10-06-09 I went with Kecia to her appointments yesterday and it broke my heart to see what she goes through just to make sure that she wakes up to another day. Before her body can be pushed back into the machine that shoots radiation to the cancer site, her head must first be positioned exactly right. From her chest up she is strapped down on the table. Her shoulders are secured tightly so that she can't move even a fraction of an inch. A large mask (I will call it for lack of a better word) that is as deep as her head is strapped tightly over her face and then secured to the table. It only takes about 15-20 minutes to complete the actual radiation, but it ends each day with Kecia in a full blown panic attack. She can hardly breath, and she is helpless to move to a position that would allow her to take deeper breaths. They administered a medication to help with anxiety, but she is shaking and dripping with sweat when they are done. The tech said that it is so tramatic that children are automatically put under for the daily procedure. It broke my heart to see her so exhausted and terrified!
The radiologist reported that there were no other cancer tumors in her body. Praise God! They did blood work to determine if there is estrogen still being produced inspite of her "menapause shot". If there is, that will explain how the ones in her brain were able to grow. Also, they definatly want to switch her to a different chemo since it did not stop the growth. If there is estrogen in her body she will have to get an ovarectomy (remove the ovaries), but Kecia has decided that regardless of the results she wants them removed. In fact, she would like a complete hysterectomy unless there is a good medical reason why she should keep the uterus. She meets with the GYN-oncologist next week to discuss and schedule that surgery.
She has also decided to go forward with the Trial Study if she is accepted. They said they will not take her is she is using the menapause shot, but they will if she has her ovaries removed. She is applying for the study now but will not know until a few days before if she is actually qualified. There are alot of things that can happen at the last minute that could disqualify her. (low blood counts, hospitalization, sickness)
You may be thinking "well, Kecia has definatly decided to continue with treatment" and physically she has, but emotionally she is not committed to her recovery. She is in a serious state of depression. When given "good" news, it's as if it doesn't really register to her. I believe she is in constant fear and it is consuming her. Please pray for Kecia's emotional and spiritual peace and resolve. I am praying that God will help Kecia find the inner strength and fight that she is known for. I am praying that He will surround her with His presence and pour peace all around her.

Trial Study

10-02-09 Kecia has decided to once again fight and not give in to the cancer that keeps attacking her body. She now faces another very important decision. Her doctors think that she will qualify for a new trial study of a certain chemo pill. The pros would be that it is supposed to target cancer on the brain and it would be taken orally rather than through IV. The cons are that it has not yet proven itself and is still in the trial stages and that she would have to have no treatments for 2 weeks before she could begin. This would mean giving the cancer 2 extra weeks to spread and grow without even knowing if the treatment will work. She will be told on Monday if she qualifies. She needs to know by then if she is going to do it or stick to her more traditional methods. If she does not enter the trial, her doctor has another chemo that he hopes will supress the cancer and that she will not be resistant to. She is so scared of making the wrong decision. It is little more than a guess one way or another. We were only able to speak on the phone for a few minutes while she was between scans so I don't know if there is more info or if that is all she has to make her decision with. She asked that I send out an urgent request asking everyone to pray that God will speak to her in a way that she can understand and help her make the best decision. She should also have the results of her full body scan by Monday afternoon to determine whether the cancer is contained in her brain or if it has spread elsewhere. Please keep praying about that as well.

Bald but Beautiful

10-1-09 Kecia's mom just called me and said that they have taken Kecia's measurements and will do her first radiation treatment in about an hour. Both she and Kecia were crying. Her doctor talked to her about the side effects of radiation on the brain. She should expect to have severe headaches, nausea, severe fatigue, and 100% hair loss. Only two weeks ago she started going in to work a few hours a week and joined the Bible study where she is developing new friendships. She commented that it finally felt like she was getting her life back. She bought a few nice skirts, has long hair again (even if it isn't her own) and was trying to get back in shape. Realizing that she is starting over is so painful for her. Thank you all for you constant prayer. We have seen God work a miracle for Kecia once. Let's ask Him to do it again. I am praying for complete recovery from cancer!

