Patient: Chuck Diagnosis: Pancreatitis

Shift change is beginning at the hospital and family is not allowed in there during this time. Susan just came back and said some tiny improvements toward recovery are being made. His acidic level in his blood has returned to normal but will continue to be watched, a little more fluid has been released which is crucial for his recovery. We appreciate all the love, prayers and support. Please forward this website to anyone you feel necessary. We will update this as often as possible.

The family took shifts through the evening into the morning staying with Chuck. There weren't any major changes through the night. This is going to be a slow process. Thank you again for all the support - keep the prayers coming!

The doctors just assessed Chuck this morning. Today is a better day than yesterday, his body is out of shock today, which is good, they are starting a procedure to remove fluid off his lungs. Because of Chucks barrel sized chest, the left tube didn't go in all the way and wasn't draining properly, they are fixing that this morning. Please pray for the doctors and nurses looking over him, they have been absolutely wonderful!

Susan, Shawn, Tiff, Somer, and Laura were all at the morning consultation. The doctors do a consult to update each other at 10am and 10pm everyday and family can listen in. The doctor was encouraged and pleased with his progress overnight. He is out of shock, he is off blood pressure meds to maintain a blood pressure. They reinserted the left line to his lungs and got 300 cc's of fluid out of his lungs. They gave him lacex (sp?) to release fluid and kidneys are flushing urine like crazy. The goal today is to continue to release fluid and work on respitory functions. Overall some tiny improvements. He's not out of the woods yet, but doctors are encouraged. The family is greatful for all of the love and support - ( Shawn says we won't give up on the Pepsi challenge!)

Susan just left the hospital for shift change. Doctors gave her a thumbs up for today's progress, as Chuck continues to make baby steps towards recovery. He is still in critical condition, but making progress. Thank you again for all of the thoughts and prayers you will never know how much that means. We are so greatful to the staff at Providence Hospital and the staff at Bartlett Regional Hospital for their amazing care.

They took Chuck off the paralytic medication today, which is a good sign that it's not needed. He's holding steady today, yesterday a lot of progress was made and he is maintaining that progress today. The family is continuing shift work staying with Chuck. Brother Scotty showed up today which is wonderful. We are overwhelmed by the love and support, we are holding strong, please keep the prayers coming.

Chuck has been maintaining his blood pressure on his own for over 12 hours. His kidneys are fuctioning on there own, blood work was stable. His swelling down a little this morning - yeah! His biggest challenge is his respitory function, there is still a lot of fluid in his lungs. These are all baby steps, we are all staying very positive and optamistic. Keep the prayers coming!

They did a procedure today drain more fluid out of Chuck's lungs and were able to get quite a bit. His oxygen level is down to 70% today which is very exciting. They did have to put him on the blood pressure medicine again because of the procedure they did this morning. Late last night they put in a smaller feeding tube, one that will go directly into his abdomen to start feeding him nutrients to get his stmach activated again. Overall these are more baby steps, doctors are reminding us that this will be very slow but we are moving in the right direction. Thank you again for all the prayers and support. We will update again soon.

They were able to take Chuck off of the blood pressure meds again this afternoon. They are giving him small doses of lacex to keep fluid retention down. The respitory therapist mentioned the possibility of lowering the oxygen level again on the ventilator again, but was going to wait a little bit. We will never be able to express how thanful we are for all of the prayers and support, it helps keep us strong.

They want to do a cat scan on Chuck today to look at everything especially his pancreas and gall bladder area, they are prepping him for that now. His respitory functions have contined to improve, they have started nebulizer treatments to break up fluid in his lungs. Oxygen need is down to 70%, continuing to improve. His blood gases are down to 68 - 70% which is good, that shows his kidneys are getting better. He is running a slight fever again which is likely a reaction to pain. They are starting to slowly cut back his sedation to see how he responds. The family continues to take shifts staying with Chuck. We are forever greatful for all of the support, keep the prayers coming! We will update again soon.

