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Fans were shocked when it was recently revealed that Real Housewives of Orange County alum Jeana Keough, 70, is battling tongue cancer.
While her daughter, Kara Keough Bosworth, gave a tough update along the way about Jeana not being able to speak, Jeana had not spoken herself to date about her harrowing battle with the disease.
In a new tell-all interview with Page Six, Jeana opened up about what she’s going through and got candid about the prognosis of her cancer.
“It’s upsetting to know that even after all this treatment, I still only have a 40 to 60 percent cure rate within the next five years. We’re just praying that I’m on the good side of that coin flip,” she explained via email. “I can see the finish line now, but I’m hearing it’s a long climb to recovery and that I’ll likely have the feeding tube for two to six months.”
Jeana has been undergoing radiation five days a week, chemotherapy once a week, and immunotherapy. She also has been getting intravenous hydration and has undergone “lots of bloodwork.”
Jeana noted she only has a few more days of radiation and recently went through her last round of chemo, which typically “wipes [her] out for the remainder of the week.”
She explained that due to where the cancer is located and how it’s spread, “the effects of the radiation have been the worst part.”
“My whole neck and mouth and head light up in heat, pain and soreness, and the resulting inflammation of my throat and tongue makes talking, swallowing or breathing through my mouth incredibly painful,” she heartbreakingly shared. “I can no longer swallow without gagging and then vomiting, which hurts like hell with a raw and inflamed throat and tongue.”
After struggling with these tough symptoms for weeks, Jeana ended up getting admitted to the hospital for malnourishment and dehydration. She also had a blood clot (a deep vein thrombosis), which “complicated the visit.”
While there, she had a feeding tube surgically put into her stomach.
“I’m now like a newborn baby being fed by my caregivers every three hours,” she stated. “I still have nausea and vomiting because of the chemo, and that really hurts now with the feeding tube incision being so fresh.”
While describing herself as a “hyper-independent woman,” Jeana admitted it’s been “hard feeling so dependent on other people.”
“This has been a challenge unlike anything I’ve ever faced,” she added.
As for how the cancer was found, Jeana said she went to her “trusted dentist” at some point last year, who “insisted” that one of her teeth was “digging” into her tongue and was the cause of a sore that had been irritating her.
“It felt like a small issue,” she said. “There was no mention of a specialist, no suggestion for a biopsy and [the dentist] proceeded to file the tooth down on multiple visits, sticking with the theory that it was my tooth causing the painful sore.”
After going to the dentist for a third time, Jeana was referred to an ear, nose and throat doctor, where she was asked to fork over $3,000 out of pocket for a biopsy, as they did not take her insurance.
Jeana “declined” the biopsy as she “couldn’t afford” it and hoped to find an in-network doctor.
Soon after, she went to visit two of her kids and commented about not wanting to eat spicy food as it would hurt her tongue.
“My daughter immediately inquired about the pain and asked how long the spot had been there,” she noted. “I replied that I’d had the tooth filed down multiple times, but it was still causing pain. She reacted strongly, insisting that ‘the tooth had been there all [my] life – why would it decide to start causing problems now?’”
Kara ended up making Jeana promise to get a biopsy “immediately upon arriving home,” and, the next week, she did.
“That doctor took one look in my mouth and said, ‘That’s cancer,'” Jeana shared. “A biopsy was done, and when I got the results back, it was confirmed. The tongue dissection was scheduled immediately. We were all hopeful that the cancer was contained to the spot and just planned the oral surgery to remove the spot, leaving my lymph nodes alone.”
“But after consulting with my [oncologist] and his team, it was decided that I would have a second surgery to remove about 30 to 40 nodes in a neck dissection because there was a small ‘glimmer’ on my scans near my neck – a glimmer that could have been attributed to inflammation but could also indicate a spread of the cancer,” she elaborated.
Jeana has had a large support network around her, including her family, her boyfriend, and RHOC stars, as she goes through this tough time. She insisted that “no one has left [her] alone.”
“I know Alexis Bellino has texted with Kara daily to check in to see how she can help. Locally, Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Judge and Quinn Fry have all offered their help,” she continued.
Jeana concluded by telling people that they should “get a good dentist, and if something doesn’t feel right, demand answers.”