Finally an Update!

Hello Everyone,

Sorry for such a long delay in updating the blog, this time of year we all get so busy with the holidays!

This time, it is me (Wally) who is writing to update you on how we're doing. 

I want to thank each of you for your prayers and your words of encouragement to our family and to me.  Your friendship and concern for me means more to me than I could ever express to you.

As you probably know, I have chemo every two weeks along with blood tests.  Every eight weeks, I have new CT scans and chest X-rays.  This last week, my oncologist had encouraging news for me.  First, there is a blood test that is an indicator for pancreatic cancer, which is called "CA 19-9".  Since the beginning of my chemo treatments, my CA 19-9 value has gone down approximately 50% (this is good).  The second encouragement is that there has been no growth in the size of my tumor.  My treatment plan is for one year and then is re-evaluated.

So how am I doing with the chemo and how am I feeling?  Each chemo session lasts about five or six hours.  They start with some blood tests to see how I'm doing and to set the dosage for the three different chemo drugs that I'm on.  Along with the therapy drugs, they include some sedatives, so I spend most of each session sleeping.  After each session, I feel fine for a day or two and then some mild flu like symptoms for a few days.  Flu meds help and I'm not slowed down too much.  I recently heard this called a "chemo flu".  Sometimes my stomach is a little queasy feeling, but I've have had almost no nausea.  I believe that our Lord has spared me much of the suffering that often goes along with cancer and its treatments.  My most significant side effect has been a loss of taste; most things that I eat now taste very bland.

A comfort from having a strong Christian faith is the gift of a "peace that passes all understanding".  I am completely comfortable and at peace with God's plan for my life, long or short.  From an eternal perspective, I believe that He has already healed me.  My number one goal in life is to be a useful and willing servant for His purposes.

I recently learned of a blog of a person who has gone through an experience very similar to mine and he always signed off with "God is good, all the time, God is good".  I like that and I agree with it, so I will use it here today.

Thank you again!

God is good, all the time, God is good!

Wally

wallycarruthers@gmail.com

206-999-0271

After Thanksgiving Update

Posted for Sheri...

Hi all,

Sorry for being so late in my WallyGram update but this time of year finds me trying to accomplish too much in too short of time!

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving as we did. Wally's taste buds were even working! - thankfully I didn't burn the turkey. :) I took him to the hospital on Friday for his third treatment. The afternoon started out pretty non-eventful until after about 10 minutes into his second chemo drug, docetaxel, he turned beet red and looked as if he would literally pop if you squeezed him! Thankfully three nurses rushed into the room, disconnected him and gave him more benedryl (something he takes before each treatment) and gave him a 30 minute reprieve. He immediately returned to "normal" (we are still trying to figure out what that means) and was able to sleep during the remainder of the treatment. Other than a minor headache here and there and some achy muscles, he is still doing wonderfully. He has even managed to keep his hair, so far that is. :)

As far as diet goes, I gave in when he insisted on rainbow sherbet but I did get a little irritated with him when he scooped a nice size bowl of vanilla ice cream and poured strawberry syrup and chocolate syrup all over it. Actually, it wasn't just "over" the ice cream, it was all over the counters and floor - I think he got a little greedy.

We continue to be very thankful to God for sparing Wally the pain that usually accompanies this type of cancer and for upholding him during his chemotherapy. Please continue to pray for him. We will be having another CT scan, chest x-ray, and more blood work done in about 2 weeks to see if the treatment is working.

We always enjoy hearing from you. The blogs, e-mails, cards and phone calls are always very encouraging to us. Thank you all.

Until next time...

Sheri

Chemo Update Round 2

Posted for Sheri...

Hi All!

We've passed the 48 hour mark since Wally's last chemo and he is actually doing better this time around than last! His latest chemo was on Thursday and again uneventful. As I mentioned before, it is a three drug process. The first drug they administer usually will burn some but this time, there was nothing! He slept again through most of the treatment (unfortunately we were there for almost another 6 hours again but it gave me reading time I generally don't get). He has had no nausea or flu-like symptoms so God is definitely answering prayers. The only side effect he has noticed both times has been the effects on his taste buds. Food and drink don't generally taste good the first week so I can make anything, good or bad, because he won't be able to tell the difference:) I have to be more careful the second week though because he can become very vocal on what he wants and doesn't want.

