We had a great Christmas, everyone was here by Sunday night. Monday was a good day and on Christmas Eve we had our traditional supper of crepes by candlelight. Then on Christmas day Del, Chuck, Ken, Kathy and Dan all came to join us for our traditional Christmas Brunch. Tina woke up sick, Grant soon followed, then around noon Cherilyn also came down with whatever it was. They were all nauseated, vomiting and generally sick. Not a good Christmas day for them. Fortunately it was a 24 hour bug, so all are recovered by now.
We had snow which fell all day on Monday, through the night and much of the day Christmas until we had 8 inches. There were adventures getting out for those who had to leave on Christmas day. Leland spent much of the afternoon rescuing those who were stuck a few miles from the house and showing them a way to get to town with less steep hills.
He went to Hood River today to take our friend, Elaine, to the Dr. They went out to lunch together and did a little shopping. He is tired right now and napping in his chair.
Grant is still here with us. I spent the day with him and doing our cooking for the weekend, and finishing the cleaning. We are having company for the weekend in addition to Grant, long time friend Kathy W will arrive in a few minutes.
Leland is doing pretty well, fingers are still numb and sore, but infection is all cleared up. He has lost some weight again which I am concerned about, as he has been eating well with good appetite. We go to Seattle again this coming week on Thursday so will have blood work and PSA done again to see how he is progressing.
I will probably not be able to post here until Sabbath evening or Sunday as we will not arrive home from Seattle until Thursday night, will be having communion Friday night, and I am helping to decorate for it during the day-it will be a busy week for us. I will post as soon as possible, and in the meantime, thank you all again for your prayers and support.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Thursday 12-20-12
The tree is up, the decorating done except for some fresh pine "poufs" we will cut and bring in tomorrow. Cooking is partly done, will also be finished tomorrow, then on Sabbath evening Mark, Tina and Grant will arrive. Sunday Chaunda, Cherilyn and Todd will arrive and we will all be together for Christmas. Christmas day we will have our traditional brunch and be joined by Del, Chuck, Ken, Kathy and Dan. A lovely houseful!
Leland's infected finger is well again, after a week of poultices. First the charcoal, then colloidal silver (another natural antibiotic). Thanks for reminding me of this Jerry. We consulted with the clinic a couple of times, but never did need to take him in. The rest of his fingers are still tender and somewhat numb, and he may lose the nails, or they just may be discolored until they grow out. He is feeling pretty well, and doing quite a bit each day, taking care to protect his nails from snagging on things by wearing either gloves or a bandaid depending on what he is doing.
Yesterday we went to The Dalles and did some rather intense shopping with a couple of kids the church family sponsored for Christmas. We got the fun of taking them and helping them choose some new clothing. Kathy went along and took the girl, I took the boy, and Leland drove us around. A sucessful trip! Thank you Del for organizing the project. I am still surprised by every good day, and really appreciate each one.
We wish each of you a blessed and merry Christmas with family, friends and a renewed appreciation of the incredible gift we have been given. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given".....
Leland's infected finger is well again, after a week of poultices. First the charcoal, then colloidal silver (another natural antibiotic). Thanks for reminding me of this Jerry. We consulted with the clinic a couple of times, but never did need to take him in. The rest of his fingers are still tender and somewhat numb, and he may lose the nails, or they just may be discolored until they grow out. He is feeling pretty well, and doing quite a bit each day, taking care to protect his nails from snagging on things by wearing either gloves or a bandaid depending on what he is doing.
Yesterday we went to The Dalles and did some rather intense shopping with a couple of kids the church family sponsored for Christmas. We got the fun of taking them and helping them choose some new clothing. Kathy went along and took the girl, I took the boy, and Leland drove us around. A sucessful trip! Thank you Del for organizing the project. I am still surprised by every good day, and really appreciate each one.
We wish each of you a blessed and merry Christmas with family, friends and a renewed appreciation of the incredible gift we have been given. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given".....
Friday, December 14, 2012
Friday 12-14-12 Sore fingers
We are in the living room with a fire going and all the Christmas lights on, grateful for the peace and comfort we have tonight. Many families are in deep grief tonight from the senseless violence which took place earlier today, and our hearts go out to them.