9-30-09

Kecia has 4 small spots of cancer on the back of her brain. Her doctor believes that they are new since they are so small which means her body has developed resistence to the chemo (Herceptin). They are scheduling scans ASAP to see if there are more in other parts of her body. They want her to start radiation tomorrow which will continue anywhere from 3-7 weeks. She would then start an oral chemo for an undetermined amount of time. She can expect to be very sick and loose her hair again. She is very concerned about work and insurance. She was recently given a new position at work since she has been feeling so good, but it requires her to come in several times a week. She doesn't have enough "at home work" to make the hours needed. She is on her way to speak with her boss now. She can not afford to loose this job or she will be uninsureable. Her immediate response is that she will begin treatment because of her parents. She says that if she could be sure that her mom would be alright she would choose not to treat. It is possible that this is just a detour along God's road to full recovery. For that reason, she considers treating. But she knows that it may not be in His plan to cure her. If she could know that, she would choose not to treat. Please pray that God gives her clarity as she makes this huge decision.

Cancer Again?

Kecia went in last week and had a scan done of her brain because she had been having pain and pressure for several days. She got a call while at work a few minutes ago saying that she needs to come talk with the doctor because they see something on the scans. They say there is a small chance that it is not cancer, but they feel pretty sure that it is. She is on her way there now. She left straight from work and is going to talk with the doctors by herself. I encouraged her to go pick up Grandad or her mom but she insisted on going alone so she can speak candidly without worrying about anyone elses reaction. Please pray fervently for Kecia. That it is not cancer, or if so, that it is treatable and that God comforts her and speaks clearly to her as she once again faces difficult decisions. She kept saying "This can't be happening..I can't do this again!" Please pray for her mental and emotional strenghth. I will update as soon as I know something.

Infection update

9-13-09 Kecia made it in to work for a few hours this week...her first time back in a very long time. She was still struggling to beat the infection in her breast so she was not feeling great physically, but mentally and emotionally it was wonderful for her. She called me on the way home and said "I know it's not a big deal to anyone else, and it really sounds little, but I feel so good. I know I do work at home too, but it just feels more productive when I do it there with everyone else." She plans on going in for a couple half days this week too and hopefully it will just become standard procedure until she is able to go back on a larger scale. She battled a virus for about 3 days following her trip into work but is feeling much better now. She was already taking a pretty strong antibiotic for the breast infection so it probably helped to keep it under control. Her doctor says she is still on target for her mid-December reconstruction surgery so that is good news. She would like to hurry up and get that behind her.
We met some of the girls in our new Bible study this weekend and it was really nice. We are both looking forward to that.
It's so nice to be able to tell you the good news and not follow it up with anything else. Have a great week and don't forget to thank God for all the little blessings in your life! It's amazing how many I notice now on a regular basis that I didn't really think about until Kecia's diagnosis.
Jen

Hello Strangers

It's been a long time but I know you are still out there. Just a little update and another prayer request for Kecia. She is scheduled to have her breast reconstruction done in mid December. Over the past week she has been experiencing alot of pain in her right breast. It has been increasing over the past few days and she has also had a low fever and been feeling extra tired. This looks alot like the infection that was raging through that same breast when they went in to re-do her port several months ago. She has an appointment Wednesday morning. If it is infected they will try to take care of it with antibiotics. If that doesn't work they may have to go in and red0 her shield on that side. This would delay her reconstruction surgery and add another recovery to her list. Please pray that it can be taken care of without surgery and that things move along as planned. Kecia is very anxious to get back to "normal" and would love to have your prayers to help her avoid this speed bump. Thank you all for being so faithful.
PS Kecia, her mom, and I are supposed to meet all the ladies in our new Bible study group on Friday. She is really wanting to go so please pray that she will feel well enough to have a little fun.