Dr. Keith Thomas' Blog

Check Up Finished!

2008-07-31T15:45:00.001-05:00

Here's the news . . .

There is no evidence of cancer in his body at all. He is officially declared
"in remission". He said the doctor used words like perfect and great in his
discussion. Pastor wanted all of you to know as soon as possible.

He goes back in November for a check-up.

The Latest News

2008-07-31T14:38:00.000-05:00

February - Chemo Has Started

Dr. Thomas started chemo on Monday, and he is doing very well. Thank you for praying! He is doing a three-hour drip of chemo which he will do one time every three weeks for the next three months. In addition to this, he also takes chemo pills every day – 5 in the morning and 5 at night. After chemo is done, he will be scheduled for radiation. He came and led our staff meeting on Tuesday (we were so glad to see him back in the saddle!) and we are trusting God to continue doing incredible things in his life for His glory alone. Please continue to pray that the normal side effects of chemo would have no effect at all as Pastor recovers. And continue to pray for those in our church family who are struggling with the same cancer issues. God is the Great Physician and He is able!

Also, we are looking forward to welcoming Pastor back into the pulpit this Sunday, February 17. He has been cleared by the doctor to come back so we are thrilled that he will be leading us on Sunday.

Many of you have asked about Pastor’s parents. They are doing much better. His dad is in a “collar” so please continue to pray for his recovery.

April - And Now the Radiation Portion of the Program . . . .

Dr. Thomas has been at MD Anderson in Houston this week for a check up after completing his term of chemotherapy. It is with great thanksgiving that Dr. Thomas reports that the doctors have said, “his blood markers and cancer markers are perfect.” Praise the Lord! He will, as a precautionary measure, begin radiation treatments with oral chemotherapy (30% of its original strength) sometime after Mother’s Day. This will continue 5 days a week for 5 consecutive weeks and will most likely take place at MD Anderson. The doctors also said that his pancreas has healed perfectly from surgery. Please remember to lift the Thomas Team as they continue on this journey of trusting the Lord. Thank you for your commitment to pray for them.

April 9th - Pastor will begin radiation treatments today at MD Anderson in Houston, TX as a precaution. This process will last until June 18th. Please pray for his stamina during this time, as he will be traveling to Houston on Mondays and back home on Fridays so he can be in the pulpit each Sunday.

Pray specifically that he would be spared the usual negative side effects of radiation. He will be staying with his parents each week, which is definitely a treat most adults do not get! Pray for his family as they are here in Mobile while Pastor is in Houston each week. He is trusting God to move mightily in him personally as well as in our church family. Pray for his complete release and healing from this cancer! To God be the glory for all He has already accomplished during this journey with the Thomas Team! He continues to rest in the Word God gave at the beginning of this journey . . Psalm 117:18-19 1 shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD. The LORD has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death.

June - The Maker’s Diet with Dr. Jordan Rubin

June 20th - Pastor has traveled to West Palm Beach to be under the direction of Dr. Rubin while taking part in the Maker’s Diet – a diet and exercise program made up completely of raw food – vegetables, meat, fish and the like. He will be in training with this program for about the next 5 weeks. The purpose is to detox all impurities (like chemo & radiation) from his system with an anticipated outcome of better control over his diabetes. His diabetes has been exacerbated by the removal of a portion of the pancreas. This diet and way of life will help control that! God is awesome in His provision!

July - He’s Home!

End of July - Pastor has returned home after completing his diet and exercise program. He feels great and is so thankful to be back home – both literally and with his church family. He’s back in the pulpit on July 27th, beginning a new series on Total Surrender – a study in Stewardship. Thank you for your prayers while he’s been away. He greatly appreciates all of the prayer warriors who have been faithful to pray on his behalf during this journey.

Time for a check-up

July 30-31 - Pastor has traveled back to Houston for testing and a check up after completing radiation and will be meeting with his doctors while he’s there. Stay tuned for an update . . . . We are so happy to have him back full time!! Thank you for your continued intercession on his behalf and on behalf of the church family. We are asking and trusting the Lord for a clean report of health!

