JOHN. LET ME BE YOUR SPOKESPERSON.

I was told today that my friend John has a product to improve the communication of Hospitals. Now I'm not sure about it or who exactly owns it but...

JOHN. LET. ME. BE. YOUR. SPOKESPERSON.

I am so sick and tired of all these problems we hit with the hospital just because of communication errors.

Let's start from the beginning.

1. First surgery after finding out I have Cancer and was surprised with a new family.

2. Getting the wrong amount of fluids

3. Getting Fendergan when the doctor said not to.

4. A CT scan being forgotten by the Doctor's assistant.

5. A CT scan and PET scan being rescheduled because someone scheduled them in the wrong order so we came in at 7 AM and then had to come back at 9 in the morning.

6. Getting a Nurse we said we didn't want.

- Today's problems.-

7. Not knowing if we were meeting our regular Oncologist because they didn't specify.

8. A receptionist trying to give my files to a four year old named Anna.

9. Having no clue that my surgeon was in his own surgery until we met for a surgical consult with his assistant.

10. Not knowing why we weren't meeting with our Oncologist and having his called.

10. Finding out that my surgery won't be on my right side of my neck, but the left side.

and I'm sure the list will keep going on and on.

Now I'm so thankful for certain traits I got from my father. When my mother becomes overly stressed with things that happen for no good reason and shouldn't happen in the first place, she just gives up and doesn't care about it because she has too much on her plate.

I on the other hand take after my father. I get so frustrated and fed up with what's going on. I take action and I'm very stern with the people I talk to. I'm not rude or impolite. I'm stern.

So the receptionist.
She was talking to a latino mom and pointed at our charts.
"Is this your address?"
"No."
"Your daughter isn't Annika?"
"That's actually us."
"oh! Your daughter is named Anna. I just saw the first three letters and went with the chart. Hahaha."

That was not amusing. I was having neck surgery. Their four year old could have ended up in surgery and I with whatever she had.
So we're sitting in the Surgical Consult's office talking about chemotherapy and what not. And suddenly a female comes into the room. She says that our Surgeon is currently getting a procedure done. Okay. And he's going to do the surgery on Friday or Saturday as planned.

 Now we weren't sure why we were getting surgery done in the middle of chemo. It doesn't make any sense so we ask her to call my Oncologist. Now I'm so fed up I'm telling her to ask him to come here or give the phone to me so I can talk to him. I want to talk to him face to face. She says she'll ask questions and call him and come back to tell us what he said.

Now here's where my father come into my personality.

I'm sick of waiting around for answer. So I get up and leave and go find my doctor by myself. That's right. I return to MSTI Cancer Clinic to get answers.

"Welcome Back Annika."
"Do we have an appointment with Doctor  1?" ((Keeping his name a secret for obvious reasons.))
"Uhm. No. You have an appointment with Doctor 2."
"Why is that."
"Um. I don't know let me call and find out."
"Well is he here?"
"Yes."
"Let me talk to him."
I'm very stern and it's very evident I'm not very happy at this moment. She just reached over and grabs my hand and smiles real big and loving.
"Oh Annika. I love you. When something needs to be done, you just do it. Let me find him for you."

And just in luck. It was Doctor 1's turn for a slight earful as he walked in the door just as I turned around.

"Hey Annika."
"Hey. Why are we not meeting with you today?"
"It's just how your schedule came out."
"Well my mom and I have questions for you."
"Okay."
"Can we talk right now?"
"Um. No. I have another appointment and then a meeting at 12. I'll come to your room. okay?"
"Yeah. Perfect."

And I was fine with that. And then another nurse came in.

"Is your dad here?"
I was so mad.
"No. He's deceased."
"I'm sorry. If your mom or guardian here?"
"No. She's in the other building."
"Oh well I have your admission papers here for her to sign. I can send them over to the hospital for her to sign there."
"I have to go get her."
"That's fine. I have to call Dr. 2 to see where you'll be meeting. Either here or in the hospital."
"Why don't I bring my mom here and she can sign the papers and then we can see where Dr. 2 will meet us."
"Oh. okay. Yeah that would work!"

I went and got my mom and explained it to her a million miles per hour because I was frustrated with this whole non-communication we had going on in the hospital.

Either way Dr. 2  came and cleared things up immensely and made sense of why we're doing the surgery and why they were pushing it so much.

It's because the tumor could tell us whether we need to do Radiation or not. OH. FANTASTIC. WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE??

Anyways. Several hours later Dr. 1 and A came into the room.

And I fired several same questions at him.
Why are we doing this?
What's the procedure going to be like?

And then I asked him another question.
"Where is my tumor located?"
They had said it was on the right side. He couldn't feel it.
So we looked at the scans and found it.
It wasn't on the right side.
Oh no.
It was on the left side.
That's right.
For like two weeks I had been told and believed it was on the right side.
Okay.
Thanks for the confidence.

Just. today is not a good day.

So John. PLEASE LET ME BE YOUR SPOKESPERSON.

Light The Night

Thanks for coming you guys.

Here's a video for your entertainment!
Tis Becca and Gunnar after the walk!!

THE VIDEO!!

Man's Best Friend.

If any of you feel like you have no one to come home to or there's no one that loves you,

Get a dog.

Now before you go, "But they're so expensive and they smell and they poop and pee!!" let me give you my reasons.

I have a miniature Schnauzer and for many years I could've sworn she hated me. Granted I teased her and was a foolish child when I was younger so I don't blame her.

But every time, every time I came home from the hospital. Elli would cry and couldn't get close to me. This simple act of seeing her crying and snuggling into me, shows the purest kind of love.

Dogs know love. They show it through their steadfast loyalty and the way they are there for you. They can sense when you're sad, crying, angry, happy, and content. They just know.

