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Kyle's Journal |
Date: Feb 8, 2008
Hello! WoW time has flown by! Halloween where Kyle was spiderman (again), Lauren was Tinkerbell. Thanksgiving came and went at Nanny and Poppy's house with relatives from Texas and we had a great time! Christmas came with ridiuously too many presents for the kids! The Ice storm on December 9th put us out of our house for 8days @ my parent's house. The kids had a great time @ Nanny & Poppy's house and got spoiled rotten in the 8 days we were there. Overall we are all doing pretty good! Brian and I researching stem cells for Kyle to hopefully grow new neuro-pathways for motor function! Still need the prayers continually! Special prayers for Kyle and Lauren's Poppy while he is battling lung cancer that has spread to his liver! God Bless, Sandy
Date: september 23, 2007
As I post this entry I feel joy in my heart that I have my children and my husband. I read a few other websites about children that will have to do chemo and radiation again and again. I thank God everyday for the life he has given me. Though, challenging everyday, I know and trust God with every step I take. He is an awesome God! Kyle is in kindergarden and Lauren is in pre-K. They both love their school and so do Brian and I. They are very caring about Kyle and his disability! Miss Kloiber is awesome. I think she is great and Kyle likes her too! He really likes his helper (Mr. Jory). Thank you God for loving and taking care of our family. We need very special prayers for my dad who is battling aggressive lung cancer! God bless! Sandy
Date: July 3, 2007
Hello everybody! I feel like we have been so busy that we have deserted the website! We had a great trip to Florida. Kyle finally got to do his make-A-wish. He wanted to go swim with the Dolphins. We went to Key West, Florida. I'm hoping we can put some new pictures on the website. Have a good fourth! Thank you for the cntinued support and prayers. Love Sandy
Date: 6-02-07
hello everybody, sorrry it has been forever since I have updated Kyle's journal. Kyle had his MRI in Denver on Tuesday May 29 and everything was just fine, ALL CLEAR! Thank God! We have been reen busy. School just got out and Kyle will attend 2days of summer school to make up for what he missed with all the illness and surgeries. Thank all of you for thoughts and prayers. Sandy
Date: 5-13-07
Hello everybody! Happy Mother's Day! We had a good Mother's Day. We went out to eat and it was so nice to NOT have to do dinner dishes! We all went over to Nanny and Poppy's house afterwards. My dad has completed his first round of chemo and he seems to be doing good. Kyle didn't have his MRI last week in Denver, instead he was in the hospital here in OKC. He had surgery to fix his Baclofen pump. The catheter tip came out of the spinal cord and he wasn't getting any Baclofen to help relax his legs. The medicine was collecting around his pump and belly. NOT good, he was miserable. Hopefuly he will be up to do therapy and go to school this week. Hopefully, we can get the MRI re-scheduled when school is out. Gotta go to bed, I'm falling asleep! Love Sandy.
Date: 05-01-07
Hello, I have been out of commission for the last 2 weeks due to a very busy schedule with Kyle and Lauren. LeAnne's (cousin)B-Day was on Sunday. We had Lauren and LeAnne's Birthday party on Sunday. Her B-day is not actually until May 14th. Leanne turned 2yrs old and Lauren will be 4 years old. Kyle is doing well in school and on his baseball team. Kyle will be having an MRI next Wednesday on May 9th. We know everything will be fine, but we are still requesting prayers for a safe trip for Brian and Kyle as this is Brian's first time to fly to Denver with Kyle. I'm going to be a nervous wreck waiting for the phone call from Brian. Pray Kyle is still tumor free forever. The Bratcher Family.
Date: 4-15-07
Hello everybody! We Are doing great and Kyle has been doing so good in school and having a good, positive attitude most of the time. Kyle is currently playing baseball on the Miracle league baseball team and he looks so cute in his baseball uniform. He loves to go out on the field, but he doesn't care for batting(like his mama). Kyle is also getting to go horseback riding a couple times a month at Coffee Creek riding stables and he likes that too(good physical therapy!!!) He doesn't know it is suppossed to be work, he just has fun!! Lauren is in tumbling and she has a ball. She is soo funny. The first time she went Kyle had a ball watching her fall on her butt and trying to balance a small bingbag on her head. They have bitter sweet relationship(don't all siblings?) Tommorrow Poppy will have several test (CAT Scan and MRI) and will determine when,where and what kind of treatment. Please continue to keep Kyle and our family in your prayers! Thanks Sandy
Date: 4-4-07
Hello everybody! Kyle is doing well and recovering from surgery great. His muscles are much more relaxed. I can't tell you how good it feels to hold him and his muscles are soft and conform to my arms. He used to be so stiff it was hard t hold him. Kyle's poppy (my dad) got his results from all of the scans and they were not as good as we wanted. The CAT scans showed a lung cancer mass and the whole body scan showed some spread of cancer to the lymph nodes in the sternum. We need lots of prayers for healing his body from head to toe. and helping my mom emotionally get through this. God, we know you are awesome you were there when mom had breast cancer 11 years ago, you showed us a miracle with Kyle a little over 2 years ago, and you are always and unconditionally there for us. Thank you for your faithfulness in out life. Please heal my daddy and allow us enjoy his humor and ornery jokes for a long time to come. Give the doctors the knowledge to care for him, give dad the strength and health to get through the treatment, Amen Love Sandy
Date: 3-24-07
Hello everybody! Kyle's surgery went well and he is having a great deal of pain from the surgery and because he has a bad cough from a previous cold. The Baclofen pump that Kyle had put in goes under the muscle in the stomach and the catheter that pumps medicine in the spinal cord goes under fatty part of the skin. Evertime he coughs it pulls on everything. Of course, we have been dosing with everything possible to keep him comfortable. Today was a pretty good day. He is at peace when he sleeps now and his muscle don't spasm and wake him up. Besides all of the surgery stuff going on, I found out yesterday that my dad has a mass on his lungs. We need lots of prayers for him and our family we are gonna find out more next week. Pray that it is just benign. God bless! Love Sandy
Date: 3-19-07
Hello everybody! I'm gonna make it short and sweet because I'm tired and my throat is really hurting bad(post nasal drip). Kyle is going to have his Baclofen pump placed tommorrow March 20th. Please pray all goes well and he does not have much pain. Love sandy
Date: 3-5-07
Hello everybody! We had a great appointment with the new neurosurgeon (Dr Gross). Hopefully, we can get the Baclofen pump placed over springbreak. Kyle got to go horse back riding today at Coffe Creek riding stables. He loved it and he got his pictures taken on his horse "Doc". He will continue to ride through the spring, it will be very therapuetic for his muscles. He is going play on the miracles league baseball team and we are excited about that too! Gotta go get some rest. Love ya Sandy
Date: 2-28-07
Hello everybody! Kyle is doing great! He has an appointment with the Neurosurgeon tommorrow to discuss putting the Baclofen pump in. Her name is Dr. Gross and she is a new Pediatric Neurosurgeon at children's hospital. Not too happy that we couldn't get in with the more experienced surgeon. The upside is that the difficulty level of placing the pump is only a 5 out of 10. Some more fun things Kyle has been doing is playing with Ryan (Hillsdale college student) from our church. This is one of Kyle's favorite buddies. Ryan came over to our house last night and played with Kyle while I went to the grocery store with Lauren. They had a blast! In fact, Kyle asked this morning if Ryan could come over and stay with him instead of going to school today. I thought it was cute. God has proven again that he is Awesome. Xander (Kyle's friend) had the tumor removed from his abdomen and it was not active cancer! Praise God and thank you God for putting your hands on Xander and Kyle and keeping them cancer free. Love Sandy
Date: 2-18-07
Hello everybody! The Baclofen trial went great! He had great receptors for the Baclofen and we are going to proceed with the pump placement as soon as possible. Tomorrow we are going to meet with a guy named Tony and he is an awesome motorcycle fabricator. He is going to help us modify a motorcycle for Kyle. Kyle is so excited to get a motorcycle for his 6th b-day in August. Hopefully he will get it done before then. Pray for Xander(Kyle's old friend) he has been in remission from neuroblastoma for 2 years and now has some possible re-occurrance in his abdomin. Xander will have a biospy on Feb 22 and possible removal if the tumors are active. We are staying strong with our faith, we know God's will for Xander and Kyle have puzzled all of us, but I know without a doubt we can't go wrong with God on our side! Love Sandy.
Date: 2-12-07
Hello everybody! It feels like forever since I made an entry. Kyle is doing good and we are done with Hyperbarics treatment. We finished on Thursday of last week. This Friday Fed 16th Kyle will have a spinal tap and the doctor will inject some medication called Baclofen. The medication trial is to see if he will be a canidate for the Baclofen pump. Kyle's muscles have become really spastic and tight. This makes him uncomfortable and tired about 60% of the time. Not to mention he can't sleep good at night because his muscle just won't relax. If he is a canidate we will make a decesion to have the pump surgically placed into the abdominal wall. Please pray for the Baclofen to work and pray for Brian and I to make the right decesions for Kyle. Kyle is doing good in school and having a great attitude. Please pray for a little boy named Xander that may have relapsed with Neuroblastoma. Love, Sandy
Date: 2-12-07
Hello everybody! It feels like forever since I made an entry. Kyle is doing good and we are done with Hyperbarics treatment. We finished on Thursday of last week. This Friday Fed 16th Kyle will have a spinal tap and the doctor will inject some medication called Baclofen. The medication trial is to see if he will be a canidate for the Baclofen pump. Kyle's muscles have become really spastic and tight. This makes him uncomfortable and tired about 60% of the time. Not to mention he can't sleep good at night because his muscle just won't relax. If he is a canidate we will make a decesion to have the pump surgically placed into the abdominal wall. Please pray for the Baclofen to work and pray for Brian and I to make the right decesions for Kyle. Kyle is doing good in school and having a great attitude. Please pray for a little boy named Xander that may have relapsed with Neuroblastoma. Love, Sandy
Date: January 30,2007
Hello Everybody! Kyle is doing good! We are getting closer to being done with hyperbarrics. Kyle has been doing really good lately, his behaivor is improving along with progress in school. We are going to look into getting a Baclofen pump. This will help Kyle's muscles relax more so they will work better. We will do a trial so see if it will work for him before they actually do surgery to implant it into the spinal cord. Currently, this is scheduled for March 5th. There is a small chance this will not work for him. Please pray that it will work and if it does work, we will need prayer to help us make a definite decision to do it or not. Of coarse,Lauren is her same old self (ORNERY as ever.) She is so independent and strong willed. I don't know where she gets that from. Gotta go! Love Sandy
Date: 1-17-07
Hello everybody! Today is Nanny's B-Day and Kyle and Lauren wanted to eat birthday cake even though there was no Birthday get together! The weather has been so bad! I have sad news, Kyle and Lauren's Papa passed away on January 10th(Brian's dad). He was battling Lung cancer and he was in a lot of pain. He is with our heavenly father and resting peacefully and pain free now. I'm so sad because I was not able to see my father-in-law while he was sick in the hospital or even attend his funeral because the bad weather. Brian was able to go before the weather got bad. I'm glad he was able to be there for his mom. I want to call and check on Me-me (my mother-in-law) everyday, but I know she doesn't want us to be bugging her everyday. We are gonna have to go visit Me-me alot this summer. Kyle is continuing to do hyperbarics and we will be done by the first of february. I'll check back later I'm really tired! Sandy
Date: 01-02-2007
Happy New year!!!! With lots of Hope, Love and Miracles for all sick little boys and girls. I think of all of the mamas and daddys that once had a child to hold and now their babies are with Jesus. I sit here in silence with tears dripping down my face and thank God for Kyle and the miracle that he blessed us with in our lives. I don't think about all of the hard times we went through anymore, I think about all of the good times we are going to have and how we can help change other peoples lives through the works of God with special needs children. My New years resolution is to educate as many people about children with special needs and help other children to understand how to play or interact with kids that have special needs. I wish all a HEALTHY & HAPPY NEW YEAR! Please continue to pray for Kyle and his recovery from Radiation Necrosis (specifically in the motor cortex of the brain) and to KEEP him cancer-free forever! Thank you for all of your support and prayers! God bless! Sandy
Date: 12-29-06
Hello Everybody we had a wonderful Christmas! The kids lots of good toys. We have enjoyed being with family and seeing my sister and her family from Alabama. Kyle and Lauren have had a stomach virus and it has caused him to have some small seizures. Thank godness it was after Christmas. Hope everybody has a wonderful New Year. God Bless! Love Sandy
Date: 12-21-06
Hello everyone! We have been really busy with the hyperbarics treatments everyday. They seemed to be helping Kyle with his head control and his left hand. Dr Sotor at the hyperbarics center seems to think Kyle is doing good enough to get approval through the insurance company for 20 more treatments. Kyle and Lauren are excited for Santa to come and visit at our house. I continue to remind them that it is Jesus' B-day but they are still focused on the toys. Santa will visit tommorrow night at Nanny and Poppy's house. My sister (Christie) and her family will be here from Alabama. We are excited to see them!Gotta go, have a Merry Christmas. Love Sandy
Date: 12-10-06
Hello everybody! TIS THE SEASON! We have been doing Hyperbarrics oxygen treatment since 11-27-06. Kyle and I go in the oxygen chamber for 2 1/2hours a day. It has been pretty good, the chambers a big enough that we can sit up in them and move around. God, thank you for the awesome strength that you give me everyday to be a good parent, continue to help me make the right decisions with my marriage and family, Amen. We received some sad news last, my Uncle Mike (my mom's brother) passed away at a very young age (57). He had been battling some lung disease and several staff infections. He was put on a ventilator on Thursday and he refused tube feedings. Mom says he had too much dignity to be incapacited for that long. I'm going to miss his big hugs and whisker kisses at the family reunions every year. He was a great man with a great wife. Dear Lord, keep this family strong and help them through this time of greif, be with Aunt Sherry and Heather (Mike's daughter) while they go through this greiving period and keep everybody safe during travels to the funeral in Kansas, Amen. This was Kyle and Lauren's GREAT uncle Mike. Love Sandy
Date: 11-24-06
Hello everybody! We had a great Thanksgiving at Nanny and Poppy's house! My Aunt Malene, Uncle Sam, cousin (Kelly) and her kids (Lindsey and Zach) came from Texas. Kyle had a great time playing with Zach and all the kids. Lauren had lots of fun playing with the girls. Brian and Kyle went to see Me-Me and Pa-Pa and go fishing today. Lauren and I will go down later(Lake Eufaula). We have so much to be thankful for this year. Thank you God for our awesome family and allowing us to be together this Thanksgiving. We need special prayers for one of my childhood friends. Her son has a brain tumor. I think they are in Denver receiving treatment for him. I heard this story by third party so I don't even know his name or any details. Dear God give this family strength & peace everyday through this tough time. Give the doctors the knowledge they need to treat this little boy(4yrs old),Amen. Love Sandy.