The Latest News

2008-04-30T15:03:00.000-05:00

Dr. Thomas has been at MD Anderson in Houston this week for a check up after completing his term of chemotherapy. It is with great thanksgiving that Dr. Thomas reports that the doctors have said, “his blood markers and cancer markers are perfect.” Praise the Lord! He will, as a precautionary measure, begin radiation treatments with oral chemotherapy (30% of its original strength) sometime after Mother’s Day. This will continue 5 days a week for 5 consecutive weeks and will most likely take place at MD Anderson. The doctors also said that his pancreas has healed perfectly from surgery. Please remember to lift the Thomas Team as they continue on this journey of trusting the Lord. Thank you for your commitment to pray for them.

Pastor Update

2008-03-28T12:30:00.001-05:00

Praise! The Lord Jesus continues the healing process in me.
• Please pray for increased energy as I move back into the regular routine of the Thomas Team.
• Please pray for me as I continue to try to stabilize my blood sugar.
• Please continue to intercede for me through the final rounds of chemo that the medicine will do its work in a miraculous way.
• Pray that my immune system will stay strong through the process. We go back to MD Anderson at the end of the month for a check-up on everything.
• Pray that the Lord would reveal through all the tests His miraculous hand of healing grace. Thank you for your faithfulness to pray for me and my family as we journey together through this chapter of our lives. You are loved!

Chemo Has Started

2008-02-13T09:22:00.000-06:00

Dr. Thomas started chemo on Monday, and he is doing very well. Thank you for praying! He is doing a three-hour drip of chemo which he will do one time every three weeks for the next three months. In addition to this, he also takes chemo pills every day – 5 in the morning and 5 at night. After chemo is done, he will be scheduled for radiation. He came and led our staff meeting on Tuesday (we were so glad to see him back in the saddle!) and we are trusting God to continue doing incredible things in his life for His glory alone. Please continue to pray that the normal side effects of chemo would have no effect at all as Pastor recovers. And continue to pray for those in our church family who are struggling with the same cancer issues. God is the Great Physician and He is able!

Also, we are looking forward to welcoming Pastor back into the pulpit this Sunday, February 17. He has been cleared by the doctor to come back so we are thrilled that he will be leading us on Sunday.

Many of you have asked about Pastor’s parents. They are doing much better. His dad is in a “collar” so please continue to pray for his recovery.

Chemo Begins On Monday

2008-02-07T13:59:00.000-06:00

Our Pastor will begin chemotherapy treatments on Monday, February 11. We have been petitioning God mightily that his immune system might stay strong. Please continue to pray for that as well! He is doing lots of research to find ways that he can stay as healthy as possible and to continue to strengthen his body. Ask the Lord for grace when Pastor starts chemo on Monday. Pray that the “normal” side effects of chemotherapy would have no effect at all! This is our prayer for many at Cottage Hill who are going through the same thing as Dr. Thomas. We know our Lord is the Great Physician and we are trusting in Him.

Please Continue to Pray

2008-01-31T16:05:00.001-06:00

After talking with MD Anderson in Houston on Tuesday, Pastor’s doctors told him the chemo and radiation treatment that he would need to begin taking soon was aggressive because they believed he was at high risk of the caner returning. His doctors have found cancer cells in his fat cells around the pancreas. Please continue to pray for God’s supernatural healing on our Pastor, and pray that all the details of the chemotherapy and radiation scheduling will go smoothly and quickly.

Second Follow Up Visit

2008-01-24T09:50:00.001-06:00

Pastor and Karen received a great report from the doctors and MD Anderson yesterday. They considered the surgery to be "bar-zero" meaning that visually they removed all that needed to be removed and left nothing considered to be problematic. Also, Pastor had not had any of the common complications associated with the surgery. Praise the Lord!
In approximately two weeks he will begin chemotherapy for three months and radiation in the area of the tumor. Both of these procedures are for precautionary measures to be sure all of the cancer has been removed from his body. Following this he is expected to make a full recovery!
Pastor's scheduled date to return to the pulpit is February 17th. Please continue to pray for strength, energy, and continued healing.

