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Veteran's Affairs Plus discusses the issues that veterans in Las Vegas deal with on a daily basis. Your host, David L. Washington connects listeners with relevant community resources and information that they need to help veterans or themselves.
Speaker 1 0:00
This is a Kun V studios original program. You're listening to special programming sponsored by making moves, life coaching services. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 jazz and more the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education. You
Speaker 2 0:42
what's going on good day Las
Speaker 3 0:48
Vegas. This is Veterans Affairs, plus song 91.5 jazz and more. I'm Dave Washington, your host, and I have a couple of guests that I'll properly introduce shortly. Got a few announcements. Of course, can't cry over spilled milk. The election is over. 47 will come in, and trust me, there will be some hurt going on. And I only wish that people had take heed to those of us who were study trying to promote the importance of checking out and reviewing and studying project 2025 but it is what it is. There will be some hurt. I certainly want to thank former fire chief Eugene Campbell for setting in for me a couple shows during October when I was still down in Houston, getting myself squared away. And to that, I still want to say thank you, and I had Wes to put in. Frankie Beverly, I want to thank you to one of the previous shows, because I certainly think the many people to include daughters like Joyce and others Amber, they all were praying for me. We have friends. And as I mentioned on one show, had one relative, which I will not disclose her name or his name unless I was told to do so, but paid for airline tickets for six family members to include me and Marcia. So that was because the thing that we're embarking upon in terms of my health is it's very, very expensive. You know, even though we're not poor by a long shot, but boy. And then the other day, my neighbor, who encouraged me to join the fire department, she brought a card by and a couple dollars from her and her husband, Dorothy and Lacey. Thank you so much, and I'll get a card to you thanking you. And then George Bucha Turner came by and said, Take your wife to lunch. Man, you been through some struggle, and George is not well himself. So these kinds of things that people do for you make you feel so, so good about the fact that you are amongst the living and a fellow human being who believes in looking out for all of mankind, all of God's people, and it's just been part of my character. And I know on one Saturday night when Angel was in town down in Houston, they were telling me to stop doing this and stop doing it. I told her, and Martian and the rest of the family, I am not going to change my character. Y'all know I'm I'm always a person who's been busy and moving and you know when you sit down, and I've seen when I started my career in 1977 in Las Vegas Fire Department, now Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, there were guys who would die after two years of retirement because they, I think they were just laying around on the couch and didn't have nothing to get actively involved in. So anyway, so much for all that, but I do thank and appreciate God for His guidance through this matter and and so pleased that they were able to get everything taken care of and in in that vein, I certainly want to acknowledge the fact that April, our oldest daughter told me that this week, this month, I should say, is pantriatic Cancer month. So in honor of that, I thought I'd have some people to come on the show, and we talk about a few things. But before I do that, I certainly want to express condolences to the family of Quincy Jones, that that musical icon that we lost just a short while ago, and earlier this week, the family of Stephen striker was in town to memorialize him. And Steve was a great guy, American, American Legion Post member, as well as member of the elk. So that brother has gone on to the other side, he is now an ancestor, but certainly we will not forget the work that he did while here on earth. Then I want to acknowledge, and I don't have specific names, unfortunately, but all of those who are celebrating birthdays in the month of November certainly want to wish you all. Happy Birthday. On behalf of myself and my family, with that, I'm going to introduce the guests, starting out with Amber Armageddon and Joyce, please properly pronounce your name, because I don't want to
Unknown Speaker 5:16
butcher it. Joyce, lafayne,
Speaker 3 5:18
Lavine, all right, yeah, all right. Joyce, why don't you start give us a little bit of background on yourself, if you would?
