Great News! We just got back from a follow up appointment and Amy's tumor wasn't cancerous/malignant! Initially they thought it was an eosinophilic granuloma (basically a benign tumor made of immune/antihistamine cells), but pathology reports indicate that it is an epidermoid cyst. They say that it has a possibility of growing back but most likely it shouldn't. And it's benign!
Amy also got her staples out today. It was a little early, but we weren't able to get an appointment any other time. Amy was in a lot of pain when they were removing the staples, and Amy says, "I scared the girl." Apparently the first-year resident removing the staples hadn't removed staples from someone who yelled as much as Amy before. She also started with the worst staple, so it wasn't so bad after that. And the staples are out!
Amy was discharged from the neurosurgery service today, so she probably won't have to see her neurosurgery team again.
We also are sitting in the midst of a major snowfall, and some people are saying we might get a foot of snow!
Amy's grandmother is here helping out a lot! It's been such a blessing to have Amy's family here helping out and just keeping her company when I'm at work and such. THANK YOU!!
Thanks again for all your prayers/juju/thoughts/good vibes/etc. They helped a lot!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
I'm home!
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Amy's Home!
Amy's had an eventful day! She got discharged around noon, we got to enjoy a lovely meal at our favorite Chinese restaurant, she saw the kitties, and we played trivial pursuit. She's still in some pain, but it's mostly being managed by pain meds and distraction, and it should get better as time goes on. She's tired (we're all tired), but still active and able to do things she enjoys.
Hopefully she'll update her version of events tomorrow!
Hopefully she'll update her version of events tomorrow!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Movin On UP!
Lots of good news!
When we got to the hospital today, Amy was up in a chair! She had already gotten up and did a lap around the nurses' station before we got there too.
They also discontinued her IV fluids - they kept it in but she's not connected to anything anymore. She's taking all her meds by mouth, which is awesome! They also took out her catheter, so it's easier for her to get around.
She's also now on a regular diet, which means she gets to eat all the yummy food from the potluck and gift basket :-).
She's still in some pain. They had to cut through muscle to get to her "bump," so it's causing her a good deal of discomfort and makes it difficult for her to smile fully. But she's taking some meds (but she's trying to take as few as possible), and it's helping. And she's getting lots of rest.
Best part of the day - Amy got moved to a med/surg floor! She's got her own private room (maybe one of the perks of knowing someone who works there...?), and it's pretty fancy! And it'll be easier to visit her since we don't have to trade visitor passes.
I think that's it for now. Maybe she'll be the one updating tomorrow!
When we got to the hospital today, Amy was up in a chair! She had already gotten up and did a lap around the nurses' station before we got there too.
They also discontinued her IV fluids - they kept it in but she's not connected to anything anymore. She's taking all her meds by mouth, which is awesome! They also took out her catheter, so it's easier for her to get around.
She's also now on a regular diet, which means she gets to eat all the yummy food from the potluck and gift basket :-).
She's still in some pain. They had to cut through muscle to get to her "bump," so it's causing her a good deal of discomfort and makes it difficult for her to smile fully. But she's taking some meds (but she's trying to take as few as possible), and it's helping. And she's getting lots of rest.
Best part of the day - Amy got moved to a med/surg floor! She's got her own private room (maybe one of the perks of knowing someone who works there...?), and it's pretty fancy! And it'll be easier to visit her since we don't have to trade visitor passes.
I think that's it for now. Maybe she'll be the one updating tomorrow!
surgery day recap
Hey Everyone,
All things considered, yesterday ended up being a good day for Amy - the surgery went well, they were able to remove all of the tumor, they think the tumor's benign, they didn't have to cut into the membrane around her brain. She's progressing pretty well, is able to keep fluids and food (crackers) down, and is in good spirits. She's no longer on oxygen, her vital signs are looking good, she had her arterial line removed, she got to sleep on a normal pillow instead of the foam ring, and she's able to take pills by mouth.
Here's a few post-op pictures: They might be a little graphic.
Just after surgery (the blood around her incision is totally normal, so don't be alarmed):
Close up of her incision/scar:
Amy's first meal after surgery--popsicle and beef broth:
No more oxygen tubing and a normal pillow! This is Amy's ET impression:
That's all for this morning. I'm looking forward to getting up to the hospital and finding out how she slept last night!