A Thousand Thank Yous!

2008-01-18T11:02:00.001-06:00

Thank you for praying for our Pastor. He is home recovering from his pancreatic cancer surgery and is doing well. Here is a quick update. He will be heading back to MD Anderson on Wednesday, January 23 to discuss follow up options regarding chemotherapy, etc. Please pray for the appointments that he has on that day, and that the Lord will continue to work out all of the details for His glory alone. Thank you for all your prayers!

A Slight Correction

2008-01-04T09:56:00.001-06:00

While Pastor will be going back out to Houston in two weeks, it will be to meet with the Oncologist only, not for chemotherapy treatments.

When Pastor does do chemo, it will be here in Mobile. Thank you for all your prayers! We praise the Lord for each and every one of you and all your encouragement.

We're Back!

2008-01-03T21:25:00.001-06:00

Karen and Pastor wanted again express deep appreciation and gratitude to everyone who prayed for them while they were in Houston. Both are grateful to be home and are resting comfortably in their own home. �

They Are Coming Home!

2008-01-02T20:59:00.000-06:00

Karen reports that Pastor's doctor visit went very well. He and Karen will be returning to Mobile on Thursday! In two weeks they will return to Houston to meet with an Oncologist for a round of chemotherapy. The doctors believe Pastor is a "better candidate for success" for the follow up treatment to make sure there is nothing left of the cancer.
Please continue praying for the healing of his pancreas. It will take up to two months for the pancreas to heal and begin to function normally. Until then he will rely on insulin injections to control his blood sugar which at this time is still relatively high. Please pray that the blood sugar issue will be resolved through a controlled diet and the use of insulin.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T20:13:00.000-06:00

Pastor and Karen wish everyone a Happy New Year!
They ask that you keep praying for them. Karen reports that Pastor's biggest challenge at the moment is eating while regulating his blood sugar. Right now it remains high (over 200). Wednesday they will return to Houston to meet with doctors and a nutritionist.

Discharged Today!

2007-12-28T13:37:00.000-06:00

Karen reports that Pastor is being discharged today with lots of instructions and meds but NO TUBES! She and Pastor wanted to thank everyone for their support, prayers, cards, and gifts. They will be going to Pastor's parents' home in The Woodlands until the doctors give the okay to return to Mobile. The new address is:

Dr. Keith Thomas
c/o Herschel and Doris Thomas
3 Painted Canyon Place
The Woodlands, TX 77381

We Have a Huge Praise!

2007-12-27T14:13:00.001-06:00

The central IV line is out of Pastor’s neck… which means no more IV’s for him! We praise the Lord for this piece of good news! He is very excited that he is getting to shave today for the first time – his nurse thought he was going for the Willie Nelson look. He has one more drainage tube in his stomach that needs to come out, but all in all, we praise God for the progress that Pastor has had. They are thinking that he will be able to leave the hospital tomorrow. He will go to his parents’ home and spend the next week or so healing up even further and having follow up doctors’ appointments. (He meets with his current doctor this coming Wednesday.) While he and Karen are at his parents’ house, he will continue to walk and try to get stronger so he can come HOME!!! His enzyme levels have gone down and he had his first bit of real food this morning. We are so thankful to our Lord that He has been so gracious with Pastor and his family. We also praise Him that all of the kids are back to their respective homes and were able to spend the holiday with

Wednesday Update

2007-12-26T13:22:00.000-06:00

Pastor continues steady improvement. He started a full liquid diet to see how well his stomach reacts. His pain medicine has been cut back to a lesser strength. He still has his main I.V. Karen said the kids are coming home today and hopes that pastor will be going to his parents possibly Friday. We will let you know when we hear more.