Speaker 4 5:27
Okay? My name is Joyce lafayne, and I live in Dallas, Texas. I'm a registered nurse. I work from home. I my specialty right now is case management. I've gone away from the bedside. So I work with patients with discharge from the hospital. I call them on the phone, do an assessment, and then assist them with any care needs that they might have, be it medications, just equipment, whatever they may need to help them with that transition from the hospital back at home. So just, you know, the nutshell is trying to prevent readmission. So I do like medication reconciliation, just making sure that everything they need before, you know, because sometimes when you are at the hospital, you you are sort of dropped off, like with all the pain meds when you're being discharged, you don't remember anything. So that's where we come once you get home, we have a 24 hour window turn around to call patients and educate them on the safe discharge plan. Yeah. So that's that's what I do
Speaker 3 6:36
as a nurse. God bless you. That's admirable work, and I can tell you that without my family, in fact, I didn't. I didn't even want them to come down to Houston that our children, the three the three girls and the boys, but I am pleased that they did come, because they was able to help me. Will help Marsha more than me, to get me moving around, etc, etc, because this when, when they cut into your body, it is quite something. And in that vein, I'm going to have in the show for next week, I'm going to have my surgeon, Dr Jessica Maxwell, will be on, and I'm going to ask her to kind of lay out, in layman's terms, very simple terms, whipple surgery, and what's that's all about. So Amber, give us a little indication on you, and we'll come back to you. Joyce, go ahead,
Unknown Speaker 7:27
Amber, thank you.
Speaker 5 7:30
I'm the youngest daughter of marsh and David Washington, and I'm married to Nathan. I have three kids and a cat. Son, stay at home, mom. So that's one reason why I was definitely able to come out and be with you as long as I was during this surgery,
Speaker 3 7:53
and it was absolutely greatly appreciated. Joyce, what do you know? And I know that I don't know what your specific discipline in as far as a registered nurse, but I would imagine that cancer patients could be a part of your venue. Okay, so share some of your thoughts on some of the care that is given to in particular, as we honor pancreatic cancer with our listening audience, some of those thoughts or things that people have to do in transition
Speaker 4 8:32
or in transition. Yes. So usually when patients get home after such a surgery, I normally come in with making sure they're following the right discharge plan, be it liquid diet, be it blunt diet, because when you have that type of surgery, pancreatic cancer surgery, it's pretty invasive. They're going out, you know, almost everything, yes, yeah, they may take out many organs. So it's pretty extensive with with that, with that type of surgery, you're probably they are limited to what type of things they can eat and how long. So I normally Educate to eat small diet, small meals. Educate and diet on liquid if based on so I usually work with whatever the discharge plan from the hospital is. So if patients usually there's no one for all discharge plan, I review the discharge record, then I educate patients based on what the discharge plan is from the hospital. So if a patient is going home with liquid diet, I make sure they are beyond clear fluid, maybe anything clear water, teas, things that are clear, not, you know, real meals right. Then, when the transition from liquid diet to to food. To, you know, solid food. I usually because with this type of with pancreatic cancer, there's lots of appetite, there's weight loss. So those are pretty much, those are, like the two of the major symptoms that I know. It's called late. Usually it's detected late, but poor appetite and weight loss are one of the major symptoms that are detected.
Speaker 3 10:27
Yes, and you don't need and you know, Joyce. Yes, sir, I keep going around around with my family about, you know, my appetite, my appetite is fine. I do want to eat, but when you can't taste it, it's like, it's like criminal for me to be under this condition. Oh, my goodness, man, what the heck. Because when you can't taste your food, and people get telling me, why don't you try something? And I do this as well, something that you remember the taste of and that you like. So right now, and I know part of the the issue with with me and others, and I want to get your thoughts on this too, is diet. And when they assign me a dietitian early on, I'm looking at 85% of the stuff that we eat we shouldn't be eating, to include processed foods. So there's a sandwich I like at a particular Well, Port of Subs. I'm not getting any money from them for mentioning their name, but I like their I like that turkey sandwich, and I can tell you that give me half the turkey that you generally would give. Give me more lettuce and tomato, onions. What's that little pepper, pepper, Chino, pepper, Chino, yeah. And then I do the combination mustard, mayonnaise and oh my goodness, oh no. Tell you guys a quick story. We went down to the to the retirees firefighter deal down in Chandler, Arizona this past weekend. Gene Campbell drove, drove us down. Anyway, I see what's the what's the hamburger joint? Gosh. Anyway, I like their turkey burger. So I tell little lady, I don't want any mail, mustard and ketchup, everything else. Get to my friend's truck. All I had was meat, mustard, ketchup and bread. I'm like, where's the rest of the stuff? I said, Do people even listen to you when you're making an order? But anyway, but yeah, diet, diet is, diet is, is really, really something. So
Speaker 4 12:33
it's a big one diet, diet can definitely be a big contributor to, you know, the risk for cancer. So processed foods, I are one of the biggest corporate because you have things like daily meat, bacon, hot dogs, those are all things that you know are highly processed because they have to put stuff in it to make it stay shelf line to keep for so long. So I really educate patients. Stay away from processed food. Stay away from sweetness, artificial sweeteners, cured meat, pickled stuff, things that be heavily processed, because you don't know how it affects. So in a nutshell, it's plant based, plant based diet, lean meat and fish. That's really what
Speaker 3 13:21
you know, Joyce, as you mentioned, sweets, I look out at my sweet tooth wife, as I peered through to see her, I wish she was anywhere she could hear about, oh, she said she can hear me. Yes, she loves sweets. And then try to claim I do. Yeah, right. So Amber, I want you to come in now and talk about the care and any any thoughts that you have in terms of dealing with me as your father and as a patient, and I, you know, I'm transparent, you know, like I told you me saying, you know, you was like, you might just dog me out. I'm okay with that, because it is what it is and how I would as a patient. It's true. It's true to itself. You know, you can run, but you can't have so give us some thoughts. Amber, share that with our listening audience, if you would.