Date: 11-11-06
Hello everybody! We are so thankkful we received good news about Kyle's MRI. All CLEAR! Thank you God! Again Dr. Foreman said "It is very unlikely that the tumor will re-occur". Typical, when a child is tumor free for 3 years, they are considered CURED. We are almost at 2 years this January 2007. Despite the fact that Kyle will continue to have a life long struggle with a physical disability, he will need to work very hard on his learning and cognitive skills. He will not be able to have hands on like the other children for learning. Thank you God for the strength and patience that you give me everyday to be a good wife and mother. Thank you for blessing us with such wonderful children and family, Amen. There are many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, but number one is God and the grace he give us everyday! I gotta cut it short, I'm still tired from the trip to Denver. Love Sandy.
Date: 11--6-06
Hello everybody, Kyle is doing good. He has an MRI on this thursday November 9th @ 1245pm in Denver, Co. We will be flying out on wed nov 8th. My mom (Nanny) will be going with us. Brian is not able togobecause of school clinicals. PLEASE continue to pray for Kyle and a clear scan. Also Pray for him to recover from the Radiation Necrosis. We will be doing some more Hyperbarrics hopefully here in Midwest City soon. We also need prayers for Brian's dad (PaPa) he has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Five years ago he battled Non-Hodgkins lymphoma and now this. Pray for him his pain to go away and the doctors knowledge. I will keep you posted this week about Kyle's MRI! Pray hard! Love Sandy!
Date: 10-23-06
Hello everybody! Kyle is still doing great! He is going to be a Blue Ninja for halloween and Lauren is going to be Dora. On November 4 We will be doing the Oklahoma brain tumor walk "The rainbow of hope" in HONOR OF KYLE. We are hoping to raise a lot of money for the Oklahoma brain tumor foundation. I want to thank everybody at church for continued prayers and support for our family. We are very blessed to have such an awesome church family. God bless, Love Sandy.
Date: 10-05-06
Hello everybody! Kyle is doing great and he is loving school. He is learning new things everyday(His short term memory is getting better). We love his new aid "helper". Her name is LaShawn, she is a certified nurses assistant and she bonded with Kyle right away. She is "in tune" to his needs and is a very caring person. Thank you God for providing this special person, the burden and worries are getting less and less everyday knowing that Kyle has a good caregiver while I'm at work. Thank you God, You are an Awesome God! Amen. Kyle had an EEG on Wednesday 10-04-06. We got the results today and of course the test was mildly abnormal due to the nature of the injury (delayed radiation necrosis). Dr. Hille wants to change his seizure medicine to help better control the "simple-partial seizures" or what Kyle calls "Dizzy". Kyle is now on a Soccer team at AYSO soccer and he is having fun being part of a team and wearing a real uniform. There is one other kid on the team that is in a chair. Lauren is in a tumbling class and I put her in it to get her used to following routine and structure, but she continues to go to the beat of her own drum! Oh well she is having fun! God Bless, Sandy
Date: sept 24, 2006
Hello everybody! I would like to make a full entry but Iam having difficulty with the keyboard, Lauren spilled koolaide on it and the keys are sticking. Kyle is doing great at school. Tommorrow his new "permanent aide" will be starting She will be great I know it! I have been praying about it. She is a nurse assistant with experience that is similar to Kyle's needs. Quick prayer! Thank you God for my wonderful family, I am sooo blessed to have them! I know you are in total control and that allows me to be at peace with my everyday life struggles. Help Brian and I to be strong and to be better parents together everyday, Amen. SANDY
Date: 9-21-06
Hello everybody! I'm going to make it short because someone(Lauren) has spilled something on the keyboard and it is sticky! Kyle has a new aide at school and she starts in Monday. We got to meet her already, she is great! We started the Awana program at church and the kids love it! God bless, Sandy
Date: September 5, 2006
Hello Everybody! Kyle is doing good. He loves kindergarten! Kyle's school(Epperly Heights) and staff are doing their best to provide a permanent aid for him. The problem is with the lack of applicants for the job. We will know more tommorrow after Mr. Hill (Principle) meets with Special Services. I have been his aid for 2 1/2 weeks now and we are in a routine. It is going to be hard to let go and let somebody else take over. Of course, nobody will do as well as I do because I'm the mama. God, help me be at ease with the decisions that are made and help Brian and I be at peace with who will be Kyle's aid, I trust in you God and put it in your hands, Amen. Sandy
Date: August 27, 2006
Hello everybody! We had a great weekend! Nanny and Poppy rescued Brian and I Saturday night and all day Sunday! We went to dinner and then out with Marcus and Kerri. After church and lunch Kyle and Lauren talked Nanny and Poppy into taking them to Aunt Jackie's new house(It didn't take much persuading). Actually, Brian and Nanny had to persuade me to let the kids go. Kyle has been working really hard on learning his letters by sight and he is coming along. When Kyle was diagnosed @ the age of 3yrs we had just starting working on ABC's. Now we are playing catch up because we put the learning stuff on hold while we were trying to get him better. Kyle is having fun in kindergarten and it is good for him to be around other kids. God, thank for my wonderful family and all of the great things that you have done in ours lives. You are an awesome God and we trust in all that you do! Amen, Sandy.
Date: August 21,2006
Hello everybody! Kyle is doing well in school. His favorite thing is recess. I hope his "helper" is able to get him out of his chair and swing him, like I have been doing with him during recess time. Kyle is doing okay with class time. He gets easily distracted and sometimes has a hard time getting focused back on the task. It may take more time to get in the routine. The little kids are really sweet to him and they say what's on their mind and so does Kyle. I have to tell a funny story. A little girl in Kyle's class was continuously bringing him things(paper, drawings, crayolas ect..) and she was being very shy and he said "Hey, do you know how to talk?" I bit my tongue not to laugh out loud! "The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy. " Psalm 126:3. God bless, Sandy.
Date: August 17,2006
Hello everybody! It is my birthday today and I am 5 years old. Kyle started kindergarten yesterday. It is going very well and today was exciting because Kyle took cupcakes to his class for his birthday. Miss Newman is Kyle's kindergarten teacher and we like her a lot. Kyle will have an aide with him at all times at school. Meanwhile, I am doing parent shadowing and I think it is really neat to actually see the ciriculum and my child's first day at school. Gotta cut it short I am exhausted from reccess today. Love Sandy
Date: August 15, 2006
Hello everybody! Kyle is finally starting school tommorrow. We had a 2 hour meeting at the school today. The big question was, "Is Kyle going to be in pre-K or kindergarten?" The teachers and staff were pushing hard for kindergarten. So, kindergarten is the place he is going to be. We really like Epperly Heights, they are very nice and working well with Kyle's needs. We went to the "Meet the teacher night" and Kyle was excited to go to school and meet his new teacher, Mrs. Nemwan. Kyle's web site is offically updated. Thanks to my cousin (Connie)! I know God has been with us every step of the way and He will continue to carry us through. A million thanks to you God! Love, Sandy
Date: August 7, 2006
Hello Everybody! It is getting closer to school and Kyle is getting excited. He keeps asking me about school when he sees his new backpack and school supplies. I'm getting nervous about him going to school because nothing is set in place for his para-professional or his "helper". That is what we have been calling it. Last week I met with the Neuro-psychologist for interpretation of the testing she did with Kyle a couple of weeks ago. I was very pleased with the results. Kyle is average with cognitive levels for his age. He is behind in some places but not much. Some areas he tested at a 4yr 1month level and some areas he tested at 5yr 6month. I think that is pretty good considering what he has gone through and he is not even 5yr old yet! We are very proud of him! Kyle has a Birthday coming on August 17th and he is gonna be the big 5 yrs old. Previously I ask for special prayer requests for Kyle's friend, Braiden. Praise God! we got good news the tumors that were removed from Braiden's hand were Benign! Thank for the prayers and support! God bless, love Sandy.
Date: 7-28-06
Hello Everybody! We had a busy week with vacation Bible school (aka Kid's Bash). Kyle and Lauren had a great time. I had some great helpers with Kyle and Lauren (Kelli & Shannon). Kelli is a college student at Hillsdale Bible college and I believe Shannon is pursuing Occupational Therapy @ OU. They were great and I want to thank them again. Kelli has been helping with Kyle on Wednesday nights for aobut 3 weeks now! He loves her! It is getting closer to school and Kyle is getting excited! I hope this means that he won't cry when I take him! It breaks my heart when he cries. I have been praying that we will transiton well and there will be a lot of good teachers,therapist and kids that will accept Kyle. He is a good natured kid, I think he will do fine. Please give special prayer reqests for Kyle's friend Braiden who is 5 yrs old. Braiden had a growth removed from his hand called Ollier's Disease(Feb 2006). He recently went back to the Doctor and there are 2 more places (one on his hand and one on his finger). We need extra prayers for his family and doctors to make the right decision for treatment options. God Bless! Love, Sandy.
Date: July 21, 2006
Hello, It is soo hot (110 degrees). It's not much fun for Kyle and Lauren to stay in the house! We are staying busy in the house during the day and playing a little outside in the evenings. Aunt Chistie and cousins (Shae, Joey and Leann) came in from Alabama on Wednesday night and surprised us. It was a nice surprise but not good timing because Lauren had a tummy virus and just threw up on the kitchen floor. So they didn't come in and visit. They are staying at Nanny and Poppy's house. We will visit later when Lauren is clear. Kyle will be starting school in August and we are really busy getting him ready! I want to thank everybody for the continued prayers for Kyle and our family. I feel very blessed that we have such a close family and Nanny and Poppy are always there for us. Thank you God for such an awesome family! Love Sandy
Date: 7-11-06
Hello everybody! Kyle is doing good and still loving his daycare(Special Care). Kyle will be starting kindergarden this year. It's hard to beleive he will be 5 yrs old on August 17th. Kyle will have Botox injections this Thursday. Dr. Wright will inject several different muscle areas to help reduce the tightness in his muscles. We are trying out an electric mobility wheelchair from OATC (Oklahoma Assistive Technology Center). Kyle is doing good learning how to control it but he still has alot of tightness in his arm that makes it difficult to control. God Bless! Love Sandy
Date: 6-26-06
Hello everybody! Kyle and family are doing great. Everything seems to be getting back to normal for our family and accepting Kyle's physical disability seems to have slowly become part of our lives. That doesn't mean we have given up. We are going to continue to research options for the future for Kyle. I continue thank God everyday for the miracle he gave us with Kyle. I am working on a school transfer for kindergarden for Kyle this fall. Pray that it all works out. Lauren has been really busy lately and demanding lots of attention. That is okay she deserves it for all that she has been through. It is not easy being a sibling of a child with special needs. I'm think I am trying to make up for lost time with her. We have been playing lots of baby dolls lately. I don't think I dressed and undressed as many babies when I was a kid as compared to now. Oh well! we are both enjoying the special time together. Mean while Kyle and daddy seem to be doing some more boy stuff! Gotta cut it short it is late! God Bless! Love, Sandy.
