Katie'sBirthday!!!

Greetings All KO fans,
Today is Katie's birthday! We started off with strawberry and yogurt waffles and yummy left over apple pie. Around lunch time she gets to open presents! Fischer and I have been busy shopping, wrapping and making cards while Kurt and Rebecca Spears hang out with Katie and walk Ziggi. We spent turkey day with Bill and Melanie Schell and Katie would not relinquish the cooking of sweet potato pie and corn pudding so she was very tired the rest of the day, though it was a wonderful day!

Unfortunately we have some unsettling news to mix in with the good news. The cytology report came back with the results we did not want to hear. The report showed that there are still microscopic cancer cells present in Katie's brain and spinal fluid and there is nothing left to try via traditional medical treatments short of putting a port in the top of her head and dumping chemo directly into her brain. And the doctors say that would immediately turn her quality of life to crap and likely be ineffective.

So there you have it: the news we have been wrestling with for a week and it's still not sinking in. There is no crystal ball so we don't know exactly what this news means other than it wasn't the best news. The counselor from the cancer clinic has met with us and shared some wonderful suggestions like legacy books, a video interview, etc. Some wonderful photographers (and they are wonderful people too) volunteered to take our family portrait last weekend. Katie got a new wig and someone came in to do her makeup... it was a great photo shoot and life experience. We will post some photos when we get them. They even let Fischer shoot a couple hundred pictures with their fancy camera.

sorry to drop a bomb like this on everyone, but it's just too intense and heart wrenching to tell the story to each individual that cares so deeply for M'lady.

As always, we sincerely appreciate all the love, support, food and offers to help with anything we need. I honestly don't know where we would be without all of you!

To end on a high note, we finally have internet access at home again so Katie will be able to read and respond to e-mail and blog correspondence when she is feeling up to it during the day.

We love you all so much and look forward to seeing or hearing from you soon.

Bobby O.

...10 days later

T back, again. Well that was a really long day - so much for "more tomorrow"! Sorry it's been awhile, Katie & Bob are still waiting for internet access and have not been able to update. So, KO asked if I would mind updating the blog a bit while they are still offline. It's great to see her back home! The first week's challenges were to get from-bed-out-to-couch...rest...back-to-bed-again. By the end of the week, she was mostly out at the couch and fending for herself during the day. Her appetite is coming back big time, good thing, too - she got kind of scrawny after all that time not being able to eat. She's beginning to eat well again and, moreover, can enjoy what she's eating! So, for week two, she's had plans to go to the grocery store and went out to lunch on Sunday (only 1 week after getting out of the hospital!). She's been helping Bob get more things put away and organized, and putting finishing touches on Fischer's room. She's also starting to get some of her old sass back - she may be tired and not as strong as she likes, but she's already made great strides just since getting home.

So now in a few more days she is hoping to update you all, herself. I know you're all looking forward to that and she and Bob again say huge thank you's to everyone. I'll keep you updated until they're up & running. All for now, T

Update

Just a quick note for tonight - KO is very happy to be home and in her own bed. She makes forays out to the couch on occasion and her appetite is coming back. She feels a bit better everyday and seems to be getting some strength and spice back - go Katie, go!! The climbing benefit was quite a success as many people attended and had a great time connecting, renewing old friendships and acquaintances, and meeting new people, too. Lots of folks seemed to be enjoying the venue, but I think the kids had the best time swinging around upstairs. Thanks to everyone for help making it such a great time for Katie, Bob & Fischer. I saw KO today and she's beautiful as always - tomorrow I'll stop by in the morning and help her post tomorrow's note, so stay tuned for that!

For now, I'll sign off - more tomorrow...
T

She's home, she's home, she's HOME!

Yep, it's true - Katie is back home. She was discharged yesterday and Bob, Fischer, & Rickie brought her back to Olive St. She was tired and going up the stairs to the apartment was more exercise than she's had in at least 2 weeks. But, she's back in her bed and hopefully slept well last night. Bob & Fischer are looking forward to meeting everyone at the climbing gym tonight for the benefit. As for KO showing up...unlikely, but you never know with Katie - where it would be a "definitely not" for most mere mortals, she could rally...? If not, I'm sure there will be lots of photos and she will rest and recover some more.

