Wednesday, Oct. 31st

Happy Halloween!!!

Kasey got a Neupogen shot last night to boost her white count.

Her platelets are recovering on their own, but she's getting a dose of them as I type this...just to be safe. But the nurse has seen what she wanted to see...a trend upwards.

White count................................5.3 (up from 1.1)

Absolute Neutrophil count.......4.2 (up from 0.41)

Platelet count.............................13 (up from 11)

Chance of being home late, late tonight......100%

Thanks.

Kevin

Monday, Oct. 29th

Platelet count today was 10...oops. But, Nurse Jill decided to wait until tomorrow to see what happens with the counts. If platelets go lower, Kasey will get platelets. If they stay the same or go up, she will probably wait one more day.

But, she says Kasey can more than likely come home for the weekend. She will load Kasey up on platelets before wo leave Houston. We will have to drive...no plane rides with low counts. So we should be back to see the play and the soccer game. We will probably drive home Thursday, and drive back to Houston on Sunday. We'll see how it all plays out.

Should know more tomorrow!!

Kevin

Sunday, Oct. 28th (Day +25)

Hello to everyone. Things are going good here...just ready to go home!!!

Kasey's APN said our best chance at coming home next weekend would be for Kasey's platelet counts to recover. Platelets are typically the last blood component to recover. So Kasey's job for the weekend was to make platelets.

Friday, the count was 14. Orders for the weekend were: if platelet count stayed above 10, she would not receive platelets via IV. If count was 10 or below, she would have to get them. If she has to get platelets, it stalls us for a few days because they can't really see what she is doing on her own.

Since nothing can be simple, here is another twist: When Kasey's white cells recover and begin producing on their own, this causes the platelet count to bottom out for 3 days.

Saturday, the platelet count dropped to 11. So she did not have to get platelets. We went back today (Sunday), and the counts were 11 again...praise God!! Tomorrow they will either be the same, or they will be higher. (Sorry for all the "counts" mumbo-jumbo... hope it's not confusing)

Kasey feels good, but gets tired so easily. It will probably take months to get all her strength back. She says hi to all of you, and thanks for all the prayers, thoughts, and comments.

Kevin

Thursday, Oct. 25th

Kasey was released to go to the apartment yesterday!!! She was SO glad. She had an appointment with "Fast Track" this morning. Fast track is the outpatient system they have for daily blood tests.

She went in early for blood draws, and a couple hours later we met with a nurse practitioner. She went over the results with us. Her counts were looking OK. White cells are at 1.9 now. She wants Kasey to come back tomorrow for bloodwork again without giving her any whole blood or platelets. That way she can see exactly what Kasey's body is doing on its own.

Kasey feels good. She just gets tired really easy.

Thanks for checking on us, and hopefully tomorrow we will have an idea of what the next week will be like.

Kevin

Tuesday, Day +20

Hellllllllloooooooooo! I am finally feeling well enough to post (and put up with this hit and miss wi-fi). All is going as planned, just a bit slower than planned. I am waiting for my Doctor to come in today to see if we are still on for getting out tomorrow. I HOPE!! Tomorrow will be the 4 week mark for me being in the hospital. Blah. My white count is now up to 1.1 and my neutrophil absolute count (which is one the Doctor's like to watch) is at .74, which is good. There has been a definite upward trend. I received platelets yesterday and broke out in hives from that, but was fine after a dose of Benedryl.

The Doctor was just in........................I GET OUT TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YA!
I am so happy! Now, this just means I get released from the hospital, not from Houston. We will meet with my stem cell Doctor soon after release to discuss how many more weeks to stay in Houston. I am still going to do everything I can to get back in time for the play. I am still aprehensive about being around others, just due to germs. I am so ready to get back to Coffeyville. I am receiving blood right now, hopefully, this will be the last of that too!

I want to thank some of you for the great emails telling me about my kids! I hope you don't mind me sharing!
Here is one:
Kasey & Kevin,
I just had to share a "sweet moment" with you. After lunch at school the other day, Courtney was prayer leader. Her request for prayer was for "Kasey Hoggatt". I was standing at Larson and Kyle's table. I glanced Larson's direction to see his reaction and he caught my eye with the biggest grin on his face!

Thank you for the posts on my blog telling me about them too! I miss them!!!

Thanks it for now. I think I will order me some room service and start getting things ready to leave here tomorrow.

LOVE YA ALL!
~Kasey

Sunday, Oct. 21st (Day +18)

White count at 0.5 (up from 0.4). Not much of a climb, but it is going the right way. Kasey is SO ready to get out of here!!! She's feeling good for the most part. She gets tired easily.

