As I sit at my little desk overlooking the back yard, I can see our Clematis which has burst into full and glorious bloom. It is absolutely lovely-makes me glad every time I look out the window here or over the kitchen sink.
Del and Chuck took us to the clinic last week, we left on Tuesday afternoon, stayed over in "our" hotel, with treatment being Wednesday morning. We were there from 7:45 am until 1 pm. Leland has been feeling so low with continual nausea, they gave him an extra- long- working- anti emetic along with the usual one, in addition to some more prescriptions to take home. He has felt better since then, which has been a mercy since I have needed him to drive me to Doctor and PT appointments of my own on both Thursday and Friday, one in Hood River and the other in The Dalles.
Thank you Del and Chuck for the gift of your time-we will never forget all these trips and your cheerful acceptance of hours and hours of waiting for us.
We were given the results of the post-Provenge Circulating Tumor Cell Test. Not good at all. The number we hoped would be lower, had instead risen from 17 to 95. Less than 5 is optimal. Combined with PSA results of 107 and the CT report of innumerable new bone lesions, the prognosis is grim. However, there are still more treatments to try, including another chemo if this one does not work which will mean the cancer has mutated into a different form. It is very nasty and aggressive, but we knew that from the beginning. Dr. Chen will order the CTC and PSA tests again in 2 weeks after Leland has had 4 chemo treatments, and that should tell us whether or not we need to change horses in the middle of the stream.
We have a lot of surreal conversations about all this, conversations which we never dreamed of in the past. But it is good we can communicate, not all Pca patients and their wives have that ability as I read on a couple of websites and list-serves to which I subscribe. We are thankful for the many ways in which we can see God's blessings, that both of us have not been incapacitated at the same time-we take turns, that we have been given a grant that pays the thousands of dollars in co-pays and that our old car keeps running. As mentions above we are very thankful to Del and Chuck for all their help and support, and to our kids who help us as they are able.
We are also thankful for those of you who care enough to read this and pray for us-and let us know. Thank you!
Most of all we are thankful to understand that God know all about this, He cares more than we do and has promised to walk though the hills and valleys of life with us.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Friday, May 16, 2014
2014 May 16 Back to Chemo
As I mentioned in the last blog, Leland has not been feeling well for the last 3 months or so. He has been functional part of the time, but nausea, heartburn and heart palpitations sent us to the local clinic for a check. Our PA did a thorough check which included an EKG (slightly abnormal, but nothing to get too excited about right now) and spoke with the PA at the cancer clinic. I was pretty impressed by this, as no one else has taken the time to actually consult with them.
It was determined he needed to be seen up there, so we took an unscheduled trip to the clinic, and again Del and Chuck went with us, Chuck doing the driving. Leland's PSA shot up from 11 to 100 during the time he was on the Provenge treatment. That fact plus his unwell state convinced Dr. Chen the cancer is very active and he ordered a CT scan to confirm, and told us to make an appointment to begin Chemo again the following week.
So we returned to the clinic on the 14th; the CT scan confirmed Dr. Chen's diagnosis, and Chemo was begun that morning. It was the first of 12 weekly treatments. As before, Leland also received an infusion of 25,000 units of vitamin c, B-5, magnesium and calcium as well as an anti emetic then the two chemo drugs, Carboplatin and Taxotere and finally Zometa for his bones. All of which took most of the day. Our friends, Mike and Joan took us up this time; were very kind and patient with all the waiting we had to do.
The CT scan showed the involved lymph nodes resolved, but the bone involvement had increased extensively, to include ribs, sternum, scapula, pelvis, and spine. Not what we were hoping to hear. It appears at this point the Xtandi and Provenge did nothing for him at all. Dr. Chen and Dr. Sweet both told us that he should begin feeling better in a week or two. Yesterday was probably the best day he has had in months, but today he has been sick again, and his his chair most of the day, except for doing a little painting on the Hidden Pines sign which Todd made for us and filling our supplement boxes for the week.
We do not know what to expect from one day to the next, so it is hard to make plans with others and then have to cancel. Lorance and Judy were coming this weekend to visit and get the video Leland created of Kevin and Lucy's wedding. But we had to cancel because he is feeling too sick for company.
All the kids were here last weekend for Mother's Day, which was really great, then Mark stayed on for the whole week since he is out of school for the summer now. It has been good to have him here, as he has been helpful catching up with the outside work, plus we enjoy his company and he makes us laugh with his quirky humor.
We made the difficult decision to put the house on the market as we just cannot keep up with the outside work except for the mowing. If the house sells, we will be moving back to the Vancouver area, to be closer to medical care and the kids, although I don't know how we will get along without Del and Chuck nearby.
Of course we struggle with all this, but have faith that God knows our needs, and will be there for us in the future as He has been in the past. We have asked Him to open and close doors in the matter of selling the house and choosing a new one if this one sells, so rest in faith that His will will be made clear to us.
It was determined he needed to be seen up there, so we took an unscheduled trip to the clinic, and again Del and Chuck went with us, Chuck doing the driving. Leland's PSA shot up from 11 to 100 during the time he was on the Provenge treatment. That fact plus his unwell state convinced Dr. Chen the cancer is very active and he ordered a CT scan to confirm, and told us to make an appointment to begin Chemo again the following week.
So we returned to the clinic on the 14th; the CT scan confirmed Dr. Chen's diagnosis, and Chemo was begun that morning. It was the first of 12 weekly treatments. As before, Leland also received an infusion of 25,000 units of vitamin c, B-5, magnesium and calcium as well as an anti emetic then the two chemo drugs, Carboplatin and Taxotere and finally Zometa for his bones. All of which took most of the day. Our friends, Mike and Joan took us up this time; were very kind and patient with all the waiting we had to do.
The CT scan showed the involved lymph nodes resolved, but the bone involvement had increased extensively, to include ribs, sternum, scapula, pelvis, and spine. Not what we were hoping to hear. It appears at this point the Xtandi and Provenge did nothing for him at all. Dr. Chen and Dr. Sweet both told us that he should begin feeling better in a week or two. Yesterday was probably the best day he has had in months, but today he has been sick again, and his his chair most of the day, except for doing a little painting on the Hidden Pines sign which Todd made for us and filling our supplement boxes for the week.
We do not know what to expect from one day to the next, so it is hard to make plans with others and then have to cancel. Lorance and Judy were coming this weekend to visit and get the video Leland created of Kevin and Lucy's wedding. But we had to cancel because he is feeling too sick for company.
All the kids were here last weekend for Mother's Day, which was really great, then Mark stayed on for the whole week since he is out of school for the summer now. It has been good to have him here, as he has been helpful catching up with the outside work, plus we enjoy his company and he makes us laugh with his quirky humor.
We made the difficult decision to put the house on the market as we just cannot keep up with the outside work except for the mowing. If the house sells, we will be moving back to the Vancouver area, to be closer to medical care and the kids, although I don't know how we will get along without Del and Chuck nearby.
Of course we struggle with all this, but have faith that God knows our needs, and will be there for us in the future as He has been in the past. We have asked Him to open and close doors in the matter of selling the house and choosing a new one if this one sells, so rest in faith that His will will be made clear to us.
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