Jeff asked that I post this on the site.
=====================================
Dear family and friends,
I can't tell you how much your prayers and support have meant to Amy and our family the past week. Thank you so much. Sometimes, it's not easy to return phone calls and emails due to present circumstances, but please know that we value every single one of your messages. We feel very loved and supported in this time.
Tomorrow--Feb. 1--at 11: 15, Amy will go in for surgery to remove the brain tumor at Cedar Sinai hospital up in Los Angeles/Beverly Hills. The surgery will take approximately four hours. We feel we are in great hands and are pursuing the correct course of treatment. We ask that you pray for the surgeons and for Amy during that time and that there will be no complications. Please also pray for our kids, who are aware of the situation (I explained to them the surgery using chicken nuggets and fries as props; they are amused), and to pray for our continued good spirits and humor. But more than anything, we ask that pray for us to put our trust and faith in God and his promises.
Feel free to call me tomorrow on my cell at any time for updates or to talk. I'm at 310 720 3984. Also, check out my brother's blog as he has been updating our situation. Tomorrow, after the surgery, I'll call him and hopefully he can put up an update ASAP. http://seattlejensens.blogspot.com
We will also be in contact with a few friends who in turn will send out messages to you all.
We love you and thank you again for all your support. Amy and I look forward to seeing you soon.
Love,
Jeff, Amy, Ben and Lauren
=======================================
Once Jeff has updated us with information we will be sure to post it here!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
Monday Amy Update
Here is the latest report on Amy's condition. They spend their day in LA with the recommended Dr., that has now become their new Dr! They felt very comfortable with this Dr and he really worked with them to provide information on how to best proceed. So, here is that will happen.
The Dr. recommended that they move quickly into surgery to remove the mass. The surgery is scheduled for Thursday at 11:45am. The surgery should take about 4-5 hours. General recovery should be 3-4 days. After that, recovery will depend what the test results show on the tumor that is removed.
At his point, they are thankful that they have found a doctor they trust and that a plan is in place to move forward. Amy's mom will be there with them, and Jeff's mom will be leaving on Wednesday to be there for about 10 days. She will be with the kids at home, while Jeff and Rhonda are in LA.
So, that is it for tonight. Not sure what more we will hear between now and the day of the surgery, but if something comes up, we will post it here.
The Dr. recommended that they move quickly into surgery to remove the mass. The surgery is scheduled for Thursday at 11:45am. The surgery should take about 4-5 hours. General recovery should be 3-4 days. After that, recovery will depend what the test results show on the tumor that is removed.
At his point, they are thankful that they have found a doctor they trust and that a plan is in place to move forward. Amy's mom will be there with them, and Jeff's mom will be leaving on Wednesday to be there for about 10 days. She will be with the kids at home, while Jeff and Rhonda are in LA.
So, that is it for tonight. Not sure what more we will hear between now and the day of the surgery, but if something comes up, we will post it here.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Whew, that was close...
We had some great weather this weekend...Sunny, kind of brisk in the AM, warm in the afternoon, etc. Most of all...no rain! We had the chance to wash the cars and get them cleaned out. It has been the first opportunity since our wild Nov/Dec weather to do this.
Saturday night, Nana J came over to watch the kids as we went out with friends for dinner. We thought we would venture back to our old stomping grounds in Renton and visit our favorite Italian restaurant, Armondos. We had made that a regular spot during our 5 years in Renton. So, we made the 15 min drive out there. About 5 min away, we turned to Cary and Julia and said, "Jeez, we hope this place is still here." The closer we got the more we started getting concerned. When we reached the destination we were shocked to see that our old favorite was vacant...with a sign saying, "Coming soon...Stiffys Bar and Grill." Yes, Stiffys had taken the place of the best Chicken Parmsean in town!! Dealing with both the shock of "we drove all the way out here for nothing" and the pain from laughing at a place that would be named "Stiffys" we drove around the block. As we came around the corner, Steph looked down another street and there was the NEW location for Armondos. They had moved!! This was our first trip out to Renton in over a year, and the hostess confirmed they moved in November of 2005. We enjoyed a great dinner with great friends...just like we remembered it.
