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)

Nothing new...again

Hi everyone:

Kathleen visited with Patty last night to help celebrate Patty's inclusion in the Paracor Heartnet study. She's still doing reasonably well, although she continues to be plagued by sinus infections that seem resistant to any treatment to keep them at bay. She's also finding the heat and humidity a bit tough to handle. Given that the high temps next week all look like they'll be in the mid-to-high 80s, she may find the next few days wholly unpleasant. All in all, though, and like always, she's not doing much complaining.

Kathleen looks healthy and strong, but a bit on the thin side (in my opinion). I'm just happy to have little new to report. Let's keep up this streak of mediocrity.

Love,
Brian

Nothing...nothing at all

Hi everyone:

I hadn't written in a while, so I thought I'd just pop in to say that, to the best of our knowledge, nothing has changed in Kathleen's condition. I asked her this morning if there was anything to report, and she answered, "Nope." She's still plugging away. I'll provide an update if anything changes, but am content for now that there's nothing new to share.

Love,
Brian

Still plugging away

Hi everyone:

Patty reminded me this morning that I hadn't updated this blog for ages so, fearing her wrath, I am taking a moment now to catch things up. On the cancer front, Kathleen seems to be pretty much stable--no better, but not much worse. Her doctors need to stay in front of her pain, which continues to be a challenge, but so far have been largely successful.

Unfortunately, Kathleen has been plagued of late by other medical travails. She has been battling an ear/sinus infection for several months now (at last count, she had been through four rounds of antibiotics and, even after just finishing the latest round, she's feeling discomfort again.) Also, she's been diagnosed with some issues with potassium deficiency and thyroid issues. There's always something, it would seem. Still, Kathleen is a tough cookie, and doesn't really complain much; under the same circumstances, I would be a total baby, I'm sure.

Kathleen popped in for a visit this morning. She's thin (and bordering on too thin, in our opinion), but otherwise seems pretty energetic and positive. She's told us that her appetite comes and goes, and not everything tastes the way she expects it will, but she's still working at keeping enough in her system to help her battle. We're wishing we could see her more often, but everyone wants their share of time with Kiddo these days, so we'll have to stop being so greedy.

I'll try to be better about updates; trust that if anything major happens, I'll be prompt in updating the blog.

Love,
Brian

Recent pics

Hi everyone:

Here are a couple of our more recent photos of Kathleen (from about four weeks ago).

Denise (our neighbor and Kathleen's friend) and Kathleen

Kathleen at The Foundry (for a kids' birthday dinner)

Nothing new, really

Hi everyone:

Sorry I've been so long between posts; just the other day, my father asked, "How's your sister-in-law doing? You haven't been writing about her." Guilty as charged. I sometimes forget that some who are following her situation are great distances away. As always, I promise that if there are any developments, I'll share them here as soon as possible.

As of a couple of days ago, when last I spoke to Kathleen, she seemed to be doing great, all things considered. I know she still has times where it's a challenge to stay on top of the pain, and I also know that the sleep-inducing effect of her medication is sometimes a frustration for her, but, healthwise, she seems to be maintaining the status quo.

When I get a spare moment, I'll post some more pics.

Love,

Brian