Speaker 5 14:13
Well, prior to the diagnosis, we knew that you would always clown and do all that stuff to all of us. But like, once you found out and everything, it was both the same. Like, I think you would get frustrated about some things and get very snappy with us. But like, while you were in the hospital, I didn't have a problem, but you were fine, you know, you were, you were you were chill, you know, you still did what you were supposed to do, even though you were doing too many little dance moves for me. But, um, you were, you were okay while you were in the hospital, but once you got out, I after probably, like the second day I was ready to go home. I'm like, he's. He snapping. I'm just asking a small little question, and he just like, frustrated. Don't want to hear what you got to say. So I was, I was like, Look, at first I was ready to leave the house, but I was like, I'm ready to go back home because he trying to cut my head off and ain't even and I'm just trying to think about, I'm trying to help him, but I think it's just just the frustration of you knowing what you're capable of, but you can't do it. And just like, you know, you in the taste buds and all that kind of stuff you it's just like, not normal for you, and that's a process that's just going, you know, gonna have to learn how to deal with so we can't get mad. We we can be like, a little bit like we didn't do this. Like, don't take it out on us, but we know you don't mean it, right? But it was like, Oh my gosh. Like, dang. Like, we don't even want to go around daddy, because we know we gonna say something. He gonna we didn't snap and bit our head off, and we gonna be bleeding and everything else. But for the most part, you know, we all stuck it out. I don't know ray, ray didn't say anything. April didn't really say anything, but me and Angel and Mama, we was all like, oh Lord. Like, how much longer?
Speaker 5 16:22
But I do want to say I'm so grateful for Maggie. For Joyce, introducing me to Maggie, which is Bernard, his Maggie's Joyce's sister in law, where she came and prayed for you in the hospital. So shout out to Maggie. She was great. I'm like, Thank You, Jesus for Maggie, very anointed. Very anointed. I think that definitely helps while we were, while you were in the hospital.
