KathleenWreath.com

Hello Loved Ones,

It’s been a little while since the last update and there have been several changes, so I wanted to get you all on the same page regarding where I am and what I’m doing in reference to my health and it’s treatment.

The last update I had was glorious, however since that time there have been a few dissappointments.  My Tumor Marker numbers started going up again.  My last count was 18.8.  Fortunately, due to my very close monitoring and reasonable healing from my November surgery and the following incision line complications, I was able to jump right back in to treatment, so that’s what I did!

I resumed chemo treatments (#34 total for anyone other than me who is keeping track) on Monday February 28.  With just some minor queeziness (spelling???) I tolerated it just fine.  I did a volunteer event with our Krewe on Saturday, did a bunch of yard work yesterday, and am currently doing laundry.  None of this is particularly thrilling in iteself, but the point is, that my normal everyday healthy feeling life goes on.

Yesterday (Monday March i met with my Oncologist and we went over my PET Scan results.  Basically these results were in keeping with the numbers.  I have some abdominal lymph nodes that lit up slightly, but the root of things remain in the pelvic region that had been the area focused on when treatment had to be interupted back in September.  While I would have preferred a clear scan, this scan was actually good news.  When you factor that I had been off chemo for almost 6 months, EVERYTHING that showed up was small….some of it EXTREMELY small and no organ involvement whatsoever.  My Oncologist has always told me that as long as we can clear, or keep clear anything in my major organs, we can stay on top of this.  So….Yea!

So…things I hope you’ll help us pray for are that the chemo be awesomely effective and that I continue to tolerate it well allowing me to keep life as close to “normal” (whatever that is) as possible.  We also ask for prayer for the continued healing of my surgical wound.  It is not much more than a bad gash righ now, measureing about .5 cm deep and about 7 cm long.  It doesn’t hurt or anything…we just want it to close up.  It was about 9 cm deep and about that same distance long when I had to have it re-opened in December (the week of Christmas if you can believe that), so it has really come a long way! Chemo can slow healing though (it will heal, just possibly slower), so we just pray for that to progress as quickly as possible.

That’s about it.  Love to you all!

Hello Friends and Family,

I know it’s been a long time since posting.  Honestly, with the holidays and post-surgical healing, I didn’t have time to write and I didn’t really think many people had that much time to read.  Today, however, I received AMAZING news and I just had to stop what I was doing to share.

First a catch-up…

For those of you who may not know, I had surgery in late November to remove my spleen.  The spleen was not cancerous, but it was enlarged to the point of trapping my platelets.  Platelets are necessary to clot the blood, so you don’t really know much when you are low, unless you are injured and bleed.  That can be life-threatening!  For almost 2 months we searched for the cause of the low counts.  Time ruled out the chemo and a bone marrow biopsy ruled out a spread of cancer.  Lastly, due to some of our own Internet research, we approached our Dr. regarding my spleen that has been known to be enlarged for some time, however to this point, had functioned normally. Sure enough, that was it.

The surgery was hard and there were two complications.  The first was the evening of my surgery, when I was taken back in and re-opened as I was found to be bleeding internally.  It wasn’t heavy, but enough to drop my blood pressure to the point of losing consiousness, which quickly alerted my nurses to what was going on.  The second was an abcess in the incision line, which after almost a month, required that a wound specialist re-open a portion of my incision line and connect me to a wound vac.  This is a gadget (rather bulky I must say) that uses a suction action to hold the incision line in place and allow proper healing.  I had this connected for a month.  So now to the good news!

First, I was disconnected from the wound vac on Friday.  As of my appointment today, still ok to not be reconnected.  I will know on Thursday if I can actually have the item shipped back to the supplier (this is how it works) as the Doctor will be able to say for sure if I am done with it.  The remaining incision is about 90% healed at this point, and the belief is that at this point my own body will heal itself better on it’s own. So far we have evidence that this is true.  Here is an example of how well I’m doing…I was just in a parade on Saturday where I walked approximately 7 miles when all was said and done.  Aside of some really sore feet, I did great and had a wonderful time with some really great friends!

