Posted for Sheri...
Hello Dear Family and Friends,
I figured it was time for an update and since I found a minute, I thought I should fill you all in. Wally has been home for about 14 days now under hospice care. His nurse comes once a week to check on him and replace the line to his port. Two weeks ago, he had his drainage tube to his liver removed and for some reason was craving a good ol' PP&J sandwich. He insisted on making it himself since he wanted just the right amount of peanut butter and jelly - yes, he is even a perfectionist about his PP&J's:) We quickly learned what flows easily through his stomach tube and what doesn't - PP&J's don't! He moved on to slurpees, about 3 or 4 large ones a day! Do you know how much sugary syrup is in a slurpee? He has moved on to root beer floats or milk shakes now along with a lot of juice, soda and ice water. He can consume more liquid than anyone I have ever seen. It just goes in his mouth and through his tube and into his bag so he enjoys the taste of things but doesn't get any nutrition from what he puts in his mouth. Needless to say, he has lost quite a bit of weight so I took the scale away from him so he can't weigh himself anymore! His blood pressure and heart rate are perfect but he gets dizzy standing up due to lack of nutrition.
My sister-in-law, Kim, has been here every day playing nurse. For those of you who know me, nursing would probably be my last profession - ask my kids. Kim's good at hooking him up to his IV at night and unhooking him in the morning and not panicking when we "screw up".
He is looking forward to Heaven now and I think is sometimes disappointed when he wakes up in the morning and sees me instead of Jesus! I certainly can't compete with God so I try not to take offense that he isn't overly pleased to see me like he used to be. His heart and mind are focused on eternity right now so I just try to keep him comfortable and his glass full of whatever he seems to be craving at the moment.
Thank you for your continued prayers for our family.
Love,
Sheri
2 Corinthians 5:1-8
"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."
Friday, August 15, 2008
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Weekend Update
Posted for Sheri...
Dearest Friends and Family,
Thank you once again for all of your encouragement and prayers. I brought Wally home on Wednesday afternoon from the hospital. It was a MUCH longer stay than anticipated - 9 days to be exact. We really thought that Wally would just need his stent replaced and be in the hospital for 2 or 3 days then back home doing the things Wally does. Unfortunately, his stomach wasn't cooperating. It's hard to sustain life when your stomach won't absorb any nutrients and IV feedings could make things worse for cancer patients. Therefore, he made the decision to stop his chemo treatments and come home to be comfortable and surrounded by his family who so deeply loves him during his remaining days. We have been so blessed as a family as we look back at the tremendous life God has allowed us to live together. Wally is very much at peace knowing that God is in control of all things and he is looking forward to seeing His Lord and Savior. This is a difficult time - long good-byes are so hard and yet we are also thankful that we have the opportunity to say good-bye.
We were comforted by the Scripture from II Corinthians 4:16-18 which some friends shared with us. "Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Wally desires that we all know that peace which he has. He is not suffering in pain but is awaiting the final day the Lord brings him home to eternity.
He so deeply loves his family and his many friends. Please remember the sparkle in his eyes, the winks and hugs but mostly his faith in God who made him who he was.
Sheri
Dearest Friends and Family,
Thank you once again for all of your encouragement and prayers. I brought Wally home on Wednesday afternoon from the hospital. It was a MUCH longer stay than anticipated - 9 days to be exact. We really thought that Wally would just need his stent replaced and be in the hospital for 2 or 3 days then back home doing the things Wally does. Unfortunately, his stomach wasn't cooperating. It's hard to sustain life when your stomach won't absorb any nutrients and IV feedings could make things worse for cancer patients. Therefore, he made the decision to stop his chemo treatments and come home to be comfortable and surrounded by his family who so deeply loves him during his remaining days. We have been so blessed as a family as we look back at the tremendous life God has allowed us to live together. Wally is very much at peace knowing that God is in control of all things and he is looking forward to seeing His Lord and Savior. This is a difficult time - long good-byes are so hard and yet we are also thankful that we have the opportunity to say good-bye.
We were comforted by the Scripture from II Corinthians 4:16-18 which some friends shared with us. "Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Wally desires that we all know that peace which he has. He is not suffering in pain but is awaiting the final day the Lord brings him home to eternity.
He so deeply loves his family and his many friends. Please remember the sparkle in his eyes, the winks and hugs but mostly his faith in God who made him who he was.
Sheri
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tuesday Update
Posted for Sheri...
