NO SURGERY FOR AMY AT THIS TIME

MONDAY WAS A VERY LONG, FRUSTRATING, AND SAD DAY. MY

HEART LITERALLY BROKE FOR AMY AND MY MOTHER, HER GRANNY LEFT

THE ROOM EARLY IN SOBBING TEARS. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO LISTEN TO

ALL THE THINGS A DOCTOR HAS TO SAY AND WATCH THIS BEAUTIFUL GIRL

WHO HAS ENDURED SO MUCH HELL IN A YEAR'S TIME AND BEEN BRAVER

THAN ANY SOLDIER, HAVE TEARS FLOW DOWN HER CHEEKS AND SHE IS

UPSET.....WHY...BECAUSE, SHE DOESN'T WANT TO CRY...SHE DOESN'T WANT

THIS CANCER TO THINK FOR EVEN ONE SECOND IT HAS EVEN PUT A FAINT

CRACK OR DENT IN HER SPIRIT BECAUSE IT WILL NEVER BREAK AMY...NEVER.

THE TEARS WERE ALSO OF FRUSTRATION. THE CT SCAN WAS A

NIGHTMARE...THEY HAD TO STICK HER TWICE TO GET AN IV AND THEN

AT THE LAST MINUTE BEFORE INJECTING THE DYE, THEY TOOK HER DOWN

TO LAB WHERE SHE SET FOR 45 MINUTES WAITING FOR BLOOD TO BE DRAWN.

THE REASON WAS TO SEE IF HER KIDNEYS WERE ABLE TO TOLERATE THE DYE.

NOW MY CONCERN, IS WITH ALL HER OTHER CT SCANS THEY HAVE NEVER

CHECKED THIS: WAS IT AN OVER SIGHT AND THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING

IT ALL A LONG OR DID IT NEED TO BE DONE.

THIS MADE HER LATE FOR HER APPOINTMENT WITH DR. MEDINA AND

HE HAS A RECEPTIONIST WHO SHOULD NOT BE WORKING WITH PEOPLE...

SHE IS NOT NICE...IF SHE WALKS DOWN THE HALL TOWARD THE

EXAM ROOMS WHICH IS ONE HALLWAY OF 5 DOORS ON EACH SIDE...SHE

TAPES A SIGN TO THE WINDOW THAT STATES SHE IS AWAY FROM HER DESK.

AMY HAD FINISHED FILLING OUT HER PAPERS AND WAS JUST STANDING IN

FRONT OF HER CHAIR STRETCHING. THIS RECEPTIONIST CAME BACK TO

HER CHAIR, TOOK HER SIGN DOWN AND TOLD AMY, "I DON'T TALK TO

ANY ONE WHEN MY SIGN IS UP IN THE WINDOW."

I WOULD SAY MAYBE SHE WAS HAVING A BAD DAY BUT I GUESS ALL HER

DAYS ARE BAD ON THE DAYS WE COME.

THE PATIENTS THAT COME TO DR. MEDINA ARE THERE BECAUSE THEY

ARE VERY ILL AND THEY HAD HAD, WILL HAVE HAD...LIFE ALTERING

SURGERIES. I WAS A NURSE FOR 20 YEARS....A PATIENT MUST NEVER

KNOW IF YOU ARE HAVING A BAD DAY OR OVER WORKED...THEY NEED TO

BE REASSURED THEY ARE GOING TO BE OKAY AND TO BE TAKEN CARE OF.

NURSING IS LIKE TEACHING AND ANY OTHER PROFESSION...YOU ARE

EITHER GIFTED AND ENJOY WHAT YOU DO OR YOU NEED TO CHANGE

JOBS.

ALL OF US HAVE A BAD DAY FROM TIME TO TIME AND THAT IS JUST

NORMAL BUT LET ME TELL YOU:

DR. DEXEUS, AMY'S ONCOLOGIST CHEMO DOCTOR HAS JUST PRETTY

NEAR A PERFECT STAFF FROM THE RECEPTIONIST AT THE FRONT OFFICE

TO LAB TO CHEMO TO NURSES. TRULY...DR. DEXEUS AND MRS. DEXEUS

IF THEY KNEW I SAID THAT WOULD BE QUITE EMBARRASSED BECAUSE IT

IS JUST ALL IN A DAYS' WORK BUT BELIEVE ME THEY ARE THE GREATEST

BUNCH OF PEOPLE....I'M SURE LIKE EVERY WHERE THEY PROBABLY

HAVE THEIR PROBLEMS BUT NO PATIENT WILL EVER KNOW IT AND

THEY HAVE NO TURN OVER IN THEIR STAFF.



THERE WILL BE NO SURGERY AT THIS TIME. AMY HAS TO MAKE SOME

DECISIONS THAT ONLY SHE CAN MAKE AND STARTING ON MONDAY SHE WILL

BEGIN CHEMOTHERAPY FOR TWO MORE ROUNDS. SHE WILL HAVE ALL

HER BIG GUN CHEMOS AGAIN THAT SHE WILL COME HOME ON FOR 2 NIGHTS

IN EDITION TO ERBITUX .......SO THAT WILL BE TOWARD THE END OF AUGUST

BEFORE THEY WILL TALK ABOUT SURGERY AGAIN OR SOONER IF AMY

REACHES SOME DECISIONS.


