Let me bring you up to date in our story. I left off telling you about beginning the process of finding a specialist for my teenage daughter after we found a nodule on her thyroid that we believed was cancerous. I went to work on Thursday March 12th, only five days since the accident that led us to the hospital in the first place, and discussed our options with our family doctor. He suggested that we see an ENT (ear nose and throat doctor) that he knew in Abilene. From what I had learned in my research, I told him that we really felt the way to go was the team approach.
In his usual fashion, he dipped his head and looked at me over the top of his glasses with his brows raised and said, "You need an ENT that has removed many thyroids if that is what it comes too, and he has done many."
While I fully agreed with this rational, I also strongly felt the need for a team of specialists in pediatric thyroid cancer, not adult.
It was a very sobering experience to learn that the top three hospitals for pediatric cancers weren't even in the state! They were in Boston, Cincinnati and Philadelphia, gosh. It was, however, a very nice surprise to find out that the number four hospital on the list was, you guessed it, Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. It was also exhilarating to learn that Texas Children's had recently established a "multidisciplinary program dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of children and young adults with thyroid tumors." I explained all this to Dr. Hubbard and he gave me the okay to make the call, as I am not only Cheyenne's mother but also her nurse.
Now I have called offices for referrals on my children before, but never with the level of fear or desperation as I was feeling in this moment. I was going to have to keep the emotions under control and do my job. When I called into the hospital, I spoke with a receptionist and explained about my patient, my baby. Generally when making referrals to offices, I would be required to leave my contact information and wait for a return call. This time my experience was completely different. The receptionist put me on hold and very quickly I became acquainted with Ms. Allison D. Bujnoch RN, Patient Care Coordinator. Alli, as we would come to know her by and appreciate, was by far the most unbelievable nurse I had ever met and we would rely on her greatly. I explained our situation and told Alli everything. I absolutely spilled my guts about the accident, the tests we had done, the results and my fears both as nurse and as Mom. I just couldn't hold it all in any longer, it was like a volcano erupting out of my mouth, hot lava rolling down the mountainside at an unstoppable rate. Thinking back on it now, I have to laugh at myself a little. However, Alli never once acted like she was talking to the total psycho I must have come across as, and I will never forget her or be able to thank her enough for that. Alli told me her provider, Dr. Ioanna Athanassaki (yes, it was a mouthful at first, but now rolls off as easy as Smith) wouldn't want us to wait, she would want us in immediately. She was so kind and explained, without raising more fears, that she would get with "Dr. A" for a game plan. Alli requested that I forward all of Chey’s records and scheduled us for the following Wednesday.
She did speak with Dr. Athanassaki and not only did we have an appointment with her, but they had arranged for Cheyenne to have a fine needle aspiration the same day! This was a feat in itself, I assure you, scheduling with specialists just isn't done this easily. I thanked Alli and as we were about to end the call, I asked her what had prompted the urgency, was it the micro calcifications or the vascular nature seen via ultrasound? She was so tactful and told me that as a nurse I knew the information was concerning and that I also knew we couldn't speculate. She said we needed to follow the process and that she would be in touch the following week. As both a nurse and mother, I can say that the interaction that day was not the norm and I was instantly calmed by that voice so very far away. If Alli was any indication of the type of people at Texas Children's, we were in the best hands possible and for the first time since the accident, I slept without terror.
Next time, Houston or Bust.
XXOO Make Everyday Count,
Bonnie
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