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
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
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
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
Friday, October 26, 2007
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
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
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
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~
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~
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
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
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
Thursday, September 27, 2007
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~
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, September 25, 2007
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~
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~
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)