Update

Kara has been tolerating this type of chemotherapy much better than the kind she previously receieved. She's a little tired from it, but does not have to fight the nausea like previously, and nor is she as fatigued.

Matt's parents and his sister, Jenny, and her two children have been visiting this week, and everyone has been having a good time -- especially Emma and her cousin Samantha, who are about the same age. Matt's mother has sent me some photos that I will try to get uploaded on the blog.

Last weekend Kara and the family were at the farm, celebrating Doc's 61st birthday. Matt attended a conference in San Antonio on recent developments in cancer treatment, had the opportunity to meet a researcher who is doing some very innovative things with diagnosing tumors more precisely -- on the protein level -- and correlating the specific tumor type with treatment regimens that are most effective with that specific tumor type. That may yield some very promising new treatment options.

We are very happy to share that John and Carrie are now engaged. We look forward to Carrie's joining the family "officially." She and John both have found jobs in the Houston-area that they are enjoying.

Our Aunt Lois, Mom's sister, and the gentleman she's been seeing, Vaughn, are also newly engaged. We look forward to welcoming him into the family as well.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that Kara tolerates her new chemotherapy regimen well, and that there are no complications.
- Please pray that God continues to give Kara hope and peace.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

From Kara

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word, I do hope." Psalm 130:5

While this past year has been difficult in many ways, there have also been many blessings. Blessings such as my family, friends, church family, and my new friends who have sent their prayers and words of encouragement to me through cards and this blog, who didn't even know me before. Thank you for being my blessings.

I have also been blessed over the course of this year in learning to lean on God more, trusting in Him, and growing in my relationship with Jesus.

A key verse in my Community Bible Study this year has been Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and He will make your path straight."

When I first heard the report that the cancer was back and in more places, I was devastated. The devastation turned into despair that I could not find my way out of. I could not interact with my children, I didn't want to eat, I couldn't sleep; all I wanted to do was watch reruns of The Waltons and drive my thoughts out, because they were too dark for me to bear.

On Sunday, I attended a healing worship service that my church offered for the first time. We had prayers and music and a time of kneeling at the altar to be anointed with oil and prayed over. With my family and church family surrounding me, I felt the love of God and the Holy Spirit's presence like I never had before, and my spirits were lifted and I immediately felt like myself again. I am so thankful for this spiritual healing. It has always been hard for me to know Jesus like that. It is so wonderful to know he does love me and care about me.

Thank you for your continued prayers; God listens.

"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

Operation Today

Kara has gone into the hospital this morning to have an operation that will place a central line-type device in her chest, completely under the skin. Because of the many rounds of chemotherapy Kara had last year, it is difficult to find veins for this current phase of her treatment and for the bloodwork that will need to be done. This new line should not get infected, and it won't be in Kara's way as she tries to use her arm.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for good, encouraging Octreoscan results.
- Please pray that Kara's procedure goes smoothly and safely.
- Please pray that Kara tolerates her new chemotherapy regimen well, and that there are no complications.
- Please pray that God gives Kara hope and peace.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Octreoscan, Day 2

Kara's having the second-day octreoscan done today, which takes several hours. The octreoscan works by detecting the levels of somastatin (a hormone) in the body. Neuroendocrine tumors tend to be very somastatin-rich. Before the octreoscan, Kara was injected with antibodies to somastatin coupled with a radioisotope that will show up on the octreoscan. The antibodies will be attracted to areas high in somastatin (i.e., the neuroendocrine tumors), and thus the tumors should be spots clearly "lit up" on the octreoscan. This will help the doctors locate the tumors more precisely.

Tomorrow Kara will return to the hospital for the operation to put the permanent central line in place.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for good, encouraging Octreoscan results, and that the results can help Kara's doctors fine-tune her treatment plan.
- Please pray that Kara's procedure on Wednesday goes smoothly and safely.
- Please pray that Kara tolerates her new chemotherapy regimen well, and that there are no complications.
- Please pray that God gives Kara hope and peace.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Octreoscan Today

Kara is repeating the Octreoscan today and tomorrow. She last had this test done in February or March 2005, I believe. I don't remember exactly how it does what it does, but I think it is an ultra-sensitive test for neuroendocrine tumors. http://www.msit.com/qap_oct.html

Wednesday she'll go in for an out-patient procedure to put a permanent line in her for future chemo treatments/blood draws. It will be placed in her chest, rather than her arm, and will be completely under the skin, preventing any future infection, and making it less cumbersome and restrictive for her.

Kara continues to feel pretty down about things, and the recurrence of the cancer has her understandably anxious and disappointed. Please continue to pray that she feels God's peace and presence in her life and treatment, and that she regains confidence that she can, and will, be cured.

Kara's church introduced a new Healing Service last night, and many members of Kara's church family joined her in praying for God's healing of her. I am told it was a very beautiful and moving service, and we are very appreciative of the many people who were able to come and support and encourage Kara.