Date: 6-04-06
Hello everybody! Kyle is still cruizing along. Still seeing small improvements. Kyle will be having an MRI of the spinal cord on Tuesday June 6th (they don't really expect to see any problems). Kyle is having some problems with his bowel and bladder control. Dr. Foreman wants to check out the spine. He will have the MRI here in okc at Oklahoma diagnostics center. Pray that it shows nothing and these problems are minor. The Neuro-psychologist thinks it could be regression from trauma of this whole ordeal or just regression from the radiation necrosis and side effects. Other appointments this week are hearing test and neurology. Hopefully Kyle can be taken off of his seizure medicine. That is what we will talk to his Neurologist about tommorrow. Thank you all for your prayers and support. God bless! Sandy
Date: 5-14-06
Hello Everybody! The MRI on Thursday was clear.. THANK GOD! Dr. Foreman said "The chances that the tumor will come back are pretty remote." In other words Kyle is probably cured from the tumor. But, Dr. Foreman seemed somewhat emotional and upset that Kyle wouldn't have a good quality of life due to his physical disabilities. I'm okay with it because Kyle is here and he is alive and well! He is full of life and joy everyday! God gives us the strength to carry on everyday and enjoy every minute that we have with him. Today is Lauren 3rd B-Day and she is so excited. She opened a few presents already and we will do her big party at Nanny and Poppy's house next weekend! We are going to get her a swing set and Kyle will have his own swing. I think they will love it! Thank you for the prayers! God bless. Sandy
Date: 5-8-06
Hello everybody! Kyle has an MRI on thursday May 11th. Keep us in your prayers. We will be leaving to Denver on May 10th. Kyle is doing better from his sickness last week. We are coming up on Lauren's third B-Day. Time is slipping away, but for the most part we are enjoying it to the fullest. Tonight Kyle invited one of his friends from Special care to go to Incredible Pizza and they had a ball! Love Sandy
Date: 4-29-06
Hello everybody! Kyle has been sick the last week. He had "The Kroup" on Monday and has been running fever for the last 5 days. We have been to the doctor twice this week and to the ER for chest Xrays to rule out pnuemonia. Kyle has bronchiolitis and borderline pnuemonia. Not for sure if it is pnuemonia because he has been on antibiotic since monday. Today he seems to feel a little better. Kyle has missed a week of school. He doesn't seem to mind because he feels so bad. Pray for Kyle to feel better. God Bless! love Sandy.
Date: 4-18-06
Hello Everybody! We had a great Easter at Nanny and poppy's house. I really feel blessed today! I was thinking back last year at this time we were so unsure of what was going on with Kyle. We were in Denver and going through awful chemo treatments. This year we are in remission and so thankful for what we have. We have a wonderful, bright, joyful child. I thank God everyday for keeping his hands on Kyle and keeping Brian and I strong through this whole thing. We do have everyday stuggles with physical challenges, but that is okay because he is a strong little booger! He has strong will power because he knows what he used to be able to do and we work hard to everyday to make his play and daily avtivity as normal as possible. God is with him every minute and every second of the day. Even when Kyle is sitting in his chair and not able to get up and play. God is sitting right next to him taking that burden off of his shoulders. God, thank you for being such a good God and taking our burdens away, this keeps our souls strong and our minds clear to help us be more like you in our everyday lives, thank you a million times for giving us a miracle and allowing Kyle to be present today and everyday for a very long time. Amen! In Christ Love, Sandy
Date: 4-8-06
Wow! It has been a long time since I have put an entry in Kyle's web site. Sorry, our lives have become so busy since I'm getting back to work full-time and Brian is going to nursing school full-time. Kyle continues to like his new school. When we pull in the parking lot he says "yeah my Special Care". Of course, that is the name of his day care but he takes a lot of pride in to it. I love it there because he has lots of friends there. Special ones and typical ones. Of course the rest of the family is doing good. Lauren continues to be full of laughter and I see my self more and more in her everyday. She loves to bring Kyle's toys to him even if he doesn't want them and when she sees he is upset about something she is constantly trying to console him by patting him on the head and it drives him nuts! That is siblings for ya! Well I gotta go get busy doing something besides sitting. They are napping so I have to play catch up. God bless! Love Sandy.
Date: 3-30-06
Hello everybody! Kyle is doing good and continues to like his new school. Kyle started on a new medication last Friday and it has really changed our lives. He is now sleeping through the night and can use his hands more freely now. The medication is called Baclofen and it helps his muscles to relax enough that he has some voluntary movement. His occupational therapist was really pleased to see him assist with feeding himself independently for almost 50% of his meal. We continue to pray for Kyle daily that he will recover from this radiation necrosis. He has come so far and has been soooo tough through the whole thing. Kyle is getting to the point where he is not quite sure how to feel about what is going on with his body and I continue to build him up mentally because he needs this support. I find myself challenged everyday on what to say and how to deal with daily encounters about Kyle being physically challenged. I want Kyle to be proud of himself about what he has been through but he continues to show anger when I praise him for being so brave and tough this whole time. I ask God daily to help me in this area of struggle. Please pray for our family and how to get through these days. God bless! Love, Sandy
Date: 3-30-06
Date: 3-19-06
Hello Everybody! Kyle is doing good and liking his new school. We are almost to the point where he does not cry when I drop him off. He has a new buddy named "Ryan". Ryan works at Special Care and has been so great with Kyle. He set up a race track and let him play with it last friday morning. Kyle was so excited when he seen the race track. Ryan has got him spoiled! Well, continue to pray that Kyle gets more recovery in regards to the radiation necrosis. We thank everybody for all the prayers and support. God Bless. Love, Sandy and family.
Date: 3-7-06
Hello everybody! Kyle started a new daycare and he has some new friends he really has been enjoying. He has a friend named Cody and he really likes playing with him. Kyle keeps really busy at "school" I think it is so cute he calls it his "school". His first couple of days were good, but after the new wore off he wasn't happy I was leaving him. That's typical at this age and considering he has been by my side for the last 2 years he is doing great. keep praying strong for KYle to have a full recovery from the radiation necrosis. God Bless! Love Sandy and family.
Date: 3-1-06
Hello everybody! Kyle is doing good. He had some unexpected dizziness and severe headache this weekend and we went to the ER. They did a CAT SCAN of the head and sinuses. Everything was okay. Dr foreman (Denver Children hospital) thinks it is vertigo from the radiation and it was flared up from a sinus virus. He is doing good now and will be starting daycare at Special Care. He will be in the five year old class. he is going to be around typically developing kids and special needs kids. I think it is great because the other kids help and play with the kids that need assistance. Kyle is showing more small improvements. Pray for Kyle to have good days at his new school. God bless! love Sandy and family.
Date: 2-22-06
Hello everybody! this is going to be quick! Kyle is doing well, his therapist reported today that he seems to be doing better and the muscle tone is getting better. Thank God! Keep praying he makes improvements. Kyle is looking forward to going to his Cubbies class tonight at church, so is Lauren, of course! She is a barrel of laughs! Love Sandy and family.
Date: 2-16-06
Hello Everybody! I'm so behind on the journal. Kyle finished his last treatment at the Lufkin Hyperbarics in Texas on Feb 10th. We are seeing small improvements and we will continue to pray we will see more improvements in the future. Kyle, Nanny and I flew to Denver on Valentines Day for a follow up MRI and what a great Valentines day present-- the scan was clear with no tumor present. Thank you God! Kyle has been really busy with everything latley. I think we are going to rest a while from traveling. He will resume some therapy with his old therapist. I'm going to check out the Jet lag is catching up with me. Love Sandy and Family!
Date: 1-29-06
Hello Everybody! We are doing good. Kyle seems to be doing a little better. Small improvements make a big difference at this stage of the game. We will keep praying daily for God to heal his little body. Kyle and I will go back to Texas early in the morning. Lauren and Brian will stay here in OKC. Brian starts school tommorrow. He will be changing careers. I'm excited for him, he is going to nursing school! We want to thank everbody for all of the support and prayers. I know our families have really been great. Nanny and Poppy have been there unconditionally for us. They are here right now and they are playing hide n' seek with Kyle and Lauren. We had a birthday party for my niece (Shaelynn). She will be turning 13. She flew here from Alabama by herself. We have enjoyed her being here. God bless everybody! Love, Sandy and family
Date: 1-25-06
Hello Everybody! I don't even know where to start. Kyle is doing really well in the hyperbarics (the bubble is what Kyle calls it). His ears are better now that he has the tubes in his ears. Last weekend we met Nanny, Poppy and Lauren is Mesquite, Tx at my Aunt Marlene and Uncle Sam's house. We had A GREAT TIME there over the weekend and the kids absolutely had a blast! Kyle was stuck to Zach's side (cousin) and Lauren was loving Lindsey's (cousin) attention. Lauren and I came back to OKC so I could work and get my ears well. Brian and Kyle are in Lufkin, Tx This week. Brian will start school next Monday and Kyle and I will finish his 2 weeks of hyperbarics. It sound really busy but we are doing all we can to get through these tough times. We are not seeing big improvements in Kyle's motor skills, but my understanding is that it could take up to 6 months to see results. We will keep praying daily that God will heal him. God Bless! Sandy and Family.
Date: 1-18-06
Hello everyone, This week is going better than last week, we have made it through five treatments. Sandy went in with Kyle on Monday morning only to come out with a ear infection, she went to the doctor today and seems to be getting better. Kyle seems to be handling the hyperbaric chamber better each time we go in for a treatment. Kyle is such a brave little boy, he is an inspiration to all of us. Our treatments last a little over an hour, if you could only know what its like to be cramped up in that small chamber you would truly be amazed how well he is doing. We thank God every day for all the blessings he has given to us during our time here.God Bless, The Bratcher Family
Date: 1-13-06
Hello everybody! Kyle is doing better except he has a nagging cough. We have been giving him good cough medicine that has a little codeine in it. He only gets that at night because it makes him sleepy. He seems to be sleeping a little better(maybe it is the codeine). I'm not crossing my fingers. Sleep deprivation has become a normal routine for me in the last year. Speaking of years, it has been one year since Kyle's last tumor removal(1-11-05). Nobody remembered but me. Those dates seem to be embedded in my mind. People are amazed at how I can remeber every single date and time of ever event with Kyle. I can't see how one couldn't remeber such tramatic events. I remeber when we first found out about Kyle's tumor and I would look around at people and think how can they be laughing or going on with their life and I'm dying inside. Now, I can't take myself to that place mentally again or I would go insane. We just enjoy every minute of the day with Kyle and try to take it day by day. We know Kyle and our family is in God's hands. It looks like Monday we will head back to Texas if Kyle's cough get better. Gotta go take care of KB, he is calling Mama. God bless! Love, Sandy
Date: 01-10-06
Hello Eveybody, The last couple of days have been really crazy. Kyle had a fever for about 36 hours. He finally broke his fever last evening. We ended up in the ER today to get Kyle a chest X-ray, blood cultures and a nasal wash to make sure his fever wasn't pneumonia or RSV. All came back negative, but he did benefit from the fluid bolus they gave in his IV. He is eating and drinking a little better today. I think we will wait until Kyle is feeling better to go back to Texas for the hyperbarics treatment. We will play it day by day. I have a special prayer request for one of Kyle's little friends at church. Braden has been diagnosed with a rare disease(I don't even know the name) but it affects the growth plates in the bones. God, I know you have healed Kyle of his tumor and you work miracles everyday and so we ask that you lay your hands on Braden and heal him from head to toe, give his parents and family peace, comfort, and strength to get through these tough days. Also, We ask that you guide and direct his parents to make the right decision for him during this time. In Jesus name... Amen. Love, Sandy and Family.
Date: 1-07-06
Hello Everybody and Happy New years! We made it to Lufkin, Tx. Kyle tolerated two treatments of the hyperbarics with Brian in the chamber with him, but they both have a real bad cold that caused them to have really bad ear pain. Kyle ended up with a bad ear infection and we were lucky enough to get into a Ear, Nose and Throat specialist the next day and put tubes in his ears. The ENT Doctor said his ears were really infected and they are still draining alot today. It is a good thing that he got tubes because now he doesn't have to clear his ears while he is in the chambers (pressure is a little greater than an airplane). We came back to OKC on Thurs and we will head back on Sunday. Lauren will stay with Nanny and Poppy again this week. Kyle was sure missing his little sissy while we were gone. The hyperbarics is only a month of treatment (40 hours). God willing it will work and we will be back for more treatments. Wish us safe travels. God Bless! Love, Sandy.