Speaker 3 16:48
Oh, no doubt, no doubt. In fact, I tried to invite her to a function at a at a friend's house, a former chief Danny Smith. We tried to get her to come, but her and her husband had something going and couldn't come. Come over. But I really wanted to show my appreciation to her. Made sure we got several the nurses to include her some tea cakes. I got them a book that I wrote a few years back. And no, she's a very, very powerful praying young lady that certainly it makes you feel better when people care about you that really don't know you, that just know something about your character through others, your children and and the friends of your children like you joy. So no, I, you know, I really appreciate all the love. But one thing that that was causing me a lot of consternation was was my family contradict. I can't even say, say the word right? Look, it was causing me issues. No, no, no. It was causing me issues because they were smothering me with a lot of love and care. And I'm not, you know, I'm one of these. I'm one of these kind of guys, even, even when I was working, I don't need my boss to stroke me every day. Some people need constant stroking. I don't, I don't. I don't like being smothered, even though I know it was done in love. I mean, come on, y'all, y'all all over me, and they want to buy me this. They want to buy me. They buying stuff that I ain't gonna eat, I ain't gonna touch, and, oh my goodness, I got a note coming in. So maybe I'm not, maybe I'm doing something wrong. But anyway, Joyce, give some further thoughts of your opinion with respect to some of the things Amber mentioned, as far as me as a patient, and some of the things I guess I did in terms of how I was carrying on to some extent, if you would,
Speaker 4 18:42
yeah, I would say, I mean, of course, any patient that's going through cancer, it's, it's, it's difficult on its own, just the fear, the anxiousness, the because you don't know tomorrow, you don't know. So I would all those, all those behaviors are expected, and it's our place as the caregivers to be patient, support, be present, and just overall, be loving towards the patient and just be there, because you don't what the patient is going through. They could be going through phases of depression, anxiety, all of these feelings, like it's, it's a very overwhelming feeling for most patients. So usually I would with my cancer patients, I would add them with the we call it a cancer body, where you can somebody who has gone through your same type of cancer and more, it's, of course, in remission, somebody who has gone through it that way. When you have struggles, you call them. So I normally pair patients with like cancer bodies. It's just something that we do some extra thing because they understand better than your family members who just think you're
Speaker 3 19:56
right, yeah. Well, let me, let me say this, Joyce and I. Been voluntold to speak to about the other nurses besides Maggie. The nurses at MD Anderson were, they were tremendous. They, you know, they they absorbed and they threw back at me when I was, you know, making jokes and stuff. Because, one example, you know, after the surgery, they get you up the next day. So these, these two Asian nurses, Asian? No, they were Indian from, from India. Okay? And these cats came in, and I said, Who are you? They said, Well, we're your nurses, and we're here to get you up. I said, What time y'all supposed to get me up to walk? They say, 830 I say, What's 727? Get out of my room. And they looked at me like I was crazy. I said, gentlemen, I'm just joking. I'm just joking. So they broke down and started laughing too. But no, the nurses, there was a one young Hispanic young lady, and one, she was black, but I think she's from some country in Africa as well. And boy, they was throwing it back on me, man, because I was jigging at him, and it was, they were slapping me back, you know, all in fun, because I just felt like, you know, as much as pain, as much pain. And one thing I always try to fight off me, you mentioned depression. And there's times don't trust me that try to get in my head. I'm like, nope. And I had a friend, he's deceased now. He, he had, he kind of schooled me and coached me on the whole matter of whipple surgery. And he had it, and I don't know to this day where he is was, but I'm thinking it must have been inside of his pancreas where mine initially thought it was inside of it. And they assigned one, one surgeon. Then they come back. They say, No, yours in the head. So we got to sign you another surgeon. Okay, whatever that means. So they feel they got it. And from all pathologic, pathology reports, blood tests, etc, etc, they got it. But still, I got to go through another round of chemo here in Las Vegas. Then I go back for another assessment. Then after that, I got to go down there quarterly for the next two years. And I understand I told them I got to do what I got to do, but they want to ensure that if it comes back, they get, want to get, get on it right away. Yeah, so, so Amber, some further thoughts on you know, you're saying that I was roughing y'all up.
Speaker 5 22:24
Yes, father, but like I said, we're used to that. But this was a different a whole different type, a whole different type. I even more on Chris when, you know, we got back, I was like, Chris, because he was like, I'm gonna be talking to Papa. I'm trying to talk to No, I think no, he calls you daddy. He's like, I'm gonna talk to daddy. You know, I said, Chris, watch out. Everybody was on alert because we just didn't know. Because sometimes, you know, when we think everything is smooth, then you be ready to snap again. So, but you know, like, like Joyce said, we don't know what you're dealing with. And you know, we just gotta take it day by day, and know that you don't mean it. It just is, is what you're going through right now. So, and I know you can't explain it, right, right?
Speaker 3 23:17
Well, this is Veterans Affairs, plus on 91.5 jazz more I got Joyce, my play daughter and my daughter blood daughter Amber on the line, and we're talking about the issue that I've had with pancreatic cancer. This is pancreatic cancer month, so I thought it would be a good thing to have some guests on to talk about that. So I really appreciate you guys. I know we got more time yet. So any other thoughts you want to share, Joyce, in regards to some of what you do. And let me ask you this, Joyce, I would imagine, I would imagine that you have a level in terms of a number of patients that you're assigned to deal with on a given basis.