All things considered, yesterday ended up being a good day for Amy - the surgery went well, they were able to remove all of the tumor, they think the tumor's benign, they didn't have to cut into the membrane around her brain. She's progressing pretty well, is able to keep fluids and food (crackers) down, and is in good spirits. She's no longer on oxygen, her vital signs are looking good, she had her arterial line removed, she got to sleep on a normal pillow instead of the foam ring, and she's able to take pills by mouth.
Here's a few post-op pictures: They might be a little graphic.
Just after surgery (the blood around her incision is totally normal, so don't be alarmed):
Close up of her incision/scar:
Amy's first meal after surgery--popsicle and beef broth:
No more oxygen tubing and a normal pillow! This is Amy's ET impression:
That's all for this morning. I'm looking forward to getting up to the hospital and finding out how she slept last night!
Progress :-)
Just came from the hospital and wanted to give a real quick update:
Amy had a really good evening. She's still struggling with pain, but they are working on finding the right combo to work for her for now.
Highlights:
Thanks again everyone for all your prayers and love and support!
Amy had a really good evening. She's still struggling with pain, but they are working on finding the right combo to work for her for now.
Highlights:
- Amy is now breathing on room air - no more oxygen through her nose! And her O2sats were good while we were there too!
- They took out Amy's arterial line (an IV that went into an artery)
- Amy ate beef bullion and half a popsicle for dinner. When we came back after shift change, Amy ate CRACKERS! I'll post a video of her song in the morning. She also drank some chicken bullion and took some pain meds by mouth--a big deal since she struggles with taking pills anyways, and the sooner she can take pills by mouth, the sooner she can start doing other things (like go home...).
Thanks again everyone for all your prayers and love and support!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Amy's Awake!
We just saw Amy! She can only have 2 visitors at a time, so we're swaping out.
It took Amy a little while longer to wake up than expected, so we didn't get to see her until she had a room in the SICU (surgical intensive care unit). She woke up with quite a bit of pain at first, so they medicated her right away and she's still pretty loopy. When Tom and I were walking toward her room, she saw us first and waved at us. She's got a horseshoe shaped scar with staples above her right ear. She's also got some IV's going, and she's on oxygen, which is all normal for her procedure.
She's in really good spirits, alert and oriented (just a little loopy), and was really glad to see us!
It took Amy a little while longer to wake up than expected, so we didn't get to see her until she had a room in the SICU (surgical intensive care unit). She woke up with quite a bit of pain at first, so they medicated her right away and she's still pretty loopy. When Tom and I were walking toward her room, she saw us first and waved at us. She's got a horseshoe shaped scar with staples above her right ear. She's also got some IV's going, and she's on oxygen, which is all normal for her procedure.
She's in really good spirits, alert and oriented (just a little loopy), and was really glad to see us!
Good News
Just wanted to let you all know that Amy's surgeon just came out and says the procedure went well. Amy's probably headed into the recovery room right now so we haven't seen her yet.
I'ma try to explain what the surgeon said but since I'm going on 4 hours of sleep my language skills are a little iffy.
The mass was a little bigger than they expected, but they were able to get it out, and removed the edges of her skull that surrounded the tumor (the surgeon said they were egg-shell thin). The surgeon said that the dura (the outer layer covering her brain) was pretty worn down, so they put a synthetic dura to replace it. The doc said that there's hardly any difference between the synthetic one and the original, which is good. The doc also said that since the tumor was bigger than they thought, her brain was pressed in a little bit. She said that brain matter bounces back pretty quickly, and this could lead to some bruising (like a concussion). They'll keep an eye on this. They also patched over the hole in her skull with a type of mesh plate that will eventually harden as scar tissue and the bone grow back over/through it.
Also - the surgeon thinks that this tumor has been growing slowly over the past several years (she said 10 or so). She says that it coulda been from when she bumped her head or something like that. So does anyone remember Amy bumping her head when she was about 13?
Thanks to everyone for all your support!
I'ma try to explain what the surgeon said but since I'm going on 4 hours of sleep my language skills are a little iffy.