He is still very energetic and I am not able to hold him back. The Wednesday before his chemo he actually flew to Chicago for the day, leaving home at 4:30 in the morning and returning after midnight! You would think that the first thing he would want to do when he got home from Chicago was go straight to bed, but NO! He had to have a bowl of rainbow sherbet! He has decided that sherbet is the cure for cancer because he has felt great ever since he has been eating it. I recommended it to his oncologist - maybe they can do a study on the effects of sherbet on cancer.

His next treatment will be the day after Thanksgiving. He is very thankful that he got his treatment day changed from the day before to the day after! We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends or family. I'll keep you posted in a few weeks. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. God is listening!

Sheri

Chemo Update

Posted for Sheri...

Hi All,

I know many of you are wondering how Wally’s first chemo session went. I am pleased to announce that it was very uneventful – he actually slept through half of it. :) We had a 2:00 appointment but they actually didn’t start treatment until about 4:45 – translation: we didn’t leave the hospital until 8:00 which made for a long day. So far so good as far as side effects – NONE! At this moment he is really feeling good and I am trying to keep up with him. We were told that this regiment shouldn’t cause too much nausea which was Wally’s biggest concern so if he can get through the next few days he will definitely be a happy camper. They did give him some anti-nausea medication which really knocked him out last night and allowed him a great night of sleep. Regarding loss of hair – he may see some of that after his third treatment but since he is a Carruthers he may be stubborn enough to keep it all!

Thank you all again for your prayers and correspondence. We both so appreciate each and every one of you.

I will continue to keep you posted when I have some updates.

Sheri

Chemo starts next week

Posted for Sheri...

Hi Everyone,

It’s time for another WallyGram update. Wally had his appointment with the oncologist today which went well. The doctor was very pleased to see that Wally was looking and feeling so good. He asked him the question, “If you didn’t know that you already had cancer, would you think that you might have it?” Of course his answer was, “NO”. He even woke up the other morning and told me that he didn’t think he had cancer anymore because he was feeling so good! That has been a wonderful blessing for our family. He also had a flu shot today since they were giving them for free at the hospital and the doctor said it certainly wouldn’t hurt to get one, especially today.

His next appointment will be on Wednesday, the 24th for all of his tests which include a CT scan, chest x-ray, and blood work so that they can have a baseline for comparison. He will then start his chemotherapy on Thursday, the 25th and will go every two weeks for the next year – that sounds like a long time to me! His chemo will include 3 different drugs and each visit will be approximately 4 – 5 hours. I think Virginia Mason Hospital may get a little old after a while, although it will be a great time to catch up on some reading and just have some quiet time together. :) Wally, being Wally made the comment that maybe he will just ride the bus into Seattle for his chemo and I can just pick him up when he’s done. Both the doctor and I gave him the look of “You’re kidding – right?” Many of you think Wally always has good ideas – as you can see, some are not so good!

After a year, they will reevaluate and decide what to do next. He may go on a maintenance program or take some time off from the chemo. We will just have to wait and see how he does. Again, we are learning to live day by day. We love his doctor who has a great attitude and is a believer and will also pray for his patients – he looks at his job as a ministry! Praise God.

We will have to see how he reacts to the chemo – being a Carruthers, he may breeze right through it. Wally’s father used to always say, “Wipe up the blood and get back to work” and I think that has been passed on from generation to generation. Wally’s father also beat cancer – twice!

We continue to be encouraged by your blogs, e-mails, phone calls, cards, letters and prayers – many from people we don’t even know!

Next update will probably be next week.

~Sheri~

WallyGram Update

Posted for Sheri...

Hi All,

Sorry for the lag in updates but not much is happening at this time. Wally continues to feel pretty good, especially when he is eating the proper foods. For some reason chips, salsa and beer don’t sit too well with him (I obviously wasn’t around to play food monitor at the time) and I have to admit that I am not always sympathetic! I prefer to fix him a nice glass of beet, carrot and apple juice. :) Yum!