Well, now to part-II of my great news!  I went to my Oncologist today as well (a day of doctor visits).  My latest tumor marker number is 3.2.  For those of you who know, my last number weeks  before was 5.2.  This is two full points lower and I have had NO treatment since September.  This latest number is in normal range.  I have to share that my Oncologist had no explanation for this.  My husband and I however, believe that we do. 

Throughout the course of the platelet issue and the surgery with all it’s complications, I have not been able to have chemo administered. Frank and I have prayed that during that time, God hold that cancer in place for us while I wait to get more treatment.  My cancer was almost undetectable at the time the issues started occuring and I didn’t want to lose ground in my fight while I was sidelined.  We also prayed that if God saw it in His will, that He as the ultimate Great Physician, work on that cancer Himself.  Today we believe that we have seen evidence of an answer to prayer and have had the privilage of experiencing yet another miracle!

So, thank you to all of you who continue to pray for us!  That prayer is having such a literal impact on my life!

God bless,

Kathleen

Kathleen’s husband Frank created this update on behalf of Kathleen

On Tuesday morning Kathleen had surgery at Moffitt Cancer Center to remove her spleen. Although the spleen was not cancerous itself, it had been significantly swollen for the last two years. She has not been able to continue her chemo treatments for the last two months due to dropping platelet counts and it was determined that the swolen spleen was the culprit.

The morning surgery went well, though it was explained to me that due to the size of the spleen, the surgeons had to trim it away from other tissue in the chest cavity which left alot of raw tissue exposed around the space.

She was moved from post-op directly to a regular room on Tuesday afternoon. Late Tuesday she began to experience a significant loss in blood pressure and was experiencing frequent drops in and out of consiousness. The nursing staff quickly acertained that she was bleeding internally at the surgical site.

Kathleen was rushed back into surgery Tuesday evening, at which time they re-opened her surgical scar. They did find a significant clott of blood that had formed in the surgical space, as well as several points which were weeping. The surgical team spent the next two hours cauterizing the bleeders and flushing the cavity.

Kathleen was put into SCU(special care unit) where she stayed until wednesday evening.

Wednesday evening she was moved to the 5th floor, room 545 where she is now. On Thursday, she began running a consistent fever, which concerned the doctors and nursing staff. Kathleen had blood cultures taken from several places in her body to determine the likely infection source. She was put on a broad spectrum antibiotic which has broken the fever, and hopefully ended the infection.

Having been put on a liquid only diet on saturday, she has gone 6 days without solid food and I must say she has developed quite a hunger. I am glad to inform all of you that she has been cleared to begin eating again as of this afternoon. She can only start with liquids, but she should be eating solid food again very soon.

Kathleen is looking forward to seeing her friends again and looks forward to visitors. I would ask that you call me if you are planning on visiting so I can coordinate visits. Late afternoon or evening would be best for visits. I suspect she will be released sometime on Monday or maybe Tuesday.

My Cell number is (813)428-3425

Thank You so much for all of your support and prayers during this time. We find ourselves truly blessed by the quality of our friends.

God Bless

Frank Wreath

Well, as many of you know, it’s been a month now since I have had any chemo.  My last chemo took place the week of September 13th.  I wish I could say it has been because I’m done.  Instead, it is because my platelets have been too low to get treatment.

It’s been a bit frustrating because they seem to go up and get close to the magic number of 100, only to go down again by the following week.  Last Monday my count was up to 97…we thought for sure that we would have treatment today, but alas, today my count was back down to 92.

This has been a long road and my body is simply showing the signs…I guess I have needed this break so my body can get back to producing this stuff the way it should. 

There are a few positives I take from this break.  First, I feel great.  It just goes to show that how I feel bounces back pretty quickly after being off treatments for just a short time.  The second issue however is really just quite incredible.  While I have been off the chemo, though gradual, my tumor marker numbers have continued to go down.  They were at 5.4 following my last chemo…then down to 4.6.  When I got my results from last week at todays (no go) session, my marker number was 4.2.  I say this is incredible, because my biggest fear in the break from chemo was that my tumor marker numbers would start to rise again.  We have just been praying and praying on this issue.  While on the high end, however, my marker is actually currently in NORMAL range (4.7 being the top end of normal).  Now this does not mean that there is no cancer remaining, but it is a good indicator that if there is anything there, it has not taken this little vacation opportunity to progress! 

