What do you do when you begin your Saturday like most others with heading to ride my horse and work on some horses and you receive a call from your niece saying that her mother (my sister-Betti) is in NICU bleeding in her brain.
Many of you know me from my Katrina diaries last year and my comments about Betti having been diagnosed with AML (an acute luekemia that is pretty deadly) due as a result of a 1992 train derailment in Superior, Wisconsin that dumped TWENTY EIGHT THOUSAND TONS OF BENZENE...this happened a mile from her farm.
I want to rant here everyone, the injustice of all of this...Betti is 51.
She has NO insurance, her medical care is questionable...that will be something that I will have to sort out at another juncture of this...
A doctor going on vacation and not proceeding with her chemo protocol, returning and waiting another 2 weeks to bring her in and finding out she is out of remission and her white cells are raging...taking too agressive of measures and now causing her brain to bleed....do we have problems in this country with medical care...damn straight...but that is for another time...this is about BETTI and only about BETTI....
What I am doing with this diary is simply asking for a prayer circle, healing circle, positive thought circle. BETTI NEEDS ALL OF YOU...she needs the positve light around her in force.
PLEASE HELP ME...this is my big sister...and I'm losing her and I'm not even there.
I am packing now. I will have my truck and trailer ready for the road within 24 hours. We had planned our trip in 2 weeks...we are now looking to leave in the next 36-48 hours.
Pastor Dan....need ya here...
Please recommend for no other reason, then the power of prayer and positive thought is huge....
Thank you so much...
Peace,
Barbara
Saturday - 7:00 p.m. PST
I just spoke with my brother the medical professional in our family.
My sister is coherent and the bleeding has slowed and possibly stopped. He has spoken somewhat at length with a nurse about care, meds, history...there are two things that stand out from what he said.
MOST IMPORTANTLY is he feels Betti is holding her own...she recognized him after not seeing him in many years and they had a short conversation.
As to care...there are holes that he is going to find out about. Seems the doctor who went on vacation actually gave her a drug that is given to someone who has been in remission for a pretty long period of time...she has not.
Also the doctor in the neuro unit where she is has not started her on the drug (I'm bad at drug names folks) for her bleed and my brother was the one who found that out reading her chart and questioned the nurse. A call is INTO THE DOCTOR AS TO WHY.
11:00 p.m.- Just spoke with my brother...he spoke with the night nurse before leaving the hospital for the night (morning there)...Betti's platlettes went from 15,000 to 56,000 and they are starting her on whole blood. The neuro surgeon has started her on the medication that my brother indicated to the other nurse had not been administered.
Betti is resting as much as one can (laughable) in a critical care unit. John (brother) is quietly optimistic.
This has happened because Betti is a fighter and because I have ALWAYS believed in the power of prayer and spiritual being...all of these well wishes, love, prayers, surrounding with light and love...it is HELPING MY SISTER.
Please please continue to keep her in your thoughts, prayers and hold her close...it is a LONG battle, but one she is taking a small step toward perhaps winning...
7:00 a.m. - Betti remains stable, although she is complaining of a horrific headache. She did eat some yogurt and applesauce. Everything is guarded. I have not her yet from my brother and expect to hear something later this morning. I am off to move my horse and get a few things done. AGAIN THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THOUGHTS, PRAYERS, PRIVATE E-MAILS...please continue to hold her close. Much love and respect. Barbara and Family