Most of all, she is worried about not getting back home in time to see "The Sound of Music", starring Miss Raisa Hoggatt. We also have not seen Larson play a soccer game yet (we hear he's pretty good). We are praying to get home by Nov. 3rd so we can see both. If Kasey ever goes AWOL, that will be the weekend it happens!!

eW yam evah ot kaens kcab taht dnekeew.

Kevin

Friday Oct. 19th (Day +16)

Seems like day +942!!!

But, things are improving. Kasey's white counts are up to 0.4 (up from 0.2 the last two days). The pain in the abdomen is gone, the fever is gone, and she's on a soft food diet. The doctors are pleased, and said she may get out of here early next week.

Kasey is feeling and looking good. Yesterday her doctors cleared her to leave this floor, so we wandered around the hospital for awhile. Now that I know every square inch of this hospital, I had a few cool things to show her.

This hospital doesn't seem like a hospital at all. They offer valet parking. Patient and guest meals are are called "Room Service", and you order by phone anytime you want between 5:00 am - 9:30 pm. Meals are delivered by men in tuxedos.

The entire hospital is a Wi-Fi spot, but there are also areas that provide P.C.'s for patient and guest usage. One such place is called the "Cyber Center", with computers with internet access, printers, fax machines and copiers...just for patients and guests. You can also choose from about 1,000 movies (VHS or DVD) to borrow. (Patient rooms are equipped with VCR's or DVD players)

M.D. Anderson is comprised of two buildings, the "Main" building and the "Mays Clinic". They are about 3 city blocks apart, but are connected by climate-controlled overhead corridors. And if the walk is too far, they provide golf cart limos that will take you back and forth.

They have Chik-Fil-A and Starbucks, or at the cafeterias you can get BBQ, pizza, burgers and fries, soups and salads, sandwiches and sushi.

Well, we hope you all have a great weekend.

Thanks for all the support. Your thoughts, prayers and actions have made this part of Kasey's journey possible, through the grace of our Heavenly Father.

Kevin

Wednesday, Oct. 17th (Day +14)

The day we have been waiting for. Kasey's white count went from 0.1 to o.2 (not a big move, but it moved)!!! The doctors say she looks great, and she has been placed on a clear liquids diet. They said not to expect big jumps in her counts. They will go up at their own pace.

She's tired today. Yesterday we walked altogether about an hour and 10 minutes...and she didn't walk like an old lady (no harm meant to any old ladies out there...lol)!!

Thanks again for the thoughts and prayers.

Until next time...

Kevin

Post #2

It's me again. I forgot to mention one good thing----I am an Aunt again! Donnie and Emmalee had another baby girl! Her name is Alyssa Naomi. She joins big sister Audry at home.

Kevin and I walked around for awhile today and right now I am getting a blood transfusion. My spirits are up some from this morning. I think I will leave the posting to Kevin for a bit!
~Kaseyy

A post from Kasey--Day +13

Just call me frustrated. I wasn't going to post yet, because I can't think of too many happy thoughts right now. I am just getting so FRUSTRATED!!!!! I was sure my counts would to up today. Nope. They are still not coming back. I am getting tired. I have not been able to eat or drink ANYTHING for a week now. I am losing between 1/2-1 lb a day now. They won't start me on any IV nutrition yet because I guess that has other side effects they don't want me having right now. So, I look up at my bag of saline, and know that is what is keeping me alive right now. This high dose chemo ate up the entire lining of my digestive system from the esophogus, stomach, intestines and bowels. I think it will take me a long time to ever feel like I want to eat again (if the Doctors ever let me haha).
It looks like we will be in Houston longer than we had planned. I just don't see getting back during October. I have been getting so bored. My pain meds make me tired, so I sleep as much as I can. Kevin is here during the day and we go for walks and talk. My concentration isn't here enough to play cards yet. The nursing staff here is great. There is also a Euchristic Minister that comes around every few days. While I can't take communion right now (due to the no food in mouth orders from Dr.) they do sit and pray with me.
That's it from me now,
I think I will sign this post from,
Frustrusted Kasey

Monday, Oct. 15th (Day +12)

We just got back from a walk around the transplant floor. The blood test results today show no counts rising yet. This is frustrating for Kasey, but it is still nothing to worry about. Every person is different. Some people don't see increase until day 20 or 21.

The Lord has guided us to this point, and faith tells us to stay the course... keeping our eyes focused on Him.

We are blessed to have family and friends like all of you. Thank you.