The mass was a little bigger than they expected, but they were able to get it out, and removed the edges of her skull that surrounded the tumor (the surgeon said they were egg-shell thin). The surgeon said that the dura (the outer layer covering her brain) was pretty worn down, so they put a synthetic dura to replace it. The doc said that there's hardly any difference between the synthetic one and the original, which is good. The doc also said that since the tumor was bigger than they thought, her brain was pressed in a little bit. She said that brain matter bounces back pretty quickly, and this could lead to some bruising (like a concussion). They'll keep an eye on this. They also patched over the hole in her skull with a type of mesh plate that will eventually harden as scar tissue and the bone grow back over/through it.
Also - the surgeon thinks that this tumor has been growing slowly over the past several years (she said 10 or so). She says that it coulda been from when she bumped her head or something like that. So does anyone remember Amy bumping her head when she was about 13?
Thanks to everyone for all your support!
Pre-Op
Hey Everyone,
Amy just went back to the OR. In Pre-Op, she met with the anesthesia team and some of the docs on her neurosurgery team. She was kind of bummed cuz she couldn't have her dad and aunt with her in pre-op, and pretty anxious.
One of the residents, Dr. Bell, drew on her head:
He also said that they're going to put her on some anti-seizure meds (along with her anesthesia) so she doesn't seize during the procedure, and that since research shows an increased risk of seizures after surgery, she'll probably be taking some for a few months to prevent her from having a seizure.
As soon as the anesthesiologist gave her something (not sure what), she brightened up and was a lot less anxious. And she kept repeating "I'm so dizzy!"
That's all I got from the hospital. It did "snush" this morning - we walked out to a car covered with a strange mix of snow, ice, and rain. The cold wasn't that pleasant with our newly shaved heads!
Thanks everyone for all your prayers, thoughts, and love. Will update more later.
-Erin
Amy just went back to the OR. In Pre-Op, she met with the anesthesia team and some of the docs on her neurosurgery team. She was kind of bummed cuz she couldn't have her dad and aunt with her in pre-op, and pretty anxious.
One of the residents, Dr. Bell, drew on her head:
He also said that they're going to put her on some anti-seizure meds (along with her anesthesia) so she doesn't seize during the procedure, and that since research shows an increased risk of seizures after surgery, she'll probably be taking some for a few months to prevent her from having a seizure.As soon as the anesthesiologist gave her something (not sure what), she brightened up and was a lot less anxious. And she kept repeating "I'm so dizzy!"
That's all I got from the hospital. It did "snush" this morning - we walked out to a car covered with a strange mix of snow, ice, and rain. The cold wasn't that pleasant with our newly shaved heads!
Thanks everyone for all your prayers, thoughts, and love. Will update more later.
-Erin
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Pre-Op appointment/update
Hey everyone, It's Erin here...
Just wanted to give a quick update. Amy's dad and brother came into town on Thursday, and the four of us (Amy's "entourage") met with the nurse practitioner on the surgery team on Friday to do Amy's pre-op H&P (history and physical). She was a little nutty, but was able to answer our barrage of questions and she actually has had a similar procedure done herself!
We also found out that Amy's attending surgeon, Dr. Beauchamp, is a St. Louis native! The nurse practitioner even knew to ask what high school we went to.
Here's a link to the neurosurgery team who will be in the OR for Amy's surgery:
http://www.denverhealth.org/portal/Services/Neurosurgery/OurNeurosurgeons/tabid/642/Default.aspx
Here's another link to Dr. Beauchamp's profile through University of Colorado:
http://www.cuneurosurgery.com/team-profiles-dr-kathy-beauchamp.htm
Amy's procedure itself should take about an hour, and she'll probably be in the OR for about 2-3 hours total with prep and clean-up time. After that, they'll most likely keep her in the SICU (surgical intensive care unit) for observation overnight, and if all goes well, she'll move to a regular med/surg floor for 2-3 more days before she'll get to go home.
The NP said that her total recovery time should be approximately 6 weeks, depending on how everything goes. Hopefully she can go back to work sooner than that, but we'll just have to play it by ear.
Joey just left Denver this morning and flying all day to get back to school. Amy's dad is staying at a hotel across the street from the hospital's campus, and we're just hanging out and trying to enjoy the beautiful weather Denver has had this weekend.
Much Love!
