So much has happened since our last update!  I’ll start with last week…

Friday I took Kevin to Hershey Medical Center for his endo-ultrasound.  Long story short: They only did sedation-when they were sticking the tube down Kevin had some very strong gagging.  They took it out, sedated him some more, inserted the tube again and went ahead with the procedure.  Afterwards Kevin was in severe pain and described the procedure as the most painful thing he has ever been through.  For his regular endoscopy that was done two Wednesdays ago, they put him out for the procedure.  We are still unsure as to why he was not put under, and instead only given general sedation, but it was to the disbelief of us, our other Doctors and the nurses.  Very frustrating.

We were given some test results immediately.  The tumor is much larger than original thought.  It extends from 35 cm down the esophagus to 42/43 cm (6 cm long) running from the lower esophagus to the stomach.  There are several lymph nodes in the area surrounding the tumor, but it is unsure if they are infected.  The tumor is located on the outer 3rd and 4th layer of the esophagus.  This was disappointing news, as they will no longer be able to do surgery and now will begin with chemotherapy and radiation.

Throughout the weekend Kevin’s gag reflux continued to be very sensitive, even to small drops of water and his own saliva.  He was able to eat very small amount of chicken broth and ensure, but the pain and swallowing issues increased throughout the weekend.

This morning (Monday) at 7 am we took Kevin to the ER at LGH.  He had a fever of over 101, so they started him on an IV to get him some hydration, and also some antibiotics to reduce the fever.  After a rectal exam, it was found that he has some internal bleeding most likely as a result of the procedure that was done on Friday.  We spoke with some Dr’s and nurses from about 7 am to 1pm, and just after that, he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at LGH.

He is currently there and will most likely stay there for the rest of the week.  It is believed he has an infection which is causing the bleeding.  He did get some chest x-rays, and is currently waiting for a CT scan to see what is going on with the tumor.  It may be that the tumor swelled after the procedure causing Kevin’s extremely sensitive gag reflux and his inability to keep anything down.

He does have some blood loss and received a blood transfusion today.  He is also on antiobiotics to help stop the infection as well as with his continuing fever.  He is in extreme discomfort as his muscles are sore from lack of movement, infection, and the tumor.

He did get an EKG which showed a right bundle….I apologize, but I cannot remember the exact terminology.  This is nothing to worry about according to the Cardiac Dr.  He believes many young people have this and lead normal lives with no worries.  Kevin’s original EKG that was done just over a week ago did not show this, so it is possible it only arose due to the other problems.  Just to rule out any other issues, he will be receiving an echo-cardiogram tomorrow as a precaution.

We did get to meet with an interal Dr. as well who will help in getting Kevin’s fever reduced and fighting this infection.  We also got to meet for the first time with Kevin’s oncologist.  This was encouraging to us, as our appointment with him wasn’t until next Tuesday.  Dr. O’Conner will be taking care of Kevin’s chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

He reviewed the results of the PET scan and THANKFULLY there were no surprises there.  The tumor showed up dramatically, as well as two spots: one in the upper esophagus/throat area, and one in the colon.  He is no concerned about the colon area, as it may have just been stool holding a large amount of dye.  They may do a colonoscopy to rule out any cancer in that region.  They plan to begin chemo in 1 week: once we find out the exact results of pathology from Johns Hopkins he can set up a treatment plan.  It will most likely be radiation daily M-F for 10 minutes, and chemotherapy 4 days on, 3 weeks off for the next 3 months.  At that time, surgery will be evaluated.

The past 4 days have been extremely tiring and stressful.  I am not going to be at work this week, so that I can be by Kevin’s bedside and discuss all the upcoming treatments and current tests with the doctors and to be a support to him.  Visitors are limited to 2-3 at a time, and at this time, we are requesting only close friends and family.  Please call my cell phone before you come in.

Kevin’s spirits are good despite all the pain.  We are obviously both depressed and just BEAT down with this news.  However, our faith is strong, and through prayer and meditation, we are pushing through.  It has also been amazing to me to see the encouragement from you.  We have received gifts from many of you that have touched my heart and will help our financial situation.  We are so grateful to you for opening up your hearts to help us through this very difficult time.

It is an emotionally draining time in our lives, but we know we wil prevail.  The Lord is on our side: who can be against us?

A big thanks to the nurses and doctors at LGH: especially our ICU nurses.  They are AMAZING and wonderful and encouraging.  We love you and thank you for what you are doing.

At this time, we ask you to please take time to pray whenever and wherever you think of us.  Also, we encourage you to donate blood to the donation center if possible to replenish what Kevin is using.  We would appreciate you making this donation to help him and others.

The next week will be difficult, but we are finally getting some quick answers and proceeding ahead towards healing.  Pray with us, join us.

On a side note, the tickets for the BBQ are printed.  If you can sell even just 1 ticket, please call me or email me immediately.  We only have until 8/15 to get these sold!  Thank you for helping us and walking with us through this journey…Pray with us, walk with us.  Thank you.  Blessings.