Hi All,
Sorry I haven’t updated for a few days but everything has been moving so quickly for our family and not in a way that we had anticipated. Wally’s cancer has affected his stomach nerves which means his stomach isn’t working. This morning they took him in for his last procedure which is a venting peg for his stomach. He again hasn’t been able to eat but his body is producing a lot of bile which ends up just sitting in his stomach and making him nauseous. This drainage tube should help with the nauseous feeling so that he can be comfortable. He still has the drainage tube also in his liver to drain the infection. The goal is to go home tomorrow morning. We will be having hospice services come in to help us. Wally has decided that it is time to stop the chemo and to just stay comfortable at home with his family until the Lord takes him home. Although this is a very tough time for our family and the emotions and pain of missing one another is strong, our faith is stronger in our Lord Jesus Christ knowing that He makes no mistakes and that He is glorified in both life and death. Please continue to pray for strength for our family as we band together to give Wally all of the love and support that he needs at this time.
I will try and keep you updated as things progress. Thank you again for all of you prayers and concerns for our family. You are all very special to us.
Sheri
Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Hi All,
Sorry I haven’t updated for a few days but everything has been moving so quickly for our family and not in a way that we had anticipated. Wally’s cancer has affected his stomach nerves which means his stomach isn’t working. This morning they took him in for his last procedure which is a venting peg for his stomach. He again hasn’t been able to eat but his body is producing a lot of bile which ends up just sitting in his stomach and making him nauseous. This drainage tube should help with the nauseous feeling so that he can be comfortable. He still has the drainage tube also in his liver to drain the infection. The goal is to go home tomorrow morning. We will be having hospice services come in to help us. Wally has decided that it is time to stop the chemo and to just stay comfortable at home with his family until the Lord takes him home. Although this is a very tough time for our family and the emotions and pain of missing one another is strong, our faith is stronger in our Lord Jesus Christ knowing that He makes no mistakes and that He is glorified in both life and death. Please continue to pray for strength for our family as we band together to give Wally all of the love and support that he needs at this time.
I will try and keep you updated as things progress. Thank you again for all of you prayers and concerns for our family. You are all very special to us.
Sheri
Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Saturday Update
Posted for Sheri...
Hi All,
Well, this roller coaster ride hasn’t been enjoyable for any of us. Unfortunately today wasn’t a very good day for Wally. After yesterday I was really looking forward to seeing him bounce back to feeling good. He had some cream of wheat for breakfast and chicken noodle soup for lunch but basically only ate because he didn’t want to face the wrath of Sheri :o He was feeling nauseated again today and has a lack of energy. He is basically feeling like he did when I brought him in on Monday – minus the fever. He hates being in the hospital and the fact that he is not feeling much better after 5 days here can get kind of depressing. They will do the CT scan later tomorrow and then the ERCP on Monday. Hopefully the doctors can pinpoint what is going on in his system and fix it. I remember the first day back in September when we came to Virginia Mason for his surgery, he put on the little white board next to his bed where it’s posted “Goals Today:” - “Fix Wally”. It’s very hard not to have expectations and yet I know we need to take each day as it comes.
Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Until tomorrow,
Sheri
Hi All,
Well, this roller coaster ride hasn’t been enjoyable for any of us. Unfortunately today wasn’t a very good day for Wally. After yesterday I was really looking forward to seeing him bounce back to feeling good. He had some cream of wheat for breakfast and chicken noodle soup for lunch but basically only ate because he didn’t want to face the wrath of Sheri :o He was feeling nauseated again today and has a lack of energy. He is basically feeling like he did when I brought him in on Monday – minus the fever. He hates being in the hospital and the fact that he is not feeling much better after 5 days here can get kind of depressing. They will do the CT scan later tomorrow and then the ERCP on Monday. Hopefully the doctors can pinpoint what is going on in his system and fix it. I remember the first day back in September when we came to Virginia Mason for his surgery, he put on the little white board next to his bed where it’s posted “Goals Today:” - “Fix Wally”. It’s very hard not to have expectations and yet I know we need to take each day as it comes.
Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Until tomorrow,
Sheri
Friday, July 25, 2008
The Gadget Man Lives!
Posted for Sheri...
Wally is obviously feeling much better today since he had me bring some of his new gadgets to the hospital which he had previously ordered so he could “play”. He has actually been awake most of the day, was able to shower and we even walked the halls without him being worn out. Of course he researched more gadgets on his computer and is thinking of “new projects” for when he gets out of the hospital and feels stronger. My question is, “Can we finish the projects we’ve already started?”
I am so thankful that he is feeling good enough to eat – he had 3 meals today! This is the first time he has eaten three meals in several weeks. The doctors are actually finally on the same page. The plan is that he will have to stay in the hospital until Tuesday or Wednesday – he is quite bummed about that news. He won’t have any new tests or procedures until Monday. They want him to rest, receive his antibiotics intravenously and be sure that he eats regularly and gets some nutrition in his body. They will then give him a CT scan and an ERCP to be sure there isn’t any blockage anywhere on Monday and then decide if he needs any other things taken care of.
