Endoscopy Day

Joe had his endoscopy and colonoscopy today. He sailed through the procedure. We have good news and bad news. The good news is, the G.I. Doctor said he did not find any cancer in his stomach or colon. The cancer is on the outside. He took biopsy's to be sure, but said that is not the source. The bad news is they don't know where it's originating from. Because it is spreading fast, Joe may have to start chemo and hope it's effective, without knowing exactly the source. We really don't know because we don't have the PETscan results back and have not talked to the oncologist. So we'll just have to wait until Tuesday to see where we go from here. We do know Tuesday, we'll talk to him, Wednesday, the Port goes in and sometime next week they will run tests on Joe's small intestine to rule that out. Joe said "I got a gift from God. The prayers are working." He's very excited he won't have trouble eating (not counting during Chemo).

For those of you that heard about my mom, she is doing well. For those of you that did not hear, after I posted the Christmas blog, my mom got very sick and ended up having emergency surgery Christmas night. She had a 'dead zone' in her intestine and had to have that part of her intestine removed. We were just blessed there was no cancer. She is still in the hospital, but getting stronger each day. Hopefully, she'll get to come home soon. Joe said he wants to compare scars, since they made a large incision down her stomach like Joe's.

Joe wanted to make sure I told each of you how much the letters meant to him. (see picture above) He said "It was the greatest gift I have ever recevied." He read each and every one of them and continues to read them over and over. He will treasure them forever.

On a side note, we know something was wrong with the blog and it was difficult to post comments. Candace thinks it is fixed now. If you still can't get it to work and want to send a note, you can email Joe at joekahler@hotmail.com or me at sherriekahler@hotmail.com.

Thanks, as always, for your love, prayers, support and encouragement. You have no idea how much this means to all of us.

God Bless you all,

Sherrie and Joe

Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful day surrounded with family. I'm typing on my new IPad now. Joe spoiled me this year. There were lots of gifts and a few very special ones. The girls had a quilt made for Joe that included pictures of the family. It is amazing and a special thanks to Mary Jane and Debbie
For helping Amanda pull it all together. Joe framed a 'DAddies girl' photo and poem for each girl. And then the gift......your letters. There are hundreds of them. Joe was overwhelmed. We had to get a large box to hold them all. As you can imagine, lots of tears and emotions. We ate and celebrated and Joe just headed off to bed. I asked him what he was doing tomorrow and he said he just wants to read his letters. You are all so amazing. It's that support that will get us through. Jan 3rd is our big day. Joe had his pets can and is having his endoscopes this week. We'll know the results on the 3rd. They will tell us the source, how far is has spread and the treatment plan. We thank you more then words can express. Merry Christmas and love to all!

Cardinals Win!!

We had a blast at the Cardinal game. Thanks to our wonderful girls (and to Catherine and Doug) for arranging such an amazing day for us. We had 3rd row seats and the Cardinals won in overtime. I think the adrenaline kept us going and we "crashed" after the game.

Joe is staying positive, but does get tired easy. The surgery pain is almost completely gone, but unfortunately the stomach pain continues to increase. He never complains and just enjoys every minute of every day. All his tests and surgeries (port) are scheduled for this week and next. We are on track to receive all the results on Jan 3rd and begin treatments immediately after that appointment.

Thanks, as always, to everyone. We received wonderful meals from the Bauers, the Skotaks and the Kestleloots. We are eating right and Joe has gained 1 lb so far. Trying to get another 4 lbs on him before treatments start. The prayers continue to pour in and we couldn't ask for anything else. We are surrounded with love and support.

Thanks to all!
XOXO
Sherrie and Joe

More Dr. Visits

Spent a lot of time at Dr. offices yesterday. Joe is tentatively scheduled to have his portacath put in on Dec 29th and his colonoscopy/endoscopy on Dec 30th. The PET scan will probably be on the 28th. This will be all the tests for now and the Dr. will be able to determine the source and how far it has spread. We meet him on Jan 3rd to get the results and he will probably start chemo immediately afterwards. Oh yes, we've already started the battles with the insurance company. Luckily, our Patient Navigator (assigned to us by the cancer center) is taking care of most of those issues. Love that Lady!