The doctor gave him the thumbs up to travel to California, so on Thursday we hopped a plane to the bay area to visit with family and friends. He will see his oncologist on the 17th then I’m assuming he will start chemo almost right away since it will have been a month since his surgery. Thank you all for your continued prayers, thoughts, cards, blogs, e-mails, etc... It really is very uplifting for both of us to see how blessed we are by our friends and family.

I’ll keep you updated when I get more info from the doctors.

Sheri

Home Sweet Home

Posted for Sheri...

Quick update…. I was able to bring Wally home today – about 11:30. I honestly don’t think the doctors could have kept him there another day. I arrived at the hospital at about 9:00 and found him sitting on the bed, freshly showered, dressed (shoes and all) and anxious to go home! He had to wait an hour for one more intravenous antibiotic so he asked the nurse if he could squeeze the bag to make it drip faster. :)

Looking back on the last month (I can’t tell you if it feels like years or just days), there have been so many blessings that God has granted our family even though it seems that things aren’t always working in our favor regarding Wally’s health. We were blessed by the doctors and hospital staff and feel that God gave us some very special physicians to watch over Wally and I honestly believe he was a blessing to them by his strong faith and peace in God. He is motivated to fight this cancer, at peace with God’s will for his life, and thankful for the many blessings that God has provided our family. Many of those blessings have come through all of you. Thank you once again for your continued prayers, thank you for the touching cards and notes, thank you for your visits, and thank you for all of your help with meals and transportation for the kids. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we have an uphill battle to fight. Praise God that He is bigger than cancer. We continue to pray for His miraculous healing hand upon Wally.

~Sheri~

Tuesday Night Update

Posted for Sheri...

Wally is definitely back to Wally. He is doing very well considering the surgery he had. They removed his epidural today and put him on oral pain meds. The surgeon won’t let him go home tomorrow – says that Thursday is already a day earlier than what he usually likes to see. Although I have to say when Wally told him he was going to go home and buy an elliptical machine to start working out, the look on his face was amusement with the thought that he may have to keep Wally in the hospital for another week if he keeps up that kind of talk. :) He is also starting to get picky about the food – not that he has actually eaten that much - but when he was served cream of tomato soup today, he protested and said he would rather die than eat tomato soup! Hope the nurses can put up with him for another day and a half.

His spirits are up, he looks good and as he says, “I’ve got places to see and people to do”. He’s ready to come home. Please keep praying as we go into the treatment phase of this. Pray for strength and patience for our whole family and of course for God’s miraculous healing hand.

~Sheri~

Current Update

Posted for Sheri...

Hi All,

I have been spending my days with Wally and he is doing very well. He continues to walk the halls, actually faster than I can, and impress the nurses with how much air he can suck in. Today was his first day of “food”. For dinner, he actually had some cream of potato soup and grape juice! He should be able to come home on Wednesday as long as he can eat solids. We spoke with the oncologist today and Wally will start treatment in about a month. He will also be bringing a naturopath on board to work with him. Virginia Mason sees more pancreatic cancer patients in the country and we have been told by several people that this oncologist is also world renowned for his work. Please continue to pray for complete healing as he endures the chemotherapy and continue to pray for that peace which passes all understanding. God has brought these amazing doctors to us and we are watching God working in them and through them in more ways than one and we are very thankful.

Sheri

Sunday Night Update

I talked to Sheri earlier tonight, she said that Wally was out walking some laps at the hospital. This is great news, the sooner he rebuilds his strength after surgery the better and the sooner he can go home.

The plan is still to start the chemotherapy in about a month, but he should be home sometime this week. If you have any personal messages that you'd like to send to him, please fee free to email him at wallycarruthers@hotmail.com. You'll probably have to wait a while for a response as he might not get to reading them for a while, but don't let that stop you from sending all your love and prayers to him.

I'm planning on going to see him tomorrow, and I'll take all the comments posted here so he can read them so post away.

Hold on to Your Stomach

Posted for Sheri...