The cat scan results came back, the pancreas is still really inflamed and didn't show improvement, but all his other organs are doing good. They started a higher dose of antibiotics today to work on the infections. His respitory functions are continuing to improve, they started giving him nutrients today help fight the pancreatitis, it should wake the stomach and move the bowels. A slow process but progression none the less. Never bend you head, always hold it high, look at the world straight in the eye. - Helen Keller Thank you again for all of the prayers, love and support.

Chucks oxygen is down to 50% now and they were able to put the ventilator on "standby" and he's been breathing own his own just pulling in the 50% oxygen, he's been doing that for a few hours now. His saturation levels are doing good. He is running a fever today, they are keeping an eye on that and working on breaking that. They actually did not start him on nutrients yesterday because the feeding tube is not quite in the right spot, they are doing an xray to see if that has moved so they can get started on that. Doctors don't believe there is any infection, but are continuing antibiotics as a precaution. More updates to follow soon, we are forever greatful for all of the support!

To answer a few questions that we have been getting, Chuck has not been awake since a week ago Wednesday, April the 29th when they put him on the ventilator. But, today they are going to start weening him off of sedation to see how he responds. They have to monitor blood pressure and heart rate while they do that. That process can take from a day to a couple of days. He has to come out of sedation and follow comands before he can be taken off of the ventilator. They have started giving him nutrition and pedialite. The pancreas is still very angry, but no infection. They will do another cat scan tomorrow to see if any progress is being made, doctors are hoping to avoid surgery. The staff in ACCU at Providence has been amazing, please keep them in your prayers as well. We will update again soon.

They have changed the settings on Chuck's ventillator so that he is guarenteed a certain amount of oxygen, but is still breathing on his own. He is running a bit of a fever again, but that is nothing unexpected or unusual. They are adding to his nutrition, fiber etc, this should give him more strength to keep fighting this. We won't know if there is any improvement with his pancreas until they do another cat skan, we are not sure when that will happen. We will update again soon! Thank you all for the prayers and concern.

Laura is my goto gal, she put the website together, and helps me update it daily. Chucks brother Scott, record holder, has been by his side, he has been a huge help for me. Shawn has been a hard rock and is as good as gold. Tiffany is my leveler, helps keep perspective on everything. Don supports us while working on the slope. Somer is a daddy's girl who wants her mommy by her side. Chet was here last weekend and was a huge help. And, the five grandkids don't understand why they can't see there papa shop, so I tell them stories, they bring laughter and smiles to us all and papa's room is decorated with there art. As for myself, I am working on completing my application for Survivor! I am humbled from all of the outpouring of support, please keep the prayers coming! A huge thank you, I love you all! More updates to follow!

They backed off on Chucks pain meds and this morning turned the ventilator off, he has been breathing on his own for over 4 hours now. He is becoming more aware, he needs to be able to follow commands before they can take the ventilator out. Susan is working hard on that, his temperature is good, 98.9. Scott has become part of the ACCU staff, they want to hire him. More to follow soon!

Today has been a good Mother's Day, Chuck is responding to our voices as he is slowly coming out of sedation, this is a slow process because he is not liking the ventilator - who would? It will likely be a few more days on the ventilator as long as he reacts well, if not they will have to do a tracheotomy. Lungs are continuing to improve, we won't know status of pancreas until they do another cat scan. Overall, he is looking better, swelling is going down and his color looks good, his stats are doing well. A slow process, greatful everyday know matter how small the progress. For those who have been asking, Chuck is at Providence Hospital in the critical care unit and the family is staying at the Walter Hickel House. In time the doctors hope to find what caused his pancreatitis, as of right now they do not know. Again can't thank everyone enough for all of the support, it keeps the family going strong.

The ventilator is gone - they pulled it this morning! They also pulled the right chest tube, and will possibly pull the left later today. They may also have him sitting in a chair later today. He is very aware of what is going on, the doctor asked him how he felt and he responded with a whisper "like shit." The doctors told chuck he was glad he was getting better because he wanted to continue there conversation from two weeks ago about wanting to by a boat. Keep him in your prayers, more updates later!

