Kenny vlog--Febuary 29th

Jackie (Kenny's older sister) got him to take a break from school and talk a little bit about his recent life activity. So here is the Kenny update from Kenny himself!


~Ken and Jo~

Kenny Update--February 29th

Probably the best update to give to date is there is nothing really to say. Kenny’s nausea was very minor today, he was able to get most of the school day in and he looks great. He has a sparkle in his eye and you can really tell he was feeling better today.
Jo is back as school marm and catching up with the kids. I was back for a full day at the office. Thank you Lord for normal. 

~Ken and Jo~

Kenny Update--February 28th

Back home again! Kenny was released from the hospital this afternoon. CT scan came back with ‘no significant change’ in the tumor. His electrolytes are back in balance after several IV bags later. They have added an anti-seizure medication and a really gross powdered drink for several minerals that leached out of his body. The thought is that the staring seizure that occurred last week is due to the tumor pressing in his brain. Adding the chemo, some of the other meds (all which can cause seizures in a small percentage of patients) and the electrolytes being off just pushed him over the top. This morning Kenny was wide eyed and back to his normal cheerful self. He was out of bed for 4 ½ hours before he was ready to take a nap.
His appetite is gone and food items that he had liked just do not taste good within the last 36 hours. We did get some cereal down him this morning and a couple of bites of chicken at lunch. The nausea is a combination of the chemo and all of the meds that he is suddenly taking. We have a couple anti-nausea medications but finding the right mix and dosage will be a balancing act.
The brothers and sisters are all hovering around him. Hope our golden retriever came close to knocking him down when she heard us walking thru the door. He has been working on his Bible Bowl, his word search books and watched a couple of animal planet TV shows between all of the sleeping over the last few days. I have been able to work several hours from the hospital room. This will give me added flexibility in my schedule plus stretch my PTO. The only problem so far has been conference calls when the medical staff is cycling thru the room.
Prayer concerns are:
No more seizures
Reduced side effects from his meds
Chemo will kill the cancer and destroy the tumor while the rest of his body is protected
We can find a balance in the anti-nausea medication
The next couple of weeks will be uneventful so we can catch our breath and catch up on some sleep
Thank you for your continued prayers! 

~Ken and Jo~

Kenny Update--February 27th

Kenny is sleeping once again. He has had a rather busy day. He was happy to arrive home last night greeted by his family and his dog. He slept well, but the nausea was extremely tough on him.
There have been 2 episodes in the last 2 weeks that Kenny has had staring seizures. Around 5:30 am he had a seizure that was more intense than the previous ones. His doctor wanted him to come in for evaluation and to start administering anti-seizure medication. Another CT scan was done to see if anything unusual had occurred after the seizure. His electrolytes were low and the presence of the tumor could also have contributed to the seizures. Not to mention the side-effects of the chemo meds could cause seizures as well.
As usual Kenny is as cheerful as only Kenny could be after such a long few days. Thank you for your many prayers. As Kenny would say, “fine with me”
 
~Jo and Ken~

Kenny Update--February 25th

We are thankful with the news that we received today. The results from the CT scan are back and there are NOT any additional tumors in the torso area. The original pathology report suggested that the tumor found had a higher risk of starting there first then spreading to other areas. We are praying that the 2nd pathology will shed additional information.
The first round of chemo finished earlier this afternoon; they are continuing to pump him full of fluids and giving him some additional meds to counteract the side effects. He is down to 3 bags on his IV tree from the 7 bags that he had over the last couple of days. He has been sleeping a lot but has been awake all afternoon. No nausea yet. Kenny is looking forward to going home tomorrow.
His day nurse today is the nurse who took care of him on his first admission at Methodist Hospital when the first tumor was found 9 ½ years ago. This is the 3rd nurse that has previously worked with Kenny that we have had contact with in the last couple of days. Amazing some of the crossing of paths that God has put in place this time around with only a couple of weeks into this treatment.
Prayer concerns are
The chemo is effective in stopping and shrinking the tumor and it will not spread
Minimal side effects
His white cell count stays high enough that he will not have to be re-hospitalized before his next chemo treatment
Getting the household into the ‘new’ normal and minimal chaos if that is possible in our zoo.
Jo and I cannot thank everyone enough for your prayers. We know that there are hundreds and hundreds of people who have been praying for Kenny and the family. From our heart – THANK YOU!