Saturday night, Nana J came over to watch the kids as we went out with friends for dinner. We thought we would venture back to our old stomping grounds in Renton and visit our favorite Italian restaurant, Armondos. We had made that a regular spot during our 5 years in Renton. So, we made the 15 min drive out there. About 5 min away, we turned to Cary and Julia and said, "Jeez, we hope this place is still here." The closer we got the more we started getting concerned. When we reached the destination we were shocked to see that our old favorite was vacant...with a sign saying, "Coming soon...Stiffys Bar and Grill." Yes, Stiffys had taken the place of the best Chicken Parmsean in town!! Dealing with both the shock of "we drove all the way out here for nothing" and the pain from laughing at a place that would be named "Stiffys" we drove around the block. As we came around the corner, Steph looked down another street and there was the NEW location for Armondos. They had moved!! This was our first trip out to Renton in over a year, and the hostess confirmed they moved in November of 2005. We enjoyed a great dinner with great friends...just like we remembered it.
Weekend Amy Update
First, an update on Amy. Talked with Jeff tonight and they had a relatively quiet weekend. All of the medications seems to be working so that Amy is comfortable, not getting sick, etc. Everyone is just eagerly anticipating the appt tomorrow. Jeff mentioned that this will be the first time that both he and Amy will have the opportunity to speak with a professional about this situation at the same time. With the chaos from Thursday and Friday, it was just one or the other. So, keep your thoughts and prayers with them tomorrow as they go for this appointment. With the inconsistencies with the Long Beach doctors, they are really looking to find a doctor they can trust and move forward. Once we have some more information, we will pass it along.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Tough Day
After a really long day, via Mom, we got the update from today. This might ramble on a bit, so hang on....
Amy woke up and was throwing up for 4 hrs straight. Attempts to get a hold of the Dr were unsuccessful, but were finally able to talk with an intern who asked if Amy was taking her anti-nausea medicine. This was a big surprise as none had been prescribed. Jeff scrambled to fill the new prescription and once that was added to the meds, Amy stopped getting sick.
As the day progressed and there was no response from the local Dr., Jeff talked with a co-worker who put him in touch with a very well known neurosurgeon in the LA area. This referral contacted Jeff right away and they talked through the situation. As Jeff described what had happened, the Dr was very surprised about the direction the local surgeon was going in terms of performing a biopsy. He believes that you don't do a biopsy if you don't know for sure what the "mass" is. He offered to see Amy first thing on Monday to run some additional test and review the CAT Scans. Not feeling too certain about the local diagnosis, they decided to take that offer.
Later in the day, Jeff finally got a call back from the local neurosurgeon and got some information. However, to Jeff''s frustration, there was no update on when any follow ups would occur. Jeff also asked for clarification on the diagnosis, asking if a biopsy was the right thing to do without knowing for sure. That is when the Dr. told Jeff that he now believes that the masses are not an infection, but 1 big tumor that is rooted in two spots on the side of brain, above the ear.
Soon, they finally got a call from the Intern who informed them that the biopsy was set for Tuesday morning. Jeff told the Dr that he was getting 2nd opinion with the LA neurosurgeon on Monday. Depending on the outcome of that appt, they may or may not be there for that appt.
So, that is the latest. They are clearly frustrated with the lack of responsiveness of the local Dr. as well as the lack of attention to detail not prescribing the anti-nausea medicine. However, they are hopeful that this new contact with a top notch neurosurgeon in LA will provide more information on how this will all proceed. The concern that Jeff feels right now is about how far from home LA is. But he realizes that they need answers and will go where they need to.
Continue to keep Amy and family in your prayers as they go through the weekend. It has been a tough few days, but we pray that Monday will bring some additional information that will help them move forward.
Amy woke up and was throwing up for 4 hrs straight. Attempts to get a hold of the Dr were unsuccessful, but were finally able to talk with an intern who asked if Amy was taking her anti-nausea medicine. This was a big surprise as none had been prescribed. Jeff scrambled to fill the new prescription and once that was added to the meds, Amy stopped getting sick.
As the day progressed and there was no response from the local Dr., Jeff talked with a co-worker who put him in touch with a very well known neurosurgeon in the LA area. This referral contacted Jeff right away and they talked through the situation. As Jeff described what had happened, the Dr was very surprised about the direction the local surgeon was going in terms of performing a biopsy. He believes that you don't do a biopsy if you don't know for sure what the "mass" is. He offered to see Amy first thing on Monday to run some additional test and review the CAT Scans. Not feeling too certain about the local diagnosis, they decided to take that offer.