Date: 12-27-05
Hello everyone! We had a great christmas and Kyle seem to be in pretty good spiritsl. My sister from Alabama (Christie) is here visiting with her three kids Shaelynn(12), Joey(2), Leann Rose (8mos) and her husband Richard. Kyle has had so much fun playing with Aunt Christie because she is so silly-crazy. She would do anything to make Kyle laugh. She is very attentive to his needs and wants. Kyle wanted some christmas PJ's, so Aunt Christie went shopping on Christmas eve and found Kyle two pairs. It's almost like she is looking through my eyes. We will miss them when they have to go back home this week. We are planning to go to Texas on Jan 2nd for the Hyperbarics oxygen treatment. Please pray the treatment will be successful. God bless, Sandy.
Date: 12-18-05
Hello everybody! We have been really busy with the holidays coming up. Kyle is doing okay, he is still going to therapy every. He is still continuing to have trouble with his left arm and hand. It seems to be getting worse. We continue to pray constantly that it gets better. In January we will be doing the Hyperbaric Oxygen treatment and our insurance company probably will not cover it. Brian is going back to school on January 30th. We have alot of stress coming up in our lives. God is an awesome God and he will carry us through even the toughest times. Father, we come to you right now and ask that you lay your hands on Kyle and heal him from head to toe and give him the strength to walk again and be able to use his hands to play with his toys, Father we know you are in control and by the stips of Jesus Kyle will be healed again. In your precious and Holy name, AMEN
Date: 12-7-05
Hello Everybody! Kyle had his Mediport removed yesterday and Dr. Wright was kind enough to make a trip to Children's hospital and do some more botox injections while he was under anesthesia for the port removal. Dr. Wright wanted to focus on the legs for the botox injections. I can actually see some improvement in the legs today. Kyle is a little sore today from the inicision where they port was. Kyle is such a brave and good natured kid. I couldn't ask God for anything more, he is awesome. I feel very blessed this Christmas to have my family and UNCONDITIONAL LOVE from God and our family at church. Thank you God for all that you do in our lives, you are our awesome God! God Bless and have a Merry Christmas. Love, Sandy
Date: 12-2-05
Hello everybody! Kyle had an appt with the rehab doctor. Dr. Wright has happy to hear that Kyle's MRI was clear, but he was a little stumped that Kyle is not progressing with therapy and his muscle spasticity is getting worse. I was frustrated that Dr. Wright didn't have any answers, so of course I paged Dr. Foreman and he called right back. Dr. foreman reports that there is no magic answer except TIME. He said time will tell if he will regain any function of his legs and it will be a very long slow process if and when he does regain the function. Today Kyle got to try out an electric standing mobility chair and it was joy to see his face light up. He wanted to take it home, but of course he coudn't because it was only a demo. We are working on getting one soon hopefully. God Bless! Love Sandy
Date: 11-26-05
Hello everybody! Kyle has got a little stomach virus(throwing up and diarrhea). We went to the emergency room yesterday to get his blood checked and get some IV hydration. We were only there 3hours. He is feeling better today. We went to the mall game room and to the movies to see Chicken Little with his cousin Chase. We had a good day and Chase is staying the night. Kyle is thrilled! It feels like we are on a roller coaster with Kyle's progress. Even though Kyle is not walking and being independent like most 4 year olds, he has a really mature attitude. It breaks my heart to see him not be able to run around and play with the other kids, but I know God is in control and he will heal his little body from head to toe. Thank you God for chosing me to be the one to take care of Kyle and helping us get through each and every day of hard work and frustration. In your precious name we pray, Amen. I know it is going to be a long hard road, but I know Kyle will walk again. Love, Sandy
Date: 11-24-05
Hello everyone! We had a great Thanksgiving! Kyle had a great time playing with Zach(second cousin) and Lauren kept everybody busy and entertained. Not much new stuff going on. Hopefully we will have some new pictures up in the next couple of weeks. Love Sandy!
Date: 11-21-05
Hello Everyone! Kyle seems to be doing better in therapy. He is sitting better. It is the small stuff that really counts now days. We are working on getting Kyle to be more independent. We are in process of ordering equipment to accomadate his needs better. Hopefully a one-armed drive wheelchair will help him to become more independent in the long run until he can walk again. He just love his Occupational therapist(Miss Jill). Kyle's eyes light up the minute that he sees her. Even though she makes him work hard he still loves her and talks about her at home. We are going to Nanny and Poppy's house for Thanksgiving. I'm sure we will have lots of fun and eat too much like always. Kyle is excited to see Zach and Linsdey ( my cousins kids). Thank you God for blessing me and my family with Kyle in our lives, as you know he has changed us for the better, Amen. Sandy
Date: 11-17-05
Hello Everybody! No new stuff going on. Kyle continues to work hard at therapy. Kyle will require months of hard therapy. We are hopeful that he will walk and even run again. God has gotten him this far and he will continue to carry him on through months or even years of therapy. God bless! Love Sandy.
Date: 11-14-05
Hello Everybody! Still doing good. Kyle has been working hard at his therapy. He does use the word "ouch" alot. Mostly when something is a challenge and he doesn't want to do it or he is frustrated. I guess he thinks he is gong to get out of doing it. We have to think of lots of distractions and I have to admit it has been a little challenging because he is beginning to catch on. No new stuff going on with therapy, except the therapist did say she thought his balance was a little better. Please continue to pray everyday that Kyle will progress in therapy and that nasty old tumor stays away forever. God bless. Love, Sandy
Date: 11-12-05
Hello Everybody! Kyle's MRI was clear! Thank you God. Sorry it took me so long to post this message. Dr. Foreman says there is still radaition necrosis and it has probably done the most damage already and now we should begin to see some improvment. I have seen some small improvements on his sitting. He is not leaning as much as he was. While we were in Denver this week Kyle had an apointment with the rehab Doctor (Dr. Apkon). I really liked her. She said that we have about a 6 month window to know if Kyle was going to regain his strength. We also saw the endocrinologist and we liked her too. I thank God everyday for opening the doors to these great Doctors that truly care about our kids. Dear heavenly father I come to you today and thankyou for blessing me so much with this awesome child and I know you will give me the strength and peace to take care of him everyday. In your precious and Holy name Amen!
Date: 11-6-05
Hello Everybody! Kyle is still hanging tough! This weekend he played with his cousins, Nanny, Poppy and his Me Me. We had a busy weekend. He seems to be having trouble sitting up and he is leaning a lot when he sits independently. He had his casts put on both legs on friday (Serial Casting) but we ended up cutting the left one off because it was bothering him so bad. The casts help to stretch his muscles in his legs. Each week the therapist change the casts to stretch the muscles a little more each time. Please pray everything will be clear on wednesday MRI. We went to church tonight and had a great Thankgiving dinner and lots of people from church reminded me how much they loved us and are praying for us. Thank you and God bless. Love Sandy.
Date: 11-02-05
Hello Everybody! Kyle is still working hard in therapy and is full of funny pranks he has been pulling on his therapist. He will have therapy two times a day for a long time. We will be going to Denver a little earlier than I had mentioned previously. We are scheduled to be in Denver next Wednesday Nov 9th for an MRI and to see the Pediatric rehabilitaion doctor. We had lots of fun on Halloween. Nanny made Kyle a special cake for Halloween. He requested a chocolate cake with eyeballs and worms. Of course, he got it! Kyle is such a blessing and full of laughter. I thank god for him everyday. Please continue to post and read on KYLE'S web site! God Bless, Sandy
Date: 10-31-05
Hello Everybody! We are still hanging in there. Kyle is a tough little booger! Friday he had some Botox injection in his right hand and both legs. Dr. Wright (Pediatric Rehab Doc) did it while Kyle was under sedation. The injections are pretty painfull and he has been through enough. There is no pain involed after the injections. The botox will help to relax the muscles and ligaments that have been affected by the radiation and chemo. I have been praying all weekend that this works because it has been really difficult for Kyle to walk lately! We decided not to do the PET scan here in OKC. We will wait for the MRI in Denver (After Thanksgiving). I hope everybody that reads Kyle's web site will pass the news that it is fixed and I will make sure I update more frequently. Please continue to prayer for Kyle's legs and hand to get better. God Bless and have a safe and happy Halloween. Love, Sandy
Date: 10-24-05
Hello Everybody! Kyle is doing good. He has been to several doctors appoints for flu shots and follow up appointments. Kyle is having some weakness in his left leg (good leg). I am very concerned about this weakness. Our most recent appoint was with Dr. Gummerlock. The neurosurgeon that did the Gamma Knife on Kyle in March 2005 (before we left to go to Denver). We really like Dr. Gummerlock, she is very parent and child freindly. Dr. foreman(Denver) and Dr. Gummerlock feel like the left leg weakness is from radiaiton and chemo effect. They both agree that a more in detailed scan would be a good idea (PET Scan). Kyle will have this scan sometime in the next couple of weeks. Please pray that the scan will be clear of tumor STILL! If it is radiation and chemo scar tissue then time will heal it with the help of God's hands. God bless everybody. sorry about all of the junk entries on the journal. Hopefully it will be fixed this week. Please continue to pray and add entries. Thank you, Sandy.
Date: 10-11-05
Hello everybody! sorry about all of the weird entries in the guestbook. It will be fixed soon. We have been busy with Kyle's therapy schedule and work. He goes to occupational and physical therapy 4 days a week. Kyle had an episode of seizures on September 28th. The day after his MRI. We were in the hospital for 2 days. He is on seizure medicine now and doing great! We are at the library right now and is saying "I'm ready to go" (About 20 times). Hopefully, we can keep updated now that we are taking fun trips to the library. God bless love, Sandy and Kyle. I asked Kyle if he wanted to say anything to everybody and he said "THE LIBRARY IS BORING"
Date: 9-26-05
Hello everybody! It's so good to read all of the E-mails and entries on the guest book. We are starting to get back to normal. Kyle's is getting a little more independent everyday! His balance is a little off due to the weight he has put on. It's good that he is gaining weight, but I don't want it to affect his activity. He is much more himself now that he is off the steroids. He is laughing and playing everyday. His therapy is going good. He is able to use his right hand a little more everyday. It is going to be a slow process, but that's okay we have learned lots of patience in the last year. Kyle has another MRI tomorrow in Denver. We will fly out early in the morning and return back to OKC late tomorrow night. We have been praying daily that he MRI will be clear of tumor again and the radiation damage will resolve, so the function of his arm can get better. Please pray for a safe trip and a clear MRI. Thank you God for all of the blessing and miracles you have given to our family, we have truly been blessed to have such a wonderful son and daughter, give Brian and I the strength and peace for Kyle's test tomorrow Amen! Love, Sandy.
Date: 9-13-05
Hello Everybody! Kyle has been really busy and so have the rest of the family. Kyle has been on steroids for 2 weeks now and he is getting to be a little BUTTERBALL! He started physical therapy and Occupational therapy for his right hand last week. He has been rather moody and irrational at times. I think he deserve to be. The steroids are helping with the internal swelling from radiation, but they have some awful side effects. Today we cut the dose in half and next week in half again. Then, hopefully after the next MRI (Sept 27th) he can stop taking them if the swelling is under control. Kyle does therapy 3 times a week and we are seeing some improvement in his hand and arm. Thank God for that! Hopefully we can keep updated now that I have a computer available to me. God Bless! Love Sandy and Family.
Date: 8-29-05
Hello everybody! We are back in Denver for Kyle's MRI. We flew in yesterday. We are staying at an awesome Hotel with a pool. Thanks to Robert Wall, he donated his flyer miles and hotel miles to us. We are so appreciative. Kyle had a blast in the pool and mostly in the hot tub because the water was pretty chilly in the big pool. Today we had an MRI and Kyle did well. Dr. Foreman agreed with the radiologist that there was no tumor. YEAH! But, there is radiation necrosis which is causing his right hand and arm to be weak. The radiation necrosis is worse than the MRI on July 12th but Kyle is actually doing better with using the right arm and hand. Dr. Foreman was very pleased with Kyle's appearance and the use of his right arm/hand. Kyle has a hearing test tommorrow and then we fly back home(OKC) at noon. We will possibly be admitted to the inpatient unit at the new Children's Center in Bethany on Wednesday August 30th. It will be for some intense (3-4hrs a day) therapy. He will get lots of good Occupational and Physical therapy. Dr Foreman agees this is a good idea. Thank you God for answering our prayers again with our precious son, give him the strength and endurance in the next couple of weeks during rehabilitaion. God Bless Love the Bratcher's.
