Update on Walt 9/1/09

Walt went home today. The doctor said that everything looks good with the surgery. Due to the nerves that were disturbed during the surgery, Walt will have some lingering issues with muscle control around his right eye as well as the right side of his mouth. We're hoping this will clear up soon. He will have the staples removed this Friday and will undergo a PET scan in about a month. We're hoping that this shows Walt free and clear from any cancer. Lastly, the doctor has indicated that unless the PET shows something abnormal, Walt shouldn't need to undergo any chemotherapy.

We're grateful to the staff at Houston NW Hospital and have been pleasantly surprised with the great care that Walt received there. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers - we continue to covet them.

Have a blessed week.

Out of surgery

The surgery went very well and the doctor remarked on how well Walt looks for being in surgery for so long. The doctor said there were no clinical signs of any of the mass left behind, but he did have to remove some muscle. There shouldn't be any nerve or muscle issues with the removal of the muscle. Due to his COPD condition, they are going to have a pulmonary specialist check Walt out. As a precaution, he will be in ICU tonight to observe him for any pulmonary issues as well as monitor the drain tube . If all goes well, Walt will be able to go home on Sunday.

God is good! Thanks so much for your continued prayers.

Update on Walt

Quick update - he's been in surgery for over two hours and all is going fine.  Thanks for praying. #fb

Update on Walt - 8/24/09

Walt will have surgery to remove the cancerous growth from his neck this Friday, 8/28/09, at 7:00 AM.  The surgery will be pretty intense, lasting around five to six hours.  He will spend several days in the hospital recovering before he goes home.  Walt appreciates your prayers and concern during this time.  

Have a blessed week.

Latest on Walt 8/12/09

Walt went to the doctor today to follow up on the mass that is in his neck. In the previous update, I mentioned that he would be doing this to determine the growth rate of the mass so that he could decide on surgery. At his last visit, the measurement was 2.7 centimeters; it is now 3.5 centimeters. The doctor recommended surgery and Walt is going to go through with it. He will need to be off of the Plavix for two to three weeks before he can have the surgery.

One other note of concern is his weight loss to this point. He has lost quite a bit of weight in the last few months. Unfortunately, I think I found it.

I'll update as I know more. For now, please pray for Walt to not be anxious during his wait for the surgery and for a successful procedure once it is done.

Take care and have blessed day.

Good news/Bad News

Walt went to the doctor on Wednesday for a follow up visit related to the recent surgery that he underwent. The good news is that everything looks good and he is healing nicely. Walt is getting around pretty well and is driving (short distances) again.

The bad news is it appears the cancer (melanoma) is coming back. There is another mass in his neck in the same spot as the original mass. He will go back to the doctor to measure it in three weeks; if it has grown, they will evaluate treatment options. Most likely, he will require another surgery with a head and neck specialist to remove the mass and some sort of follow up cancer treatment.

Walt is disappointed, but optimistic. He and the rest of the family covet your prayers.

Have a blessed weekend.

Update on Walt

Walt went home from the hospital Saturday afternoon. He is not able to walk fully on his own yet, but is able to get around his house with the aid of a walker. He is experiencing pain when he puts any weight on his right leg - this is normal and should go away soon. He will have a follow up visit in a couple of weeks with the doctor to ensure everything is OK.

He is in pretty good spirits and he (as well as the rest of his family) really appreciates your thoughts and prayers during this time.

Take care and God bless.

Update on Walt

Today has been a pretty good day. I'm continually amazed at the physical resilience of the Sartons. Walt went from not being able to stand this morning to walking across the room (with a walker) this afternoon. He is in some pain, but it is manageable and he really hasn't taken much pain medication throughout the day. As it stands now, Walt most likely will be going home tomorrow.

Thanks so much for praying - we really appreciate it.

P.S. Also, thanks for putting up with my numerous misspellings the last couple of days.

Update on Walt

Walt is out of surgery and everything went very well. They put in a bypass rather than cleaning the clogged artery out. He will be in recovery for the next hour or so and then he will be back in his room. The doctor also said that everything else looked fine.

Thanks for praying.

Quick update on Walt

Walt's surgery will be at Noon today in Houston. One minor note of frustration is that we haven't spoken to the doctor as of yet. So much for a good bedside manner. Walt is in pretty good spirits and is ready to get it done. Thanks for your prayers and comments/emails thusfar.

Latest on Walt

I have been way lax in getting updates out. The latest is that Walt went through radiation treatment to deal with the lump in his neck that had come back. He is done with the treatement and was scheduled to go to the doctor today to get everything checked out. However, this morning after he woke up he had severe pain in his right leg which turned into numbness. The other concern which he experienced the night before is an area in his abdomen that is protruding which is close to where his aortic aneurism was repaired two years ago.

The ER did a cat scan on him around lunchtime and the results are a good news/bad news scenario. The good news is that the aortic aneurism repair is perfect; however, he has developed a clot in a secondary artery that will need to be repaired via surgery. This will happen tomorrow at Houston Northwest Medical Center, which is near 1960 and I-45 (for those of you in the Houston area).

Specific prayer concerns are as follows:

• Successful procedure
• Walt to be comfortable throughout the process
• Walt to have peace
• The rest of the family to be free from worry
• That Christ will be glorified in our actions

Thanks for praying.

Happy Birthday to Walt!

Walt officially turned 82 today.  He unofficially turned 82 on May 19.  Happy birthday twice!

Good news!

Matthew 7:8 says 'For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened'

We have much to be thankful for, for sure, but today, our specific prayer has been answered. The doctor (finally) called Walt last night and said that they could find no trace of cancer in his jaw area. It's amazing news and yet another example of God answering prayer in a mighty way.

The doctor has recommended that Walt undergo radiation treatment "just to be sure" since this is the third time the cancer has returned to that same area. Walt is hesitant, but will make a decision on this by Monday.

What does all this mean? Well, God ain't done with Walt yet.

In Christ,

-tjw

Update on Walt 1/29/08

Howdy!

I know it's been a while since the last update, but things finally started happening last week. Walt met with his Oncologist last week and the doctor was very encouraging, indicating that things didn't look as bad as we were led to believe. He expects that radiation will do the trick and that Walt has a very good chance to be cancer free. As a precaution, Walt will undergo a full body scan on January 30 to ensure that the cancer has not spread. The last time he had this done, the aortic aneurysm was found (just in time). On February 2 at 1:00, Walt will receive the first radiation treatment.

Prayer needs are as follows:

• Full body scan to show that the cancer has not spread
  
• Radiation treatment to successfully remove the cancer
• Walt to feel the peace of God throughout this process

That's it...more to come!

God bless!

Walt Update

Happy New Year to you. Unfortunately, we don't have much to update as of today. Walt is still waiting on some paperwork from his health insurance carrier, which should arrive any day. Once that is in, the ball will be rolling.

Walt does have a nifty new laptop and is now able to communicate via email. He appreciates all the well wishes that he's received, either directly here or via email. He has a new email address - simply click the CONTACT WALT in the sidebar and you should see his email address.

Thanks and as always, we covet your prayers.