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!