Leland continues to feel well except for his fingers. Besides the neuropathy, numbness and soreness, he also has an infection in one of his fingers. It was quite swollen and red around the nail which is very loose, and extremely tender. The epsom salt soaks did not help, in fact it hurt worse after soaking. We were considering a trip to the Dr. but decided to try a charcoal poultice. That has helped a lot, but has not completely done the job. We are watching it carefully and will go to the Dr. if it does not continue to heal. He has been wearing the poultice since Tuesday night-freshly done twice a day of course.
We went shopping in the Dalles on Wednesday, and got him a pair of light gloves to wear when doing things around the house to protect his fingernails from getting caught on something and torn loose. They are quite light weight with a good gripping material on the fingers and palms; seems to work pretty well for him.
His energy is fairly good, he made a trip to the dump on Tuesday by himself, and went to town this morning for more bandage supplies. He has been sleeping for longer stretches at night, and is not needing to nap during the day. Today he vacuumed, dusted and did a few other things as well.
We put up the tree earlier this week, and are pretty well finished with decorating. The kids are coming for Christmas so that was an incentive to do more than we might have otherwise.
We just finished watching the Navtivity Story which never fails to touch my heart once again. It is a great depiction of the very human condition Jesus took upon Himself. A gritty and realistic portrayal of life in Nazareth and Bethlehem. What an incredible and wonderful story it is!
Leland continues to feel well except for his fingers. Besides the neuropathy, numbness and soreness, he also has an infection in one of his fingers. It was quite swollen and red around the nail which is very loose, and extremely tender. The epsom salt soaks did not help, in fact it hurt worse after soaking. We were considering a trip to the Dr. but decided to try a charcoal poultice. That has helped a lot, but has not completely done the job. We are watching it carefully and will go to the Dr. if it does not continue to heal. He has been wearing the poultice since Tuesday night-freshly done twice a day of course.
We went shopping in the Dalles on Wednesday, and got him a pair of light gloves to wear when doing things around the house to protect his fingernails from getting caught on something and torn loose. They are quite light weight with a good gripping material on the fingers and palms; seems to work pretty well for him.
His energy is fairly good, he made a trip to the dump on Tuesday by himself, and went to town this morning for more bandage supplies. He has been sleeping for longer stretches at night, and is not needing to nap during the day. Today he vacuumed, dusted and did a few other things as well.
We put up the tree earlier this week, and are pretty well finished with decorating. The kids are coming for Christmas so that was an incentive to do more than we might have otherwise.
We just finished watching the Navtivity Story which never fails to touch my heart once again. It is a great depiction of the very human condition Jesus took upon Himself. A gritty and realistic portrayal of life in Nazareth and Bethlehem. What an incredible and wonderful story it is!
Friday, December 7, 2012
Fri. Dec 7, 2012 Side Effects
45 years ago today, Leland was released from the army with an honorable discharge and we came home from Fort Irwin California uncertain of our future, but knowing somehow it would all work out. And it has. God has blessed us through the years with a loving family, a home, 2 wonderful church families and all of you.
Leland continues to feel pretty well, in spite of all the trauma his body has endured. It has been good to be home all week and it was really good to be able to go to both Sabbath School and Church for the first time in 8 months! Also, for the first time in 8 months we went to prayer meeting Wednesday night, which was a blessing. We are slowly getting caught up on projects which had to slide over the months-those things which no one else can do be they ever so willing; things like cleaning out your desk, and clearing the top. He put up some of our outdoor lights, not the icicle lights which require going up on the roof, but the strings he twists around the pillars on the front deck. He also put up the small lighted tree which goes out there, so it looks festive.
He does not have the strength which he had before, so has to pace himself; which is totally against his nature! But he builds the fire most mornings, folds laundry (which I hate doing) pays the bills and did our Christmas letter-another thing I don't really enjoy doing. I do love to get yours though-so I help him a little in between my other projects.
