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~