Sunday Update

2007-12-23T18:53:00.000-06:00

Pastor is feeling much better today. Karen reported that two of his tubes have been removed (NG tube and one from the incision area). Kerry talked with Keith today for just a couple of minutes. He is definitely tired and in pain but thankful for his progress. Pastor said that he prayed for our church this morning.

Pastor still has leakage of enzymes from the surgical procedure. Pray that the area of the pancreas where they did surgery will heal so that will stop.

Many have asked what is the next treatment but there will be no follow-up radiation or chemotherapy.

Karen said that this has been like a family reunion from personal family members to spiritual family from days of preschool to present. They are so grateful for how God has brought so many friends from across the nation to encourage them. Your cards, letters, prayers and concerns have been greatly appreciated.

On a humorous note, Pastor told Karen they are kind of like Elizabeth and Zacharias since he can't talk. He said Karen was doing enough talking for the both of them though.

Saturday Update

2007-12-22T17:35:00.001-06:00

Lymph node reports came back today. The report is benign! Praise God! This gave pastor renewed strength to keep pressing on!

Today’s News

2007-12-21T11:35:00.001-06:00

Pastor is having a little bit of a hard time today. They took chest X-rays this morning but it would appear that he is having some “surgical complications.” He is leaking enzymes out of the area where the surgeons made the incision and took off the tip of the pancreas. The doctor says that while they don’t like it when this happens, it is one of the complications of this type of surgery. So… he is a little sicker this morning. But the Thomas’ love Pastor’s doctor; he has been around to see him already this morning and they know that they are in good hands. Please continue to pray for him.

A Post Surgery Update

2007-12-20T14:25:00.000-06:00

Thank you for all your prayers, cards, emails, blogs, and “well-wishes” for our Pastor, Dr. Keith Thomas. There are many things cancer can’t do, but one thing it can do is bring people together. We rejoice in the fact that there are people all over the globe that are praying for him! He has had visitors from his high school and college days, pastors, and a myriad of other folks who have been praying from the beginning. Our God is so good, and we are thankful that you all are a part of this journey with Dr. Thomas, his family, and our church family.

Please continue to pray for him in the days ahead. It has been two days after the surgery and he is having a rough day. He is weak and in pain, but he has gotten up to practice walking (he walked some yesterday) and today he will walk again. He is also doing some breathing exercises once an hour to get his lung capacity up. Someone sent a small Christmas tree to his room (Thanks, Starlings!) so there is “external” evidence of Christmas cheer in his hospital room, too!

Please continue to pray for his complete recovery. Please also pray for Karen, Nathan, Nolan, Lauren, and Kelsey as they spend Christmas together. Pray that the lymph nodes that were removed come back clean. (We will know an answer to that next week.) And pray that while the Thomas’ are at MD Anderson, they would be able to share the love of our great God with those who are hurting and hopeless and walking in the same journey as they are… but without a Savior. Pray that people would see Christ in them!

The Latest News

2007-12-20T09:41:00.000-06:00

Yesterday afternoon Pastor Thomas was up walking around albeit slowly. He is progressing as expected and is still in a fair amount of pain but is resting as much as possible.

Address Update

2007-12-19T15:29:00.000-06:00

If you would like to send a note or gift to pastor, please send to the address below:

Marion Keith Thomas, 734914
Room 520
University of Texas
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
P. O. Box 300206
Houston, TX 77230

Resting Confortably

2007-12-19T14:33:00.000-06:00

Pastor is resting comfortably as of the last report. We will post more details as we receive them.

More Information Coming

2007-12-19T10:57:00.000-06:00

Pastor will be moved to a more permanent room later today. As soon as we get the information, we will provide an address if you want to send a personal note.

Great News!

2007-12-19T09:57:00.000-06:00

Pastor is doing well. He is sitting up in a chair but tired and sleepy. The plans are for him to take a short walk this afternoon.
Thanks to everyone who prayed for him and his family. We will post any further news as soon as we receive it.