He is having some delayed side effects from the chemo treatments, I think I already mentioned his fingernails had turned brown, now some of them are turning black and they sometimes ooze a little liquid out, and his fingertips feel numb. He has to be careful with his hands, and sometimes I need to do small things for him since he doesn't have enough feeling to button a small button (why do men's shirts have such tiny buttons??) or pick up a small object.
His feet began swelling last Sabbath evening, something which he has never had before. We need to go to town and get some compression stockings which he needs to put on before getting up. We went to the Dalles on Monday and he had an Ultra Sound on his legs to rule out a blood clot. The test was negative, so it is the chemo. It is not painful, and his shoes still fit, so that is good since it will probably last for some time. The side effect of chemo can continue to appear for months after it has stopped, so there may be some other surprises in store, but hopefully this will be the worst of it.
He is eating and sleeping well, and his taste is returning to normal so he is enjoying his food again. I have joined a website with a forum for wives with prostate cancer and found a lot of woment who are going through the same medical and emotional issues as we are, so that is helpful for me, and maybe I can be helpful to some of them in turn.
Thank you Del and Chuck for the stocking caps you made for Leland to cover his head from the cold. He will enjoy having such a nice new one for our walks outside and when we go to town and the weather is really cold. One good thing about his extremely short haircut-he does not have hat head when he takes a stocking cap off!
From Jesus Calling page 352: "I love you with an everlasting Love, which flows out from the depths of eternity. Before you were born, I knew you. Ponder the awesome mystery of Love that encompasses you from before birth to beyond the grave."
Leland continues to feel pretty well, in spite of all the trauma his body has endured. It has been good to be home all week and it was really good to be able to go to both Sabbath School and Church for the first time in 8 months! Also, for the first time in 8 months we went to prayer meeting Wednesday night, which was a blessing. We are slowly getting caught up on projects which had to slide over the months-those things which no one else can do be they ever so willing; things like cleaning out your desk, and clearing the top. He put up some of our outdoor lights, not the icicle lights which require going up on the roof, but the strings he twists around the pillars on the front deck. He also put up the small lighted tree which goes out there, so it looks festive.
He does not have the strength which he had before, so has to pace himself; which is totally against his nature! But he builds the fire most mornings, folds laundry (which I hate doing) pays the bills and did our Christmas letter-another thing I don't really enjoy doing. I do love to get yours though-so I help him a little in between my other projects.
He is having some delayed side effects from the chemo treatments, I think I already mentioned his fingernails had turned brown, now some of them are turning black and they sometimes ooze a little liquid out, and his fingertips feel numb. He has to be careful with his hands, and sometimes I need to do small things for him since he doesn't have enough feeling to button a small button (why do men's shirts have such tiny buttons??) or pick up a small object.
His feet began swelling last Sabbath evening, something which he has never had before. We need to go to town and get some compression stockings which he needs to put on before getting up. We went to the Dalles on Monday and he had an Ultra Sound on his legs to rule out a blood clot. The test was negative, so it is the chemo. It is not painful, and his shoes still fit, so that is good since it will probably last for some time. The side effect of chemo can continue to appear for months after it has stopped, so there may be some other surprises in store, but hopefully this will be the worst of it.
He is eating and sleeping well, and his taste is returning to normal so he is enjoying his food again. I have joined a website with a forum for wives with prostate cancer and found a lot of woment who are going through the same medical and emotional issues as we are, so that is helpful for me, and maybe I can be helpful to some of them in turn.
Thank you Del and Chuck for the stocking caps you made for Leland to cover his head from the cold. He will enjoy having such a nice new one for our walks outside and when we go to town and the weather is really cold. One good thing about his extremely short haircut-he does not have hat head when he takes a stocking cap off!
From Jesus Calling page 352: "I love you with an everlasting Love, which flows out from the depths of eternity. Before you were born, I knew you. Ponder the awesome mystery of Love that encompasses you from before birth to beyond the grave."