Hi All,

First I would like to thank you all once again for your prayers and support. We have hit a bit of the down track today on our roller coaster ride. Wally went in for surgery at 8:30 this morning as planned. God answered our prayers by providing us with perfect peace. Unfortunately, once the doctors looked inside they saw that there were several very small metastasis throughout his abdominal wall and therefore were unable to remove the tumor or complete the whipple procedure. They did, however, remove his gallbladder and reroute his stomach – basically gastric bypass surgery without removing any of the stomach. He will be in the hospital approximately 5 days and then come home. We will meet with the Oncologist on Monday to decide how to proceed with the chemotherapy which he will not be able to receive for a month in order to allow his body to heal from the surgery. He continues to be at peace and has a strong will to beat this and for that I am very thankful. If you are scared that he may have lost his sense of humor, don’t worry it’s still there. He told the nurses his name was Frank and that he was 6’4” and wouldn’t miss his gallbladder because he didn’t care too much for it anyway.

Please continue in your prayers for Wally’s healing and for our family. Pray for continued peace and the ability to minister to him.

Also, my computer is frozen so my contacts which I don’t have elsewhere are frozen and I can’t retrieve them at this time and we all know that I am technologically challenged. Please check this blog for updates and leave any messages you would like me to read to Wally.

If there are any doctors out there reading this, I hope I didn’t totally butcher my explanation of what is happening!

James 1:2-3 “I will count it all joy when I fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of my faith produces patience”

Thanks again and keep up the prayers,

Sheri

Upcoming Surgery

Posted for Sheri...

YEAH! Thank you all for your prayers. Wally is scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning at 8:30 at Virginia Mason in Seattle. The surgery is scheduled to last approximately 6 - 7 hours, give or take an hour. The doctors all seem confident that it will go well. Next prayer request is that there are no surprises when they open him up, or in Wally terms, "fillet" him (remember they didn't get the best pictures) and for a full and quick recovery. Wally set up a blog last night (I'm clueless to these things) and our friend will keep it updated. Also if you are in the area of Virginia Mason Hospital tomorrow and anxious to sit in a boring waiting room say anywhere between 9:00 and 3:00 tomorrow, please feel free to stop by:). God has answered our prayers for peace. We are all feeling very good about the surgery tomorrow and have faith that the Great Physician will get him through this surgery. He will be in the hospital for 7 - 9 days and they hope to have him up and walking around a bit on Saturday.

I will continue to keep you updated on his progress.

In the meantime, thank you all for your concern and faithfulness in prayer,

Sheri

On Our Way Up! - 9/19/2007

Hello fellow roller-coaster riders,

I think we are on the track that goes up now - maybe. I sat by the phone all day waiting for a call from the doctor (supposedly at 10:00), six hours later I got the call saying that they were going to do the surgery Friday (that would be this Friday) - maybe - if they could get an operating room which they won't know for sure until noon tomorrow which I believe is Thursday! If I'm not mistaken, we are back to where we were about a week ago. We have been praying for surgery sooner rather than later so we are thankful for the news. Please pray for peace as even though we are very thankful and this is what we wanted, it is a very long and serious surgery and has our nerves a little on edge. I am holding on to the Bible verse from Philippians 4:7 which says: "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

I will hopefully let you know FOR SURE if he will be having surgery on Friday and at what time. PLEASE KEEP PRAYING!

Until tomorrow...

Sheri

Roller Coaster Rides - 9/17/2007

For those of you who enjoy the ups and downs of roller coaster rides then read on...

Wally was admitted to the hospital today with what they believe to be an infection from his procedure on Friday. Last night he told me that he felt like he had the flu. He had a fever and flu-like symptoms and wasn't any better this morning. The doctors wanted him at the hospital right away to run some tests which showed his white blood cell count was elevated. They did another CT scan and an x-ray of his chest and more blood tests to determine what the cause of the infection was. We should have test results tomorrow when we talk with the surgeons. He feels absolutely fine now and looks good but they want to have him in the hospital for 24 hours without a fever so they are giving him antibiotics and fluids intravenously.
Unfortunately, this is another set-back for surgery. He will not be able to have surgery on Friday due to this "episode" so we are hopefully looking at Wednesday the 26th.

Please continue to pray for strength as the constant prolonging of the surgery and treatment is very draining on all of us. Pray for peace for all of us - we know that God can heal miraculously or through the physicians hands if that is His will. We are already watching little miracles happen all around us through Wally's illness and for that, we are thankful. You all have been such a help and encouragement during this difficult time in our family.