As you can imagine, this news has been a great relief for me.  I feel that God has taken this time to allow me to recover a bit, all the while continuing to hold things in place, and even continue to bring the number down.  I’ve been praying for the platelet number to go up so I can continue fighting, when perhaps God has just been providing this time for me to rest.  God really does know better than we do!  So, I continue to leave it in His hands!  Treatment will commence at some point…and when it does, it will be in God’s timing.  And while I don’t know what remains to come, I do know that He has a plan for my life and this is all part of it.

Birthdays can make one reflective, especially as we grow older.  This Friday will be my 43rd…the 3rd birthday that I will have had the privilage of celebrating since my initial diagnosis 2 years and 2 months ago.  In that time I have been incredibly blessed!  I have SO much to be thankful for.  Those of you who love and pray for me are most certainly on the top of that list!

God bless,

Kathleen

Hello Friends!

I have wonderful news to share!  I had a Dr. appointment today and found that my new Tumor Marker number is 5.4.  Under 5 is considered clear, but they really like it to be under 3 so that is what we hope for as a result of the next 3 remaining treatments.

I had a reduced infusion of my chemo today.  It only took 30 minutes and I am not on the pump this time around.  I made a decision (with my doctor’s blessing) that I didn’t want to have a full treatment at this time.  Several factors influenced my decision.

First, Frank is in Boston on business and my parents are on the last week of their vacation.  This mean’t that my entire family support system was gone and I would be home alone.  If I got sick or anything, there would be nobody here to help me.  Now I know….I have had friends coming out of the wood work to look out for me while I’ve been by myself.  It’s been really amazing having people who choose to love me so much.  I say it’s a choice, because it’s not like we’re related and they’re stuck with me.  They love me because they do, And I am so lucky to have these people in my life.  When I say I was alone, I didn’t have to be.  I just felt this way was best.

Another thing that influenced my decision is that Frank and I are leaving on vacation this Thursday and I didn’t want any of the after-effects from chemo to take away from our good time.  My Oncologist is a big believer that quality of life has to be very heavily considered in treatment, so he completely understood.

As it turns out, I had to have one of my drugs called Avastin, withheld one week because of platelet  (can never remember how to spell it) issues.  This drug has no real side effects and is the one that chokes the blood supply to tumors which is what basically they feed on.  So, I opted to have that treatment today.  I get the benefit of no symptoms, but don’t go entirely without kicking some cancer cell booty at the same time.

This past Sunday (yesterday) our pastor spoke on subject matter that really hit home to me.  He talked about detours.  Those times in our life when due to whatever reason,  our plans get shifted into a different direction.  He spoke about the fact that as a pastor of a very large church, he has personally witnessed the detours of many in his congregation…he also shared some of his own.

He spoke about the fact that in these times people seem to go into one of two camps.  First are those who’s lives just seem to spiral downward.  God becomes distant from them, as in many times these people tend to blame God.  Then he spoke of the other camp. Those people who show great resiliency. In this camp people tend to lean on God and become even closer to him.  He also spoke about the fact that in many ways, parts of their lives become better because of that challenge.

I try each day to be in the 2nd camp.  I want people to see strength and hope in my life..not because I am so great, but because what strength and hope I have is entirely God-given.  I know for a fact that resiliency would be impossible for me if I didn’t have God to lean on.  One who encourages me to surrender my troubles and fears in their entirety. 

I am so blessed.  Parts of my life are (as oddly as it can seem) better since my cancer diagnosis.  I wouldn’t wish to have it for these reasons, but I have come to find that cancer is a result of an imperfect world…a world in fact in chaos.  God has created purpose and meaning where there would otherwise be none.  God didn’t give me cancer, but He uses it in a meaningful way.

I hope this finds you well and you can draw something from my little ramblings.

Love and blessings to each of you!

Kathleen

So, I was disconnected from chemo 7/31 on Friday 7/9.  I have to say this was the most symptom-free expereience thus far.  I had a tremendous weekend starting with a Friday night Rays game with friends, a day spent watching the Tall Ships at Harbor Island on Saturday, a wonderful church service on Sunday morning, followed by a great brunch and afternoon swim with friends.  It was just one of those weekends that was totally relaxing and fun!