They are moving Chuck out of Critical Care today! Yeah! They call it "step down." He is getting better each day, he has started physical therapy and they have started him on some solid foods, he is responding well to everything. He is very anxious to get out of the hospital! The goal is to increase his strength right now. We are not sure how long he will have to be in the hospital, each person is different. We will update later after he is moved and settled. Thank you again for all of the support!

Chuck's blood work is coming back good, his white blood cell count is coming down and his enzymes are returning back to normal. This tells us his pancreas is calming down. And now we are just waiting to make sure the food he is eating won't irriatate the pancreas and cause it to inflame again. He has to continue physical therapy and proper nutrition to gain his strength back. As of right now there is no plan for another cat scan as long as blood work continues to improve and pain doesn't increase. More to come later!

Chuck is continuing to slowly make progress, he's doing physical therapy, although he is still pretty weak. They took his catheter out. They are still trying to balance his blood sugar levels and he is still requiring oxygen. Doctors are going to run more tests to see if they can pinpoint what caused this. Chucks brother Stace flew in from Idaho Falls on Wednesday and my sister Rosa got here on Thursday, both have been a huge help! The family continues to take shifts staying with him. Thank you for all of the well wishes and support, it really keeps us all going! More to follow. . . .

We are continuing to see progress, Chuck is working on improving his strength and increasing his appetite. He was very excited when he got a visit from some of his grandbabies, they weren't able to visit when he was in CCU. Overall he is in good spirits! We can't thank everyone enough for all of the support, prayers, and encouragement, it truly means the world to us. We will update again soon!

Chuck has moved into the rehabilitation stage. He is looking at exstensive rehab, six months or more. As far as how much will have to be done in Anchorage, only time will tell. When he is discharged from the hospital, he will move to an in-patient rehab facility. We want to make note, Chuck does NOT have pancreatic cancer, there has been lots of concern from people over that. In fact they are still trying to figure out what caused this, they have ruled out cancer, gall bladder, and alcohol. His pancreas enzymes are doing good. His left lung has some conjestion, his right is doing good. They have changed his blood pressure meds, there is a possibility the blood pressure meds could have played a part in this. They are looking into that. When he initially got to Providence they took him off the meds entirely, when he was moved out of CCU they put him back on, he started swelling and having other syptoms so they took him off again and now have him on a new med and his blood pressure is awesome. Chuck has received a few cards and that has helped keep his spirits up, anyone interested in sending cards the address is: Providence Hospital Patient, Chuck Duval, Room 538 3200 Providence Drive Anchorage, AK 99508 We are so greatful for all of the love and support. We will update again soon!

Hi everyone, Lots of questions have been coming our way about fundraisers etc., for Chuck. Diane Diekmann is so kindly organizing a Spaghetti Feed Fundraiser at the Juneau Moose Lodge on Wednesday, May 26th at 6:00 p.m., there will also be a silent auction and a dessert auction. The proceeds will help to offset expenses while Chuck and Susan are away and unable to work, this will help to allow them to focus on Chuck's recovery. For those who have questions or would like to volunteer to help you can contact Diane at 209-1838. I have been asked by many how one can make a donation, for those wanting to make a donation you may make checks payable to the Juneau Moose Lodge and reference Chuck Duval in the for/memo line, again you can contact Diane with any questions. I know that the entire family has been completely overwhelmed and touched by the outpouring of love and support. It has been truly heartwarming. I can't put into words how grateful and appreciative we all are.

Hi everyone, We've had several inquiries about wanting to mail a donation, if you would like to do so, you can mail a donation, payable to the Juneau Moose Logde to: Diane Diekmann Re: Duval Fundraiser 4639 Sawa Circle Juneau, AK 99801 Thank you so much!

They have taken all of Chuck's stitches out, the left side where one of the drain tubes was in is red and sore, they have put him on antibiotics as a precaution. Our very good news is his white blood cell count is normal! Yeah!!!! Doctors have also ruled out diabetes as a cause of this, they have pretty much ruled out all of the usual, major causes, they are going to continue to look into it. He will be transferred to the rehabilitation area of Providence at somepoint where he will go through intensive physical therapy, but for now he is still requiring oxygen and they are continually monitoring that. His cat scan showed some fluid pockets on his left side near his Peritoneum (the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity and covers most of the abdominal organs), doctors say those could be there for several months, but will continue to keep an eye on that. Overall we are continuing to improve. Thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers, it keeps us going! More updates to follow!

