Joan sending healing glows to you and praying for a peaceful death for your sister. How harsh that some of us are given notice of impendding death and some of us are not. I am in Galveston, my sister had surgery, a blockage in the colon, the good news no cancer. While in the hospital she developed some heart issues that the doctor said they would address later. For now, after a rough ten days, she is looking better and feeling better. I am grateful.
Gloria -----Original Message----- From: Joan Croft <[email protected]> To: Chihuahuas <[email protected]> Sent: Wed, May 4, 2011 12:34 pm Subject: RE: [Chihuahuas] Fwd: Me Oh, Lynn. Why would your neighbor turn around and leave you there? That was not very nice at all. Last November I was cleaning the tile floors in my living room. I was moving all the toys and dog beds over to the clean side of the room and then as I went to the side that I was preparing to clean, I just fell…flat on my stomach side. I don’t know what happened but I had been having vertigo and my doctor said that bending up and down would do that. I was in so much pain and I had to crawl to the freezer for the ice pack. That fall may have been beneficial in some way. The week after the fall, I had my normally scheduled pain management doctor appointment. Afte r I showed her my leg that was so bruised and swollen, she asked me to go to my spine surgeon for x-rays. My spine surgeon’s office did the knee, lumbar spine and cervical spine x-rays and then sent me for a knee and lumbar MRI. The knee MRI showed that I had torn the meniscus in my knee. Well, he had not been receiving the chart notes from the pain management doctor, so he had no idea that I had been having the headaches that were most likely caused from my cervical spine issues. So, he ordered all the chart notes from the pain management doctor. But, my spine surgeon was very concerned because I associated the vertigo with my neck…the last neck surgery was when the vertigo started and when my neck was hurting the worst that is when I had the worst vertigo. My spine surgeon wanted to check everything out, so he sent me to a vascular doctor to see if my carotid arteries were blocked…negative. He also sent me to a headache neurologist who did the brain wave studies and ordered an MRI of my brain (my spine surgeon had ordered one and I went but he didn’t ask for contrast) with the contrast. She also did a lot of blood work and gave me two prescriptions – one to take every night that should help to keep the headaches away, and another one that I just take when I have a headache. She also referred me to a neurosurgeon because she told me that there was a small, maybe pea size, mass attached to my pituitary gland. Well, yesterday, after waiting two months for an appointment, I went to the see the neurosurgeon. He told me that I had two problems…the small cyst that is on the pituitary gland and a larger mass, which he called a tumor – about the size or a little smaller than a tfGennis ball – that is attached to my brain. I was shocked and they are going to get approval for surgery to remove that. It is not a cancerous tumor.&nbs p; If I let it too long it could grow and then push into the brain and then I might have blindness, seizures and a bunch of other things. That was so unexpected. I had a copy of the MRI report that the neurologist gave me two months ago, and the Imaging Radiologist wrote in the top very wordy part of the report about this other mass, but on the part that says ‘conclusion’ which summarizes the findings, the size of the tumor is not even mentioned. I know this is a combination of errors…the radiologist, the neurologist both did not do a thorough job and therefore I was just shocked yesterday when the neurosurgeon told me that. To make things worse, after I was home a little while, my younger sister called and told me that my older sister, who has pancreatic cancer and has been fighting it for over a year, called and said that she is too weak and her bod y can no longer handle the chemo, so she is just getting things together that she wants to have done before the Good Lord calls her home. Now I just am in a double state of shock. The neurosurgeon’s office called me when I was sleeping and wanted to give me the info because my surgery is scheduled. I am going to my spine surgeon tomorrow…they got me in quickly to his other office…so that he can give me some advice as to if he has another neurosurgeon that he would like me to see for a second opinion. I cannot wait another 2 months; I have already waited two months to see the first neurosurgeon and I shudder to think what might happen if I wait for another and then the tumor pushes into my brain. So, if you all can just pray for my sister, Barbara, for peaceful last days and also for me that I get this tumor removed before it causes some permanent damage. Thanks From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2011 8:20 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] Fwd: Me Ann, I am so sorry to read about your fall and I hope you heal and recover asap. I know though what you are talking about concerning your pride. Once I was walking a dog on a leash I had just rescued from a Rally's restaurant parking lot and my neighbor was coming down the sidewalk towards me to say hello at the same time and this formerly adored dog (until that incident) saw a bunny and ripped after the bunny so fast, it jerked me down onto the ground and tore the rotator cuff in my shoulder, of which the pain still flares up occasionally yet today many years later. But it was the embarrassment of laying half in the grass and half on the sidewalk in this very unflattering sprawled out position and noticing my neighbor turn quickly and walk away that was the worst part. LOL Again, I wish you the best healing. Lynn In a message dated 5/3/2011 11:25:51 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: Fell on my concrete drive and bumped my head and left side body...broke my glasses also. Got home from hospital last night after cat scan and xrays. Went to orthopedists today and just got home,,went there for more wrists xrays and have Small fracture and now in splint...go back in 2 weeks. I am so awfully sore...." Ct scan is okay. Pride is very hurt. Clumsy Ann