The best example of this I can think of is my dog Piper.

Piper was a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier.

She was my best friend.

She could look at you with her big brown eyes and you could just see how much she loved you.

She would always come up to you when you were sad and just sit with you.

She would lick my brother's hair.

And she taught my mom how to deal with cancer.

I followed Piper perfectly for medical problems.

She had pancreatitis.

Random fevers.

Throw up randomly.

Be up and down.

And most importantly.

She had Lymphoma Cancer.

But sadly Piper didn't make it.

We had to put her down.

And just like my dad, I miss her every single day.

She was so sweet and I remember how hard she cried when I came home from the hospital for Pseudo Tumor Cerbri. She jumped so high and she barked so loud.

Dogs are the best comfort.

I remember when I was in the hospital for those awful 16 days. They brought in dogs for me to pet and see.

When they left I bawled like a little child. I missed my dogs so much and wanted nothing more to see them and cuddle them.

So, if you're alone and need someone to tell you everyday that they love you.

Need you.

Depend on you.

Get a dog. I promise you, you won't regret it if you get the right dog.

Annika Severts.

Bald

On September 10 of 2011 I became a baldy.

Now I know what you're thinking. WHAT?? YOU'RE BALD NOW??

Hear me out.

When I would wash my hair it could just come out in my hands. About three days of doing this and shedding and just being completely hairy....

I had a shaving party. Stephanie and John Hruby came, Barbara and Mike Brand were there, my brothers Grant and Gunnar with their girlfriends Alyssa and Becca. And of course my Mother.

I had everyone, yes everyone, in that room help cut my hair down so that they could shave it. But after awhile all the women huddled in a corner and chatted while the men began to have, as my mother said, "Having way too much fun."

The men took over and began to shave my head.

Now most people wonder if I cried.

The answer is No.

I was so frustrated with my hair that I was smiling the entire time they were shaving my head.

Being bald has brought two things to my attention.

1. My head gets really cold now.

2. I finally look like one of my brothers... Cameron.

It's a strange thing to be called the odd one out of your family... and suddenly your family is telling you, you look like one of your brothers.

I've entered a world I never thought I'd ever enter.

The world of looking like one of your siblings.

No Place Like Home

It's been a long time since I last posted on my little blog. A lot of unfortunate things have happened and a lot of fun things has happened.

I was admitted to the hospital 16 days ago for uncontrollable throwing up and another detail I'll spare you guys. It was supposed to be just an over night stay. And it ended up being a 16 day long roller coaster ride that seemed to have no end.

But I've learned which nurses I absolutely love and ones that I will forever request to stay the heck away from me.

I had an Oncologist for the first week who as wonderful and very cheery. He was LDS and we really liked him. But he couldn't figure out what was wrong with my sodium levels. ((This was the main reason why I was admitted to the hospital. My Sodium levels were extremely low and I was in danger of seizures or brain damage.)) I complained about my stomach hurting, but he said that was from constantly throwing up. He said I possibly could have SIADH which is a hormone that the brain regulates. He tried with all his might to keep things under control. Which he managed to do... through dehydration and not being able to eat food. That was torture.

The second Oncologist was from the Dominican Republican and was very quiet. When I told him about my stomach problems and another thing ((I'll save the details)) he ordered a CT scan and about four o'clock in the morning that nurses came in with pamphlets and yellow gowns. I had an infection and people now had to wear gowns and gloves when they entered the room. It wasn't because they were going to infect me or I was going to infect them. It was for other cancer patients. I was in isolation. This doctor helped my sodium levels and helped figured out what was wrong with me. But he was the one that made me have up and downs. I wanted to go home, and he wouldn't let me. I was frustrated and sad. Until they moved me from the smallest room to the biggest room. That helped my spirits.

And then I got my primary Oncologist. I begged him to send me home, I was doing well and was happy. Everything was good. But he had returned from a conference and learned that if a cancer patient was right on schedule for their second chemotherapy, and if their tumors decrease a certain percentage... I wouldn't have to do Radiation.

So we waited a day and then I started Chemo.

Now through his whole ordeal I have never been text book cancer patient. I mean... obviously my life wasn't fun enough that I had to be normal patient. But nooo I had to be the head scratcher.

Usually cancer patients going through Chemotherapy have a really hard time eating and have a terrible time with nausea. But this time around, I probably had only about a few moments where I felt nausea but I had an appetite. I was eating during this whole thing. Which is... bizarre. So I have a feeling this round of chemotherapy is going to be nice. And hopefully they'll continue to be nice. And not be a pain in the butt like they have been.

So even if you seem down and everything isn't going the way it's planned. Know it's going to make you a stronger person even if you don't know it at the time. You might not be able to see it, but others will.

Annika Severts.

Surprise?

I was just visited by two Elders of the Liberty Ward to check up on me spontaneously.

They were very nice and polite.

They came to see the mormons on the hospital with a list of peoples names.

The bald man looked at his list of names and looked at me.

"You just had a baby right?"

Gunnar and I started to laugh.

"No no no!! I have Cancer. But thanks for making me laugh."

I corrected him quickly.

Oh man.

I love awkward moments.

Annika Severts.

The Love of A Brother

Many people know and love my brothers. People tend to say they love Gunnar.

In this case, Gunnar is not the star of this little updated post.

A picture was texted to me from my brother Grant.

It was his red soccer shoes and told me to read what he had written on them.

I could not read it so I asked him to text me what it was.

"Right foot says, 'Annika'. Left foot says 'Dad.' In soccer my left foot guides me, like Dad. My right foot is my strength, because you are strong. May be cheesy but it keeps me focused."

I cried.

I love my brothers.

Annika Severts