We arrived home safely tonight right around 5 pm. It was a long trip, and we are glad to be home.
Dr. Leibowitz and his team were very kind, very thorough and spent a lot of time with us. He has changed the protocol quite a bit from what Leland was on when we arrived there, added several new medications, both oral and injections in addition to the chemo infusions. We also saw Dr. Leibowitz's colleague, Dr. Eshagian, a younger oncologist working as part of the team. Dr. Eshagian asked us if anyone had told us that Leland's initial diagnosis meant that he had about 18 months to live at that time, and that Dr. Chen had done well to keep him going as well as he has for over two years. He also said there is more that needs to be done, and they both told us they have every reason to believe this new treatment will put him into a more durable remission. Dr. Leibowitz has been doing this for many years, with the bulk of his patients being prostate cancer victims.
We will be changing from the clinic in Seattle to an Ocologist in Yakima for the local part of the treatment, a Dr. who works with Dr. Leibowitz. We hate to leave the Seattle Clinic, they have been great, but both of us think we need to move on, and Yakima is much closer for the weekly trips. We will still need to go back to LA next month for assessment and more testing and treatment.
We feel a little overwhelmed with all the changes, and have a lot of work to do to get it all organized, but they were very helpful with that at the clinic, and have made it easier with their system of patient care.
We called Ed and Dana on Friday afternoon on our way back and asked if they would be home on Sabbath afternoon; they graciously invited us for dinner and to spend the night. We met some of their friends and had a very enjoyable time with them. What a nice change it was from driving all day long and a hotel! Our drive today was shorter, and we were able to stop in Redmond for an hour or so to visit with Nick, Jan and Vonnie. It is good to be home, in the peace and quiet and off those California Freeways!
I don't stay in contact with you as much as I would like to, but we think about you both often. I hope the journey gets easier to endure with the new doctor in LA. Lloyd and I send so much love and positive energy your way in our prayers, we hope to see you both when you are in town next. Xoxo
ReplyDeleteSo happy to hear you are safely at home again! What a loooong way to go... but so worth it; especially since they were able to give you such encouraging words! I am also glad you are able to go to Yakima for your weekly "check ups"... much more convenient, yes? You and Leland continue to be in our prayers daily, as I know you are within the prayer circle of a number of interested, caring, friends.
ReplyDeleteHi there! My name is Cameron Von St. James and I had a quick question for you! I was wondering if you could email me at your earliest convenience at cvonstjames AT gmail DOT com :-) I greatly appreciate your time!!
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