Until next time...

~Sheri~

Latest - 9/14/2007

Hi All,

Here is your latest WallyGram...

Wally had an appointment today at Virginia Mason for an endoscopic ultrasound to see if they could get a better picture of the tumor. They still were not able to get a real good picture so the doctors are of the mind that this is as good as it is going to get and are planning to aggressively pursue this mass and go ahead and do the surgery. The doctor would like to be able to do the surgery next Friday but since that is not his regular surgery day, he needs to be able to secure an operating room for the whole day. I should know by Monday or Tuesday if it's a go on Friday.
The surgery can last anywhere from 5 - 11 hours so it is pretty extensive.

Please pray specifically that Wally would be able to have the operation on Friday (better sooner than later), that the surgeons would be given wisdom and precision as they perform this very long, extensive surgery and that Wally would recover quickly and remain at peace. Also pray that I would know how to minister to him and stay strong for him and the kids. I'm trying to nutritionally boost his immune system so that he will be strong enough to get through the chemo.

We have been so blessed by all of you. Again, thank you for your cards, e-mails and phone calls. My WallyGram list keeps growing, we are overwhelmed (in a good way) by all of our friends and family who have shown their love and concern.

Until next time....

Sheri

"WallyGram" - 9/11/2007

Hi All,

This is your official "WallyGram" - he thought the term fit much better than ordinary "update".

We went to Virginia Mason this morning for Wally's CT scan, some blood work and to talk with the surgeon. Unfortunately, the CT scan still wasn't clear enough to pinpoint where all the tumor was or if it had attached itself to a vein. The surgeon wants one more test - an endoscopic ultrasound to see if he can get a good look at the tumor. The gastroenterologist doesn't have an opening until next Tuesday to do the procedure which I don't think sat too well with the surgeon. He will push to have the procedure done sometime this week and would like to have surgery by the end of next week if it is at all feasible. If Wally cannot have surgery right away, he will have to have
6 months of chemotherapy before they might be able to do surgery. His spirits are great and he is totally at peace.

Thank you all for your prayers, e-mails, cards and phone calls. God continues to be faithful to us. Continue to pray for some clear answers and the option of surgery.

Next update... When I get some answers!

Sheri

Latest on Wally's Condition - 9/06/2007

Well, I think I finally have a way to update many of you all at the same time. If you offered to head up a prayer chain, please pass my information along. God is answering prayers and teaching us patience at the same time.

I took Wally to Virginia Mason this morning for his scheduled CT scan in hopes that we would have an answer by this afternoon to see if he would be eligible for the surgery. Unfortunately as he was taken back and given an IV, the doctor came down and said that there was a scheduling mistake and that they actually want to wait until next Tuesday to do the CT scan to give his liver time to completely heal. He smiled at us and said "Have a good weekend and stay off of the internet". I think word has gotten around that Wally likes to self-diagnose and has even attempted his own minor
surgeries:) Please continue to pray that 1) if God chooses he can remove the tumor from his pancreas or 2) that he would give the surgeons and doctors the skill and wisdom they need and that Wally would be able to have the surgery. Our prayer is that the tumor is contained in the pancreas and that the cancer has not spread to the liver or other organs.
Just so you know, Wally is very upbeat and is being his regular self. His skin is finally turning back to it's normal color and you can actually see the whites of his eyes now instead of yellow.

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts and I will try to keep you posted when I have more information which will not be until next Tuesday.
Please keep praying.

Love you all,
Sheri

Wally Update - 9/04/2007

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to give everyone an update on my health so that the rumor mill does not get out of control.

Late last week I learned that I probably have pancreatic cancer. Even though this is one of the more difficult forms of cancer, I am very optimistic that with help from the amazing cancer doctors in Seattle and more importantly the grace of God, I will survive this little setback. I’m a believer in prayer and I know that many people are lifting me up before the Lord. I spent the weekend in the Virginia Mason Hospital for some preliminary work and will probably have surgery within a couple of weeks followed by some combination of chemo/radiation.

Thank you again for your prayer & concerns, I believe I will be fine.

Wally