A Rollercoaster Ride...

So...I received word today that Mayo is refusing to see me because they do not think there is anything else they can do for me that my doctor in Des Moines isn't doing. Yes, my blood pressure did reach near stroke level when I heard this. I am frustrated & in tears, but am not giving up. My doctor in DM is also upset. We are working on it. What makes me more mad is that I'm living on pureed food/baby food & I do not like to be given up on & I feel like that is what Mayo is doing...but we won't let them. Tomorrow, I have a consultation at 9:15 with Dr. Subhash Sahai in Webster City, Iowa who has also been involved with my treatment. We will see what he has to say & what strings he can pull. I am trying very hard not to lose hope, but it's getting difficult. I do not want to live the rest of my life on baby food & feeling the way I do, so I guess I will have to fight the whole way, & I will! I am blessed with an awesome family who is helping me do just that! I am very excited to see Dr. Subhash tomorrow & see what he has to say. It's a rollercoaster ride...

On another note, my cousin, Randy, had back surgery today. He has a terrible back & has been fighting it for quite some time. I am VERY happy to say that he came through surgery well & didn't even have to go to recovery because he was wide awake when they finished the surgery. They took him straight to the room. He had a little pain medicine, but for the most part was alert, laughing, & we were all enjoying ourselves. Of course, we documented some of the fun...I will post a few pictures at the end of this post! They say he will have to be extremely careful of his back from now on, which is hard for him because he loves physical labor, but we'll tie him down if we have to. He kept saying how blessed he felt to have his family there & the great care he received. He is such a big guy, but a total teddy bear on the inside! If all goes well tonight, and it should, he will be home tomorrow. The last report I got said he was walking the hall & was eating real food, so it must still be going well! But, if you could say some prayers for a quick recovery for him, I'd appreciate it. Well...that's about it for now. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Always an adventure, right?!!?

Here are some photos from today:

My cousin Shelby & her Grandma, my Aunt Ida

I drew a little picture & left a little note for Randy! :)

I wanted to write on Randy's forehead while he slept, but decided to sniff the marker after I drew him a picture! haha!

Randy--the patient/victim! :)

Shelby & Me...Randy insisted on taking this second picture--I think his world was a bit skewed at the time...could it have been the morphine?!?! hahaha!