Thank you all for your responses to the blog, emails, phone calls, etc. We love hearing from you!
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. Today has been a tremendous blessing!
Until tomorrow,
Sheri
Wally is obviously feeling much better today since he had me bring some of his new gadgets to the hospital which he had previously ordered so he could “play”. He has actually been awake most of the day, was able to shower and we even walked the halls without him being worn out. Of course he researched more gadgets on his computer and is thinking of “new projects” for when he gets out of the hospital and feels stronger. My question is, “Can we finish the projects we’ve already started?”
I am so thankful that he is feeling good enough to eat – he had 3 meals today! This is the first time he has eaten three meals in several weeks. The doctors are actually finally on the same page. The plan is that he will have to stay in the hospital until Tuesday or Wednesday – he is quite bummed about that news. He won’t have any new tests or procedures until Monday. They want him to rest, receive his antibiotics intravenously and be sure that he eats regularly and gets some nutrition in his body. They will then give him a CT scan and an ERCP to be sure there isn’t any blockage anywhere on Monday and then decide if he needs any other things taken care of.
Thank you all for your responses to the blog, emails, phone calls, etc. We love hearing from you!
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. Today has been a tremendous blessing!
Until tomorrow,
Sheri
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Thursday’s Update
Posted for Sheri...
I’m sitting here tonight by Wally’s bedside while he receives his very first blood transfusion. I got here early this morning hoping that he would be going in for his liver drainage procedure but that didn’t happen until almost noon. He got back to his room at about 3:00 with the drainage bag hooked to him. It seemed to go well – he said it seemed like he blinked his eyes and it was done. I’m very thankful that he hasn’t had any pain so far but his energy level is still very low and often times feels as if he is in a fog. The “fog” effect was explained as pertaining to some malnutrition and the drugs he is ingesting plus everything else that is playing havoc in his body right now. He was supposed to have another procedure tomorrow – an ERCP which is a specific type of endoscope. Unfortunately, we were told that they were going to hold off on that procedure for now. I’m not sure what the reasoning is - it’s hard to get answers. There are so many different doctors who need to communicate with each other and I think that by the time the information gets to us, it’s been watered down or “lost in translation”.
He still doesn’t have an appetite and yet the only program he watches on the hospital TV is the Food Network Channel! I haven’t figured that one out yet. I did get him to eat a few canned pears and a few bites of cream of potato soup today. I’m going to be quite upset with him if his waistline becomes smaller than mine! He will probably be here at least a few more days. I wish I had a clear picture of exactly what was going on but the doctors are still all trying to figure him out (I’ve been trying for 20 years – I hope they can do it much quicker)!
I will update tomorrow hopefully with some new news.
Please pray that this infection leaves his body quickly and that they “figure him out” very soon.
We love and appreciate you all,
Sheri
I’m sitting here tonight by Wally’s bedside while he receives his very first blood transfusion. I got here early this morning hoping that he would be going in for his liver drainage procedure but that didn’t happen until almost noon. He got back to his room at about 3:00 with the drainage bag hooked to him. It seemed to go well – he said it seemed like he blinked his eyes and it was done. I’m very thankful that he hasn’t had any pain so far but his energy level is still very low and often times feels as if he is in a fog. The “fog” effect was explained as pertaining to some malnutrition and the drugs he is ingesting plus everything else that is playing havoc in his body right now. He was supposed to have another procedure tomorrow – an ERCP which is a specific type of endoscope. Unfortunately, we were told that they were going to hold off on that procedure for now. I’m not sure what the reasoning is - it’s hard to get answers. There are so many different doctors who need to communicate with each other and I think that by the time the information gets to us, it’s been watered down or “lost in translation”.
He still doesn’t have an appetite and yet the only program he watches on the hospital TV is the Food Network Channel! I haven’t figured that one out yet. I did get him to eat a few canned pears and a few bites of cream of potato soup today. I’m going to be quite upset with him if his waistline becomes smaller than mine! He will probably be here at least a few more days. I wish I had a clear picture of exactly what was going on but the doctors are still all trying to figure him out (I’ve been trying for 20 years – I hope they can do it much quicker)!
I will update tomorrow hopefully with some new news.
Please pray that this infection leaves his body quickly and that they “figure him out” very soon.
We love and appreciate you all,
Sheri
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Where's Wally?
Posted for Sheri...
I know it’s been a while and you’re probably wondering, “Where’s Wally?” Well, Wally has landed himself back at Virginia Mason Hospital – room 1575 to be exact. I guess I better start from about a month ago...