I had a follow-up visit with my Oncologist this afternoon.  The news was once again great.  My tumor marker number is now down to 8.3 (10.1 was the previous so you can update your score cards).  My Doctor listened to my lungs and my account of my weekend and he said, that I sounded and looked great!  I said I am.  I am a normal healthy person with a few crappy cells.  He says, I think you’re right and you’re gonna be just fine.  We all know there are no guarantees in this world, but I do feel fantastic and the test results are all going my way.  Whatever the future holds, I’m in God’s hands and in His plan and He has so richly blessed Frank and I.

I hope this finds each of you well.

Until my next post,

Love and God Bless…

Kathleen

Hello All,

I hope all you Fathers had a great Father’s Day yesterday.  Days like this (and many more) give me a chance to reflect on how much I have relied on my Parents both (since I didn’t post this on Mother’s Day too).  I have been so blessed to be so loved and so well taken care of growing up and even today.  Growing up I thought this was the norm, but over the years I have come to find how blessed I have been.  Thank God for parents who show an earthly example of God’s unconditional love for us.

So…I had a PET Scan last Monday, and today I recieved the results.  The 3 pelvic tumors have shrunk in size and minimized in activity.  No new areas of concern. Following that meeting which was with my surgeon, I went to meet with my Oncologist.  More good news…the Tumor Marker levels have dropped from 11.9 to 10.1.  So, everything is progressing along in the right direction.

My chemo which is normally on Mondays, due to appointments was scheduled to be on Tuesday of this week.  Again though, the Platlets (sp??) are still a little low, so we will hold off till Wednesday again and see if we can do somthing on that day.

So as far as praying…

1. Thanks for the good test results.  They are always a bit stressful to wait for even when you have good indicators that things are going well.
2. That my levels will be good to recieve chemo on Wednesday and that I can stay on schedule.
3. That my chemo continues to be well tolerated and that it continues to be effective.
4. That Frank and I will always be witnesses in the midst of all we do and all we experience.

Thank you all and blessings to you.

Kathleen

Wow….I looked at the date as I made this post and realized that as of yesterday, it is 25 years since my High School reunion.  Sometimes like yesterday and sometimes a whole lifetime ago.  Time marches on, and sometimes it feels sad, but mostly it’s glorious!  I have my husband and I have about a gazzillion neices and nephews that I would not have had if time had not passed.  Oh well…reflection time over.  Now to the updates.

The good news is that my tumor marker number is down to 11.9.  If you are updating your score card, you will note that the last one (2 weeks prior) was at 14, so we are making forward progress towards killing those nasty cells and showing that cancer who is boss.

The not so good news was that I was unable to get my treatment today.  You see, along with those nasty cells, chemo smacks at some of the good ones too, and my platelette level was just a little too low to start chemo.  It has gone this low before, but never going into treatment, only coming out of it.  So, I will be going back on Wednesday to see if my levels are better (evidentally it can increase this quickly).  If so, this round will be Wed, Thu and disconnect on Friday.  If the levels are not good on Wednesday, I will have to wait till next week.

My Oncologist mentioned that he will be reducing my chemo strength slightly…probably about 15%.  This is just so it is not quite so hard on the body.  Ironically, I feel great.  I guess we just continue to count those blessings!

For those of you who prayed for my Oncologist and his wife expecting their first child, Mother and baby are doing well.  The baby was a boy and his name is Aiden.  My Doctor showed me pics on his cell phone with pride and we celebrate with him…the baby is a total cutie!  For those who have never met my Doctor, he’s a cutie too, so I guess there are some good genes there.

I have a PET Scan on Monday to look at the progress in of the tumor shrinkage.  We have tracked by blood tests, and the scan will help us correlate those results.

So, please pray a prayer of thanksgiving that the tumor numbers continue to decline.  We also ask for prayers that my body might strengthen itself in all ways necessary to have chemo on Wednesday.  Lastly we pray for scan results that correlate what we have seen in the blood work.