5 PM Update

2007-12-18T17:04:00.000-06:00

Surgery is over! Tail of pancreas has been removed. Spleen has been removed. Also, took 3 lymph nodes for study(nothing appeared wrong) and the results are expected next week. He is in recovery and everything went well.

Surgery Continues

2007-12-18T14:48:00.001-06:00

As of 2:30 pm Surgery is continuing… Pastor’s vital signs all okay! Next update in about 2 hours.

Stable

2007-12-18T13:08:00.001-06:00

As of 1pm surgery is going well and Pastor is stable.

No Update Yet

2007-12-18T12:49:00.000-06:00

We will post further updates as we receive them.

In Surgery

2007-12-18T10:45:00.000-06:00

Pastor's surgery will be from 4 to 6 hours. We should receive an update around noon.

Heading for Houston

2007-12-17T12:16:00.000-06:00

Pastor and family just left for Houston, Texas this morning. He will be in a hotel tonight across the street from M. D. Anderson. Tomorrow morning he will check in early at the hospital. Surgery is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Continue to pray for peace and a restful night.

Don't forget that we have a prayer vigil in the Vision Center at Cottage Hill beginning Tuesday morning Dec. 18 at 6 a.m.

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Surgery Date Change!

2007-12-14T13:22:00.000-06:00

Pastor’s endoscopy went well today. The doctors did an immediate biopsy of the suspicious area in his stomach and the results came back as benign. We thank the Lord for this! Pray that the doctors will be able to determine quickly when/if this growth needs to come out. We also found out that Pastor’s surgery date will change to Tuesday, December 18. There was no specific reason for this other than they had an opening and the time was right… so they took it! Please put the word out about this. Pastor will fly back into Mobile tonight and will leave on Monday morning to head back out to Houston. Thank you so much for your prayers, blogs, cards, and encouragement. God is so good!

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Good News!

2007-12-12T13:54:00.000-06:00

Pastor will be having surgery done at MD Anderson on Thursday, December 20. He will leave Mobile on Tuesday, have surgery prep on Wednesday, and the surgery will take place on Thursday. We praise the Lord that he will not have the Whipple procedure – the doctors will instead remove the “end” of his pancreas and his spleen. He will be in the hospital until January 7 and then come home for a 7-week recovery time. Pray for an additional endoscopy that the doctors will do on Friday before he flies home. They want to look at the spots on his stomach in more detail since everything is so flared up due to his ongoing pancreatitis. Pray that he will be well enough after this to come home (to turn around, pack, and go back!). Thank you SO much for your prayers!

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Tests and Consultations

2007-12-11T12:40:00.000-06:00

Today (Tuesday) Dr. Thomas is undergoing tests at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas. Tomorrow he will have his consultation with the doctors. Please continue to pray for him and his family.

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An Urgent Prayer Need at Cottage Hill Baptist Church

2007-12-10T14:39:00.000-06:00

Updated: Thursday, December 6 • 4:30 PM
On Monday, November 26, our Pastor, Dr. Keith Thomas, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We have since found out that it is a stage 1 cancer, which means that the doctors are encouraged that they found it early. Dr. Thomas will be heading out to MD Anderson in Houston for tests and appointments on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 11-12. Here are some ways that you can pray for our Pastor, his family, and our church during this time:

PRAY that God would give Pastor traveling mercies as he drives out to Houston. Pray for a safe and swift journey.

PRAY for the testing that will happen on Tuesday, December 11 and for the subsequent appointments on Wednesday. Pray that God will give the doctors and surgeons wisdom as they come up with a "game plan." Pray that they would be able to do the surgery SOON.

PRAY for his family during these days. Pray for God’s grace to overflow on them. Pray that things in their lives will stay orderly and “normal” and that things would not be chaotic and hectic for them.

PRAY that God would continue to grant our Pastor with a supernatural peace.

PRAY that God’s people would come together and petition heaven on behalf of the undershepherd of His flock.

PRAY for God's complete and total healing!

PRAY that through it all, our great, living God would receive all the glory.