June 18, Wally had his chemo treatment. As I stated before, he has been feeling more nauseated and tired but we chalked it up to the good ol’ accumulative effect of the chemo and were just anxious to start our vacation cruising the Caribbean. We left for Florida on the 19th with 7 bags - yes, it sounds like a lot but with 5 of us and our dinner dress clothes, suitcases fill up quickly! Anyway, only 3 bags made it that evening so Wally, Matt and I slept in our clothes. The next morning we received 3 more bags, unfortunately Wally’s bag was on it’s way to Nicaragua – oops! I was hoping he could just relax and enjoy the day we had in Miami but he hopped in a cab and found a Target to purchase “basics” just in case his bag didn’t make it to the ship. He just loves shopping – NOT! Thankfully his bag made it so now he has plenty of underwear :) He was a good sport even though he still wasn’t feeling well.
We boarded the ship on the 22nd with our friends and set out for the Caribbean, visiting Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. So much food and so much to do on the ship, yet Wally lost weight and slept a lot. I watched for things to turn around a little but he never really got his energy back. We flew back home on the 29th and he had chemo again on July 3rd. We mentioned symptoms to the doctors but they were not too concerned. He was prescribed a new anti-nausea drug called marinol which is synthetic pill derived from marijuana. Thankfully we have insurance because this is one expensive drug – I guess I understand why people end up ingesting the real stuff, it’s much cheaper! To make a long story short, that didn’t work either.
Wally had completely lost his appetite and didn’t want to eat or drink anything – he lost 20 pounds within 6 weeks and just had no energy. He had chemo again this past Thursday and the doctor instructed him to take his pills a little differently and if that didn’t work then he would need to come in to the hospital on Monday for some tests and to call first thing Monday morning. Well, we called ALL of Monday and it wasn’t until he started running a fever that they finally had me bring him in to Emergency. Right now they say he has an infection in his liver which they will drain tomorrow (Thursday). He has had a CT scan and endoscopy and may have another test either tomorrow or Friday. He is resting now but food and drink still don’t work well for him so they will continue to run diagnostic tests to try and figure out what is happening in his gut.
We seem to be back on the roller coaster ride we were on in the beginning of this “adventure”. We covet your prayers and know that our God is faithful and good and makes no mistakes. As the old hymn says, “My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness... On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” We continue to try and look at the eternal and not dwell on the now.
Hopefully I can update this in a few days,
Sheri
I know it’s been a while and you’re probably wondering, “Where’s Wally?” Well, Wally has landed himself back at Virginia Mason Hospital – room 1575 to be exact. I guess I better start from about a month ago...
June 18, Wally had his chemo treatment. As I stated before, he has been feeling more nauseated and tired but we chalked it up to the good ol’ accumulative effect of the chemo and were just anxious to start our vacation cruising the Caribbean. We left for Florida on the 19th with 7 bags - yes, it sounds like a lot but with 5 of us and our dinner dress clothes, suitcases fill up quickly! Anyway, only 3 bags made it that evening so Wally, Matt and I slept in our clothes. The next morning we received 3 more bags, unfortunately Wally’s bag was on it’s way to Nicaragua – oops! I was hoping he could just relax and enjoy the day we had in Miami but he hopped in a cab and found a Target to purchase “basics” just in case his bag didn’t make it to the ship. He just loves shopping – NOT! Thankfully his bag made it so now he has plenty of underwear :) He was a good sport even though he still wasn’t feeling well.
We boarded the ship on the 22nd with our friends and set out for the Caribbean, visiting Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. So much food and so much to do on the ship, yet Wally lost weight and slept a lot. I watched for things to turn around a little but he never really got his energy back. We flew back home on the 29th and he had chemo again on July 3rd. We mentioned symptoms to the doctors but they were not too concerned. He was prescribed a new anti-nausea drug called marinol which is synthetic pill derived from marijuana. Thankfully we have insurance because this is one expensive drug – I guess I understand why people end up ingesting the real stuff, it’s much cheaper! To make a long story short, that didn’t work either.
Wally had completely lost his appetite and didn’t want to eat or drink anything – he lost 20 pounds within 6 weeks and just had no energy. He had chemo again this past Thursday and the doctor instructed him to take his pills a little differently and if that didn’t work then he would need to come in to the hospital on Monday for some tests and to call first thing Monday morning. Well, we called ALL of Monday and it wasn’t until he started running a fever that they finally had me bring him in to Emergency. Right now they say he has an infection in his liver which they will drain tomorrow (Thursday). He has had a CT scan and endoscopy and may have another test either tomorrow or Friday. He is resting now but food and drink still don’t work well for him so they will continue to run diagnostic tests to try and figure out what is happening in his gut.
We seem to be back on the roller coaster ride we were on in the beginning of this “adventure”. We covet your prayers and know that our God is faithful and good and makes no mistakes. As the old hymn says, “My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness... On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” We continue to try and look at the eternal and not dwell on the now.
Hopefully I can update this in a few days,
Sheri
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