Date: 8-21-05
Hello Everybody! We have been so busy with coming home parties, Kyle's big 4th B-day party at Nanny and Poppy's house. We had a wonderful coming home party at the Stanfil's house on Aug 16th. Kyle turned four on Aug 17th and we had his big B-day party on Sat Aug 20th. The kids had a blast. There was a clown show, a dunk tank, a swimming pool, a slip and slide and a pinata. It was so good to see everybody at Kyle's coming party this morning at church. It was so nice, we had breakfast and lots of goodies. Kyle got a huge spiderman flying disc that he has been asking about for months. When the commercial comes on he says "Mama I want that". We don't know who gave it to him because there was no card. If anybody knows please let us know so Kyle can thank them. We want to thank everybody for all of the prayers, unconditional support, donations and gifts. Most of all THANK YOU GOD FOR THE MIRACLE WITH OUR SON! GOD Bless! Love the Bratcher's.
Date: 8-11-05
Hello Everybody! Today was a strange day for me. Today was exactly 1 year that Kyle had his first MRI with Diagnosis of the first Tumor. At that time I don't think that I could even image that we would be here in Denver for treatment and discharged exactly a year later. Kyle did okay this morning. He did get sick with this antibiotic infusion but no more of that yucky stuff. We are done with all treatments. Just healing time now. Pray for strength and courage for Kyle. He will probably start pre-school in a couple of weeks. We will fly back to OKC tommorrow and we are excited to get back to Sunnylane Baptist Church on Sunday. See ya soon! Love Kyle and Sandy!
Date: 8-09-05
Hello Everybody! It feels like forever since I had a chance to update the journal. The computers were down at Brent's place last Thursday and Friday. Kyle had a great weekend with his cousin Chase that came to visit. My sister(Jackie) and my dad also came to Colorado to visit. They all left early this morning (4am). They took Lauren back with them and I'm already missing her. My dad just called and said they are back in OKC and Lauren did great for the 11 hour trip. She slept most of the way. Kyle's infection is gone and he is doing better every day. His appetite is picking up too. He is eating a lot of cereal and frozen yogurt pops. We had an appointment today for an evaluation for occupational therapy. To help get his right hand/arm stronger and become more independent with every day activies. I'm hoping our last appointment is Thursday. If all of his blood work is on the uphill rise, we will leave Friday morning. We are excited to get home. We will come back to Denver on August 29th for another MRI and hearing test. I'm am already worried about it. Kyle will probably get to start pre-school when we get home. We have to get all medical stuff arranged with the Mid-Del school system first. Please pray for us to have a safe trip home. God Bless! Love Sandy
Date: 8-01-05
Hello Everybody! A lot has taken place since the last journal entry. Saturday we went to Kid's Cure(fundraiser for Brent's Place). They had a 5K and a 1K run. Kyle got to blow the horn to start the race. It was a little loud but he liked it. He got really tired about 2 hours after we got there and the heat wasn't helping his rash. He developed a fungal infection in his groin area from all of the antibiotics. Dr. Foreman called on Saturday afternoon to tell us the blood cultures were still positive and the central line would need to come out on Monday because that was probably the source of infection (plus it was almost falling out anyways). It was making me nervous because I was constantly re-taping and checking to make sure it was in place. Especially, because his platlets have been so low. The line is in such a large artery and he would be at risk for bleeding. We don't have to worry about it now because Dr. Foreman pulled it out today after kyle got some platlets to help with the clotting. Now all medicines and blood products have to go in his medi-port (which could also be infected). They did blood cultures on it today also. Kyle is glad the central line is out but now we have to use a needle to access his medi-port every so often. When Dr. Foreman pulled the line out he said the reason it got infected was because over time the line had pulled out enough to enable skin bugs to migrate up the line and get in the blood. So now we will go an an antibiotic called Vancomycin for 48 hours. It can cause some hearing damage. We may get to leave late next week to go back to Oklahoma for good. We will check back tommorrow. God Bless. Love ya, Sandy
Date: 7-28-05
Hello Everybody! Kyle is doing good today! His energy is getting better. We get to go home today. He will being on IV antibiotics every 6hours for ten days. What a pain, but at least we get to be at home. He's going to get blood and platlets today and then we will be discharged late this afternoon. This morning he played pool with Nanny and a little bit of yatzee! We will check back in tommorrow. God Bless! Love, Sandy and Brian.
Date: 7-27-05
Hello Everybody, Dr. Foreman came in this morning and the results for the blood cultures are still pending. The good thing is that they are giving him several different antibiotics to cover a broad range of bacterias. The down side of it is that Kyle is having a lot of diarrhea, but no accidents. Even if it is a false alarm he still wants to sit on the potty. No kidding we have probably made 20 trips the bathroom in less than 12 hours. That is okay because God gives me the strength and the patience I need to take care of him and my family(well Nanny helps a lot too)! We will check back tommorrow. God Bless, Sandy and Brian.
Date: 7-26-05
Hello Everybody! This morning at 5:30am we got a phone call from the hospital saying that we needed to come in to the hospital to be admitted for Iv antibiotics. The blood cultures that they took yesterday was Gram positive for bacteria. Dr. Foreman came in bright and early this morning. He said Gram positive is better than Gram negative cultures. It's more treatable and usually comes from bacteria in the mouth or on the skin. Because Kyle's immune system is almost ZERO his normal bacteria on/in his body can infect the blood. Please pray for the antibiotics to wipe this infection out! Kyle will be in the hospital for a minimum of 48 hours and then go home on IV antibiotics. God bless Love Sandy and Brian.
Date: 7-25-05
Hello Everybody! Today Kyle had a little fever this morning and he got some antibiotics just to make sure! He will also get this antibiotic tommorrow. He had a rough weekend. He slept about 80% of the weekeend. Despite the fever he actually felt pretty good this morning. He is taking a nap right now with Lauren and daddy. Kyle's arm strength is a little better. Dr. Foreman seems to think it's not permanent but we won't know for sure until 3-4 months. We will continue to pray for Kyle to get his complete strength back in his arm. Nanny and I are going shopping for a while. So we better get going! God Bless! Love, Sandy and Brian.
Date: 7-21-05
Hello Everybody! This morning Kyle got a little sick with the antibiotics he got in his IV. It's pretty common to have nausea and vommitting with Pentamadine. He also got some IV steroids to reduce the swelling in the brain that is causing his right arm to be weak. Dr. Foreman believes this will help significantly with movement of the arm and shoulder. Kyle is now getting blood and hopefully this will perk him up for the big night. Tonight Kyle will get to meet his favorite motorcyle rider (Ricki Carmichael). One of the girls at Brent's Place (Mary Kate) set this up for Kyle and he is so excited. We are so appreciative of all the great people involed with Kyle's care and recovery. Tommorrow Kyle will get his stem cell rescue. God bless and thank you! Love Sandy and Brian!
Date: July 20, 2005
Hello everyone, Today is Kyle's last day of chemo and we are very excited about that. Kyle started having some problems with the movement of his right arm due to increased the preassure on his brain. Dr. Foreman tells us that the radiation he had along with chemo are causing the weakness in his arm. Kyle's movement should return when all the chemo is finished, along with some physical therapy in the weeks ahead. Lauren is doing good as a two year old can do playing with her brother. Lauren keeps Kyle laughing and occasionally upset over the small things kids fight about. We would like to thank everyone for all the prayer's and acts of kindness given to our family, it is truly a blessing. Love, The Bratcher family
Date: 7-18-05
Hello Everybody! We had a wonderful time this weekend with my sister and her family. Kyle and Lauren played so much with Karlie and Dakota. We are going to miss them. They flew back to OKC early this morning. Nanny is sick with a tummy virus. She will be isolated from the kids for a couple of days. Due to the fact that Kyle will start high dose Chemo tommorrow and wednesday with a his stem cell rescue on Friday. Today Kyle's blood count looked great(no blood or platlets today). Thank you God for the miracles you have worked in Kyle's life and I ask that you continously keep your arms around him and give him strength as he goes through this last round of High dose Chemo. I ask that you give Brian and I peace, calm, patience, and strength to be the very best parents to Kyle and Lauren. In your precious name we prayer, Amen.
Date: 7-14-05
Hello Everybody! Kyle had a hearing test this morning and the results were actually better than the previous tests. The speech therapist that did the test this morning feels like the different results for the two tests were related to Kyle being fatigued. After the test Kyle was in a hurry to get over and see Dakota at Nanny's motel room. We went shopping and ate lunch at the mall. We will have Dakota's B-Day party this evening. Kyle is taking a nap right now and Lauren is fighting her nap right now! We will check in with you tommorrow. Love,The Bratcher's! God Bless.
Date: 7-13-05
Hello Everybody! We have good news! Dr. Foreman is pretty certain there is no tumor. Thank you God! The MRI did reveal some changes in regards to the effects of previous radiation. This is most likely the reason for his right hand being weak. Our God is an awesome God! I'm crying tears of joy right as I speak! Kyle is playing basketball right now with his daddy. We are at the office of Brent's Place. Nanny is attempting to put Lauren down for a nap. I can't say it enough. Thank you, EVERYBODY for all of your thoughts and prayers. God has definitley answered our prayers this time. Please pass the good news! Love Sandy, Brian and Kyle.
Date: 7-12-05
Hello Everybody! Kyle is doing good today. It has been a long day for Brian and I. We didn't have any appt until this afternoon. We met with Kyle's physical therapist (Johnelle) and she is good with him. She always thinks of fun car games to get him to use both hands, which is good for his right hand. He played basketball, cars and did up/down stairs today. Johnelle thinks he is doing great with his progress. I had lots of messages on my cell phone today. Most of them from our church family at Sunnylane Baptist. It feels so good to know we have so much support and prayers at all times. We will check in tommorrow about the MRI. Love, Sandy and Brian. God Bless!
Date: 7-11-05
Hello Everybody! Today Kyle had a (GFR) Glomerular Filtration Rate. Basically, it is a series of blood tests to check the function of the kidneys. The lab technician injects a dye into Kyle's central line and then draws blood 4 times throughout the day to see if his kidneys are filtering it out at the proper rate. We will know about the results tommorrow. Kyle has already had this test 2 times before each dose of high dose chemo. Everything was fine with his kidneys. We have noticed that Kyle has been using his right arm less than his usual and this raises a big concern to me in regards to the MRI coming up. Dr. Foreman mentioned today that he had been thinking about it and he believes it maybe Radiation Necrosis (Scar tissues from the large amount of radiation). We will know more about it after the MRI on Wednesday. Keep the prayers strong for our little guy. As for the rest of us in the family we are doing fine. Of course, Lauren keeps us jumping with her little busy self. Today during her "NAPTIME" she decided to explore her daiper and paint the remains on herself and the crib! YUCK! Needless to say we sanitized the whole room including her. Kyle and Lauren are excited because their cousins are coming to see them Wednesdy. My sister, Angela and her family will be here for five days. We will have a B-day party for my nephew Dakota, he will be 5 years old. Kyle and Dakota are 13 months apart. Tommorrow Kyle will have an appt with physical therapy and occupational therapy to check out some exercises for his right hand. God Bless. Love, Sandy
Date: 7-08-05
Hello Everybody, Kyle had a "yucky morning." He got sick this morning when we got to the clinic. Even after having his Zofran(anti-nausea medicine). He is getting blood and platlets today and he is sleeping right through it. I expect he will have a burst of energy tonight. He always does after getting blood products. Kyle will have an MRI on July 13th @ 11:15am. We need special prayers for this MRI to be clear. My anxiety level has sky-rocketed in the last 2 days. Maybe beacuse 2days ago was July 6th and this was exactly 1 year ago that Kyle had his first seizure. I can't beleive it has been 1 year, it just seems like yesterday. As much as I would like for this to be a bad dream, I know this long journey has a purpose in everybody's life. It is to show everybody that God does work MIRACLES! God Bless! Love, Sandy
Date: 7-5-05
Hello Everybody! We had a great weekend with everybody from church. It was so great to see Brother Frank and his family. Kyle was so excited to see Tanner and Josie. He cried when everybody left yesterday. Kyle had to get blood and platlets yesterday. Afterwards he felt better and had more energy. We did a few "kid friendly" fireworks and then we watched the big fireworks on top of the hospital parking garage. We had a great view of Coors Field and their big display! Kyle and Lauren loved it! We had a good time but, I agree with Brian it's just not the fourth without family and friends. Today Kyle and Brian are at the driving range hittting golf balls. Tommorrow, we will check blood count and get blood and platlets again probably! God Bless. Love, Sandy.
