Kristin's Surgery Is Today -- * Cancelled * Please Read

(I put this together for my scrapbooking friend, Kristin.)

I will keep updating through the day as I hear anything.

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Update (3:30 pm) Kristin has updated on Facebook. This is what she had to say: Just found out my surgery has been canceled. They further reviewed my CAT scans and their is extensive cancer in my liver and lungs (and what we'd already seen in the brain and skull). They are going to do a small biopsy of the mass on my head to see what kind of cancer we are dealing with. They have talked of chemo and radiation, because the liver and lungs are inoperable, but until we biopsy and talk to the oncologist, we won't know if the plan is to extend life or if there is hope of a cure. Needless to say, we're reeling and in shock. I know that compared to a craniotomy the biopsy is small, but now I'm really nervous about that. Thank you so much for prayers!!! And they're not taking out the tumor, so that if/when we do chemo and radiation, I have more strength for that than if I'd just had a massive surgery. Please also pray that they can come up with a pain regimen... I've been in pain for almost 2 months, and I'm hoping they can give me some relief even without the tumor coming out.
Guess what... GOD IS STILL ALWAYS RIGHT AND HE IS STILL ALWAYS GOOD.
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Update (2:49 pm): Looks like the surgery will be around 3 pm. Another request from her husband -- Please pray will be able to "reuse" the skin from her scalp and that they find no cancer cells in it. If they can't reuse it, they will have to take muscle from her back and skin from her leg to close up the hole in her head. If they do reuse the scalp skin then there is a chance that hair will grow there again. If not she will be bald at that spot.

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Kristin & her husband, Mike, went to their appointment with the neurologist yesterday late morning. They were told the tumor had grown halfway into the right side of her brain. There is also a "finger" growing off the tumor. We are praying it is growing into a crevice and can easily be removed. If not, they will have to remove part of the brain which will affect her functionality after the surgery. Surgery will be performed today to remove tumor and a 5-6" piece of her skull. They will replace it with a titanium mesh.

She has started to lose a little bit of sensation and coordination in her hands. (It's difficult to button a shirt, buckle in the car without looking at what she is doing.) She has been told she may be worse after the surgery in that regard at least for a little while.

She's undergone many tests since yesterday. They did an ultrasound of her legs since she had a clot in her leg after her sugery last year. It came back clear. They did another scan for more cancer. It showed a couple spots on her lungs, but there is a possibility it could be a pulmunary embulism from the clot last year. She has a bone scan this afternoon.

They were going to squeeze her 6-8 hour surgery in around 1 pm. They felt it would most likely be later since the others surgeries scheduled for today could run behind. However at this point, it looks like it will definitely be later since the bone scan won't start until 1 pm.

The Wheelers have specifically requested prayer for their 13-yr old daughter, Alyssa. She's really the only one of their children that understands what is going on since their oldest son is autistic. Alyssa is having a hard time with this.

I will include their address in case anyone wants to let the Wheelers know you are praying for them.

Kristin Wheeler
22 Maple St.
Canisteo, NY 14823

Kristin's parents were able to make it through the storm from Ohio to New York and arrived about 10:00 this morning. This was a huge answer to prayer.

Kristin has mentioned that there are a billions steps to this process and that each one seems to be getting scarier and more painful. She did find out they will be doing a skin flap from her arm to cover the scalp where they remove the tumor. There will be a neurosurgeon and a plastic surgeon involved in today's surgery. Now that they are doing the skin flap, they feel the surgery will last closer to 8 hours. She's naturally nervous around proceedures, so a surgery of this magnitude is terrifying. She is showing Strength from above, but it's a moment by moment struggle.

Thank you to those of you who are praying. She met her oncologist today who is a Christian. She said it was a real encouragement to hear her doctor quoting Scripture from the KJV! Please continue to lift Kristin up in prayer to the Great Physician!