See you tonight if you can make it to the gym. Otherwise, thanks and keep checking for more updates. T

Sassy Lassie

Hey O ! Time for the daily update. As we are all digging out of mounds of snow up here and thinking of powder days and cold smoke, KO is in her lovely room with a view and is eyeing tomorrow as a possible discharge day! Bob reports that she took a lap around ICU with her walker, sassed and joked with the nurses (really - true story!) then was whisked in a wheelchair to the room she's in tonight. Yes, KO is out of ICU! She's feeling much better with the shunt in and as long as her stomach behaves, they'll let her come home. Now, the question is if Mother Nature will. We have had well over 2 feet of snow in the valley and at the moment the pass is closed to westbound traffic from Livingston. Pretty sure that should be open by morning, though. It's been a slippery, snowy mess, but everything looks great in the snow and it'll be a great welcome home present. So when they set her free, Bob & Fischer will be there to pick her up and get some great family time coming home. Woo Hoo, KO!

Thanks for tuning in, more tomorrow - T

Smooth Sailing

Well - evening, everyone! Sorry for the late post, but was just waiting on some news back from Billings before I got to writing. Bob called to report the shunt placement went well - KO said it felt like the whole thing happened really fast and was over in no time at all. She's feeling well and is back in her ICU room for hopefully only one more night. If she's doing well in the morning, they'll step her back down to the room she was in before - the one with all the windows and the nice little couch : ) Then, providing there are no setbacks and all is well enough - she'll probably be able to come home on Friday...WooHoo!

When we left the hospital on Monday, it was into the full on beauty of a Montana, blue sky, autumn day. The simple act of being able to walk outside, feel the warm sun on my back, and smell the fresh air was suddenly a very big and real thing. Something to be treasured and enjoyed - for Katie in her windowless room, and for me - a gift of now. It's a gift I want to remember every day, Katie...thank you. Come home soon. We love you.

Thanks for tuning in, more tomorrow. T

It's Shunt Time

Welcome back to the KO Blog - and the latest update for Katie. She hasn't had any big changes today but the big decision today was to opt for the shunt to be placed. So, tomorrow Katie will have a little more surgery and the shunt should do the job of keeping that CSF fluid from backing up and causing symptoms. The hope is that if everything goes well, she might come home as early as Friday, but possibly Monday. After that, it is time to recover amongst friends and family. Fischer told me today he really hopes she comes home on Friday, but then said he knows it might be Monday. He was very excited, though that Ziggi was coming home tonight! Bob will head to Billings tomorrow to be there for the operation. Hopefully everything will go smoothly - this is a pretty common procedure, and certainly not as complicated as the other neurosurgical stuff Katie's already been through, so here's to smooth sailing tomorrow!!

For those who are wanting to send something Katie's way,(unfortunately no flowers in the ICU) the biggest help will likely be needed when she gets home. Well wishes, cards, flowers, the Benefit Fund (see upper left of blog for details), and there is a fund-raising event for Katie this weekend at the Spire Climbing center in Bozeman, and anything else people can think of they want to do I bet would be welcome. the climbing benefit is on Saturday, November 14 from 5-7pm. It is a potluck, climbing fest with all gym fees going towards the Katie Ossa Benefit Fund. Those with questions can see the attached info or call (406) 586-0706 for details. Otherwise if all you can spare right now is good chi, prayers, hugs, love - that currency is equally important and will help Katie, Bob, & Fischer tremendously.