Date: 7-1-05
Hello Everybody! Kyle is doing good today! We went to Six Flags yesterday. Kyle and Quentin had a great time. Lauren had a good time too despite the fighting a nap part. Kyle received his stem cells today and is having a pretty good day overall. We will have lots of company this weekend. Hopefully Kyle will feel good enough to go some fun places with Tanner and Josie! Have a happy and SAFE fourth of July! God Bless, Sandy
Date: 6-30-05
Hello Everybody, Kyle is doing good this morning. He had a little fever last night, but none this morning. He will get IV antibiotics and some hydration this morning. He is feeling well enough to go on the Brent's Place outing to Six Flags. He is excited to go and play with a friend Quentin. Tommorrow he will get his stem cells. This weekend Brother Frank and his whole family will be here to visit. We are excited to see everybody. We will check back tommorrow! God Bless, Sandy
Date: 6-28-05
Hello Everybody! We started #2 of 3 High dose chemo rounds. We are half way there. There was some dilemma on whether to start the chemo due to Kyle sniffling all day yesterday! All of the nasal washes have came back clear from last Friday. Dr. Foreman came in and checked him out and said "lets go ahead and do the chemo due to the fact that every thing was clear from Friday" This weekend we went to the motorcyle tracks. Brian rode his motorcyle and Kyle and Lauren rode Kyle's motorcyle. It was very dusty out there and I think the Kyle and Lauren got the sniffles from all of the dust. Kyle is doing well today. He took a good morning nap and woke up very hunrgry for pizza, chips, cookies and rootbeer. I hope his appetite stays good. He is weighing around 37LBS! God Bless. Love Sandy and Brian
Date: 6-27-05
Hello Everyone, Today Kyle's Dr. appointment went good and we will be starting high dose chemo on tuesday. Kyle will have two days of high dose, one day off and on the third day he will get his stem cell rescue. The kids are happy that their Nanny (Sandy Mom)has returned today to spoil them with lots of love and toys. I would like to thank everyone from the Alderwoods golf tournment for the money that was raised, God bless you all. Sincerly yours, Brian Hi Everybody! It's me (Sandy). I wanted to thank our family at Sunnylane Baptist Church for all the love, prayers, and support! Love Sandy.
Date: 6-23-05
Hello Everybody, I feel as though I need to catch everybody up on the past week. Last week we went to the park with my cousin and her two kids. Her little boy(Timothy) is the same age as Kyle and her little girl (Mary Alice) is almost a year and a half. We had a great time! Friday Kyle had a doctors appointment and a nasal wash. Late Friday afternoon Dr. Foreman's nurse called and tolds us the Rapid CMV nasal wash was still positive and Chemo would be delayed another week (BUMMER!!!!) Good for Kyle's sake, but High dose chemo is the utmost important in the aspect of cancer cells! Lauren and I flew back to OKC Sunday night. My sister Christie and her kids are also in OKC visting from Alabama and showing off the newest addition to our family(baby LeeAnn Rose) Kyle's hasn't got to see his new cousin. She is 2 months old. I'm hoping to take pictures back to Denver. Lauren and I went to church on Wednesday. It was so great to see everybody. I will be so glad to get back home and go to church on Sundays. We will fly back home on Friday night. Thanks to a friend from church(Robert Walls). This has been a blessing for him to donate his flyer miles. Twelve hours in a car with a 2 yr can wear on your nerves quick! We miss "bubba Lee"(Kyle) and Daddy. We can't wait to get back to Denver to see them! Hopefully, we get to start high dose chemo on Tuesday June 28th if all goes well. Love, Sandy and Lauren.
Date: 6-15-05
Hello Everybody! Kyle is doing good and rapid CMV blood test came back negative! YEAH! NO more meds until next week when we start the high dose chemo. We have an appt on Friday for possible blood and platlets. We have to visit the surgeon that put Kyle's central line in because he has a stitch that is bothersome and needs to be clipped. We have been trying to keep busy because Kyle is full of energy and ornery as ever. We went up to the mountains and both Lauren and Kyle had fun exploring the outdoors. Brian and Kyle are playing putt-putt today. We will check back on Friday. God bless! Love Sandy
Date: 6-13-05
Hello Everybody! We had a great weekend and the Volleyball tournament was a great outing for the whole family! Kyle played with a little boy that was his same age and his stays at Brent's Place while his little brother is going through a stem cell transplant like Kyle. Unfortunatley, we did not get to start the High dose chemo today because the nasal wash they did on Friday showed another virus (Nasal CMV). Kyle is now clear from the flu virus. Dr. Foreman is out of town, but of course he can't stay away from his precious little patients. Dr. Foreman feels it better to start the high dose chemo next Monday and let his body clear everything totally! Good decision! Better to be safe than sorry. Kyle needs some more free/feeling good time. He deserves it. Of cousre they did check to see if the CMV virus was in the blood and if it is he will require some anti-viral medication before next Monday. All of this sounds so awful. Like he is really sick. But, he is doing really well and eating like a horse! He requested pancakes for dinner last night. He ate 2 servings. Brian and I wanted to Thank his work (the Alderwood Group) for the unconditional support through this whole ordeal. Again thank you everybody and We are keeping our prayers strong. Thank you God! God Bless! Love, Brian and Sandy.
Date: 6-10-05
HI, Kyle is doing goood today! He doesn't have to get blood or platlets today! He did not like the nasal wash. It was pretty much a fight! I feel so bad but it is important to know if he still has the flu before we start the high dose chemo again on monday. Tommorrow Brian and I will participate it the Brent's Place fundraiser Volley tournament. Pray that we come out of it in one piece. We will check back next week! God bless Love, Sandy
Date: 6-9-05
Hello Everybody! Today Kyle is doing great! He played football and baseball today out on the playground. He did fall and hurt his knee but he toughed it out. Today the clinic called and said we have to do the nasal wash again tommorrow because they didn't get enough for the sample. we will check in tommorrow! God Bless Love Sandy and Kyle! Kyle says "Hi everybody and I wuv you all and miss you Mrs. Lisa, and I hope I see you in Oklahoma City!
Date: 6-6-05
Hello Everybody, Kyle is doing good today. He only had to have platlets this morning. His White Blood cell counts are slowly but surely recovering. The nasal wash they did last week turned up to be a strand of the flu which is contagious when he coughs around other immuno-suppressed child. So, he has to were a mask. He is so cute when he says "Mama, I have to wear a mask so I won't get anybody else sick and they won't give me their germs?" I want to thank everybody that has been so supportive to Kyle and our family. God has been so good to us to surround us with love and prayers from awesome people. We miss home and Kyle tells me just about everyday "I wish I had friends to play with here." He also says "When I get home I'm gonna play with my bestfriends Dakota, Karlie, Chase and Ian" All of those bestfriends are really cousins except Ian which is a good family friend. As for the rest of us in the family we are okay, except my mouth problems. I had a bad reaction to an antibiotic and it caused and Immune-response call Stevens-Johnson-Syndrome which caused horrible blisters and sores on my tongue. NOT A GOOD WAY TO LOSE 6lbs in 2 days. The only thing I kept thinking about was poor Kyle. Now I know what it feels like to have mouth sores. Kyle will have another nasal wash on Wednesday to see if he has cleared the flu. Hopefully, he will because his White Blood Cell count is on the rise! Pray for Kyle's body to produce lots White Blood Cells so he can get rid of the cough and runny nose. God Bless! Love, The Bratcher Family
Date: 6-3-05
Hello everyone, Today Kyle is getting blood and platlets and should be ready for the weekend. Sandy has had some problems of late, yesterday she had her tooth removed and a doctors appointment today. Lauren continues to eat candy suckers and run off as I try to post this entry. We want to thank everyone for all the prayers and e-mails that we get it means very much. We miss everyone and can't wait to see all our friends soon. God Bless Brian and Lauren.
Date: 5-31-05
Hello Everybody, Kyle is doing okay, he is coming down with the cold symptons that Lauren has. It doesn't seem to be as bad as Lauren's cold. Kyle is getting blood, platlets and a nasal wash to see if it is something that needs to be treated. He is such a big boy, he is swallowing pills so good now days. He is on antibiotics to prevent pneumonia that come in pill-form. I'll check back tommorrow the library is closing. God Bless, Sandy and Brian
Date: 5-26-05
Hello Everybody, Kyle has been doing great! Only a couple of spells of nausea and vomitting since Monday. He is still eating good too! Today Kyle recieved his stem cells and is doing just fine! The smell bothered him just a little as the stem cells were being administered. The stem cells have preservatives in the bag to keep them fresh and the smell is not to pleasant. Brian and I are just so happy the stem cells are in and all is well. Thank you God! All is well with everybody else except Lauren has a little cough and runny nose. We will try to keep Kyle and Lauren seperated for the duration of the cold. We will keep everybody posted. Please keep praying for Kyle to stay well. I have a special pray request for Xander(Kyle's friend from OKC). He is having lots of tests this week. Please pray for all of his tests to be clear and strength for his parents and family. God Bless, Love Sandy and Brian.
Date: 5-24-05
Hello Everybody! Kyle is doing good today on his second day of high dose chemo. We have been doing sponge baths every 6 hours because this chemo is secreted through the skin. That means waking him up at midnight and 6am. He was a little mad at me during the midnight bath. He told me "mama I just took a bath before dinner, your mean!" It was really cute even though he was ticked off. I will check back later this week. Please continue to pray for Kyle's little body to stay and well during treatment. God Bless! Love Sandy and Brian.
Date: 5-23-05
Hello Everybody, we had a great time back home in OKC. We seen a lot of visitors and get togethers. Kyle and Lauren played so much. Today Kyle started high dose chemo. He ate everything he could get his hands on today. I'm sure once that chemo starts setting in he will feel pretty yucky. Please pray for him not to get too sick. Tonight his energy is high. He is running around playing whoopie cushion jokes on everybody at familly night. One more day of high dose chemo and stem cells on Thursday. We were so happy to be back to church at Sunnylane Freewill Baptist and see our family. Everybody was great. Kyle got to go down the new slide in Children's church. He tricked Mrs. Lisa into going down the slide head first. Hee Hee! See you later God bless!
Date: 5-20-05
Hello Everybody! Sorry I have left you for so long. Thursday thru Saturday of last week went great! Kyle's little body produced 9 million stem cells in 3 days. WOW! 5 million more than the doctors projected. We now have enough stem cells for 3 rounds of chemo and if Dr. Foreman wants to do a fourth round and a rescue we can. God is good all the time. Kyle had an appointment on Monday and Dr. Foreman gave us a week of vacation. We arrived back home in OKC Tuesday May 17th. We will start the high dose chemo on May 23rd and the rescue with his own stem cells around the 26th. Kyle and Lauren are so happy to be back home. We have been really busy with Lauren's 2yr shots/check-up (she didn't even cry), my dental problems and visiting with family and freinds. Everybody is doing well. Our life almost feels normal again. I will check back in next week after we start chemo. Pray for us to have a safe trip back to Denver. By the way Kyle and Brian got to fly back to okc. Thanks to Danny and Melanie Breeden.
