Posted for Sheri...
Hi Everyone,
Yes, I know I have been lax in keeping you updated. Just remember that no news is good news! Wally's chemo session on Feb 14 - Valentines Day, was "sweet". (Sorry for the pun) He was a little fearful that it was going to be a difficult treatment but it went very smooth and he was able to sleep. His red blood cell count was up to 35 and his CT scan and X-ray all looked good. He actually only experienced "chemo flu" for about a day and a half! He has been experiencing a little more pain in his stomach, hence the discovery of "Vicodin". Wally is not much of a drug man so when I mentioned that it is addictive, he decided that maybe he should only take it when absolutely necessary, not a few here and a few there for precautionary measures!
His chemo session on the 28th also went extremely smooth. We were in and out of the hospital in record time - 5 1/2 hours! I was a little concerned since he was flying out to Washington DC on Sunday for business and he usually gets hit with the "chemo flu" on Saturday but I spoke with him tonight and he hasn't been hit with it at all! Prayers are definitely being answered.
He continues to be "Project Man" and always has something brewing in his head. I continue to try and keep up with him but he seems to always be ahead of me by several steps.
We are learning how to schedule our time and food around his chemo. We save the fun things and the good, flavorful food for the week after chemo.
Please continue to keep him and our family in your prayers.
Sheri
Monday, March 3, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Jackhammers and wine
Posted for Sheri...
Hi Everyone,
Just a quick update on Wally's latest chemo session last Thursday. First, we are very thankful that his liver function numbers are back to normal due to the new stent. Secondly, his red blood cell count is on the rise - yeah! He is now at 32, up 4 points from the week before. Normal levels for a man are between 39 and 50. The chemo session itself was pretty uneventful. Again we were there for a little over 6 hours while he had a full treatment. He hadn't had a full dose since December 20th due to high liver function numbers or being admitted to the hospital for his stent replacement. Unfortunately, this last session was probably his most difficult. "Chemo flu" set in a little earlier than normal and knocked him off of his feet. He still tries to keep busy and I still keep trying to tell him to relax a little. He is in the process of working on the wine cellar, or man-cave as some like to call it (thankfully we have others to do the hard messy stuff especially since I put my foot down on the jack-hammering!). We also met with a naturopath at the hospital who gave us some good guidelines and advice on what things his body needs at this time. I am now juicing kale and carrots and mixing it with organic apple juice which he definitely prefers over beet juice:) Please continue to pray for his health. We are thankful that he has been sustained this far without too much pain.
Until next time,
Sheri
Hi Everyone,
Just a quick update on Wally's latest chemo session last Thursday. First, we are very thankful that his liver function numbers are back to normal due to the new stent. Secondly, his red blood cell count is on the rise - yeah! He is now at 32, up 4 points from the week before. Normal levels for a man are between 39 and 50. The chemo session itself was pretty uneventful. Again we were there for a little over 6 hours while he had a full treatment. He hadn't had a full dose since December 20th due to high liver function numbers or being admitted to the hospital for his stent replacement. Unfortunately, this last session was probably his most difficult. "Chemo flu" set in a little earlier than normal and knocked him off of his feet. He still tries to keep busy and I still keep trying to tell him to relax a little. He is in the process of working on the wine cellar, or man-cave as some like to call it (thankfully we have others to do the hard messy stuff especially since I put my foot down on the jack-hammering!). We also met with a naturopath at the hospital who gave us some good guidelines and advice on what things his body needs at this time. I am now juicing kale and carrots and mixing it with organic apple juice which he definitely prefers over beet juice:) Please continue to pray for his health. We are thankful that he has been sustained this far without too much pain.
Until next time,
Sheri
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Posted for Sheri...
Hi All,
Just thought I would give you a quick update on what is going on with Wally. As you know, he was admitted to the hospital last Thursday to have a new stent put in since the tumor was blocking the old one. His liver function numbers were rising and his red cell blood count was dropping. The doctors allowed him to come home on Friday with some iron and vitamin C in hopes of raising his red blood cell count. We went to the clinic on Tuesday for a blood draw and are very thankful that his liver function is dropping to more normal levels due to the new stent but his red blood cell count has remained the same. That being said, he tends to tire a little easier and I would say could use a suntan to bring some color to his cheeks:) Of course, Wally being Wally, he doesn't allow much to slow him down. He has many 'toys' and needs to play with them, such as his new jack-hammer! So how many people do you know own their own jack-hammer? Needless to say, he received a verbal tongue lashing from me (I feel like the mother of 6, not 5!) for not only the jack-hammering event but the next day, he decided to move around some logs! I know that he wants to stay busy and active but if any of you have ideas that might be more suitable to his condition i.e.. nothing that will strain or jiggle his insides, it would be very much appreciated:)
His next chemo will be next Thursday the 31st (his birthday) then again on Valentines Day. I think there is something wrong with this picture!
Thank you all again for your prayers, thoughts, cards, and emails. We are all hanging in and riding this thing together.