For tonight, I hope you rest well Katie, and I will write more tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in. T

Tired Girl

It's T - back to blog more for KO, with some first hand news for you all today. Ron & I drove over to visit Katie in Billings and got to her room around mid-morning. She had been sleeping much of the morning and her nurse (nice fella named "Ted") checked to see if she wanted us to stay for a visit. She was happy to see us and have company for a little while. She's very tired and weak, and feeling confined (her room has no windows) - looking forward to the possibility she could get out of the hospital by the very end of the week - but knowing this could be optimistic. It was so good to see her, but even with our short visit, she tired quickly and needed to sleep. So much of her recovery right now is resting and allowing her brain to recover from recent and probably the cumulative stress of the illness. It's hard when the brain is tired and healing to put any extra effort into anything - she said that right now it feels too much to even want to pick up her phone (yes, Katie actually said that!). So all her efforts are going into getting better, for now. But she still sports the best bald girl head ever and still is her very beautiful self. She misses Fischer very much and Bob as he is back home for a couple of days so Fischer can still go to school and have some sense of normalcy in this whirlwind. Bob will head back over on Wed. to be with Katie, though. Katie's sister Rickie (met her today and got the right spelling - thanks, Rickie:) ) is in Billings and spends a lot of her day by KO's side to be on hand for information and company -and ventures out for runs during Katie's long naps.

The understanding is that the cancer causes an increase in the protein of the fluid in the spinal cord and around the brain. This makes the fluid thicker and it can't get by the area of scarring in the brain from the lesions/surgery. As the fluid backs up it causes pressure on the brain and leads to the headaches, nausea, and then the more significant symptoms like KO was having last week. The stent relieves the pressure but is only a temporary fix. A longer term fix may be a shunt from the brain to the abdomen, which is currently being discussed by the doctors and KO, Bob & Rickie. My understanding is that this fixes the pressure issue but the protein (cancer) issue is a different story.

Katie is as strong as ever inside, and even though the mere act of lifting her arm or leg makes her exhausted, she still has her sense of humor. It was wonderful to see her smile and even laugh a little. She is looking forward to getting home and back into life, again - even looking forward to the prospect of skiing this winter!! For now, if we can all send her strength and love and help her get strong to get home - I know they'll be needing more help and support after that. She is so thankful for the good wishes and thoughts coming her way and says hi to everyone. I know she hasn't had the strength to answer her phone, let alone check her messages - so if you respond here, I know Rickie is checking the blog and can read any responses right to her at the hospital. KO knows everyone is pulling for her and would love to hear from you, so feel free to send comments her way.
Thanks for checking in. T

So, KO - you are beautiful, and it was so nice to see you today. Keep resting and plodding forward - you're headed to the finish line (discharge from ICU) and soon as you know it you'll be home in Bozeman. We miss & love you! Love, T, R, & E

Good Enough To Eat

Hey everyone, T posting again and have an update from yesterday. So the stent is doing the job - Katie is feeling much better and getting back to her usual self. After a difficult early morning where she was feeling a little disoriented and still not sure why exactly she's in ICU, Rikki came in and helped her sort it out. Bob & Fischer & Grandma made their way over to Billings and Bob hung out with KO for the remainder of the day. By then she was feeling chipper and still is wanting to get the heck out of there. But, since the stent is keeping her from that, she requested a Subway sandwich, chips, & and had a bite of pumpkin pie - great to hear she's eating. Bob said she didn't need any pain meds yesterday and her nausea was under control without any medication either! Fantastic, Katie!!!

Unfortunately, the hospital has restricted any visiting children due to concerns about H1N1, so Fischer hasn't been able to go with Bob to see Katie. But the two of them are planning on heading over to the indoor water park this afternoon. Rikki will be in town for the week and it sounds like some other folks are planning on visiting Katie this week. Bob said that visitors are ok and familiar faces are welcome. Not sure how long she'll have to stay in ICU, the cytology report has to come back before anything more long term (and portable - like a shunt) can be placed. As of now, the report is expected on Monday. So that's it for now...things are looking up.

Not out of the woods, but getting better...

Hey all, T here again with the latest - it's been quite a whirlwind for the last 24 hours, but happy to say that Katie is feeling a little feisty, today. She's still in the ICU, but has made some strides since yesterday. To bring you all up to speed as to what has happened and what is going on...