Speaker 4 23:56
Absolutely, yes, sir. So we get assigned based on how many patients discharged from the hospital we could get up to say between 10 to 20, yes, a day to call, but that's based on the census. So if we have a lot more patient discharge on a given day, you get more patients to your roster, right? And if you get, if there's less, if there are less patients being discharged, then you get, so it just fluctuates. It's not like a given, a given number. So then you call and you, you know, assist them as needed based on their discharge plan.
Speaker 3 24:36
So their, your interaction with them is every other day, daily, or what's, what's the status on that house? Oh, yes,
Speaker 4 24:45
yes. So when the discharge, I have 24 hours to give them a call, and then if I get them on the phone, that's good, because then I could do all my educational pieces and all of that, and get them, you know, on the school i. A place, but if I don't get them, I call them three days in a row, that's what just so we do everything in our power to get those patients so we can at least assist them between day one and day three, when they get back home, just to make sure they're taking their medications correctly, make sure pain is under control, you know, just certain symptoms that they could feel like, oh my goodness, I need to get to the emergency room ASAP. Those are things that, if I call and they tell me, like, Hey, you just had, say, a knee surgery, and you are having sweat, something that's not, we're told in the hospital, but because you were on pain meds, you did not know what needed. You didn't understand what the nurses they were saying, I could come now and reinforce right?
Speaker 3 25:44
So, so your interaction with them is purely with the patient. Or do you sometimes get get family members on the line as well? Yes, sir,
Speaker 4 25:52
yes, I do get family members on the line as well. So, you know, patients sometimes would be fair that I speak to the spouse or the kids, or they could put me on speaker phone, and then I will get permission from the patient to make sure it's big while those members, family members are present. So yeah, so it's okay. Yes, sir.
Speaker 3 26:11
All right. So we got about three minutes. Amber, what I want you to do is just kind of provide to our listening audience any thoughts, any suggestions you would have if they have a family member that's going through the turmoil of dealing with with cancer of any of any sort,
Speaker 5 26:29
I would just say to be patient with them and to pray with them, just to try to reassure that the Lord is in control at all times, and just try to keep their spirits lifted, that the Lord will see them through. And no matter what, they'll be there with them. Just stand by them.
Speaker 3 26:50
And I would add, I would add, and don't look at whoever the patient is, your father, your mother, your one of your relatives. Don't look at him with a crazy face like my wife and my daughter would do to me. They would look at me like,
Speaker 5 27:04
you need to interview Marsha, your mama or your wife. I mean, you need that. So you need to be on the show, because she'll tell a whole different story real.
Speaker 3 27:12
I'll be trying to get on the show different times, but she, you know, she tries act bashful. So any closing remarks from both of you? We got about, probably about two and a half three minutes,
Speaker 4 27:23
yeah, I would go ahead. Amber, no, no, no, you go first. I'll go ahead. No, I wanted to say I would echo what Amber said about, you know, being patient with patients going through any type of cancer, because it really is scary. It's, to me, it's one of the most scary, if not the scariest disease. Mm, hmm, because there's no set like, Oh, you'll be cured in two months. You never know. You can even get cured. You get you go on remission. And then it comes back to that uncertainty itself, right food state at a very, you know, helpless state of mind all the time. So as caregivers, as nurses, will come in. We just have to leave their spirit up and echo what Amber said, pray with them. Be patient with them. Be there for them, to shower them with love and just, you know, just depends with them,
Unknown Speaker 28:24
right? Amber,
Speaker 5 28:27
yeah, I just want to say, I'm proud of you, daddy. You You fought, you've continued to fight, because you were a fighter from day one, and you're, you're beating cancer's, but you know, so I'm proud of you, and I know everyone else is that you know you weren't going to let this get you down, and you stay true to your word.
Speaker 3 28:47
Well, I thank you guys so much, so very much for being on the show. And again, next week, we're going to have Dr Jessica Maxwell, who was my surgeon, and also daughter Angel Washington, who was down as well down assisting Marcia with my care. So again, thank you guys so very much. This is Veterans Affairs, plus on 91.5 jazz and more certainly want to thank Wes who always keeps me on point. Have a great day, and We'll talk next week. You
Outro Song 29:51
Dave, all the smoke in the air till they hate when they stare, all the pain that we bear, all you wear.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai