These Difficult Days

Postscript: Surgery has been moved up. We now need to be at the hospital at 6 AM on Tuesday morning. Ugh. - Walt

Hello to family and friends,
Time for an update; today is Friday, February 8, and I am not doing to bad. But I must confess that this last chemo treatment was most difficult. I still am experiencing some of the side effects of the drugs, but this past week has been really difficult. The doctor did reduce by about 25% the dosage of one of the drugs, the one causing all the unpleasant side affects, but still it has been a hard week….But –

Apart from what I am feeling like today, we have encountered an unexpected and unwanted complication. To put it short, the blood work up on Jan 30, my last chemo treatment (they do this routinely each time), showed that there was a spike in the levels of chemicals that measure the well-being of my liver function. The doctor was concerned so he ordered a CAT scan, which I had Friday, Feb 1, after my portable pump was removed. The scan revealed two spots on my liver that from the best analysis appear to be cancer. Consulting with my surgeon they have determined that the best course of action right now is to do a “resection” of my liver to remove the cancer. They anticipate removing approximately 30% of the liver.

We had a meeting with the surgeon yesterday, Thursday. She explained the options that this new development presented, and the reason why surgery was the best course at this time, the best treatment to still try and obtain a “cure” of this cancer. She also ordered another CAT scan, this time of my lungs, explaining that if spots of cancer were found in my lungs, then we were into a whole different story, a sad one that I need not explain. I had the scan done on my lungs on Thursday, and received a phone call from the surgeon later that afternoon. She indicated that her preliminary review of the scan results indicated NO spots or problems in the lungs. [Thank you, heavenly Father!] and so the surgery should go forward.

So the long and short of it is that I do appear to have cancer in the liver, it is somewhat small at this point and is operable. I should be in the hospital 6-14 days followed by several weeks of recovery at home. Then I will resume the chemotherapy course and finish that. And God willing, I should be cancer free at that point and able to resume a normal life.
I received a call from the hospital today and the surgery is scheduled for 2 PM on Tuesday, February 12 (agh! Sarah's birthday!). I am to check in at 11 AM for some preliminary tests.

Well, that’s the short of it, at least as short as I could put it and still give all the salient details. And so you ask, how am I doing with all this, and how is Pam taking it?

Well it is certainly not what we had hoped. I am very thankful that at this point there have not been found any cancers in my lungs – I do want to live a long life with my wonderful wife and see my grandchildren (hint, hint! …smile) And according to the doctors we still have a shot at a full cure. And that’s encouraging. I am not looking forward to it, but at the same time I am not fearful of the surgery; I will be sound asleep through the whole thing and, Lord willing, awake to find my dear, precious wife at my side and a pain in my belly…smile. I guess I would say my heart is fortified in all of this by the gospel.

The continual refrain of our reigning Lord throughout the Scriptures, “Fear not!” rings in my ears. The wonderful, comforting knowledge that He loves His sheep immeasurably, and stands beside to guide them continually – hence, “I am the GOOD Shepherd”. His assurance that the very hairs of our head are numbered before Him, tells me that these, my difficult circumstances, are not apart from His lordly designs for me at this point. And so we rest, both Pam and I, now, as always, and as the saints of all ages have ever done, we rest in fullness of faith in our wonderful, loving, sovereign Savior, who is the first and the last, and changes not! And though we are engaged in the real trials of this present life, we look continually to a new day, a promised day, a day of complete victory obtained by our Savior’s suffering, fully assured that as Pastor has frequently put it, in the end the LAMB WINS!” and we are and ever will be victors with Him.
It is my hope that all who read this post know and love this same Savior, have the assurance of sins forgiven, the confident expectation of heaven, and the joy and peace unspeakable of this present life of faith.

Thank you for your many prayers, and for all your words of love, kindness and encouragement.

Walt

"So He came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman therefore said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? "You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

- John 4:5-14

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. "For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."

- Matthew 11:28-30