HUGE step!)
At some point in May, I will be going for an MRI to decide on the next step, and I will update accordingly. 
On a different note, I have decided that when I am all better, I will run the NYC half marathon. I spoke with many of my friends and family about this as well as my physical therapists and they have all been very supportive. I started using the treadmill at 1.5 speed for 30 minutes as a start to my training, I have since moved up to 1.8 speed for 45 minutes. I was working and will continue to work with my physical therapist to build up all the muscles I need to be able to run this marathon. I hope to also run a 5K before December as a practice or prep for my half marathon which will *hopefully* be in March.... so keep your schedules free!! :-)

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have!

So, since my last update from the ICU, a lot has changed.
As most of you know, there was a bit of a hiccup during surgery and I had to spend 2 weeks in the hospital, 1 week in rehab re-learning to walk.
During this surgery the doctors found that my AVM which we thought was 1.5 cm, was actually 2.5 cm. They also found that my AVM which we thought had 1 feeder, actually had 2 feeders. Both of these findings made this surgery more difficult than expected.
After I woke up from my surgery, my doctors and nurses told me that I was great and they were talking about sending me home earlier than expected. Until, it came time for me to stand up and walk to the bathroom. I sat up in bed, but when I stood up, my knees buckled and I fell to the floor-- the nurses caught me.  It was at that point they realized something was off. There was an unforeseen circumstance that no one was prepared for. They sent me for an MRI and found that since they had done this procedure in the cerebellum (the center for balance) I had swelling and one of the feeders that was feeding the AVM was also feeding part of the cerebellum, so when they plug that up, it messed up my balance, therefore affecting my ability to walk.
I spent a week in intense rehab therapy in the hospital. There they worked with me for 3 hours a day minimum with occupational and physical therapy. During this week I went from not being able to stand on my own, to walking with a walker all by myself. I even began to practice with just a cane.
I am back home now, but still using the walker, and cane. I am getting a lot better each day and pushing myself to the limit everyday to get back to perfect. I have home therapy coming to my house to work with me until I am good enough to be an out patient and go to a physical therapy facility. The doctor told me that he was very impressed with my progress. My attitude, motivation and age are all working in my favor to speed up this arduous recovery.
I met with my neurosurgeon yesterday and we decided that we will not rush to the next surgery. I will continue to recover and in May I will have an MRI which will give us an idea of how the AVM healed from this last surgery, and that will give us an idea of how we will proceed on to the next surgery.
Now that my AVM was knocked down from 2.5 cm to 1-1.5cm, the options for the next surgery are:
Gamma knife: radiation therapy. Basically its laser tag in my brain to burn away the rest of the AVM. It is an out patient procedure, but the effects of the laser won't be complete for 3 years. So that's annoying.
Embollization: glue treatment. The same thing I had done this last time.
Or there is the option to just watch it. I would then live with the AVM but go back periodically for MRIs to make sure it hasn't grown. So with this option, I will lead a normal life and have no limitations, but I will always have this AVM in the back of my head (figuratively and literally).
There is an option of open head surgery, but myself, my parents and the doctors all agreed that that will not be in my best interest, because of the location and nature of my AVM. 
As always, if you have ANY questions please don't hesitate to ask!!
Thank you again to every single person who has been supporting me, praying, texting, messaging, reaching out in any way and helping me (and my family) through these last few weeks, each of you is helping me take one more step to a full recovery!!! <3

Update from recovery

Yesterday, at 8am I had my embolization. The procedure was successful in that there were no complications, however, it was unsuccessful in that they were only able to seal up some of my AVM. They knocked it down but they didnt knock it out, it did shrink near my brain stem. I am in ICU recovering now. My side effects are dizziness and headaches. The doctors and nurses told me I am recovering well! So, thats good!! Meanwhile, they took out my IVs and I am sitting up on my own now. The doctors thought I could leave the ICU this afternoon but since I am dizzy and off-balance, they are moving me to a unit called step-down. Its basically a less intense ICU. Visiting is more lax there, so thats good. After 1 night there I will be reassessed and then either leave tomorow night or Sunday. So what's going to be with me? My doctor wants to give me a couple of months for my condition to stabilize and then we will discuss how to close off the rest. Thank you all for your support!! Thank you to everyone who donated towards TAAF to raise awareness and help find a diagnostic tool for early detection. I especially want to thank my sister Amy for all of her help in raising money for the cause!

Together, we can raise AVM awareness!!

AVMs are very rare, 1% of the population has an AVM somewhere in their body. 
By the age of 20, only about .1% has NOT bled-- that means that 99.9% of people with AVMs will hemorrhage by the age of 20! Every year, the odds of bleeding go up 3-4%.
Since my diagnosis I have discovered a fantastic website, www.TAAFonline.org . TAAF stands for The Aneurysm and AVM Foundation.
This organization is researching AVMs and aneurysms in order to find early detection, before they hemorrhage. This foundation also organizes an annual awareness walk.
I am currently selling these bracelets all proceeds will be donated to TAAF. (on one side they say: "RAISE AVM AWARENESS", the other side: "WWW.TAAFONLINE.ORG"-- band is black; font is teal.)
I am accepting any donations for TAAF, but for a donation of 5 dollars, or more, you will receive a bracelet.
Please contact me if you are interested in making a donation.
Thank you all for your support!

Confirmed date

Okay, so I confirmed with my doctor, February 23rd at 7am I will have my embolization procedure. If all goes as planned and the feeder is plugged, I will be in Roosevelt Hospital from the 23rd until that Sunday the 26th. I will then be recovering on bed rest in Monsey for a week.
On the other hand, if the embolization is not successful, I will be scheduled for brain surgery Friday morning, the 24th. In that case I will be in the hospital either until Tuesday or Wednesday, 28 or 29. And, I would still be recovering in Monsey.
Unlike with the angiogram, this time when I am in the hospital I am allowed to have visitors. I don't know the exact info on where I will be in the hospital, but if you are interested in coming to keep me company, please text or message me for the info.

Q&A

I am by no means an expert on this topic, but I have learned a lot about it. So, if you have any questions, feel free to text, facebook or email me. I am open to any questions. :-)

What are the risks?

I discussed the risks of all the options with all of my doctors, the risks for the conservative option and radiation option are clear cut and are therefore not an option for me. The risks of the brain surgery are minimal. Obviously there’s always a risk, but Dr. Ghatan said that he does 1-2 brain surgeries every day (not necessarily for AVMs, but still brain surgeries…) and he has never seen any long term permanent problems. However, he did say that there is a strong likelihood that I will be dizzy and not be able to focus my eyes for a few weeks, but that will go away.
Risks for the embolization are even more minimal. There is a 1-2% chance of risk with this option. But it is most comforting to know that Dr. Berenstein, the doctor performing this procedure, is the doctor who invented this treatment, so if anyone can do it right, it’s him.   
Both Dr. Berenstein and Dr. Ghatan were very impressed and surprised that we found my AVM before anything catastrophic happened. They said that every year I live with an AVM I have an increased risk of 4% of hemorrhaging. Understanding that I am 21 years old, I am up to an 84% chance of bleeding. So, it seems the risks of not getting it done outweigh the risk of having it done.