Just wanted to give a quick update. Amy's dad and brother came into town on Thursday, and the four of us (Amy's "entourage") met with the nurse practitioner on the surgery team on Friday to do Amy's pre-op H&P (history and physical). She was a little nutty, but was able to answer our barrage of questions and she actually has had a similar procedure done herself!
We also found out that Amy's attending surgeon, Dr. Beauchamp, is a St. Louis native! The nurse practitioner even knew to ask what high school we went to.
Here's a link to the neurosurgery team who will be in the OR for Amy's surgery:
http://www.denverhealth.org/portal/Services/Neurosurgery/OurNeurosurgeons/tabid/642/Default.aspx
Here's another link to Dr. Beauchamp's profile through University of Colorado:
http://www.cuneurosurgery.com/team-profiles-dr-kathy-beauchamp.htm
Amy's procedure itself should take about an hour, and she'll probably be in the OR for about 2-3 hours total with prep and clean-up time. After that, they'll most likely keep her in the SICU (surgical intensive care unit) for observation overnight, and if all goes well, she'll move to a regular med/surg floor for 2-3 more days before she'll get to go home.
The NP said that her total recovery time should be approximately 6 weeks, depending on how everything goes. Hopefully she can go back to work sooner than that, but we'll just have to play it by ear.
Joey just left Denver this morning and flying all day to get back to school. Amy's dad is staying at a hotel across the street from the hospital's campus, and we're just hanging out and trying to enjoy the beautiful weather Denver has had this weekend.
Much Love!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Talked to the Neurosurgeon...
So I saw the Neurosurgeon today.
Short version: I'm having surgery on Wednesday October 21st.
Long version: I got to my appointment on time a 9AM. The doctor finally came in at about 10AM. The first thing we did was go and look at my pictures from the CT scan from the other day. This is basically what it looked like:
So what's happening is that the tumor somehow is in the place where my skull should be (which is why it hurts when someone pushes on my bump). The tumor is for sure touching my brain but they cannot tell from the pictures whether or not there are abnormal cells from the tumor IN my brain. They won't know until they actually take the tumor out and look at my brain. Then, once they get the tumor out as much as they can, they will be rebuilding me a fake skull (officially its called a cranio-plasty). There are risks, as with any surgery, such as pain, bleeding, infection, brain damage, weird looking scar, and others.
My Pre-op appointment is this Friday at 9:30AM. At that appointment they will be getting a full family history and doing tests to see what kind of anesthesia they will need to use. And at that appointment I'll get to ask all the questions that I need to. Then, like I said at the beginning, I'll be having surgery next Wednesday. They said it will be early in the morning but no exact time was given so far. Hopefully I'll be able to set up that time frame on Friday too.
So, Family, if there is any health history that I don't know about that I should please let me know before 9AM this Friday! Call me, e-mail me, text me, whatever, just let me know.
I love you all! Thanks for all your love and support!
Short version: I'm having surgery on Wednesday October 21st.
Long version: I got to my appointment on time a 9AM. The doctor finally came in at about 10AM. The first thing we did was go and look at my pictures from the CT scan from the other day. This is basically what it looked like:
So what's happening is that the tumor somehow is in the place where my skull should be (which is why it hurts when someone pushes on my bump). The tumor is for sure touching my brain but they cannot tell from the pictures whether or not there are abnormal cells from the tumor IN my brain. They won't know until they actually take the tumor out and look at my brain. Then, once they get the tumor out as much as they can, they will be rebuilding me a fake skull (officially its called a cranio-plasty). There are risks, as with any surgery, such as pain, bleeding, infection, brain damage, weird looking scar, and others.
My Pre-op appointment is this Friday at 9:30AM. At that appointment they will be getting a full family history and doing tests to see what kind of anesthesia they will need to use. And at that appointment I'll get to ask all the questions that I need to. Then, like I said at the beginning, I'll be having surgery next Wednesday. They said it will be early in the morning but no exact time was given so far. Hopefully I'll be able to set up that time frame on Friday too.
So, Family, if there is any health history that I don't know about that I should please let me know before 9AM this Friday! Call me, e-mail me, text me, whatever, just let me know.
I love you all! Thanks for all your love and support!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Another Phone Call
So last night I got another phone call from my doctor and I actually got to talk to her!