So here's the skinny from Bob: Yesterday morning around 5 am, Katie slumped over and was unresponsive, her right pupil dilated. After a short time, this resolved and she became more responsive but had a number of these "episodes" and didn't really become fully responsive or awake. Sounds like there were concerns these were seizures or something else causing pressure on the brain, so she was sedated and intubated (breathing tube) and on a ventilator (breathing support so her brain didn't have to work so hard and could just rest) which is a very quick way to end up in ICU. CT scans of the head, chest, and abdomen apparently came back clear...good, but still no specific answers. Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) results showed higher pressure than the one done last week and elevated protein, Bob says further tests are pending to clarify the results.

The good news is that when the pressure was relieved after the spinal tap, Katie's pupil symptoms and episodes went away ... so a neurosurgeon was brought in to evaluate her to figure out how to keep the pressure down. A stent in the lower back is doing the trick and her fluid pressure is staying down which means... KO is now extubated (off the ventilator & no breathing tube), awake, talking (dropping "F" bombs), and already wanting to get out of the hospital! Sound like anyone we know?! WE LOVE YOU, KATIE O!!!

At any rate, it's nice to hear she's awake and talking, but there's still a lot of monitoring and assessing to come to find out if there has been any fallout from all this - as well as sorting out the Why?. So for now, she gets to stay in ICU and it's day to day. But for now it looks like the trees are thinning and maybe she'll be out of the woods, soon...?

Melanie & Bill and the girls went over to Billings last night and stayed with Bob, cooked him up a hearty breakfast, and went with him to the hospital this morning. Katie's sister Rikki (not sure if I spelled that right...) is coming in today and Bob's mom is here looking after Fischer. I stopped by to say "hi" to them this morning. Ziggi is in poodle paradise at Christie's.

I know Bob & Katie are so thankful for all that is being done physically, mentally, emotionally, metaphysically - every way, and so thankful for all their friends and family. I know it means so much for them that we are all "here" and "there" - so thank you for all you are and all you are doing, everywhere.

Stay tuned...

Surf divas Love You!!!

Fall Update (posted by T)

Well, if you've been wondering what has been going on in the world of KO since August, it's time to get caught up a bit. I will be posting for KO & Bob for a little while so they can concentrate on Katie's well being - but they also wanted to get everyone up to speed as they haven't really been able to return calls. Having said that, this update will begin with the most recent news which is that Katie is currently hospitalized in Billings due to her worsening symptoms. She was transported by ground ambulance last Friday from Bozeman to Billings as her symptoms were not responding well to treatment and her blood work showed the CA125 (Ovarian cancer marker) elevating yet again. She has had difficulty eating and IV nutrition has been mentioned. This morning Bob called me to request a Blog update and said Katie has now been transferred to the ICU. She had an episode of of unresponsiveness and elevated blood pressure. She has regained consciousness and Bob says she's awake and talking. Currently she is undergoing CT imaging and further diagnostics, hopefully we'll know more soon.

So, to catch everyone up from the last post...a review of the MRI by her neurosurgeon in Chicago revealed only one brain lesion in the frontal lobe. The recommendation was to treat with whole brain radiation and if any lesion remained then it would be back to Chicago for the gamma knife. Katie did 18 sessions of the radiation at the beginning of Oct in Bozeman and the final MRI showed all lesions were gone! However, the radiation seemed to be taking it's toll as she started having increasing headaches, fatigue, and nausea. Unfortunately, KO has had to spend a lot of time at home in bed because of feeling so poorly. In September, her CA 125 had gone up to 58, the first time it had been out of the normal range since before chemo. It was repeated after the radiation was finished in October and came back above 120. She has been in and out of the hospital during this last month as they have tried to figure out the reason for her severe headaches and how get her more comfortable. This last week has obviously seen her taking a turn for the worse and her CA125 is now 220.

Katie has had quite an autumn - a roller coaster ride might compare. She spent much of the late summer and early fall playing as hard as she could. Mountain biking, hiking, a little climbing, enjoying living in town, Fischer starting school and a trip to San Diego to learn to surf with 8 girlfriends (they all got up on their boards - woo hoo!) are probably some of the higher points. I know she's grateful for every moment and everyone, she lives in the present and plans for the future.

Well, I'll sign off for now and update when I get more from Bob. In the meantime, peace, love, happiness, prayers, vibes - everything good we send your way, Katie, Bob, & Fischer!