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.