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Nov. 29, 2012- The Next Phase
The Next Phase
We arrived home rather late last night after seeing the doctors at the clinic in Renton-Seattle, and doing some shopping on the way home in both Renton and Yakima. We saw snow falling on the passes, but nothing sticking to the roads. There was ice on the road near home, and we skidded a little at the intersection of Pine Forest and Knight Road, but got home safely.
The news was good, Leland no longer needs to continue any Chemo treatments. We are happy for that as he was beginning to have more pronounced side effects even though he has been taking the supplements designed to guard against or at least minimize the damage. The docs are pleased with his progress. PSA down to 7.7 two weeks ago and probably lower than that now. CT scan showing decreases in lymph node size, and bones stabilized. Tumors smaller, and weight still doing well with another 2 pound gain, bringing him to within about 5 pounds of where he was when he was diagnosed.
Dr. Chen reminded us that this cancer cannot be cured, only "managed". He recommended Hormone Blockade Therapy, and Leland agreed to a trial. So he received a shot yesterday that will last a month. If he does OK on that, and is able tolerate the side effects, then when we go back in a month, they will give him a shot that will last 3 months. His PSA will be monitored through all this, and once it has gone down to undetectable levels, and stayed there for several months, he can move to intermittent therapy, going back on if the PSA begins to rise. This may work for several years-or it may not. For now he stable, improving and his quality of life is fairly good if compared with BC-Before Cancer. But compared to the nightmare of last summer, the quality is very good!
Dr Sweet, Naturopathic Oncologist, changed his supplements somewhat this time to emphasize prevention. He is on a very high quality Fish Oil, Green tea Extract, vitamin D, Melatonin, Multi-vitamin, Iscador, a Probiotic, Calcium . DCA and Manose, plus Super Zeaxanthin for his Macular Degeneration ( I think he got the bad end of the VanTassel gene pool!) He also needs to eat at least one ½ cup serving of cruciferous vegetables each day as well as a serving of root vegetables. Fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, organic eggs, nuts. Sweets need to be whole grain and sweetened with Stevia, Xylitol, Maple Syrup, or raw honey, using no damaged oils.
Organic is important if it can be obtained, especially the items on the “Dirty Dozen” List plus the most genetically modified grains; corn, and wheat. Soy is also heavily modified, so we only use organic or at least certified Non-GMO.
Dr Sweet told us that the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle did a study with Fish Oil and Cancer patients and concluded that Fish Oil with EPA and DHA reduces death from all causes not just cancer. She also told us that it used to be 1 in 20 people would get cancer. Now it is 1 in 3!! She said clearly, our society is doing something different overall which has caused this epidemic. So we have eliminated the chemicals in our environment which we can control, are eating the best we can (Dr. Sweet says we are doing better than 99% of the patients she talks to) and exercising. Today is too icy and cold outside, so we are using the treadmill. Leland also started using free weights to regain the strength in his upper body.
We are relieved not to have to continue the drive to Seattle every week, especially as winter is really setting in. We are feeling especially blessed that he is doing as well as he is, and trusting that God will take care of tomorrow as He always has. We have “Just Enough Light For the Step We Are On” and know that whatever step must be taken tomorrow, will be lighted s well.
We arrived home rather late last night after seeing the doctors at the clinic in Renton-Seattle, and doing some shopping on the way home in both Renton and Yakima. We saw snow falling on the passes, but nothing sticking to the roads. There was ice on the road near home, and we skidded a little at the intersection of Pine Forest and Knight Road, but got home safely.
The news was good, Leland no longer needs to continue any Chemo treatments. We are happy for that as he was beginning to have more pronounced side effects even though he has been taking the supplements designed to guard against or at least minimize the damage. The docs are pleased with his progress. PSA down to 7.7 two weeks ago and probably lower than that now. CT scan showing decreases in lymph node size, and bones stabilized. Tumors smaller, and weight still doing well with another 2 pound gain, bringing him to within about 5 pounds of where he was when he was diagnosed.