Later in the day, Jeff finally got a call back from the local neurosurgeon and got some information. However, to Jeff''s frustration, there was no update on when any follow ups would occur. Jeff also asked for clarification on the diagnosis, asking if a biopsy was the right thing to do without knowing for sure. That is when the Dr. told Jeff that he now believes that the masses are not an infection, but 1 big tumor that is rooted in two spots on the side of brain, above the ear.
Soon, they finally got a call from the Intern who informed them that the biopsy was set for Tuesday morning. Jeff told the Dr that he was getting 2nd opinion with the LA neurosurgeon on Monday. Depending on the outcome of that appt, they may or may not be there for that appt.
So, that is the latest. They are clearly frustrated with the lack of responsiveness of the local Dr. as well as the lack of attention to detail not prescribing the anti-nausea medicine. However, they are hopeful that this new contact with a top notch neurosurgeon in LA will provide more information on how this will all proceed. The concern that Jeff feels right now is about how far from home LA is. But he realizes that they need answers and will go where they need to.
Continue to keep Amy and family in your prayers as they go through the weekend. It has been a tough few days, but we pray that Monday will bring some additional information that will help them move forward.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Latest Update on Amy
Thanks to everyone for their responses and prayers. Here is the latest news:
Amy had another CAT scan today which revealed two "masses" as compared the initial one discovered yesterday. In addition, they are now not 100% sure that the masses are tumors...It may actually be an infection. Current plan is to give Amy medication to reduce swelling then allow her to go home vs. waiting at the Hospital. Then they will schedule a biopsy to determine exactly what those two masses are. At that point they will make decisions on what to do next.
That is all for know. Please continue to keep Amy and Family in your prayers.
-Mike
Amy had another CAT scan today which revealed two "masses" as compared the initial one discovered yesterday. In addition, they are now not 100% sure that the masses are tumors...It may actually be an infection. Current plan is to give Amy medication to reduce swelling then allow her to go home vs. waiting at the Hospital. Then they will schedule a biopsy to determine exactly what those two masses are. At that point they will make decisions on what to do next.
That is all for know. Please continue to keep Amy and Family in your prayers.
-Mike
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Prayers for the Long Beach Jensen Family
We are writing tonight to ask that you keep Jeff, Amy, Ben and Lauren in your prayers, especially Amy. After a challenging day, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor and is awaiting immediate surgery. Jeff has asked that I share the details around this situation with all of you, so here is what we know.
This morning, Amy was not feeling well at all. At some point, she blacked out and fell, but is unable to remember anything about that (but has the marks to prove it.) After calling Jeff, he noticed that she wasn't herself, slurred speech, not talking straight, etc. He immediately started home. While on the road, he made another call, and with no improvement, he called an ambulance. Upon arriving at home, Amy was just about to be transported. After arriving at the ER, Amy had a CAT scan that showed a small brain tumor. Initial word was very positive, they believe the tumor is benign, it is small, accessible and operable or "extractable." The rest of the evening was filled with getting Amy admitted and physicians assigned. As of 10pm this evening, that has happened.
In terms of next steps, an operation could happen as early as tomorrow, but they will know more in the morning. Amy's mom is taking an immediate leave of absence to be there with them for the next 10 days. The kids are doing well through all of this. Word is that they think this is a just a big adventure. We heard that Jeff was using a Chicken McNugget as a way to explain what Mommy will be going through...sounds like something Jeff would do.
We will keep everyone posted.
This morning, Amy was not feeling well at all. At some point, she blacked out and fell, but is unable to remember anything about that (but has the marks to prove it.) After calling Jeff, he noticed that she wasn't herself, slurred speech, not talking straight, etc. He immediately started home. While on the road, he made another call, and with no improvement, he called an ambulance. Upon arriving at home, Amy was just about to be transported. After arriving at the ER, Amy had a CAT scan that showed a small brain tumor. Initial word was very positive, they believe the tumor is benign, it is small, accessible and operable or "extractable." The rest of the evening was filled with getting Amy admitted and physicians assigned. As of 10pm this evening, that has happened.
In terms of next steps, an operation could happen as early as tomorrow, but they will know more in the morning. Amy's mom is taking an immediate leave of absence to be there with them for the next 10 days. The kids are doing well through all of this. Word is that they think this is a just a big adventure. We heard that Jeff was using a Chicken McNugget as a way to explain what Mommy will be going through...sounds like something Jeff would do.
We will keep everyone posted.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)