Date: 5-12-05
Hi, it's me again. We have collected about 1 million of Kyle's stem cells as of 12:30pm. Which is enough for 1 chemo rescue. We need to collect and harvest approximately 6 million(enough for 3 chemo rescues). The transplant Doc(Dr. Le) projected we would collect approx. 2.3 million by 7pm tonight. Kyle will get platlets and then get to go home tonight. We will return to the donor center at 6:30am in the morning and collect all day tommorrow. Pray that Kyle continues to produce stem cells so this isn't such a lenghty process for him. God Bless, Sandy
Date: 5-12-05
Hello Everybody! God answered our prayers again! Kyle is producing enough stem cells today and they will keep him hooked up to the aphsresis machine as long as he is making enough to harvest. Long and boring process. He has had some diarrhea and stomach cramping this morning. Karen (the apharesis nurse) is doing all she can to help with his achy belly. This is a big step to collect stem cells today. Dr. Foreman thought Kyle wouldn't be producing any this early. God answers prayers! I'll check back later today or tommorrow. God bless! Love, Sandy
Date: 5-11-05
Hello Everybody! It's been a while since I have had a chance to update the journal. We have been pretty busy. Kyle ran a fever and had diarrhea all weekend. Fever was almost high enough to be admitted to the hospital. We encouraged lots of gatorade and cool wash rags to keep his fever down. We did blood cultures on Wednesday and Friday of last week. No bacterial growth in the blood. Dr. Foreman wasn't concerned about the fever too much because the blood and stool cultures were all negative. He thinks it is all related to the chemo side effects. Although, Kyle felt really "yucky" when we got to the hospital on Sunday. The nurses gave him some IV fluids for hydration and he required blood and platlets on Sunday and Monday to prepare him for his apharesis line that was place late Monday evening. After the line was placed he had to get platlets again so the bleeding would stop and he could come home. Brent's place had a B-Day party for Lauren this night. Brian and Kyle didn't get to make it to the B-Day party. I went back up to the hospital after the party so Brian could spend some time with Lauren and they could play with her new toys. Kyle and I finally got home at 10:30pm. Now that Kyle has an Apharesis line he doesn't have to get any more "pokeys" on his fingers or his mediport. Yeah!! Our home health Nurse came over yesterday and set up our IV neupogen. Poppy and Chase had to catch a bus yesterday at 4pm. Nanny will stay 3 weeks to help with Lauren. Kyle and Lauren were very sad to see them leave. Lauren kept Chase busy this weekend. It was so sweet to see them together. Nanny, Poppy, Chase and Lauren went to the zoo on Monday and had a great time! Chase is a great little babysitter. I'm sure he is this good with his little brother (Jake). Today Kyle didn't have to get any blood or platlets. He did get his IV Neupogen in the clinic while he was taking a nap. I will give him another double dose of IV Neupogen tonight and hopefully his little stem cells will be fresh and ready for harvest at 7am in the morning. We met the other stem cell transplant doctor and his nurse today (Dr. Ley and Karen). They are very nice. Please pray that his stem cells work well with his bone marrow tonight and are available tommorrow. Kyle's bone marrow is a little sluggish from the previous radiation he recieved while in OKC. Our God is an Awesome God. God Bless! Love, Sandy
Date: 5-06-05
Hello Everybody! Kyle had some fever last night and a bloody nose. Today he is getting platlets and some fluids for hydration. Dr. Foreman wants Kyle to get platlets on Sunday and Monday. They were super low (8). That is why he had a bloody nose last night. He seems to be feeling a little better today. Kyle was excited because his cousin Chase will be here today with his Nanny and Poppy. I'll check back in later. God bless. Love, Sandy
Date: 5-04-05
Hello Everybody! Kyle had a rough night with a low grade fever and bone pain from the Neupogen shots. He had two "pokeys" today. One on the finger and one to access his port. He is getting blood and platlets today and some fluids for hydration. He will get one more "pokey" today when I give him the Neupgen shot. He was really upset today. I don't blame him he is at his limit. Thankfully, he will have a Apheresis line placed on Monday May 9th and he won't have to get anymore "pokeys". The nurses can use this line for several purposes. Lauren will be 2yrs old on May 14th and the staff at Brent's place where we are staying is giving her a B-Day party on Monday night. She will be so excited! They are going to decorate the foundation house, serve dinner and provide cake and presents. This has taken another stressor off of me. They have been so good to us here. Thank you God for good people! Tommorrow is a free day! A good day of rest for everbody, hopefully! Love, Sandy
Date: 5-03-05
Hello Everybody! Today Kyle doesn't have any appointments. We did start our 1st shot of Neupogen at home today. He will get them for 7 days. Neupogen will help increase the production of Stem cells and white cells before they attempt the harvest next week. I put the "numby cream" on Kyle's leg before the shot and he didn't even cry! He played with his bubble blower gun and used his spiderman pillow(from aunt Christie)for a target while I gave the shot. We went to Mcdonalds for lunch today and Kyle ate really good while Lauren spilt a soda pop everywhere (Surprise). We are all missing daddy (Brian). Lauren asks me several times a day "daddy go?" I'm still overwhelmed by the good news of Kyle's MRI results. I have thanked God so many times! The first thing that comes to my mind when I thank him is FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND. I know God is going to carry My Little Kyle through his recovery! God Bless You and thank you for all of your awesome prayers. God is good and he has answered our prayers one day at a time. Love, Sandy!
Date: 5-2-05
Hello Everybody! I'm sooo happy and relived! Dr. Foreman said "There is no evidence of disease". THANK YOU GOD! Basically the MRI from March 15th showed a small amount of highlighted area(tumor) and now there is no enhancement of tumor! I read the guestbook and everbody was waiting for results. We had results within 30mins after the MRI. Wow! how about that for speedy service. I think we waited a week for results at OKC children's hospital on one of Kyle's MRIs. We are so happy to be here in such an awesome place for KYLE. God Bless everybody! Love, Sandy
Date: 5-2-05
Hello Everybody, Kyle is in his MRI Right now. I'm right across the hall in the hospital library. I'm shaking inside and out. Kyle's daddy had to go back home to Oklahoma City and get our new AC/heat unit put in before the hot summer. He will be back to Denver Wednesday or thursday. Pa Pa is here supporting me today during the MRI. Our weekend was busy. We had Brian's friends Marcus and Jeff here from OKC. We had a great time. Kyle and Lauren laughed and played more than they have in weeks. both of the kids just adore Jeff and Marcus. It was good for everybody. We went snow skiing half a day on Saturday at Loveland. Great powder snow! Jeff kept us rollin with laughter. He got knocked over by one of the ski lift chairs before we got to the top of the mountain. It was comical! Brian rode back to OKC with Jeff and Marcus yesterday. Brian just called to check on Kyle. I gotta go back over and check on Kyle. Pray for us. God bless you! Love, Sandy
Date: 4-29-05
Hi everybody! Yesterday Kyle did a little better than the first day of chemo. He was hugry for Sonic corndog, tater tots, and grape slush. There are only a few sonics in Denver and of course it was all the way across town and in 5 o'clock traffic he had a spell of vommitting on the way. I had some oral disolving Zofran in my purse and by the time we got there he was ready to eat. Kyle said "Let's have a little picnic in the backseat of the van" So of course Kyle and Lauren sat in the backseat and chowed downnn! They both ate very well and made a big mess. Kyle got a little flashlight toy in his kids meal and he was thrilled about that. He said "I'm going to us this tonight when I get under my covers" Lauren got a whistle and blew it a few times and then wanted Kyle's flashlight. What a pleasant ride home! Kyle is doing good today and getting the same chemo he got yesterday. Have a good weekend and pray for Kyle's MRI to be clear! Have a blessed day! Love, Sandy
Date: 4-27-05
Hi Eveybody, last night Kyle had a bad experience with nausea and vommitting. Now, I know when he gets that certain look on his face that he is nauseated. I'm teaching him these big words so he can relate the feeling of nausea with the word nausea. Most of the time it is a guessing game. He is becoming more in tune with the precursors of nausea and so are we; feeling hungry, but not want to eat, urge to have a bowel movement with no success, and "tummy hurting". He got sick last night at dinner(despite having his nausea meds 1 hour before dinner) and then felt quite releived and ate a late dinner of mcnuggets, vienna sausages and lots of red gatorade! Today Kyle's blood counts were quit low, but Dr. Foreman said "let's press on with more chemo due to the agggressive nature of this tumor" He is quite WITTY and I like that aggressiveness! Kyle felt good this morning and is napping at the present time. Although, I'm sure he won't feel this good later this evening after that nasty Cisplatin(chemo). Let's pray that he won't be as sick as last time he got Cisplatin. Also, pray this chemo won't affect his hearing anymore. I haven't noticed it because it is in the high frequency levels. Kyle's MRI is going to be on May 2nd @ 10:30am. Please pray hard for it to be CLEAR! God Bless you and special thanks to my cousin Connie and her husband Kenny for designing Kyle's web site and allowing us to have connections to family, friends and unknown people who continue to pray for Kyle! The power of PRAY is awesome! Thank you God! Love Kyle's mommy!
Date: 4-25-05
Hello Everybody it seems like forever! Here's a quick up date on the hospital stay. Friday Kyle was very tired from the previous night. Late Friday afternoon (4pm) he got a little restless and couldn't fall off to sleep for a nap so the nurse gave him some Ativan(sedative) to help him catch a nap. Although, Kyle has had this drug before, he reacted very different this time. He was irritable, mad, tired, more restless than before. Basically, the combination of the chemo and Ativan caused him to be out of his mind for about 7 hours. The doctors were concerned enough to do a CAT scan @ 9pm Friday night(all was fine compared to previous CAT scans)Thank God! We tried everthing to get him to sleep (benadryl, white noise, singing lullabyes, dark room). He was still climbing the walls and fighting mad at 10:45pm. Finally, I Said "give him some Morphine or something". He got Morphine at 11pm and was asleep at 11:05pm. He slept till 8:30am and woke up back to his happy self. Although, he did want to be unhooked from the IV so he could run free and play basketball in the playroom across the hall. Saturday and Sunday went by and we were crossing our fingers that the chemo(Methotrexate)would hurry up and clear though his blood. Sunday they took blood 3 times because his Methotrexate levels were not clearing as normal. Monday morning the doctors decided the reason for the odd readings were the lab made an error or the chemo was collecting around his scalp where he has fluid collection from previous surgeries. We were discharged @ 1:45pm on Monday because Dr. Foreman said we could give him the Leucovorin orally at home. Leucovorin helps clear the Methotrexate out of the body though the kidneys. So, here we were at home giving such an important drug to prevent kidney damage. Getting two chalky pills down a 3 yr old is not an easy task! But, I guess Dr. Foreman trusted us enough to get the job done. The pills are given every 6 hours(6pm,midnight, 6am, noon, ect..) Of course, he did it! He is such a trooper and an awesome KID! We couldn't ask for a better SON. God has blessed us with him and I truly mean that! Today Kyle woke up really thirsty and hungry this morning. Kyle had a "finger pokey" this morning to check his Methotrexate level. YEEAh, all clear and no more pills for a while. We will start some more outpatient chemo tommorrow if his tempurature doesn't go over 101 tonight. He was at 99.4 this afternoon. If it goes over 101 we might have to be admitted back to the hospital. The rest of us a holding up okay. We are very tired and moody (as expected). Please Pray for Kyle's MRI to be clear. It will be sometime next week. I will update you later on times and days. I need to go check on the family. God Bless you! Love, Sandy and Family.
Date: 4-22-05
Hello Everybody, yesterday morning Kyle had a "finger pokey" and he didn't even cry! Yeah! His counts were high enough to start on more chemo. This chemo is in-patient and there were no rooms available until late in the afternoon. We got a room around 5pm last night. We didn't start chemo until midnight because his urine Ph had to be just right because the chemo is excreted out the Kidneys. The chemo runs 4 hrs and about half way through he got really sick with nausea and vomitting. The nurses are great. They help and in everyway possible. Kyle got some zofran prior to chemo (didn't seem to help much) and Ativan to help him sleep through the chemo administration. I noticed his lips and face seemed a little swollen after they gave him the Ativan. The nurse had the On call resident there within a few minutes and they gave him some IV Benadryl and he was fine. He has been sleeping really good since the nurses have been giving him the Benadryl and Ativan evry couple of hours. Several people who are familar with Stem Cell transplant and are keeping up with Kyle's progress have Emailed us in regards to the schedule and harvest of his own stem cells. I need to correct myself (I'm learning as we go through this). Kyle is on a protocol and he has received induction chemo(attempt to put the tumor cells in remmission) and will begin harvest of his own Stem Cells on May 10th. Then he will receive High Dose Chemo and a rescue with his own stem cells. I hope I got it right this time. I gotta go check on Kyle and give his daddy a break. Thank you everybody for your support and prayers. Love, Sandy
Date: 4-19-05
Hello everybody, today is a beautiful day and Kyle, daddy and Pa Pa went to the baseball game. The Rockies are playing the Diamondbacks. Well, Lauren is getting restless and hungry so we check in tommorrow. Have a good day!
Date: 4-18-05
Hello Everybody! Kyle is doing great today! He is eating really good and gaining some weight. His blood counts are still too low to do the high dose Methotrexate (chemo). Dr. Foreman feels like it could be a couple days before his blood counts recover enough to start the chemo again. We are okay with that because we have some fun things we can go do. His mouth sores are much better(not quite gone yet). Now, for an update on the rest of us. Lauren is still ornery as ever! She keeps us hopping. Brian and I went to a Suchi Bar on Saturday night. What an experience that was! I got to try the real Wasabi(Japanese Horseradish). It wasn't to bad. I think we might go back. God Bless you. Love Sandy and Family
Date: 4-15-05
Hello Everybody! Kyle's MeMe & Pa Pa are here now. Kyle and Lauren spent the day with them and got to go to the park and for long walk while daddy & mommy took a break and went snow skiing. It is nice here and the snow is melting. This is the last weekend to ski. Today Kyle got a "finger pokey" to check his blood. His blood count has not recovered enough to do the high dose chemo. So we were only at the clinic for an hour and a half. They will re-check his counts on monday and possibly admit on wednesday for the high dose chemo. Our Address is Brent's Place c/o Bratcher's 1129 E 17th ave Apt 6 Denver, Co 80218 Our Email address is:KyleLeeBratcher@hotmail.com. We miss our church, family and freinds back home. Lauren watched our Easter video and was glued to the screen. She was hollering her cousins names "Karlie, Dakota and Chase". As I read the guestbook today I wish that Kyle was here so I could read all of the great notes. Hannah I hope you hit a homerun for Kyle. He would be so excited! He is taking a nap right now. Have a great weekend Everybody! Love, Kyle's Mommy
Date: 4-13-05
Hello, today Kyle received blood and took a long nap. He is getting antibiotics for the mouth sores. Yesterday we had a hearing test. Some of the chemo drugs are toxics to the ear and cause hearing loss. Kyle has a small amount of hearing loss with high frequency and will probably have more, but Dr. Foreman will keep tract of the hearing loss and cut back on the chemo if need be. We also had a kidney function test yesterday(no results yet). Today Kyle's urine was dark and concentrated because he is not drinking enough fluids due to mouth sores. Kyle made a promise with the nurse practitioner that he would drink lots of fluids tonight so he would'nt have to stay tonight for IV fluids. On the way home from the hospital we stopped and got him an Icy from 7-11. We don't have to go the hospital tommorrow. Hopefully we can do something fun.By everybody.