Kevin

Saturday, Oct. 13th (Day +10)

The last couple of days have been OK for Kasey. The counts are still down, so send some prayers for them to start going up. She feels good, but still can't eat or drink yet. She is strong, and continues to get out and walk every day. She's getting tired of these long days in here.

I can't believe it's already the middle of October! It's still hot here in Houston.

Kasey says hi, and thanks for reading.

Kevin

CT Scan Results (Day +7)

The CT scan report indicated an area of thickening in the bowel wall in one area. This is causing the pain. The team said this is another common side-effect of the chemo, and not to worry. They told her to not eat or drink for the next couple of days to keep the inflammation down. She is getting plenty through her IV. They want her to lay low and stay comfortable, and in a couple of days, her white counts will start to come up. When the counts start to go up, her body can begin to repair these irritated areas, and overall she will begin to feel better.

Kasey's fever spiked up last night to 104 degrees, but they quickly got it under control. She feels a little better today, just really tired. She asked the doctor when she can get out of here (and I immediately thought to myself: "That's my Kasey!!"). After the doctor chuckled a bit, he said to get through the next few days, then we can start thinking about that. He said she will be in here at least until early next week.

Kasey says hello to everyone, and thanks for the thoughts, prayers and posts.

Kevin

Tuesday, Oct. 9th (Day +6)

Yesterday, Kasey got platelets and a blood transfusion. She also started having some pain in her lower abdomen. She had a small fever also. They watched her real close overnight. The fever went away, but the pain got a little worse.

Today started with a walk around her wing after breakfast. Her counts were still low, so she got another blood transfusion. (I always thought a blood transfusion was replacing all your blood, but it's just a pint of blood given through the IV.) Her fever came back early this afternoon, and the abdominal pain got worse. They put her on a high dose of antibiotics, and ordered a CT scan of the abdomen. They want to rule out apendicitis, blockage, or anything else it could be. Fevers are real common after blood transfusions. And the abdominal pain may be from an area of inflammation in her bowels. The chemo destroyed the protective coating from the mouth all the way through the digestive tract. She has a mouth sore, and it could be a similar sore somewhere down the line.

She had the CT scan around 7:00 pm, but we won't know results until sometime tomorrow. Kasey is really struggling right now. She is in a lot of pain, but refuses pain meds because they make her so sick. It's just like a vicious loop.

So for all of you praying for her out there, send all you've got. Also, leave a comment and I will read them to her. That will help cheer her up.

Thanks.

Kevin

Sunday, Oct. 7th (Day +4)

Hello to everyone. Sorry for the lag in posting. It's been real hard for Kasey the last couple of days. Her counts are still going down. The chemo side effects are still lingering. The doctors are watching closely as usual,and they say this is what is expected for getting such strong chemo. They are happy with what they see. She is such a trooper. I am so proud of her.

Kevin

Friday, Oct. 5th (Day +2)

Things are going OK for Kasey. She gets tired easily, as her counts are slowly going down. But this is all expected, and everything is normal for being just two days after transplant.

She gets out of her room 2-3 times a day to go walking around her floor. When she leaves the room, she has to wear a gown, mask, and gloves. Whenever anyone enters her room, they must wear them also. Fortunately, I do not have to. (I am glad of that!!). I guess the husband gets special privileges.

Not much else to report, and at this point, no news is good news.

I do want to say hey to everyone at Magic.

Thanks for the continued thoughts and prayers.

Kevin

"Day Zero" Wednesday, Oct. 3rd

Finally, the day we have waited for...Stem Cell Transplant Day

It only took about 20 minutes. The SCT team came in and hooked up the IV bag containing the stem cells. (113 cc's of the finest, cleanest, cancer-free stem cells you would ever see!!!) They went in just like all the other IV fluids. When it was empty, they flushed the bag a couple of times to be sure she got every single cell. Then they were finished. That is that!!!

Kasey is doing well. Most of the nausea is gone, and she's getting tired of laying around. They say it will take approximately a week for the transplanted cells to find their home in the bones and start making new blood. She will be in the hospital maybe up to a week after that. So roughly 2 weeks and we can get back to the apartment.

Kasey says hello to everyone.

Thanks for reading.

Kevin

Monday, Oct.1st (Day -2)

This chemo has teeth!!!

Her last round of chemo was yesterday. She began to feel bad, well, soon after my last post on Saturday. The side-effects should subside by tomorrow evening. She just wants the next day or two to pass by quickly. She is still strong, and in good spirits.

Thanks for checking on us.

Kevin