Letting go of a colleague
She had amyloidosis, I had no idea what it could do. From the time of diagnosis, it took less then two years. At least she got to see her grandson.
It began with her dog. He died suddenly at the end of summer 2010 and she was so sad. Everyone thought that she was losing weight because of her grief for her dog. She loved that dog!
The previous two years she had joked about how her doctor had told her that she was obese. She joked about it and never did anything about reducing her weight. Then her dog died and she lost her appetite. At least that's what I thought!
In December 2010, she told me to web search for her diagnosis which she called amyloidosis. The Mayo clinic website did not have much to say about it but indicated it could be terminal. She tried to get a referral from her healthcare provider to go to Mayo for her treatment. It took about a month for them to agree and then Mayo was not available to meet her until February 6/7, 2011.
I commented to her that she did not look well and that maybe she should go home for the day. It was Jan. 21, 2011. She stayed at work.
That weekend, I got a message that she had a stroke.
Chemotherapy....what? why? is amyloidosis like a cancer? Why didn't Mayo give her an urgent appointment? Why didn't her healthcare provider act immediately and start the treatment during December 2010?
Hard to let go of that thought. Hard to let go.
She had amyloidosis, I had no idea what it could do. From the time of diagnosis, it took less then two years. At least she got to see her grandson.
It began with her dog. He died suddenly at the end of summer 2010 and she was so sad. Everyone thought that she was losing weight because of her grief for her dog. She loved that dog!
The previous two years she had joked about how her doctor had told her that she was obese. She joked about it and never did anything about reducing her weight. Then her dog died and she lost her appetite. At least that's what I thought!
In December 2010, she told me to web search for her diagnosis which she called amyloidosis. The Mayo clinic website did not have much to say about it but indicated it could be terminal. She tried to get a referral from her healthcare provider to go to Mayo for her treatment. It took about a month for them to agree and then Mayo was not available to meet her until February 6/7, 2011.
I commented to her that she did not look well and that maybe she should go home for the day. It was Jan. 21, 2011. She stayed at work.
That weekend, I got a message that she had a stroke.
Chemotherapy....what? why? is amyloidosis like a cancer? Why didn't Mayo give her an urgent appointment? Why didn't her healthcare provider act immediately and start the treatment during December 2010?
Hard to let go of that thought. Hard to let go.