Joe is starting to eat more (but hasn't gained any weight). He is in great spirits and got the OK from the Dr. to drive - - yeah! He's out Christmas shopping (by himself) right now. Like I said, Normalcy is a wonderful thing!

Keep those prayers coming. We feel stronger each day and I know it's the Grace of God that is giving us the strength we need. We truly feel blessed.

Love to All,

Sherrie and Joe

p.s. There are a lot of questions about this blog. Candace set it up for us because 1) we didn't know how and 2) you have to have a gmail account to set one up and we don't. The posts are from Joe and I, even though it says Candace. People were just confused on where the info is coming from so thought I would clarify. All 3 girls are up to speed on everything, so you can contact them if you have questions or can't get a hold of us. XOXOXO

Dr. Day

We spent 3 hours at the Ironwood Cancer Center today. All in all, a good visit. They are so kind, caring and helpful. They walked us through so much. It's a bit overwhelming, but I guess we'll learn more as we go. Basically, they can't pinpoint the source of the cancer or how much it has spread (beyond what they discovered in surgery) until those tests are run. Joe's Dr. said at least 5 times, "Joe ...you are young and healthy...." which basically meant, you've healed enough, we need those tests now. He set up Joe's appt with the GI Dr. to get the endoscopy and colonoscopy done next week. Joe will also have a petscan and more blood work done next week as well. We meet him again on Jan 3rd to get the final results and the treatment plan. He thinks it may be from the peritoneal cavity (the space that separates the organs in the abdominal cavity) or possibly the colon. He said it could be coming from someplace else as well. I asked him how long he thought Joe had this and he said 4-6 months; hence why they need to move quickly. It is spreading. We "toured" the chemo room. Lots and lots of recliners, full of patients (there were 60+ people receiving chemo today). Some read, some sleep, some listen to music, some visit, some throw up. Quite the variety. Lots of nurses there to assist and they make it as comfortable as possible. Joe's treatments will be 2-4 hours each (just depends on the test results). Side effects are the usual - all unpleasant - but Joe's OK with that since we have confidence it will work. Dr. did say he will probably require surgery after the tumors shrink, to remove the balance. That will be a celebration day! Dr. also told Joe 2 critical items are maintaining his weight (he's lost 14 lbs as of this morning) and staying hydrated. Joe seems to have received the message, because he actually ate better today. More to come as we learn more. I may not post everyday if there are no changes. The minute there is a change, there will be a post. Thank you all again for all your kind words and most important, your prayers. It's because of you that we will get through this. XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO Sherrie

Tuesday, 12/15/11

Not much to report. Waiting for more Dr. appointments tomorrow and Friday. Joe can't get his final 2 tests until he heals from the surgery. From there, they can determine the treatment and we begin the battle. We did have good news tonight. We were put in contact with a Whittier College Alumni that Joe and I both went to school with. She has worked in cancer treatments her entire career (and been very successful). She was thrilled when we told her where Joe was getting his treatments from. She said it is one of the best and several Dr's come here for training. She also gave us help and advice in so many areas and is going to help us through this journey. We just can't thank Dottie and Jim enough for hooking us up with Lynn. We feel as if another prayer has been answered. So keep them coming. Joe continues to lose weight, so we need some prayers (and maybe some good, fattening food) to get some weight back on him before he starts his treatments. So with that, keep those prayers coming. They Are Working!!! Love to you all...Sherrie

He's Home!!

Joe is home from the hospital and doing well. Just being home really lifted his spirits. We had a wonderful evening with family and friends watching Elf and Rudolf, while the girls baked brownies. Edison just kept saying "Papa has a boo-boo". Normalcy is a wonderful thing. Joe is slowly starting to eat. We need to get some weight on him since he's already lost 10 lbs (must be the fact he's had to cut the licorice and Mountain Dew from his breakfast!) He had 27 staples removed from his stomach, which makes things nice for him too.

Next week starts the series of Dr. appts beginning Monday through Friday. They continue to run tests to find the source of the cancer and to find every place it may have spread. Once he heals from the surgery, he will have the last 2 tests required to figure out his chemo treatment. They expect to perform the endoscopy and colonoscopy right after Christmas and chemo to start shortly after that.

