shape
carat
color
clarity

Dust please?

Continuing to send you lots of dust!
 
Aww jg, I'm sorry this has happened! Your mum is in the best of care, I'm wishing her the speediest of recoveries. Best of luck to you for your exams too, I hope you have received great news about your mum to put your mind at ease! DUST DUST DUST!!
 
Hoping that everything went smoothly and mom recovers quickly! Hugs to you, I know this is hard.
 
My frustration levels are through the roof.

We have zero answers still.

Testing is slow to be ordered, slower yet to be executed.

My father doesn't have the background to know what questions to ask, nor the understanding of what the results to tests actually mean (and how to relay them to me). I'm getting bits and pieces of info from different people, which are adding up to jack sh!t, and I feel like the doctors are, frankly, doing an absolutely piss poor job handling her care. I can't formulate words to convey exactly how much I wish I were there. I feel like no one is properly, informatively advocating for her. :nono:

And if I didn't have anything else to moan about, I have a final practical exam in hematology tomorrow, my weakest subject, and the elementary school next door is having a school fete day. They're BLASTING music and it's seriously the Wiggles sing Psy, on REPEAT which is sending one of my dogs into an absolute barking conniption. Not a minute of studying to be done. I'm going to pull out my hair. :shock:
 
I'm sorry!

With everything else right now, the last thing you need is music being blasted at you :nono:


Are you able to go be with your mom after exams? Would you feel better if you had plans in place to go there as soon as they are through?

Does your cardiologist know someone in the area? If so, he might be able to get some information for you. Even if he doesn't could he do a records request and get a look at what is going on?


Big hugs!
 
Ahhh...the music has stopped. :appl: I just played Jack Johnson really loud over it until the school day ended. JJ always calms my frayed nerves. :))

DH and I already have plans to return to the States for Christmas -- we're booked to leave here on Dec 6, spending a week in Hawaii, and then continuing on to my parents' place. We did buy travel insurance, and since it's the health of a directly family member, changing flights just might be covered. That's occurred to me to check, as soon as I get through these next two tests.

I can't ask any of my connections here to get involved in an international medical case, it's just too much. It's a big favor to even ask for them to review the information of someone who isn't their patient and offer any sort of guidance at all. All they can really do is suggest screening tests they may feel would be pertinent. They can't put their reputations on the line for something like this, and I respect that.

I've written to my aunt that I am about 2 uninformed days (I didn't receive any kind of update of any kind from anyone today) away from getting on a plane. Hopefully she understands I'm serious.
 
I just hope that you get some inforamtion on what is going on.....

hugs
 
It's so hard to be so far away when something happens to a loved one! Dust for your mother, and for you as you take your exams.
 
Thoughts are with you, Ginger. Hope your exams go well & you get news. I know how wacky it makes us not to get news when we're so far away -- went through it with my mother. It's difficult, but try reminding yourself that you can't affect what's going on there at the moment, so concentrating on your work is about all you can do, and put your energy there. Then if you still haven't heard much, you'd feel better hopping a plane. I'm so sorry all this dumps in your lap at once! If good thoughts can do it (and they often can!), you've got them by the barrelful.

--- Laurie
 
Dust and thoughts your way. Crap, though, I really thought that by now you would've heard something.
 
Dust to you and your family.
 
Gah, I feel your frustration! I really really hope you get some detailed news soon, and that it's better than you expect too. Keep bugging them!
 
Thinking of you and sending loads of dust to you and your mom.
 
Dust sent, please keep us posted.
 
What a situation! I am so sorry to hear about your mum. DUST DUST DUST! Poof!

Keep us informed xxxx
 
Thank you again for all of your well wishes. It appears that we (somewhat) have an idea of the situation now.

First - she did have a stroke. There were areas seen on her cranial MRI that were consistent with small areas of damage. However, none of the damage was done by a clot, but actually from ischemia due to low blood pressure. Basically, her blood pressure bottomed out for long enough that some of her smallest capillaries virtually dried up. She is now recovering her abilities, and they think they've identified a medication she had been taking that may have resulted in the hypotension.

However, it's not all smooth recovery ahead. They incidentally discovered the presence of a basil artery aneurysm while doing her cranial MRI. It is dumbfounding. If she hadn't experienced this mini-stroke, the aneurysm wouldn't have been found -- and at some point in time it would have likely ruptured, killing her instantly.