We are very appreciative of everyone who has provided so much support for Kara, Matt, and their families over the past year -- sending encouraging notes and posting supportive comments on the blog, providing meals, cheering Kara up in so many ways, and most importantly praying for Kara and asking others to pray for her. There has been such a tremendous outpouring of love and support, and it is very much appreciated and amazing.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for good, encouraging Octreoscan results, and that the results can help Kara's doctors fine-tune her treatment plan.
- Please pray that Kara's procedure on Wednesday goes smoothly and safely.
- Please pray that Kara tolerates her new chemotherapy regimen well, and that there are no complications.
- Please pray that God gives Kara hope and peace.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Chemo Today

Kara went in to start chemotherapy this morning. They had some trouble finding a vein to start the chemo, but eventually were able to get it started. She will probably need to have another PICC line placed for the duration of the chemo treatments. She should be home around 5:00 or 6:00.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that Kara tolerates this chemotherapy well, and that there are no complications.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Treatment to Begin Friday

It looks like Kara will begin her new chemo treatment tomorrow. She is ready to begin this next phase, and is encouraged that this chemo won't take her away from her family for days at a time, and shouldn't aggravate the neuropathy that she has just recently begun to see improvement in. It is possible that she won't have such bad nausea, and will be able to stay hydrated and nourished better throughout her treatment period.

Praises:
- Thank you God for the good news that Kara's brain is still tumor-free, and that there is a new treatment plan in place.
- Thank you God for the wisdom and reassurance of Kara's doctors.
- Thank you God for giving Kara continued hope that you will give her the cure she so faithfully asks for.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that Kara tolerates this chemotherapy well, and that there are no complications.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Treatment Plan

Dr. Lynch was very encouraging and positive with Kara. He said that they are not anywhere near the end of treatment options, and there is still surgery, radio-frequency ablation, Novalis, and different types of chemo to explore.

The plan is to start more chemotherapy on Thursday or Friday. It will be a different type of chemo, so she can receive it on an outpatient basis, without having to stay several days in the hospital. The first day is an 8-hour treatment, and the next week she goes in for one hour, and for one hour the next week. The fourth week she has "off." They will do three rounds of this and repeat the PET Scan to see how things are going. This type of chemo should not be as hard on her physically, and she should not have the neuropathy she experienced previously.

Praises:
- Thank you God for the good news that Kara's brain is still tumor-free, and that there is a new treatment plan in place.
- Thank you God for the wisdom and reassurance of Kara's doctors.
- Thank you God for giving Kara continued hope that you will give her the cure she so faithfully asks for.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for peace, comfort, and strength for Kara, Matt, and the family during this difficult and stressful time, that they may feel God's sustaining presence and love.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you. Today is the one-year anniversary of Kara's first CT Scan. It's been a very hard year for Kara, but one filled with many celebrations and memories, and she will continue to persevere and fight the cancer throughout this year as well, with the encouragement of Matt, their children, their family, their friends, and all of the wonderful people praying for her.

MRI Results

Good news -- the MRI of Kara's brain did not reveal any new tumors there. Kara and Matt will meet with Kara's oncologist this afternoon.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for peace and comfort for Kara, Matt, and the family during this difficult and stressful time, that they may feel God's sustaining presence and love.
- Please pray for a promising, encouraging treatment plan from her doctors.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Doctor's Appointment Tomorrow

Kara and Matt will meet with her oncologist tomorrow afternoon to go over the plan for the next phase of her treatment. By then, the results of the MRI she took today should be in, and he can tell them if there is any additional treatment needed on her brain. We will let you know as we do.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that the head MRI did not show any more tumors.
- Please pray for peace and comfort for Kara, Matt, and the family during this difficult and stressful time, that they may feel God's sustaining presence and love.
- Please pray for a promising, encouraging treatment plan from her doctors.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Update

Kara will be going in for a head MRI on Monday. The PET Scan was just of her body, so this will show if there are any new tumors in her brain.

Tuesday she will meet with her oncologist. At this point, it looks like they may do chemo and radiation therapy together.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that the head MRI does not show any more tumors.
- Please pray for peace and comfort for Kara, Matt, and the family during this difficult and stressful time, that they may feel God's sustaining presence and love.
- Please pray for a promising, encouraging treatment plan from her doctors.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you all so very much for your continued prayers and words of love and encouragement, It's been almost a year, and Kara still needs and appreciates your vigilant prayers. It is hard for Kara to face more long treatment, but she is willing and eager to do whatever it takes.

PET Scan Results

The results were not what we had hoped for. The spots on Kara's lungs are cancerous, and the tumor in her liver is active again. There also appears to be some activity in her pancreas or adrenal gland.

Update: Kara will meet with her oncologist today or tomorrow, and will most likely begin chemotherapy again next week. The chemotherapy has been very effective against the previous tumors, so we believe it will continue to be so.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for comfort and peace for Kara during this difficult time.
- Please pray that there is a promising treatment plan.
- Please pray that the cancer is permanently eradicated from Kara's body.

Thank you.

PET Scan Today

Kara will go in for her PET Scan at 11:00 this morning. We will let you know the results as soon as we do.

If the spots on the lungs show up again, Kara's already had a body cast made, and they will begin the Novalis on Monday, and continue on Wednesday and Friday.

Psalm 138: 7-8
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,
with your right hand you save me.
The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your love, O LORD, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that the PET Scan shows no active cancer in Kara's body.
- Please pray for peace for Kara as she awaits the results.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.