MRI results

Kecia got the results from her MRI and it looks good. If you remember, there were two legions outside the gamma radiation box that they were unable to treat. They were hoping that the radiation would still affect those areas since they were very close but wanted to watch them to be sure. When they did the MRI, they found that one of the two was completely gone. The other, is still there, and showing no changes. Her doctor isn't sure if it went untreated or if it was treated and dead but still showing up. They only way they could know for sure is to do a biopsy which they don't plan to do. So, they are going to do an MRI every two months to monitor it for changes. If it gets smaller they will know it is dead and shrinking, if it gets larger they will know it is resistent to the chemo and they will treat it with radiation again.
Our Bible study was praying for Kecia and her side effects last week. We specifically singled out her problem with myopothy (sorry about the spelling), restless leg, and pain in her legs. We are happy to report that she is having no problems with her legs this time around. I'm thinking we should have targeted the nausea as well, because she isn't able to keep anything down other than oatmeal. After seven days of oatmeal for every meal you can imagine how badly she would love ANYTHING else! She is going in everyday for infusion as that helps her body stay hydrated. She will see her doctor later this week to see if they stay the course or change things up a bit due to the last MRI.

1-24-10

I'm not sure if I told you this or not, but Kecia started back on Herceptin this past Thursday. She was taking that during her original bout with cancer but has only been on Xolmetta and ??? (sorry, can't remember) this time. They have decided to add Herceptin back in along with these other two. So as it stands now, she takes one of the oral chemos every day, the other is every day for two weeks then off for one week, and the Herceptin she gets through IV every Thursday. She is disappointed about this on several levels. First, we are wondering why they feel like she needs yet another chemo. Second, she feels bad enough without adding any more poison to her exhausted body, and third, she has to spend all day on Thursdays getting it IV style.
Her brain scan is scheduled for Tuesday the 26th so please be in prayer about this. I can't even imagine how she will feel if she hears that there are more spots on her brain. Her body is so exhausted right now. She desperatly needs a break so her body can begin to heal from all of the surgeries and chemo. We are praying for clean brain scans and a good break from feeling sick.

1-17-10 We Have FUZZ! Yes folks our prayers are being answered. Kecia has had NO hair growth since loosing it 3 months ago, and one week after we inlisted the help of our prayer warriors....FUZZ! Not a lot, but a soft dark shadow all over her head. YEAH! I know it may not seem like a big deal to everyone else (considering Kecia has much bigger problems to worry about) but to her it's a symbol that she is getting better. She feels less sick when she can look in the mirror and see changes in the positive direction. Thank you for praying with us about something that seems so little..because to Kecia it is important.

Not much to tell lately which I consider a HUGE blessing. Kecia went in for her regular check up at the Oncologist and he said everything looks good. She was concerned about a hard spot under her skin where the hysterectomy scar is but he says it is just a rather large spot of scar tissue. She has also been very concerned about her lack of hair growth. There is nothing growing and last time she was showing a dark shadow all over her head by now. He assures her that it will most likely grow back in time (even if it's not as quick as she would like) BUT there is a small percentage of people who's hair doesn't ever grow back. We are praying that Kecia is NOT one of these few people.

She has finished opening all of her Christmas "feel better" gifts and really enjoyed that! In addition to the earlier mentioned ones, she got a "ready to put pictures in" scrap book...house shoes...a devotional book...edible goodies...gift cards..and many more fun and uplifting gifts.

We started the new topic in our Bible study and although she didn't feel very well, Kecia and Jeanie both made it and had a good time.
That's all for now....

Christmas at Home

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. It amazes me that another year has somehow slipped by. December marks Kecia's 18th month in her battle against cancer. I am so happy that she's here but so sad about how much pain and sickness she has had to endure to stay. We felt very blessed to have her home with us this Christmas and to be able to spend time as a family. We got a wii this year so much of the day was spent laughing at each other and engaging in friendly competition. Kecia occupied her favorite spot in MY recliner right in front of the fire place and from there she was able to put in quite a few pieces of the 1000 piece puzzle we have been working on. She wasn't able to enjoy any of our Christmas dinner because she was at the tail end of the big chemo rotation, but I do think she enjoyed the time with the family. She finished that chemo round on Sunday so she should get 3 or 4 days of good health before she starts it again for 3 more weeks. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.

GOOD NEWS

12-22-09 Kecia just got the results back from her full body bone scan last week and her bones are STILL CANCER FREE! What a HUGE answer to prayer. The last spot on her brain is still there of course but the doctors considered this to be a big "test" for how well the chemo has been keeping the cancer at bay. They really didn't want to see any new growth while she was still on such strong chemo or it would have meant that her cancer was resistent to it and they were unable to stop the growth. Last year, Kecia was in the hospital on Thanksgiving and again through the whole Christmas celebration. You can imagine how happy we are that she will be home with us for a Christmas that she was told she would never see! God bless each of you for praying so faithfully for Kecia and our family. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

12-16-09

Kecia is recovering well from her gamma knife radiation procedure. She had a severe headache for the 3 days following it, but is feeling much better now. She has done a great job of only opening one of her "feel better gifts" (that she received at her luncheon) and is really enjoying them. The day following her surgery she opened 4 presents and she justified it by saying that the RX instructs her to open "as needed for joy" and she felt that it would take 4 suprises to make up for her procedure. So far she has opened a Snuggie, a chocolate candle, body lotion, a Bible with her name engraved, a really cool Bible reference book that lets you look up any topic and find verses about it in the Bible, a Wal-Mart gift card (that she used part of to buy herself a silver cross neckless and earrings, and a few others that I can't recall right now. She has really enjoyed getting to open a surpise every day and I am SO GRATEFUL to the women of Marsh Lane Baptist who thought of that cute idea and all those who contributed!

On a more serious note, Kecia has asked that I post a request for prayer on a specific matter. She is really battling with bouts of depression and knows that it is something stronger than she can conquer on her own. She knows that she is so fortunate to even be here after getting such a grim prognosis a year and a half ago. She has an amazing army of prayer warriors and the constant support of so many wonderful people. She goes back and forth between feeling so grateful ,and questioning why God is letting these things happen to her. When she starts feeling depressed and questioning God, she feels guilty about it and that just fuels the unhealthy cycle. If you could pray for Kecia on this matter it would mean so much to her.