Until next time,
Sheri
P.S. Here's a short video of Wally coming to the rescue to help his next door neighbor remove a pipe from his lawn.
Hi All,
Just thought I would give you a quick update on what is going on with Wally. As you know, he was admitted to the hospital last Thursday to have a new stent put in since the tumor was blocking the old one. His liver function numbers were rising and his red cell blood count was dropping. The doctors allowed him to come home on Friday with some iron and vitamin C in hopes of raising his red blood cell count. We went to the clinic on Tuesday for a blood draw and are very thankful that his liver function is dropping to more normal levels due to the new stent but his red blood cell count has remained the same. That being said, he tends to tire a little easier and I would say could use a suntan to bring some color to his cheeks:) Of course, Wally being Wally, he doesn't allow much to slow him down. He has many 'toys' and needs to play with them, such as his new jack-hammer! So how many people do you know own their own jack-hammer? Needless to say, he received a verbal tongue lashing from me (I feel like the mother of 6, not 5!) for not only the jack-hammering event but the next day, he decided to move around some logs! I know that he wants to stay busy and active but if any of you have ideas that might be more suitable to his condition i.e.. nothing that will strain or jiggle his insides, it would be very much appreciated:)
His next chemo will be next Thursday the 31st (his birthday) then again on Valentines Day. I think there is something wrong with this picture!
Thank you all again for your prayers, thoughts, cards, and emails. We are all hanging in and riding this thing together.
Until next time,
Sheri
P.S. Here's a short video of Wally coming to the rescue to help his next door neighbor remove a pipe from his lawn.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Latest Update
Posted for Sheri...
Hi All,
It's Sheri again to finally update you on Wally's condition. His chemo session on the 4th was pretty uneventful except that his liver function numbers were higher than normal - we assumed it was due to a little bit of the bubbly to ring in the new year:) Therefore, the doctor said no alcohol. We were planning a 5 day cruise to Mexico 4 days after chemo and Wally was a little bummed that pina coladas were off limits for the cruise. He was certain that this tropical slushy drink was the new rainbow sherbet to cure all cancers! The first 3 days of the cruise, he wasn't feeling too peppy and slept a lot which is what this cruise was all about - RELAXING! By the 4th day, he perked up and was in true "Wally" form. :)
His stomach has been a bit more queasy these days and he has been lower on energy. We assumed it was the accumulative affect of the chemo. He became very sick last night at 2:00 in the morning and was running a high fever. He didn't want to go to the hospital so I gave him some Tylenol and put some cold compresses on his head. I finally put my foot down at 3:00 when his fever hadn't gone down enough and said we were going to the hospital anyway. We got up, dressed, warmed up the car and were ready to go when I checked his temperature one last time only to see that it was back to normal. This time he put his foot down (we do a lot of stomping around here) and said he wanted to just wait until his 9:00 appointment. Needless to say, his liver function numbers were higher, even without the pina coladas, and his billiruben number was up. The doctor determined that his stent was blocked and needed to be "unblocked" so he did not receive chemo today but instead was admitted to the hospital for another ERCP. The procedure was successful and he should be able to come home sometime tomorrow.
Wally continues to be be very much at peace with this cancer. He has a very strong faith knowing that God has numbered his days before the foundations of the earth.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support for Wally and our whole family.
Sheri
Hi All,
It's Sheri again to finally update you on Wally's condition. His chemo session on the 4th was pretty uneventful except that his liver function numbers were higher than normal - we assumed it was due to a little bit of the bubbly to ring in the new year:) Therefore, the doctor said no alcohol. We were planning a 5 day cruise to Mexico 4 days after chemo and Wally was a little bummed that pina coladas were off limits for the cruise. He was certain that this tropical slushy drink was the new rainbow sherbet to cure all cancers! The first 3 days of the cruise, he wasn't feeling too peppy and slept a lot which is what this cruise was all about - RELAXING! By the 4th day, he perked up and was in true "Wally" form. :)
His stomach has been a bit more queasy these days and he has been lower on energy. We assumed it was the accumulative affect of the chemo. He became very sick last night at 2:00 in the morning and was running a high fever. He didn't want to go to the hospital so I gave him some Tylenol and put some cold compresses on his head. I finally put my foot down at 3:00 when his fever hadn't gone down enough and said we were going to the hospital anyway. We got up, dressed, warmed up the car and were ready to go when I checked his temperature one last time only to see that it was back to normal. This time he put his foot down (we do a lot of stomping around here) and said he wanted to just wait until his 9:00 appointment. Needless to say, his liver function numbers were higher, even without the pina coladas, and his billiruben number was up. The doctor determined that his stent was blocked and needed to be "unblocked" so he did not receive chemo today but instead was admitted to the hospital for another ERCP. The procedure was successful and he should be able to come home sometime tomorrow.
Wally continues to be be very much at peace with this cancer. He has a very strong faith knowing that God has numbered his days before the foundations of the earth.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support for Wally and our whole family.
Sheri
Sunday, December 23, 2007
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
Monday, November 26, 2007
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
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
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
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