Lower platelet levels somewhat of a concern

Hi everyone:

Over the past few weeks, Kathleen has undergone several series of blood tests, along with an MRI. Although the MRI has shown no further visible damage to her spine, the blood tests have raised eyebrows. For several months in a row, her platelet levels have been declining. Her oncologist has suggested this could be an immune system reaction, but is hesitating to speculate further until Kathleen has undergone further blood tests.

This is all Kathleen knows at this point. She has promised to share any future developments (here) as soon as she knows.

Love,
Brian

Kiddo's 50th!

Hi everyone:

Well, I completely missed her actual birthday, and I'm late posting these, but here are a few of the photos from Kathleen's 50th birthday bash at their home. More photos are available on my Facebook page. (http://www.facebook.com/brianomaracroft)

Love,
Brian

A bit of a scare

Hi everyone:

Kathleen's recent blood tests revealed a fairly dramatic increase in one of the cancer markers. Her oncologists opted to have Kathleen undergo an MRI to check for visible progression of her cancer. Fortunately, the scan found no progression. So, while the increased counts in her blood are a bit discouraging, she is so far showing no signs of further deterioration.

Kathleen and Don went away for a mini-holiday this past week. I guess they did a fair amount of walking, which couldn't have been easy either for Kathleen (with pain in her back) or for Don (recovering from a foot/ankle injury). Still, they both said they had a good time.

Patty and I visited with Kathleen at her home last night. She continues to be in good spirits, and looks well.

Love,
Brian

MRI today

Hi everyone:

Neil, Patty and I tagged along with Kathleen while she had an MRI this morning. After her test, we went for a quick lunch and then stopped back to our home for a visit. Clearly, Kathleen was tired from her experience this morning, and from a lack of sufficient sleep the night before. She fell asleep almost as quickly as she arrived and stayed asleep for four hours.

I'll provide results as soon as we receive them.

Love,
Brian

Coming up...

Hi everyone:

On December 3, Kathleen and Patty will be in great seats at the concert of The Swell Season (the two Academy Award-winning singers from the film Once) at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. They're both looking forward to a nice night out.

Love,
Brian

Four musketeers are back

Hi everyone:

Kathleen is visiting our home tonight, and was happy to find that Neil was still here. Whenever the four of us get together, it's always a fun time.

Sorry for not providing updates. As was the case with the blog for Patty, no news is good news. If anything happens of consequence, please know I'll share whatever we learn here.

Kathleen continues to manage her pain, but otherwise seems to be doing well. She is still receiving monthly infusions, and so far, there's no evidence the cancer is progressing. And that's the best news of all.

Cheers,
Brian

Visit to doctor

Hi everyone:

Kathleen received her routine infusion and injection today. The hope with these, if I understand correctly, is to keep her cancer from spreading. Her oncologist is scheduling an MRI soon to determine whether or not the cancer has spread or increased in severity. Kathleen and I share a degree of claustrophobia, so I'm sure she's thrilled about this.

Kathleen said that her doctor believes her ongoing (and, at times, increasing) pain may suggest that the cancer is getting worse. Let's hope not. I think he worried about this once before and was wrong, so let's hope he's starting a trend.

This photo was taken just this past weekend. As much as I hate to compliment Kathleen (the feeling's mutual), I do think she looks nice and, more importantly, healthy.

Love,
Brian

Kiddo, Patty & Kelly (during Patty's recent hospitalization)