Taking Care of Mom: A Letter To Mayo Patient Affairs About

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

A Letter To Mayo Patient Affairs About

To: Mayo Clinic Office of Patient AffairsFrom: Joanna Ammons- daughter of patient Baidwatie Lecoin
My Mother had been hospitalized for three weeks as of 6/13/06.She was facing the possibility of having a below knee amputation on her right foot.I was overcome with worry and seeking alternative resources to regain circulation in her feet to opt for a less drastic surgical alternative to preserve her leg and keep her ambulatory.To my suprise, I learned through, Dr. John Filip( Bryn Mawr Hospital, PA)That under my nose was the safe haven I had been so desperately seeking.Dr. Thom Rooke, Cardiovascular Chair ( Gonda 4 South), has state of the art resources available in the Circulator Boot Clinic. His wonderful nurse,Cindy Felty and his excellent staff Jim, Tanya, and Sandy took care of her needs immediately. This was most miraculous since my initial contact occured on a Sunday ( the holiday weekend) July, 2nd. Since my mother has been treated in this department, a marked improvement has been noticed in her right foot and healty tissue is observable.
My only wish is that this resource was made known to me directly by the residents/staff that had previously treated her at St. Mary's from the onset of her blue toe syndrome back in April of 2006. She had some boot therapy at St. Mary's in April but, this was no where on the eqivocal level of resources and education provided by Dr. Thom Rooke and his staff. I had to make phone calls practically around the world to find out about Dr. Thom Rooke. When in fact, my mother had been a patient here at Mayo and no one I spoke with here had been " in the know" about the remarkable happenings in the Circulator Boot Clinic. In fact, the more I asked, the more I was discouraged from investigating. I was even told, " You probably wouldn't get in any way, he is always full."Yes, Dr. Rooke is remarkably busy. We are fortunate that he made the time to work my mother into his department. His optimism and his ability to do whatever it takes to help her is most outstanding.
My goal is to utlize my resources as a writer to spread the word about this team.
I have several plans in motion which include a website journalizing her care and to write articles for print.
I will update you as to the progress of my endeavors in this area.You will find that I can be extremely tenacious in sharing my joy with the world, as to my mother's progress under the care of Dr. Thom Rooke and his terrific staff.
I would like to close this letter by stating. I have observed the amazing way that Dr. Thom Rooke, Cindy Felty, Jim, Tanya and Sandy have shown excellence in giving care in this department. They help so many people every day. I admire their devotion to this treatment. I can only hope that Mayo Clinic will give these individuals the special attention they deserve.
Respectfully,
J.M. Ammons

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Thank You Mayo Women's Heart Health Clinic - Rochester MN

Our First journey to Mayo Clinic was on 5/17/2004.
My mother had a low ejection fraction. She needed to receive a cardiac clearance to be placed on the kidney transplant list.
Her doctors in the Womens Heart Clinic at Mayo, helped her to feel well again and her recent electrocardiogram results shows good results.
My mother was blessed with being assigned to Dr. Sharonne Hayes and her assistant and Nurse Practicioner, Dalene Bott- Kittslaar.
In "Taking Care Of Mom", it is described in detail how Dr. Hayes helped improve my mother's heart function. She made it possible for her to be well to be placed on the kidney transplant list. We are forever greatful for knowing her and Dalene.
We would like to thank the following doctors who particpated in the care of her heart:
Dr. Sharonne Hayes,
Dalene Bott-Kittslaar( nurse practicioner and assistant to Dr. Hayes), Dr. Raymond Shields, Dr. Amy Williams.
My mother had 3 angiograms at St. Mary's Mayo Hospital. The doctors and nursing team there give superior care and were extremely attentive to her.
Dr. Raymond Shields helped care for my mother when she has a blood clot in her right hand and helped her to save her fingers when a hospital in Illinois wanted to remove them.
Dr. Amy Williams helped us through many difficulties with dialysis and dealing with the many mysteries of end stage renal disease. Her intervention helped my mother to feel better while on dialysis.

Thank You Circulator Boot Corporation

Thank You
Joe Mackowski
Maggie Macguiren Of Circulator Boot Corporation

You didn't know me from Adam, yet,you took all the time in the world to help a total stranger calling you from off the internet to help save her mother from an amputation.
You helped point me in the right direction.
You educated me about The Circulator Boot
( http://www.circulatorboot.com/).

You helped refer
me to:
Dr. Thom W. Rooke, Dr. Steven J. Kavros, Dr. John Filip (Bryn Mawr Hospital Philadephia), Dr. Horowitz ( Diabetic Foot Clinic, Jacksonville Florida).

You work so hard each day to help people save their life and limb. My goal is to tell every doctor I meet about how wonderful you are.

Another intregal part of her foot open wound healing was
Mist Therapy by Celleration Inc. (www.Celleration.com) .

Thank You Mayo Gonda 4 Circulation Boot Department

We wish to thank Dr. Thom W. Rooke,
Head Section of Vascular Medicine Gonda Vascular Center, Krehbiel Professor of Vascular Medicine Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.

We also wish to thank Dr. Steven J. Kavros, Associate Professor, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.

Thanks to their intervention her two toe amputation has almost completely healed through circulation boot therapy and MIST Therapy by Celleration, Inc (www.Celleration.com) . She was formerly a candidate for a below knee amputation. We decided against having amputation.

Dr. Rooke and Dr. Kavros has carefully monitored and cared for my mother. Each day as I see her foot, I feel blessed to know she has two great doctors treating her. They have helped save her leg.

They have a wonderful team working in the circulation boot therapy room dedicated to helping people.

We wish to thank many of the team members.

Cindy Felty( Nurse and Assistant to Dr. Rooke),Tanya Oberg(physical therapist), James Ross(physical medicine technician, Steve Hanna( physical therapist,Sandy Wood, Linda Koski, Andrea Bradford, Sarah Ferdin, Melissa Redig. We have not yet named all of the team members. Please check back for more names to be added to this list.

We wish to thank Mary Ellen Easley for her excellent follow-up of monitoring my mother's coumadin levels.
This is essential with preventing further blood clots.
We also wish to thank Paul Denziel ( Charlton 9) of the infectious disease divsion. He followed my mother closely in the beginning, monitoring her white blood cell count and her antibiotics which helped with infection control while her wound was healing.

Why I created this page.

I built this page to spread the word about caring for a mother with several complex health issues, My mother has cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, diabetes, blood thinning issues, and is a kidney transplant recipient as of 12/14/05. Since her illnesses onset in fall of 2003. I have worked diligently to advocate for proper medical care. Being from Chicago,Illinois a place with 8 teaching hospitals. We chose to leave to go several states away to Mayo Clinic
( Rochester, MN).

In Illinois we had nothing but medical heart ache and dealt with medical service providers who had little or no answers.

Illinois had too poorly trained phelebotismists and nurses making egregious errors that almost killed my mother.

I can breathe easier having her medical care at Mayo Clinic. Visiting Mayo speaks for itself. It is crowded year round, through rain sleet or snow. The license plates of people driving from all over the United States and the buses carrying people from all over the world to the clinic.

I do not want for anyone to endure the suffering we have been through. Do not let an inexperienced doctor tell you that you have to accept a droppping heart ejection fraction. You do not have to have doctors constantly tell you with coldness " Well your kidney has already failed so the drugs won't harm you."

You deserve to be treated like you are going to live instead of being treated like you are going to die.

I am passionate about bird dogging big pharma and AMA to be treated with being presented with all of my options, not just the options that my insurance will cover.

In addition we fought to avoid a below knee amputation. We learned that amputation is not a sole option. You have other options to save your leg. Research, learn and advocate.