THEY WANT AMY TO HAVE A VASCULAR SURGEON SEE HER AND

HAVE HIM DO THE TEST WHERE THEY GO UP THROUGH THE FEMORAL

ARTERY AND INSERT A BALLOON INTO HER CAROTID ARTERY. THEY DO

NOT KNOW HOW MUCH THE MASS MAY OR MAY NOT BE ATTACHED TO

THE CAROTID ARTERY. THEY KNOW THE JUGULAR VEIN IS RUINED BUT

THEY ARE NOT WORRIED ABOUT THAT...THEIR CONCERN IS THE CAROTID

ARTERY BECAUSE IF THEY TRY TO REPAIR THE CAROTID ARTERY AND

THE CAROTID ARTERY ON THE RIGHT SIDE CANNOT TAKE OVER FOR BOTH

SIDES SHE COULD HAVE....THE KEY WORD BEING COULD AS IF IN MIGHT

BUT NOT FOR CERTAIN...SHE COULD HAVE A STROKE IMMEDIATELY OR

UP TO 4 DAYS LATER....IF THEY DO THE TEST AND THEY CAN INSERT THE

BALLOON BY THE VASCULAR SURGEON...THEN SHE WILL HAVE PASSED

THE TEST FOR 98% PROBABILITY OF NOT HAVING A STROKE.....DURING

SURGERY.





THE MORE HE TALKED...THE MORE I WONDERED WHY THIS WAS NOT

DISCUSSED UNTIL MONDAY EVENING AT 5:30PM AND SHE WAS SCHEDULED

FOR SURGERY ON WEDNESDAY MORNING AT 7:30AM..........

EVERY TIME WE GO IT IS SOMETHING ELSE THAT COMES UP THAT KNOCKS

THE BREATH OUT OF ALL OF US AND AMY IS NOT AGREEABLE WITH JUST

ANYTHING THEY WANT TO DO. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT MEANS RUNNING

A NEEDLE THROUGH HER GROIN INTO HER NECK. IT WAS EXPLAINED SHE

WOULD BE IN A TWILIGHT LIKE SLEEP BUT THIS IS A GIRL WHO HAD

A LIVER BIOPSY WITHOUT TAKING A SINGLE THING TO EASE THE PAIN...

WHEN THEY SAY THEY CAN'T KNOCK YOU TOTALLY OUT FOR A TEST

SO YOU CAN BE ALERT ENOUGH TO TALK TO THEM, THAN SHE WON'T

TAKE ANYTHING AND ENDUR THE PAIN......THAT HURTS ME TERRIBLY.

SHE SAYS, "I CAN'T TAKE ANYTHING FOR PAIN BECAUSE IT MIGHT

MAKE ME DROWSY AND I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO TALK TO THEM."

SHE DIDN'T GET THAT FROM ME....I AM KNOCK ME OUT...I DON'T

WANT TO FEEL NOTHING...IF I CAN'T TALK TO YOU, I AM SORRY BUT

I HATE PAIN. I HAVE A VERY HIGH PAIN TOLERANCE FOR LONG TERM

PAIN BUT NOT PROCEDURE PAIN LIKE THAT.

SO FOR NOW THE PLAN IS TO HAVE TWO MORE ROUNDS OF

CHEMOTHERAPY....AND WE PRAY THAT HEALING IS HERS AND EVERY-

ONES WHO IS BATTLING THIS HORRIBLE DISEASE CALLED CANCER.

MY DEEPEST APOLOGIES FOR NOT GETTING THIS LETTER OUT

SOONER...I HAD NOT SLEPT FOR 24 HOURS PRIOR TO GOING TO

DR. MEDINA'S ON MONDAY AND IT WAS LATE WHEN WE GOT HOME

FROM OKC. I WENT TO BED AND SLEPT UNTIL 6:00PM TUESDAY.

AMY SLEPT, WENT TO THE DR. FOR LAB WORK AND IS BACK

SPENDING THE NIGHT AT LEILA AND CORBY'S.

THANK YOU EVERY ONE FOR ALL YOUR PRAYERS. EACH PRAYER IS

WHAT CARRIES US FROM HOUR TO HOUR AND SOME TIMES MINUTE TO

MINUTE.

I WANTED US TO REMEMBER THIS SLIM JIM FACTORY IN NORTH CAROLINA

THAT BLEW UP...THERE ARE 3 PEOPLE MISSING AND PEOPLE WITH VERY

SERIOUS BURNS. WE JUST LIFT ALL THESE FAMILIES UP AND THIS FACTORY

THAT PROVIDED JOBS WHEN JOBS ARE NEEDED. A BURN IS SUCH A

HORRIBLY PAINFUL THING.

HUGS TO EACH ONE OF YOU

debbie




REMEMBER YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONE'S LIFE BY

SIMPLY SMILING AT THEM.