~Ken and Jo~

Kenny Update--February 24th

Kenny is doing well today. He took a couple of pain meds to help sleep last night and his surgical site has been less painful as the day has progressed. Sleep has been more of a series of naps as they are pushing a lot of fluids thru him. The double vision has been worse this afternoon but I think it is from all of the medical staff that has been cycling thru. He has been smiling most of the day. The Cancer Center gave him a new grouchy bear for those that remember “Peanut” from his last treatment.
The 1st chemo treatment should end tomorrow evening. Jo and I have had a lot of new protocols to learn the last couple of days. If all goes according to plan we will be leaving the hospital Sunday evening. His treatment is to have chemo every 3 weeks and then a reevaluation by mid-April on the tumors progress to determine the next course of action. 
Thank you for your prayers!

~Ken and Jo~

Kenny Update--February 23rd

Long and busy day today. A central line was installed this morning successfully with no complications. There were 2 additional baseline tests were run followed by the start of his first chemo treatment this afternoon. Both Jo and Kenny are napping right now but this should be the wind down of a very long day. We have had a slew of doctors, nurses and techs in and out of the room all afternoon. Prayer concerns are the same with the added one of Kenny, Jo and I getting some rest tonight for another busy day tomorrow. One of the original nurses that took care of Kenny with his 1st cancer battle is now working at this hospital and stopped in to talk with all of us. Thank you for all of your prayers and the difference you have made! 

~Ken and Jo~

Kenny Update--February 22nd later in the day

Luke 1:37 “For nothing is impossible with God.”
We have had a full afternoon at the oncologist office and hospital. While we had prayed that the news would be better – Jo and I have been preparing for the news that we received. Short story is that while this is not the original tumor/cancer that Kenny previously had it is an aggressive cancer that will be treated by chemo, radiation and possibly surgery once they can get the tumor under control. There is still some additional test that they are doing on the biopsy however with the information that they have the chemo treatment will begin tomorrow. Kenny had another CT scan this afternoon looking for other locations that the tumor may be located or may have started from. He will be having a port line installed tomorrow morning followed by being admitted to the hospital to start the chemo treatment. These chemo treatments will require full hospitalization while it is being administered.
Prayer concerns
They can locate any additional tumors if there are any.
The chemo is successful in treating the cancer.
The side effects are minimal.
The 2nd pathology report reveals the additional information that will help in his treatment.
We pace ourselves for this long marathon ahead of us.

~Ken and Jo~

 

Kenny Update--February 22nd

Kenny has been doing really well the last couple of days. He has sneezed a couple of times this week but there has been no problem. His strength and appetite has returned to normal. He has figured out how to focus using his good eye so he does not have to wear the eye patch as much. We are keeping him sequestered from normal outside activities for a couple of weeks to allow his surgical site to heal before he is back out in public. His volunteering with Animal Shelter has been put on hold indefinitely until we know what the next stage of treatment is going to be. Kenny has been able to complete full school days all week.
We are in the waiting mode right now for the oncologist to call us in the office to discuss the pathology results.

~Ken and Jo~

Kenny Update--February 18th

Kenny had a very quiet recovery day. He still has a headache and that may not change until the tumor treatment is well under way. The drainage from the surgical site in the sinus cavity has slowed down. The pain has been very minimal and he has only required 1 pain pill to help him sleep early this morning. His appetite is way off but he is eating. Between the naps it has been a “Back to The Future” and ”X-Men” marathon in the house. He looks really tired but has absolutely no complaints. Kenny has called it an early evening tonight and is already asleep. I on the other hand have been busy trying to get some necessary task completed before the next round of craziness begins. 1 of 2 oil changes finished, the last of the tax forms filed today and I started on the dreaded FAFSA forms. There has been and continues to be a peace and calm over us since before this event began. One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Judges 13: 17 -18. Most will be dumbfounded as why – but it is because that is my nature. I usually ask – “Why”? Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?” He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond your understanding.” Thank you for your continued prayers! 