They took Chuck off of oxygen this afternoon, they are going to monitor how he does without it. It sounds like they will start his more intensive physical therapy, etc. the first part of next week. Staffing decreases through the weekend so there probably won't be much going on the next couple of days. He is a fighter and improving a little bit each day! We will update as progress continues! The support has been amazing, thank you!

They've moved Chuck to the rehab area of the hospital, it's on the same floor as where he has been, just a different area. He will be on a pretty strict regiment during the day between physical therapy and occupational therapy, he will have breaks for lunch, etc. Yesterday they took him to the rehab "gym" for the first time and even had him walking up stairs there. He is looking more like Chuck again with his hat on and shoes. He put shoes on for the first time yesterday and said that was weird. We are continuing to make progress! We will update again soon!

Chuck is doing awesome! While he still has a long road ahead of him, he is responding well to physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Who wouldn't in his shoes, he has nine different woman working with him! And it gives me a little free time. I'm doing good. Rosa left Monday evening, her help was outstanding. Shawn and Laura arrived last night (Tuesday evening) and were blown away and emotional when they saw Chuck, the difference they saw from when they left him two weeks ago was incredible. Chuck did not want to give Shawn a hug from the wheel chair, he put his feet down while Tiffany was pushing him and walked to Shawn, his determination is amazing, he had to tell Shawn not to sqeeze him too hard. His day is busy, they keep him worked over between all if the therapys and he is pretty exhausted by the end of the day. I get to sneak him out for a few hours in the evening and bring him over to the Hickel House for a visit and some dinner. We are blown away by the outpooring of love and support - all of the cards, prayers, phone messages, etc., has kept us going! I love each and every one of you, tag today like there's no tomorrow!

Chuck was discharged from the hospital today! Yeah! He was so ready to get out of there! We will remain up north with family for a bit to see how he does. Doctors have discharged him to rehabilitaion and his primary care doctor. He will be on a strict regiment of physical therapy, etc. Doctors have said it could be up to 12 months for him to regain full strength and is able to return to work, Chuck is a fighter and has already made huge strides! He left the hospital today and made it to the crop circle! The crop is a design in the pavement between the hospital and the the hickel house, once you've crossed the circle you know your not in the hospital anymore and are headed home! We have had many reports about the fundraiser in Juneau last night, words cannot even begin to describe how touched and blessed we feel, all of the love and support that has surrounded us during this time has truly kept us going! We cannot thank everyone enough, thank you does not do justice for how we feel, we love you all! We will continue to update throughout Chuck's recovery, and keep you posted on his progress!

There is no place like home! After being gone for over a month, Doctors released Chuck to come back to Juneau and to resume physical therapy, etc. here in Juneau. Both Chuck and I are so thrilled to be home. I took him to Costco this morning for physical therapy, while it totally exhausted him by the time we were done, it was good for him to get out for a bit. He is still very week, but improves daily, I think being home will help him tremendously. He rested the remainder of the day, watched the Nascar race and talked with my mom throughout the race as they always do - they had some catching up to do! We have to check in with his regular doctor this coming week, he has to have a cat scan in 4 weeks to check the status of his pancreas. Doctors have put him on a fairly strict diet. While it is so great to be home, it was very difficult to say goodbye to our daughter Tiffany and our grandkids that live up North. Shawn and Laura helped us home and Somer was waiting for us here in Juneau, it was so great to see her and the kids. This will probably be the last update for awhile. This has been quite a journey, words can't even begin to describe how grateful and blessed Chuck, myself and the kids feel! We can't thank all of you, our friends and family enough! Please continue to pray for a continued recovery for Chuck, you all will remain in our prayers daily! Love to everyone, Chuck, Susan, and family