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!
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