Another month has flown by. We returned from Seattle on Wednesday this week and we are facing another bend in the road. Leland's PSA jumped to 11 which indicates positively the Xtandi is not working. Dr. Chen says to discontinue and has ordered him to begin a new treatment called Provenge; which is an immune system assault on the cancer. It will consist of three treatments two weeks apart over six weeks. His blood will be withdrawn after a catheter has been placed, his immune cells will be separated out and the rest of his blood will be returned to the other arm. The removed dendritic immune cells will be sent to a specialty lab in California, exposed to prostate antigens, sent back to the Seattle clinic and infused back into his blood stream three days later. This hopefully will encourage his immune system to fight the cancer and give him more quality time.
Since I am still unable to drive and Leland is unable to stay awake long enough to make the trip, Del and Chuck came with us to Seattle to help drive. We stopped in Kelso to see Karly and Tristin. Karly looks good and Tristin is adorable. Our visit had to be short because it was a long day. Upon reaching Seattle we met Chaunda and got a tour of her warehouse apartment, an interesting experience!
We had a great dinner at an Indian Restaurant; went to our hotel and turned in. Wednesday while Leland and I were at the clinic Del and Chuck took the car, went to the mall, did a lot of walking,a little shopping, and a lot of waiting. Leland was not feeling very well--head cold, sore throat and Dr. Chen ordered a vitamin infusion which took another hour and one half in addition to the regular two and one half hours we usually spend.
The trip home was long but thankfully the roads were bare.
Since I am still in my sling and still experiencing a fair amount of discomfort Del kindly offered to type this for me. So this is a joint effort. My surgery went very well--at least according to the doctor. I feel like I've been ruined! Seriously though, I am slowly progressing with the help of my excellent physical therapist. Leland has been a wonderful nurse and literally my right hand man.
We remain, as always, very thankful for the many blessings we enjoy.
We really appreciate Del and Chuck's help.
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