My_Angle_Amy
07-27-2007, 02:32 AM
My daughter Amy was 2 weeks short of her 16th when she was diagnosed with AML. It was devestating, how could my beautiful active healthy girl have this horrible disease? She was amazing, she behaved with dignity through her entire ordeal.
We were told that her particular strain of AML was very aggressive so she would need 6 blocks of Chemo, with 6 week breaks in between for her to recover, and she need that recovery time, after the first lot of treatment she had ulcers from her mouth to her bottom and was in agony. She was given morphine for the pain ( after having to talk her into having it, because of a very real fear that she would become dependant) and a lot of panadol, plus other small things to help with the discomfort of the ulcers. Herhair began to fall out after about 3 weeks, she had beautiful long light brown hair and when it started to come out in clumps she just siad "Mum cut it off" she always was the stronger of the 2 of us.
After the 4th lot of treatment it became apparent that the Chemo was not working, and her Dr's said she needed and new treatment called Myltarg and that it had not been used a lot in Australia especially for Kids and they left it up to her to make the decision if she wanted to go ahead with treatment, as there were no gaurantees and it was a very agressive drug. It had been 6 months by now,and she was getting tired. She was undecided, she didnt want to spend the last of her life in hospital suffering, away from her family and friends only to die anyway. I told her that I would support her either decision she made as it was her life and even though I move move Heaven and Hell to keep her alive, it was her decision and I would respect it. Her father was a different matter. He hounded her, telling her that any chance was worth taking- she loved her Dad and didnt want to dissapoint him so she went ahead with treatment.
She had 2 weeks at home with us beforetreatment started again, and I am eternally greatfull for those last weeks we had at home.
She went back to the hospital with a posotive attitude and wanted to do whatever was needed to get better, because her boyfriend had asked her to marry him and she wanted to get married.
When we arrived theDr explained that he thought a Bone Morrow transplant as well as the Mylotarg would be her best option. So we had her 3 sisters tested and got 2 perfect matches. Her sister Laura was 13 months younger than herand wanted to do it. So all was prepared and the treatment went ahead, first the Mylotarg then the Chemo and Radiation for the Transplant.
Amystarted to feel "sick" after a few days, saying that she felt very strange in the stomache. She started to swell in the belly and thewhites of her eyes rent Red. She then started to get big red welts and love bite looking merks on her skin, they said it was because her kidneys werestarting to have trouble.
After a few more Daysshe started to vomit blood, it came all at once and her Naso gastric tube came out with it. It had a hugh clot around it and her feeling sick became a bit clearer for me. I will never forget the look of horror on her face at that monemt. It broke my heart.Then the blood was coming from both ends, it must have been horrible for my baby, having to wear a big nappy to stop all the blood from going everywhere.
The Dr's wantedto puther in Surgury to find where the blood was coming from,I think that Amy knew that she was Dying, she wanted to see her sisters and boyfriend before going into theater, we aal came to see her in the ICU before thearter and it was very sad. But Amy being Amy just said "can we just get this over with?" Those were thet last words I heard my daughter say. They couldnt remove the tube from her Asophagus as that was where it was bleding from, due to the way and the timing of insirting her Nason Gastric tube, it had gouged her Asophagus for about 1" and because she was so ill the bleeding just didnt stop.
She was in ICU on Life support for 2 days and her Kidneys and Liver just gave out. I finaly had to convince her Father and Boyfrienf that she was Brain dead and she didnt want to kept alive by machines. We decided to remove the air tubeand let nature take its course. She was pronouncedDeadat 8.25pm on 27th August 2005. It has been 2 years today as I write this, and every day I cures myself for not seeing the signs. But Ibelieve that she is in a better place and not suffering anymore.
She was my Angel from the Day she was born, and now she IS my ANGEL.
Annette
We were told that her particular strain of AML was very aggressive so she would need 6 blocks of Chemo, with 6 week breaks in between for her to recover, and she need that recovery time, after the first lot of treatment she had ulcers from her mouth to her bottom and was in agony. She was given morphine for the pain ( after having to talk her into having it, because of a very real fear that she would become dependant) and a lot of panadol, plus other small things to help with the discomfort of the ulcers. Herhair began to fall out after about 3 weeks, she had beautiful long light brown hair and when it started to come out in clumps she just siad "Mum cut it off" she always was the stronger of the 2 of us.
After the 4th lot of treatment it became apparent that the Chemo was not working, and her Dr's said she needed and new treatment called Myltarg and that it had not been used a lot in Australia especially for Kids and they left it up to her to make the decision if she wanted to go ahead with treatment, as there were no gaurantees and it was a very agressive drug. It had been 6 months by now,and she was getting tired. She was undecided, she didnt want to spend the last of her life in hospital suffering, away from her family and friends only to die anyway. I told her that I would support her either decision she made as it was her life and even though I move move Heaven and Hell to keep her alive, it was her decision and I would respect it. Her father was a different matter. He hounded her, telling her that any chance was worth taking- she loved her Dad and didnt want to dissapoint him so she went ahead with treatment.
She had 2 weeks at home with us beforetreatment started again, and I am eternally greatfull for those last weeks we had at home.
She went back to the hospital with a posotive attitude and wanted to do whatever was needed to get better, because her boyfriend had asked her to marry him and she wanted to get married.
When we arrived theDr explained that he thought a Bone Morrow transplant as well as the Mylotarg would be her best option. So we had her 3 sisters tested and got 2 perfect matches. Her sister Laura was 13 months younger than herand wanted to do it. So all was prepared and the treatment went ahead, first the Mylotarg then the Chemo and Radiation for the Transplant.
Amystarted to feel "sick" after a few days, saying that she felt very strange in the stomache. She started to swell in the belly and thewhites of her eyes rent Red. She then started to get big red welts and love bite looking merks on her skin, they said it was because her kidneys werestarting to have trouble.
After a few more Daysshe started to vomit blood, it came all at once and her Naso gastric tube came out with it. It had a hugh clot around it and her feeling sick became a bit clearer for me. I will never forget the look of horror on her face at that monemt. It broke my heart.Then the blood was coming from both ends, it must have been horrible for my baby, having to wear a big nappy to stop all the blood from going everywhere.
The Dr's wantedto puther in Surgury to find where the blood was coming from,I think that Amy knew that she was Dying, she wanted to see her sisters and boyfriend before going into theater, we aal came to see her in the ICU before thearter and it was very sad. But Amy being Amy just said "can we just get this over with?" Those were thet last words I heard my daughter say. They couldnt remove the tube from her Asophagus as that was where it was bleding from, due to the way and the timing of insirting her Nason Gastric tube, it had gouged her Asophagus for about 1" and because she was so ill the bleeding just didnt stop.
She was in ICU on Life support for 2 days and her Kidneys and Liver just gave out. I finaly had to convince her Father and Boyfrienf that she was Brain dead and she didnt want to kept alive by machines. We decided to remove the air tubeand let nature take its course. She was pronouncedDeadat 8.25pm on 27th August 2005. It has been 2 years today as I write this, and every day I cures myself for not seeing the signs. But Ibelieve that she is in a better place and not suffering anymore.
She was my Angel from the Day she was born, and now she IS my ANGEL.
Annette