Date: 4-11-05
Hello Everybody, it seems like for ever. Last week Kyle received blood and platlets on thursday(4-7-05). Lauren and I flew back into Denver Friday night. We were all so happy to see each other. Kyle especially was missing his mommy. Over the weekend Kyle developed(mouth ulcers)or mucositis due to low blood count. They are pretty painful. We kept him dosed up with grape tylenol. Today blood counts were extremely low(despite the fact he received blood last week). Kyle got blood and platlets again today. He seemed to be feeling better after the transfusion today. The nurse gave him some morphin in his IV today for pain due to sores in his mouth. We will go to family night tonight. Brent's place provides a meal every monday night. I'll try to keep everybody informed. This is a very busy week for us. Kyle has lots of test and possible high dose chemo at the end of the week. We can never express how much we appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers from everybody. God bless!
Date: 4-8-05
Hi Everyone, Our fishing trip was fun even though no fish were caught, Kyle enjoyed playing with his new fishing pole. Yesterday was spent at the clinic receiving a blood transfusion which Kyle severly needed, his counts are very low. The good news was that kyle did not cry when he got his finger poked or his port accessed and I was very impressed with my little man.The transfusion made Kyle feel like a new little boy with lots of energy and made him want to have steak and rice for dinner. Today he has slept all morning and seems to be very tired, hopefully we can get out to do something fun. I would like to thank everyone for your continued prayers they help us every day and moment that he is sick.God Bless and have a good weekend. Love Brian & Kyle
Date: 4-5-05
Hello Everyone, Today Kyle is doing fine we went to P\T today and he had fun playing with his therapist Johnanna. Kyle is currently doing arts and crafts all by himself with no help from dad. Kyle is missing his mommy and little sister very much, but I keep reminding him we are going to go fishing on Wednesday. Fishing is our big secret from mom. Today it is cold and windy reminding us of Oklahoma but it will be nice in the 60's on Wednesday our fishing day. Thanks for all the prayers and e-mails God bless. Brian and Kyle
Date: April 4, 2005
Hello Everyone, Today we moved into a two bedroom apartment and are getting settled in to our new surroundings. We are so greatful for the extra space, the apt is very nice with a good view. Yesterday we got to take the kids to the zoo and enjoyed the trip. Kyle got sick in the van after his dad took him and his sister to eat breakfast on saturday morning. Today Kyle's blood counts came back and are very low, but did not require him to have a transfusion. He is otherwise doing well, as I update you he is playing with some little girls and eating ice cream. Thanks for all of your prayers and e-mails they have been very helpful. God Bless Brian & Kyle
Date: 4-1-05
Today Kyle had a little tummy ache and a little vommiting. He has slept most of the day. It is nice out today and Lauren has been playing out on the playground and feeling better. Hopefully Kyle will wake up soon and get to go out and play. Mommy and Daddy got to go to lunch across the street. Very good Mexican food at Las Margaritas. Nanny is staying with Kyle and Lauren while they nap. We are so thankful that Nanny has been here helping with Lauren Mostly (she is a handful)! Lauren and I will ride back to OKC with Nanny on April 4th, so I can work for 3-4 days to keep our medical Insurance. We will fly back to Denver on April 8th. Have a good weekend everybody!
Date: 3-31-05
Kyle is doing good today. No nausea and vomitting. He is eating and drinking a little today. Kyle had and ear infection and received IV antibiotics yesterday and today. Kyle also got a shot in his leg (Nulastin) to help boost his white blood cells. He did not even cry! we will check back in tommorrow. We were only at the clinic for 1 1/2 hours today. YEAH!
Date: 3-30-05
Hello Everyone, Today Kyle is doing better than yesterday he does not have a upset stomach and is in better spirits. I must tell you his little sister Lauren is not feeling very well due to the common cold, but all in all we are doing well. Thanks for all the prayers and acts of kindness. Love You , The Bratcher Family
Date: 3-29-05
Hello everybody! Today I read Kyle's guestbook and Email. It was a very emotional. We miss everybody. I thank God every day for all of the support that we have received from church, family, co-workers, and people that we don't even know. Last night before we left the clinic Kyle had a rough time with nausea, vomitting and diarrhea. The nurses here are very good to give Kyle the right meds to help him feel more comfortable. Dr. Foreman checked on Kyle several times before we left the clinic at 7:30pm. Kyle felt better when we got home, but was kind out of it from the Ativan (sedation med). He ate chick nuggets and root beer with his Nanny. He slept good through night and got nausea medicine @ 2am. The home health nurses let me give it through his medport while he is sleeping. This mornig he was a little sleepy. Chemo started again @ 8:30am. Kyle got sick before lunch and then was able to eat a little snack. We had a shorter day of chemo & infusion of Mesna. Mesna helps to coat the bladder and prevent damage from toxic levels of chemo. Tommorrow we have only a 6hr day of the same routine.
Date: 3-29-05
Hello Everybody, Kyle started his first round of chemo today (10hr infusion from start to finish today) He is doing great and enjoying all of the fun activities the clinic and nurses provide. Kyle is eating good (pizza & jello for lunch)and tolerating the chemo so far. Kyle and sissy (Lauren) have been playing good together in such close environmemt. There is a playground right out side our small one bedroom apartment. THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND PRAYERS! Sandy Bratcher
Date: March 24, 2005 PM
Kyle has developed a cough and runny nose. Nasal wash to check to see what is the cause. Possibly postpone starting chemo until we know the results of the nasal wash and if treatment is needed.
Date: March 24, 2005
Parent conference with Dr. Foreman to discuss stem cell transplant risks and side effects. Dr. Foreman very positive with us, stressing that stem cell transplant is only to be used a curative measure. May start chemo on Monday, March 28.
Date: March 23, 2005
Met with Dr. Foreman today. We are very happy with him, in fact, we love him. He is very parent friendly and very open with us. He examined Kyle and did blood work. Children's Hospital is very nice and clean.
Moved into 1 bedroom apartment at Brent's Place. Very nice with a very strict cleaning regimen. Two bedroom apartment may be available soon.
Date: March 22, 2005
Arrived safely in Denver at 8:30 a.m. Will post an update as soon as we know where we are going to be staying.
Date: March 15, 2005
Gamma Knife completed. MRI showed no new tumor growth since last MRI on 2/17/05.
Date: March 11, 2005
Gamma Knife scheduled for March 15, 2005 in Oklahoma City
Date: March 3, 2005
Appointment with Dr. Honeycutt. Off steroids & just watch CSF collection & make sure it doesn't get bigger.
Date: Feb 23, 2005
Spinal tap under general anesthesia. Removed 70cc (2 1/2 ounces) CSF and wrapped his head to keep fluid from re-collecting. Kyle refused to leave the wrap on his head & CSF came back later this evening. Dr. Honeycutt suggested keeping hime on steroids/anti-inflammatory for one week to help swelling.
Date: Feb 21, 2005
Appointment with Dr. Honeycutt to look at CSF collection. Will do spinal tap on Feb. 23rd to relieve fluid/pressure.
Date: Feb 17, 2005
MRI to see if chemo is working. This afternoon we stopped chemo - was told tumor was progressing & chemo was not working.
Date: Feb 14 - 18, 2005
Oral/IV chemo daily
Date: Feb 7 - 11, 2005
Off all chemo.
Date: Jan 31 - Feb 4, 2005
Daily IV chemo only.
Date: Jan 24, 2005
Started PT/OT/Speech outpatient therapy, then went to Henoc Clinic & started oral/IV chemo. Jan 24th - 28th Daily Chemo oral/IV
Date: Jan. 20, 2005
Discharged to home.
Date: Jan. 17, 2005
Took Kyle to ER for CTScan which revealed cerebral spinal fluid (csf) STATIS. CSF in tumor bed & tracting up to scalp. Treatment was spinal tap in ER to remove CSF and admitted to hospital for observation. Status improved significantly over 2 hour period of time.
Date: Jan 17, 2005
Middle of night started running fever & still irritable.
Date: Jan 16, 2005
Symptoms worsening.
Date: Jan. 14, 2005
Discharged from hospital - Kyle having trouble communicating, having accidents, & irritablity. This evening Kyle threw up 2 times.
Date: Jan 11, 2005
MRI & surgery to remove tumor. Confirmed during surgery that it was tumor.
Date: Jan 6, 2005
Appointment with Dr. Honeycutt to talk about surgery. (more likely tumor)
Date: Jan 5, 2005
Dr. McNall gave us results of MRI from Dec. 28th - Possible regrowth of tumor?
Date: Dec. 30, 2004
EEg (to get off seizure medication) - results normal.
Date: Dec. 28, 2005
MRI prior to starting chemotherapy.
Date: Nov. 30, 2004
Last Tx of radiation.
Date: Oct 27, 2004
1st Tx of Chemo (only weekly during radiation)
Date: Oct. 18, 2004
Started 6 week course of radiation. 1st Rx of radiation under general anesthesia.
Date: Oct. 14, 2004
PICCLine and CTScan done under general anesthsia. PICC (Peripheral Insected Central Catheter) CTScan done for area of radiation.
Date: Oct 4, 2004
Kyle woke up & his right arm/leg were flaccid (like a stroke). We went to Children's Hosp. ER & received a CTScan that revealed a mass affect. The ER physician called Neurosurgery & later that afternoon we were told Kyle needed surgery (exploratory) to see if it was tumor regrowth (not likely) or a large pocket of infection (more likely). Surgery revealed his brain was herniated out of the site where the surgery was performed on Sept. 14th (never seen before with elective surgery).
Date: Late Entry Sept. 19th
Beginning on Sept 19th, Kyle had a significant amount of swelling around incision site. I made several phone calls to Neurosurgery office about the swelling (without seeing Kyle). I did not feel comfortable with this information over the phone so on Sept. 29th I took Kyle to the office and insisted that he be seen. The nurse paged the resident & finally the resident showed up. Still, we were told it was a normal amount of swelling. I asked for an MRI or CTScan & was refused.
Date: Sept. 24, 2004
Appointment with Dr. McNall. Was told Kyle's MRI & pathology was reviewed on Sept 23rd by the whole team (surgeon, pathologist, radiologist, & oncologist). Not sure on Dx (Highgrade gamglioglioma or PNET primative neuro ectodermal tumor) Gave Dr. McNall consent to send part of the tumor to Dr. Peter Bierger at John Hopkins of Baltimore, Maryland.
Date: Sept 21, 2004
Pathology report final & dx highgrade gamglioglioma (stage 3-4).
Date: Sept. 14, 2004
Morning of surgery Kyle had MRI. Dr Francel told us prior to surgery that the tumor had doubled in size and he consulted Dr. McNall (neuro-oncologist). "Gross total resection" or complete removal of tumor.
Date: August 16, 2004
2nd opinion with Dr. Francel - low grade glioma - can do operation with no lasting deficit on Kyle right arm/leg. Surgery scheduled for Sept. 14th
Date: August 11, 2004 (Afternoon)
Saw Dr. Honeycutt (pediatric neurosurgeon). Discussed options for surgery. Dr. Honeycutt recommended second opinion with Dr. Francel.
Date: August 11, 2004
Dx (Lowgrade) GanglioGlioma in left motor cortex.
Date: August 4, 2004
Went to Dr. Hille (pediatric neurologist). Wait until after MRI (Aug. 11) and possibly go on seizure medication.
Date: July 27, 2004
EEG results normal.
Date: July 22, 2004
Went to PCP (Dr. Blick) ordered EEG & MRI
Date: July 21, 2004
2nd seizure. Went to Baptist Hospital. Told to follow up with PCP.
Date: July 6, 2004
1st mild seizure at babysitter's. Went to After-Hours Clinic. Ruled out R/O seizure, diagnosed as viral infection.