She is currently receiving some rehab to speed up her recovery post-stroke. The aneurysm requires a coil, which they will put in through her femoral artery. It is a specialty treatment, so she will be moved to the Mayo Clinic. The neurologists there require her to be completely over the stroke before proceeding with this procedure, which is of a fairly urgent nature - hence the dedicated rehab. The doctors were satisfied that she would have regained all of her functionality on her own in a few weeks, but they want her booked in for surgery in 2 weeks or less.

I am still unsure of what I'm going to do. No procedure that requires vascular manipulation at the base of your pons is without risk. Part of me wants to get over there to be with her before...just in case. The other part of me knows that the odds are strongly in her favor under the care of the Mayo staff and my presence won't affect the final outcome. I can't will her to be better in person any more than I can from here. Getting my exam dates changed, cancelling all of our travel reservations (and HOPING our travel insurance company will reimburse us - eventually), rebooking everything, traveling without my husband. It would be an absolute mess, financial and logistical.

I wish life came with a manual.
 
Ginger that is good news. This stroke probably saved her life. I too wish life came with a manual or even better Crystal ball so we had the benefit of hindsight. Hugs to all of you and buckets of good luck dust for your mom's successful outcome.
 
Ginger, I am glad that things are resolving. Regarding the matter of whether to go back before the surgery: First, how risky is the surgery, above and beyond the normal risk factors that everyone experiences when being put to sleep? How old is your mum? And, regarding the logistics: when an immediate family member is very sick, travel companies usually have a procedure in place for that. Airlines will usually change your seat for no cost if you can produce a doctor's letter. Since this is your mum, your school should be similarly accommodating. As it's a very close relative, I think you might be surprised at the accommodations made. And I think travelling alone shouldn't be a factor. I think the biggest factor is what kind of risk your mum is facing. Can you speak to the surgeon and ask his or her opinion on the need for you to get there just in case?
 
Smith, I genuinely don't know. I will need to speak to her surgeon to get a realistic idea of the risk involved - I know my father will play it down (as will my mom, if I manage to get her on the phone).

This surgery isn't full general anaesthetic though, so that's good. They'll be doing monitored twilight anaesthetic instead, which of course decreases associated risks. The way my dad has spoken about it, it's like she's going in to get a spray tan. :|
 
It definitely sounds like you need to speak with the surgeon before you start altering your bookings and exams. He/she will either reassure you that there is no need to come, and your anxiety over the trip will be resolved, or she will advise action - and, if she does that, she should be willing to email you a note that you can give to the airline and your school.

So, surgeon first. Breathe. :wink2:
 
Lots of dust and well wishes.
 
smitcompton|1383585697|3550184 said:
Hi Ginger,

I'm sorry that Mom is sick. Dust, dust and more dust. She would want you to do well on your exams, so keep in focus. Cry, if you feel :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: like it. It makes me feel better sometimes.



Annette

This is great advice! The best thing you can do for your mom is to ace those exams. I'm an old mom and can tell you from experience that your mom values your education and well- being above everything else. Do well to make her proud :appl: :wavey:

In the meantime, truckloads of healing PS dust is coming your way just to keep positive thoughts of your mom going getting healed very soon. Believe it or not, this special dust has worked miracles in the past. :appl:
 
Ginger

I haven't been around much, as lots going on in my world too. Hoping everything is working out your way. Sending you and yours lots of love and dust.

:wavey:
 
isaku5|1383938648|3552896 said:
smitcompton|1383585697|3550184 said:
Hi Ginger,

I'm sorry that Mom is sick. Dust, dust and more dust. She would want you to do well on your exams, so keep in focus. Cry, if you feel :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: like it. It makes me feel better sometimes.



Annette

This is great advice! The best thing you can do for your mom is to ace those exams. I'm an old mom and can tell you from experience that your mom values your education and well- being above everything else. Do well to make her proud :appl: :wavey:

In the meantime, truckloads of healing PS dust is coming your way just to keep positive thoughts of your mom going getting healed very soon. Believe it or not, this special dust has worked miracles in the past. :appl:


Yep, try and get hold of you Dad, your Mum if she can speak, indeed any relative or family member you can.
But finish your exams.
 
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