Relief

After KK presented with symptoms of swelling, Dr. Rothfeld from the The Rothfeld Center suggested that I give KK dexamethasone (steroids) to reduce some of the swelling. I asked KK's team at Dana Farber if I could give her some from the supply I had on hand from last year. They said yes, so I gave her a few doses over the weekend. I didn't want KK on the steroids for long...just long enough to give her some relief. She hates how she feels when she is on them (not to mention, I'm not a fan of how I feel when she's on them). When I texted my friend Terri, she asked if the steroids prevent apoptosis. I didn't know the answer to that so I did my research. Sure enough, dexamethasone slows down apoptosis in glioblastoma cells...confirming that steroids are not a long-term solution unless they are absolutely necessary.

The team at Dana Farber also suggested Tylenol for the headaches. This reminded me that I had Celebrex on hand from last year as well. I chose to use the Celebrex instead of Tylenol since it also has anti-tumor properties.

Every time KK went to sleep, I hoped and prayed that she would wake up feeling better. After spending a restless night filled with fear on Saturday, God reminded me that it took a couple weeks from the onset of major swelling until what I perceived as apoptosis back in February. I felt an amazing sense of peace when I woke up.

By Sunday, the only symptom that remained was the right-sided weakness and a slight headache when the Celebrex wore off.

On Monday, the severity of the weakness seemed to come and go in waves -- the worst of which lasted between 30-40 minutes. I decided to bring KK to her IVC treatment on Monday as I believe we need to keep "feeding" the cancer cells so they die off. I asked for a reduced dose of vitamin C (50 grams instead of 100 grams) so as not to overwhelm KK's system. It is such a delicate balance.

Today, KK woke up with almost full use of her right arm and hand. She was even able to dress herself and go to tutoring.

Though I don't think she's quite out of the woods, KK and I are praising God for these improvements. Please keep praying for God to pop those cancer cells!