~Ken and Jo~

Kenny Update--February 17th

The biopsy was successful and there were no complications. Everyone is home and settled. Kenny is his normal cheerful self. This is going to be a really short note as we are all about ready to drop from a really long day.

Prayer concerns
An accurate and speedy pathology report on the tumor
No infection – low discomfort
No sneezing for at least 2 weeks
Thank you everyone!

~Ken and Jo~

Kenny Update--February 16th

Jo and I cannot properly express our gratitude for all of the prayers that you have done on our behalf. Nothing like a few hundred people praying to have so many changes in such a short period of time. We put in an early call to the oncologist office and got them involved in a conversation with the ENT office. Kenny will be having the biopsy tomorrow afternoon instead of sometime next week. We still have a CT scan that will need to be performed early tomorrow morning but IF there are no complications we should be home tomorrow night. Prayer concerns are that there are no complications. The surgical team has laser focus on their task tomorrow. Minimal discomfort and quick healing of the surgical areas. The pathology report is accurate and performed quickly.
Thank you everyone!

~Ken and Jo~

Kenny Update--February 15th

We were suppose to hear from the ENT office this morning on if there needed to be an additional CAT scan performed or if they had enough information from the MRI to scheduled the biopsy. I went back to work a half day this morning and Jo manned the phones. The very short story is we are still in a holding pattern and WE are concerned with the lack of urgency with this specific office. We will be calling Dr. Lazarus’ (Kenny’s oncologist) office in the morning for some intervention if it is warranted. At the moment unless there is some movement it may be sometime next week before the biopsy is going to be performed.
Kenny had a really good day. Wearing the eye patch has helped give him relief from the headaches caused by the double vision. He and Jo went to the animal shelter tonight for his regular volunteer evening.
Biggest prayer concerns at the moment are:
The biopsy is done at the earliest time available because it will be an additional 7 – 14 days before a pathology report comes back on the tumor.
Jo and I have the wisdom and patience dealing with the system.
The tumor is slow to grow and will not cause any additional issues.
Thank you for your prayers!
 
~Ken and Jo~

Kenny Update--Febuary 14th

We were at Riley Children’s Hospital for a large part of the day today. Met with the neurosurgeon Dr. Boaz. After his exam of Kenny and discussion with Dr. Lazarus (I am not making these names up) last night it was agreed that the best course of action was an ENT surgeon would be able to perform a less invasive procedure thru the sinus cavity for the biopsy. We met with the ENT - Dr. Matt so we are in a bit of a holding pattern for the moment. He needs time to review the MRI data to see if it contains enough for him to do the procedure or if we need to go in for a CAT scan. We should hear from them early tomorrow on the next step. The biopsy will be out patient so Kenny will be able to head home a couple of hours after they are done. The tumor itself is located below the brain at the flat area pushing against the bottom. From what we are hearing and understanding from everyone is that this is not an ideal place to be performing surgery. The surgery should be at the end of this week – then it is a wait for the biopsy report to be completed. One concerning event did occur today when we were talking to Kenny – he had a blank 1,000 yard stare for a couple of minutes. Come to find out that this has happened to him 2 other times in the last 4 weeks. Probably due to the tumor but something that we will have to keep an eye on. Thank you for your partnership in prayer! 

~Ken and Jo~

Kenny Update - February 13th

Luke 1:37 “For nothing is impossible with God.” This was the verse that was used the last time during Kenny’s cancer battle and will be the verse we as a family will be focusing on during his next battle. Kenny had an MRI today and a new brain tumor was discovered. Due to discoloration on his MRI in June it may have started to develop at that time. He had a couple of vision issues last month that we found out about last week and he was having problems at the KCU tournament this weekend. The tumor started to press against an optical nerve and was causing the problem. The good news is that this is not the same type of tumor that was found last time – bad news is it is in a very difficult position in the brain and the Oncologist does not think it can be removed by surgery. We will be seeing a neurosurgeon tomorrow for a consultation and will have to have a biopsy to find out what it is and how to treat it. We covet your prayers and thank you in advance for taking this to the throne of God. We will keep you updated with the latest information as we get it.

~Ken and Jo~