She explained a little bit more about my bump. She said it is ONLY on my skull (not in my brain!! Yay!) It's about 1"x1"x1.5". She also told me that I definitely needed to have surgery to get the tumor removed. If I don't have the surgery the tumor will continue to grow and eventually push against my brain and cause even more trouble. The surgery is considered major surgery since I am going to be under anesthesia. Plus it's scary because it's my head.
I have an appointment with a neurologist on Wednesday because he/she has way more knowledge of tumors and surgery and such. We'll be going over my CT scans and what the next steps will be. Hopefully we'll also be able to figure out when my surgery will be so I can plan and of course so I can let you all know what's going on too.
I'll update more as soon as I get any information.
She explained a little bit more about my bump. She said it is ONLY on my skull (not in my brain!! Yay!) It's about 1"x1"x1.5". She also told me that I definitely needed to have surgery to get the tumor removed. If I don't have the surgery the tumor will continue to grow and eventually push against my brain and cause even more trouble. The surgery is considered major surgery since I am going to be under anesthesia. Plus it's scary because it's my head.
I have an appointment with a neurologist on Wednesday because he/she has way more knowledge of tumors and surgery and such. We'll be going over my CT scans and what the next steps will be. Hopefully we'll also be able to figure out when my surgery will be so I can plan and of course so I can let you all know what's going on too.
I'll update more as soon as I get any information.
Background and First & Second CT Scans
Hi everyone!
I just wanted to let you know what is going on with me.
I went to a new doctor about a month ago and told her that I've had a bump on the side of my head for about two years. During those two years I've had a few different doctors take a look at it and they all told me not to worry about anything. But recently the bump has started changing texture from squishy to hard. So my new primary care physician ordered a head ct just to check the bump and make sure that nothing was wrong. I went in yesterday to get the scan, which was easy, I just had to lay still for about two minutes. They told me to wait until Monday to hear from my doctor and sent me on my way.
I went to get some vitamins from the pharmacy at the hospital while Erin was watching the end of the baseball game in the radiologist waiting room. While I was standing in line Erin called my cell phone and asked me how far away I had gone and told me that I needed to come back right away for another scan with contrast. So I headed back, went in pretty quickly and got an IV put in and then another scan. It went quickly but this time they told me my doctor would be calling me later that evening.
Of course I missed her call but she left a message letting me know that my bump is definitely a tumor. She said it's probably benign but they can't really tell that from a ct scan. My doctor sent the pictures over to a neurologist to take a look, so I have an appointment with a neurologist next Wednesday to go over the results and to set up any necessary appointments, tests, or procedures. I'm also going to insist on a biopsy just to make sure the tumor is not cancerous. I'm not taking any chances.
I will let you all know how everything on Wednesday goes and anytime I get more info I'll update everyone on here.
I love you all!
I just wanted to let you know what is going on with me.
I went to a new doctor about a month ago and told her that I've had a bump on the side of my head for about two years. During those two years I've had a few different doctors take a look at it and they all told me not to worry about anything. But recently the bump has started changing texture from squishy to hard. So my new primary care physician ordered a head ct just to check the bump and make sure that nothing was wrong. I went in yesterday to get the scan, which was easy, I just had to lay still for about two minutes. They told me to wait until Monday to hear from my doctor and sent me on my way.
I went to get some vitamins from the pharmacy at the hospital while Erin was watching the end of the baseball game in the radiologist waiting room. While I was standing in line Erin called my cell phone and asked me how far away I had gone and told me that I needed to come back right away for another scan with contrast. So I headed back, went in pretty quickly and got an IV put in and then another scan. It went quickly but this time they told me my doctor would be calling me later that evening.
Of course I missed her call but she left a message letting me know that my bump is definitely a tumor. She said it's probably benign but they can't really tell that from a ct scan. My doctor sent the pictures over to a neurologist to take a look, so I have an appointment with a neurologist next Wednesday to go over the results and to set up any necessary appointments, tests, or procedures. I'm also going to insist on a biopsy just to make sure the tumor is not cancerous. I'm not taking any chances.
I will let you all know how everything on Wednesday goes and anytime I get more info I'll update everyone on here.
I love you all!
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