Testing 1, 2, 3 . . .

Wow! Today was certainly a whirlwind of scheduling for Kelsey. She was able to get in for a CT scan today to get a better look at the two small spots on her spine. Tomorrow is the sentinel lymph node biopsy. She will check in to Mercy at 7:00 am, and will be injected with a radioactive dye at 7:30. She will be scanned at 9:30, which will allow Dr. Riggs to determine which lymph node is next in progression from the tumor, then he will do a biopsy at 10:20 (this will take place under general anesthetic). The biopsy will determine if her lymph system has been affected at all and will be sent to two pathology labs for results.

Monday morning (April 29), she will be back to Mercy at 7:30 for a bone scan (she will be injected with radioactive dye for this scan as well). Next Wednesday, with that battery of test results in hand (MRI of her arm from yesterday, CT scan, sentinel lymph node biopsy and bone scan), Dr. Smith will present her findings to the tumor board she is a part of in order to determine the best course of action.

Wednesday will also be when we get to meet the oncologist Kelsey will be working with in the coming days, Dr. Keefer. The appointment will be at 4:00 pm.

Please be praying for completely clear results from the lymph node biopsy, CT scan and bone scan. Also, pray for wisdom for the tumor board and for Dr. Smith as they look at all of these results to determine the best course of action going forward. This is a very rare tumor. In our most recent appointment with Dr. Smith, she said she respects this tumor and she is aggressive with it, because it is a “mean” cancer. That is why prayers for wisdom are so needed.

Please pray for endurance for Kelsey. She felt a little overwhelmed with all of the information she received today. Getting constantly poked, injected with dyes, run through machines and rolled to ORs can feel daunting. The waiting is equally exhausting. However, she is always thankful for the technology which makes these tests possible so she has the best chance to fight and beat this cancer.

Thank you all for your prayers – we are constantly blessed and humbled as we hear from so many they are lifting us up in prayer. We know God hears!

** If you would like to join us, we are praying Psalm 86 throughout this journey.

Here are some random photos from a recent trip to the University of Oklahoma. Alexa loves being on campus! Sorry, I just had to share . . .  (We don’t make her wear her helmet to visit campus, she was riding her bike.)