Leland's last appointment was January 9. We traveled through quite a snowstorm on Snoqualmie Pass. We were very glad to drop out of the snow zone and into the rain on the other side. We met Chaunda for supper, and spent the evening with her, which we always enjoy. It was good to relax after so many hours in the car.
Leland's PSA has continued the slow rise, but Dr. Chen says he was not on the X-tandi long enough to see a difference when his blood was drawn, only about 10 days. Otherwise, his labs looked good, and treatment stays the same for now. Next month will give us a better picture of the PSA trend, so we will have to wait on that to draw any conclusions as to the effectiveness of this new treatment.
After we finished at the clinic on Thursday, we drove to Portland-in more rain-and spent the weekend with Cherilyn, Todd, Phoenix and Cierra, my great niece who is staying with Cherilyn and Todd this year. We had a wonderful time as always, and got to see Phoenix climb the stairs-so cute! His parents allow him to climb as long as someone is right there to watch him, and catch him if he falls. Otherwise, there is a gate which is kept closed so he can't crawl over there when no one is watching.
Leland is a little low on energy, and has trouble staying awake if he is not actively doing something, so he spends a fair amount of time with his computer and a train layout that lets him be very creative while keeping him awake. He also makes little videos of the pictures we take of Phoenix, and we all enjoy those.
We stay busy with our various appointments and seeing friends and family. Today my doctor who did the endoscopy told me the biopsies were negative for Helicobacter and one other thing which I can't remember. So I will not need to take antibiotics for the ulcers, for which I am grateful. I will need another biopsy on the esphogeal ulcers in April to check healing or lack thereof. I am doing all I can to handle my stress more healthfully, meds, exercise, counseling, and avoidance of irritating foods, so hopefully, those ulcers will look a lot better in April!
Lorance and Judy came on Sabbath, and spent the night. We were all able to spend some time together with Del and Chuck on Sabbath evening, then for Sunday morning breakfast. I felt a little handicapped because our cooktop died last week, so everything has to be done in a crock pot or the oven. Breakfast will better next time you come, I promise! In spite of that, we had a wonderful time being together. We are looking forward to Kevin and Lucy's wedding February 2, where we will expect to see many of you.
Our next appointment is February 6; we will spend Leland's 68th birthday traveling to the clinic, then go to supper with Chaunda somewhere. She will have just moved into her urban loft warehouse apartment, so we are looking forward to seeing what her artist soul will do with that space; something entirely unexpected I am sure!
Monday, January 20, 2014
Monday, January 6, 2014
January 6, 2014 Back Again
I have not posted here since October 18; the time has gone by very quickly. Thanks to Google and Wild Blue and their "improvements" somehow my e-mail and my blogger accounts were merged. I was unable to figure out how to separate them and/or get into my blogger account. Leland was also unable to figure it out. Mark was able to ferret through though, so thanks to him, here we are again.
Leland's PSA has continued a slow rise, so at his appointment in December, the Dr. changed his medication from Zytiga to X-tandi. He is not tolerating it quite so well, has had some nausea and some joint pain, both of which are common side effects. However, he is still functioning and feeling fairly well.
He went outdoors on Sunday afternoon late when the temperature had risen to 36 and cut down a few trees for next year's firewood, then cut up several small ones which had been down for a couple of years. We brought them in with the small tractor and trailer and stacked it in the breezeway, as we had not put up quite enough this last fall. He did pretty well, but that was enough for one day. He is exercising every day and walking on the treadmill doing all he can to stay as strong as possible.
We did get the grant from the Patient Access Network; Praise God! It is for $7500 with another 7500 if needed. That is very good as X-tandi costs $60 per pill; Leland takes 4 of them every day, and the co-pays are very high.
My surgery results were good, no additional cancer was found, and the scarring is almost impossible to see, although there is scar tissue under the skin. Dr. says it will diminish with time. The stress chickens have come home to roost in my body this winter resulting in a sinus infection that refuses to disappear despite intensive treatment. Also this morning I underwent an Endoscopy resulting in a diagnosis of Ulcers, Hiatal hernia, Gastritis and Duodenitis. No wonder I had heartburn! The treatment is not too onerous, Omeprozole, and avoidance of irritating foods such as tomato sauce, citrus and spices. I had already decided I needed to start walking every day for stress reduction as well as weight control, so have a head start on that. We would rather walk outside, but when the weather is cold or wet, the treadmill is a good alternative.
We had a great Thanksgiving here with all the kids, Del and Chuck, Kathy and Dan and Cierra who is my great niece. The kids all stayed for the whole weekend, and we enjoyed every moment. Phoenix is crawling and all over the house-very cute and busy.
We spent Christmas in Portland at Todd and Cherilyn's. It was busy, fun, and filled with family plus friends dropping by every day. We are so blessed with our family and extended family! We are also blessed and grateful for this extended time Leland has with the good medical care he is receiving to manage the beast attempting to control his body. New Year Blessings to each of you.
Leland's PSA has continued a slow rise, so at his appointment in December, the Dr. changed his medication from Zytiga to X-tandi. He is not tolerating it quite so well, has had some nausea and some joint pain, both of which are common side effects. However, he is still functioning and feeling fairly well.
He went outdoors on Sunday afternoon late when the temperature had risen to 36 and cut down a few trees for next year's firewood, then cut up several small ones which had been down for a couple of years. We brought them in with the small tractor and trailer and stacked it in the breezeway, as we had not put up quite enough this last fall. He did pretty well, but that was enough for one day. He is exercising every day and walking on the treadmill doing all he can to stay as strong as possible.
We did get the grant from the Patient Access Network; Praise God! It is for $7500 with another 7500 if needed. That is very good as X-tandi costs $60 per pill; Leland takes 4 of them every day, and the co-pays are very high.
My surgery results were good, no additional cancer was found, and the scarring is almost impossible to see, although there is scar tissue under the skin. Dr. says it will diminish with time. The stress chickens have come home to roost in my body this winter resulting in a sinus infection that refuses to disappear despite intensive treatment. Also this morning I underwent an Endoscopy resulting in a diagnosis of Ulcers, Hiatal hernia, Gastritis and Duodenitis. No wonder I had heartburn! The treatment is not too onerous, Omeprozole, and avoidance of irritating foods such as tomato sauce, citrus and spices. I had already decided I needed to start walking every day for stress reduction as well as weight control, so have a head start on that. We would rather walk outside, but when the weather is cold or wet, the treadmill is a good alternative.
We had a great Thanksgiving here with all the kids, Del and Chuck, Kathy and Dan and Cierra who is my great niece. The kids all stayed for the whole weekend, and we enjoyed every moment. Phoenix is crawling and all over the house-very cute and busy.
We spent Christmas in Portland at Todd and Cherilyn's. It was busy, fun, and filled with family plus friends dropping by every day. We are so blessed with our family and extended family! We are also blessed and grateful for this extended time Leland has with the good medical care he is receiving to manage the beast attempting to control his body. New Year Blessings to each of you.
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