Some devastating news

Hi everyone:

I apologize for not posting an update more promptly. Kathleen received some very upsetting news last night, and asked that I hold off on an update until her family had an opportunity to discuss the information. Now that she's had a chance to do that, she's encouraged me--as she always has--to be frank in sharing this information here.

As I mentioned in a previous posting, Kathleen has undergone two rounds of paracentesis to reduce the volume of fluid that has been crowding many of her vital organs. To date, more than 4.5 liters have been removed from her abdomen, and her stomach has again become as distended as it was prior to the procedure. To give you an idea, a normal amount of fluid in this region is less than 150ml.

The condition is called ascites (a-site-eez). From what we understand, in cancer patients, the two most likely reasons for ascites to occur are (a) infection and (b) the presence of cancer cells in the fluid (and, often, the liver). Kathleen received confirmation yesterday that no infection was present in the fluid. Although Kathleen's GP presented this negative reading as a positive, I believe Kathleen did the math pretty quickly about what this suggested was the alternative.

Late yesterday afternoon, Kathleen's oncologist informed her that although the cytology results were not yet back (and, believe it or not, still aren't), he believed cancer was present, in large part because of how quickly the ascites was recurring. Malignant ascites is typically regarded as one of the markers that cancer is overwhelming the patient. Aside from paracentesis, there's little that can be done. It's too soon for Kathleen to undergo chemotherapy again, and nothing in Kathleen's serology results thus far have suggested any benefit has come from what is an unpleasant part of this whole ordeal.

Understandably, Kathleen was devastated, although I am still in utter awe of how well and quickly she accepts each new setback. This is just one of the reasons she's not just an amazing sister-in-law, but also one of my very best friends (even though she calls me names).

Kathleen's greatest desire is to get home. We've harangued her doctors daily with questions about, "How can we make this happen?" and, each time, the doctors have not been able to offer a hopeful answer. With the fluids she's carrying and her need for blood products at least every other day, she hasn't been stable enough to be away from near-constant medical support. Tomorrow, we'll ask again. Everyone's hope is to find a way to let Kathleen relax in her family room, even if it means she'll have to visit the doctor most every day.

Kathleen is such a big part of our daily lives. We're not ready to let her off the hook for this. She has such a strong spirit...so we know she's going to fight like the crazy woman I've always thought she was.

Keep those positive thoughts flowing in the direction of Kathleen and her family. I'll keep you posted.