In the meantime, we are researching, talking to people and reading. Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions. We haven't got to all of the, but we will eventually! Our support group is the best in the world and we can't thank you enough. We feel the power of prayer each day and it's a wonderful feeling. Watching Joe get stronger each day is a testimonial to your prayers. Keep them coming!!

Love to All,
Sherrie & Joe
XOXOXOXOX

Thursday, December 8

Joe had a very good day today. Pardon my french, but he had his first fart. Believe it or not, this was key to the next phase. Who knew it was such an important event! He had to do this to wake up his bowels. From there, they were able to remove the tube in his throat and start him on liquids. Next the IV will be removed and then he can eat solids and then come home. Should be soon. While he is healing from surgery, they are running more tests. He needs a colonoscopy and endoscopy to complete the series of tests to determine the source of the cancer. Once they pinpoint the source, they can figure out what Chemo treatment to give him. Preliminarily they are telling us that he will probably be on a cycle of chemo treatments that consist of 28 days on, 3 days off, 28 days on, 3 days off, 28 days on, a week off for testing. This cycle will continue for awhile depending on how his body reacts to the treatment. We don't know when his chemo treatment will start, but they are guessing in about 3 weeks (based on his healing from the surgery).

I can't express to you how much we appreciate the messages and genuine offers to help us. Right now we are OK because we are dealing with the surgery recovery. I will be reaching out for assistance once we get into the chemo cycles. I'm just not sure what that will all entail, but I will look to God for strength and to our family and friends for support. You guys are truly amazing and Joe and I talk continuously about how blessed we truly are with family and friends like all of you.

Thank you for your prayers, love, guidance, strength and support.

We Love You All!!
Sherrie and Joe

A Day at a Time

We met with the oncologist and surgeon today. Joe has stage IV Mucin Producing Adenocarcinoma. All we know at this point is it is originating from someplace in the stomach region, but don't know where yet. The oncologist could only tell us that it is in several places, he needs to run numerous tests and Joe will be treated with chemotherapy. They can't do radiation in that region. Unfortunately, they can't start the tests until he heals from the surgery. That is going slow. He is off oxygen and had his catheter removed, but still has the stomach tube because his system is still dormant. Hopefully that will start working soon so he can eat and drink. He's had nothing since Friday, except his IV. He is walking the hall very well and has a wonderful attitude - - like the Joe we know and love.

I asked Joe if there was anything he would like me to post today and he just said to say "the response I'm getting from everyone is overwhelming and appreciated". He has been smiling all day as I read messages to him and let him know all the people that are sending messages. It brings both of us to tears (good tears!!)

Please keep those prayers coming. We said we would love to see the list that God has received of the prayers coming his way for Joe. There must be thousands. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family and so many fabulous friends to help us get through this.

We Love You All!!!!!!!!!!
Sherrie & Joe

The beginning

Joe has been a picture of health for so many years, that this is such a shock to all of us. We just spent a fabulous vacation in England last week and Joe experienced some stomach cramping. He said it wasn't too long before it turned to a dull ache and then went away. We continued our vacation with great friends, lots of food, drinks and laughs. We came home and Joe had no pains until Friday evening. He was experiencing sharp pains through the night and into Saturday. I took him to the ER. They found fluid around his gall bladder and an inflamed appendix. He went to surgery by 10:00 pm. Half way through the surgery, the surgeon came out and told us that she had to make a sizeable incision instead of a laparoscopic procedure, because she could not see the appendix. When she opened him up, she said "He is covered in tumors." She ended up taking 5 biopsy's. He is in the hospital recovering from the surgery. He has lots of tubes, can't eat or drink anything, but continues to get stronger each day.

12/6 - The pathologist report confirmed that Joe has cancer. We don't know anything beyond that. They are supposed to get the complete report back tomorrow and will be meeting with several doctors to find out where we go from here.

We cannot thank you all enough for the text messages, emails, calls, and most important, prayers. The response is overwhelming and we thank you for giving us the strength to fight this battle.

All our love,
Sherrie