You are all awesome, and I thank you so much for your love, friendship, support and PRAYER!

Blessings,

Kathleen

Hello All,

I have news to report, and thankfully it is positive.  I have been through 3 of the 12 treatments so far, and have gotten to a point where I have been better able to manage some of the effects.  Doing this has highly improved how I feel following my treatments.  While this chemo is a bit harder on my system than my initial medications, I am now equipped to handle it better! 

I also got reports yesterday at my Dr. Appointment, and it appears that the chemo is proving effective against my cancer.  My Tumor marker high had been 17 ( it was probably higher, but due to the span since my last test prior to chemo and my first test following chemo, this is the number that is the highest that has been measured).  As of the reporting of my results yesterday, the number is now down to 14.  You all will remember that we are aiming for less than 5. 

It is interesting to see how everything is relative.  When I was originally diagnosed and my numbers were in the 800s following my intial surgery, this number seemed so far away.  Some of you may recall that basically, 14 was my number when we went in for my follow-up liver surgery, and we felt that we were almost clear.  The fact that I am at that number now, so early in my treatment progress just shows you how greatly I have been monitored and how early they detected the recurrance.

Somewhat ironcally, a friend from High School that I have not had contact with for some time appears to have something similar to my diagnosis.  A mutual friend has passed along her information to me so I can reach out to her.  I am hoping that perhaps I can give her information and hope based on my experiences.  If something good can come from my battle that can help someone else, that would mean so much!

So, how do we pray now? 

1. Well first, we pray a prayer of THANKSGIVING! 
2. Please say prayer for my friend and her healing and that perhaps I may be helpful to her in her battle.
3. Please pray for continued effectiveness and guidance for all of my Doctors.
4. Please pray for my ability to continue to tolerate the treatment well.
5. And lastly, perhaps on a lighter side, my most adorable Oncologist is just about to become a father for the first time in the next few weeks.  If you could say a small prayer for the safe and healthly delivery of the baby, and for his wife, that would be very nice.

Thank you all friends, and please, if you have prayer requests that Frank, I and my family can pray for, for you in return, please allow us to be warriors in your army as well!

Take care and God Bless,

Kathleen

Today I started the first day of my first chemo of the current round.  Today my husband, parents and I went out to dinner to celebrate.  Why celebrate you ask?  Well, first and foremost….I felt good, so why not!  Mostly however, this is the first day that I have had the opportunity to begin my fight against the new tumors in my body.  This is a good day!  I said this on my first day of chemo 24 cycles ago….this is the day I get to turn the tables on my cancer and begin to kick it’s butt!

We had several things to celebrate today.  For those of you who have taken the time to speak to us and to follow Facebook, you know that Frank and I had a problem with our boat that we have been dealing with for the last 2 weeks.  Today our boat was lifted out of the water, and is now in a dry storage marina for repairs.  We’ve been praying for God’s guidance as this was not an issue or an expense we were really ready for.  We’ve had positive dealings with our insurance adjuster (thank God we had insurance) as well as finding someone we feel will be just awesome in repairing our boat.  The slip owner has also (finally) gotten back to us, and our dealings with him, at least at the onset by phone have been positive.  Frank and I are finding now that since the boat is already out of the water, it’s a good time to have some other maintenance and cosmetic stuff done that has been hanging over us for some time.  It all looks good.  God answers ALL prayer, even the non life and death stuff!

So what do we pray for?

• Well, first and foremost that we take every opportunity to make a public proclamation of our Christian experience.  That we have the courage and strength to do this whatever life throws our way.
• We ask that the chemo treatments that I am currently undergoing continue to be effective and that we can continue to be victorious over this disease.
• We pray for all other people like ourselves who’s lives are impacted by cancer.
• We pray that my chemos continue to be tolerable and that Frank and I continue to lead as “normal” a life in this midst of this as possible.
• We pray for God’s continued guidance in all areas of our lives…and yes, that He continue to help us with our boat.
• We pray for the often unknown prayer requests of those who are so dedicated in praying for us.

Thank you and God bless you all, our wonderful family and friends.  You help us in our battle and your prayer and support gives us strength that we can never accurately and fully describe!