Dr. Chen reminded us that this cancer cannot be cured, only "managed". He recommended Hormone Blockade Therapy, and Leland agreed to a trial. So he received a shot yesterday that will last a month. If he does OK on that, and is able tolerate the side effects, then when we go back in a month, they will give him a shot that will last 3 months. His PSA will be monitored through all this, and once it has gone down to undetectable levels, and stayed there for several months, he can move to intermittent therapy, going back on if the PSA begins to rise. This may work for several years-or it may not. For now he stable, improving and his quality of life is fairly good if compared with BC-Before Cancer. But compared to the nightmare of last summer, the quality is very good!
Dr Sweet, Naturopathic Oncologist, changed his supplements somewhat this time to emphasize prevention. He is on a very high quality Fish Oil, Green tea Extract, vitamin D, Melatonin, Multi-vitamin, Iscador, a Probiotic, Calcium . DCA and Manose, plus Super Zeaxanthin for his Macular Degeneration ( I think he got the bad end of the VanTassel gene pool!) He also needs to eat at least one ½ cup serving of cruciferous vegetables each day as well as a serving of root vegetables. Fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, organic eggs, nuts. Sweets need to be whole grain and sweetened with Stevia, Xylitol, Maple Syrup, or raw honey, using no damaged oils.
Organic is important if it can be obtained, especially the items on the “Dirty Dozen” List plus the most genetically modified grains; corn, and wheat. Soy is also heavily modified, so we only use organic or at least certified Non-GMO.
Dr Sweet told us that the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle did a study with Fish Oil and Cancer patients and concluded that Fish Oil with EPA and DHA reduces death from all causes not just cancer. She also told us that it used to be 1 in 20 people would get cancer. Now it is 1 in 3!! She said clearly, our society is doing something different overall which has caused this epidemic. So we have eliminated the chemicals in our environment which we can control, are eating the best we can (Dr. Sweet says we are doing better than 99% of the patients she talks to) and exercising. Today is too icy and cold outside, so we are using the treadmill. Leland also started using free weights to regain the strength in his upper body.
We are relieved not to have to continue the drive to Seattle every week, especially as winter is really setting in. We are feeling especially blessed that he is doing as well as he is, and trusting that God will take care of tomorrow as He always has. We have “Just Enough Light For the Step We Are On” and know that whatever step must be taken tomorrow, will be lighted s well.
November 16, 2012 12th Treatment
November 16, 2012 12th Treatment
Leland has had the last treatment in this series. His blood work looked good and his PSA is down to 7.6. He gained 1.5 pounds which offset the 1 pound loss of last week, so weight seems to be stable.
Today he had his CT scan. Unfortunately, we will not find out the results of that until Wednesday the 28th as his doctor is on vacation all next week. We are fairly sure that the Medical Oncologist will recommend at least another 6 treatments. I rather dread that as the toxic effects seem to be multiplying. Maybe a week off will be beneficial to more recovery.
We sat in the waiting room today next to a man drinking the same stuff Leland was having to drink for the CT scan. We got to talking and found out that he is dealing with 3 cancers at once-Leukemia, Lymphoma and Melanoma which he has been fighting for 2 ½ years. We had never heard of anyone having multiple cancers at the same time. No matter how much trouble one is having, there is always someone else having a worse time.
Leland has not been feeling very well for the last 2 weeks or so. He is unable sleep the night of the treatment, then is tired and worn out for at least the next two days. His fingers are sore, his leg muscles feel tired much of the time, his fingernails are turning brown and he goes through Kleenex by the boxes.
The PA told us that sometimes people even completely lose their fingernails during chemo. One of the patients whom I have mentioned before here, Tara, had that happen. Hers have grown back now, and she is proudly sporting bright pink polish on her new nails.
Sometimes it is hard to believe we are living the cancer lifestyle-medicines, supplements, Dr. appointments, treatments, illness-and always-hope that this is not permanent but temporary. I had an interesting phone conversation with a man who works for an organization which helps cancer patients and he told me that he was diagnosed with invasive prostate cancer 20 years ago. He has not been “cured” but has been able to “manage” it so that he has a decent quality of life, able to work and travel. So perhaps that is another scenario which would have distinct possibilities and be more realistic in our circumstance, while still affording quality of life for both of us.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone, we are thankful for each of you and the prayers you send up so faithfully for us.
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