2014 December 29, Christmas Guest Post

DECEMBER 29 – CHRISTMAS, etc.

           

            Hi, this is Delmarie, Leland’s sister.  We just came home from spending some time with Leland and Eileen.  I know many of you are wondering how things are going.  Since Eileen hasn’t had the time or emotional energy to write I thought I’d write a little from my perspective.

            December has been rough.  Not only was there the monthly trip to Los Angeles but there

were numerous doctor visits and appointments to make or reschedule.  Many days Leland was not feeling well – constantly plagued with nausea and pain in his knee/hip.  Then there was a general lack of energy and extreme weariness.  Leland is seeing an Oncologist in Vancouver now who is willing to work with the clinic in L.A.  They are hoping to be able to go to L.A. only every other month.

            Besides medical appointments to arrange and meet, there were some issues with the house that had to be dealt with.  A water leak under the kitchen sink played havoc with the floor, so they had new flooring put in the kitchen, dining room, utility room and main bath. They had a laminate installed.  It really looks nice!

            When Christmas came Leland was feeling somewhat better.  The radiation treatments to his hip have helped diminish the pain.  Then the Monday before Christmas he had a transfusion of red blood cells which helped to increase the energy level.  He has had a number of changes to the medications he takes.  I can’t remember what they are but some of them have made a difference for the better.

            Christmas Eve and Christmas day Leland and Eileen’s immediate family got together at Cherilyn and Todd’s and had a lovely time. On Tuesday before Christmas they went to the swearing-in ceremony for Grandson, Grant.  He is joining the Army reserves.  Next summer he will have to go to boot camp for twelve weeks. 

            Chuck and I spent Christmas with Ken and our grandkids and Great grands. Then we went to Leland and Eileen’s for the weekend.  The four of us went to church at the Vancouver Adventist Church.  We had never been there before.  It is a beautiful edifice and we enjoyed the service.

On Sunday Leland was feeling well enough to go do some shopping with us.  We then went to eat lunch at Sweet Tomatoes.  That evening Lorance and Judy came for a visit.  It was nice to see them and catch up on what their family is doing.

            Please continue to keep Leland and Eileen in your prayers.  Their trust in God is strong.  He will continue to walk with them through the “Valley of the Shadow.”  It is not easy, but their courage is good.

Addendum from Eileen:

Thank you Del, we appreciate your doing this!

We spoke with Dr. E. on the phone today. We will not go to LA in January, but instead will see the local oncologist, Dr. Liss, and Leland will get his monthly shots there. He is in a very fragile state right now; there will more blood tests done this next week. 

 We had an appointment with another radiation oncologist who would be the doctor to administer the Xofigo (liquid radium), but Dr. E. said today Leland is not a candidate for that right now, as his bone marrow is too compromised, and the Xofigo would make it worse.  Dr. E. would like to put him back on Chemo, a different and stronger one this time, Jevtana,  which is almost always administered by full dose, once every three weeks.  Dr. E. feels that would put Leland in the hospital as weak as he is right now, and said he has to get stronger before that alternative can be considered. He also hopes Dr. Liss will be willing to administer the Jevtana in Low Dose form, once weekly, saying that the condition of the patient must take precedence over standard medical protocol.    We will have to investigate that possibility. Leland is not willing to take full dose chemo, knowing how sick it would make him, being already in a compromised situation.

We really enjoyed Del and Chuck's visit over the weekend.  On Sabbath our kids came for dinner, including Chaunda's new boyfrined Matt whom we really like, except for Todd and Phoenix, who flew to Pennsylvania the day after Christmas to be with Todds family.  Cherilyn will join them tomorrow for several days. Ken and Skyler were also there, and we had a great time together around the dinner table and afterward.

We wish for each of you, our dear family and friends, a Blessed New Year filled with the blessings of knowing Jesus better each day, and always keeping in perspective that some day "Heaven will be cheap enough" that today's problems will pale into insignificance.

2014 12/22 What Now?

What Now?

Leland has been feeling sick and weak for several weeks now.  He finished the radiation back in November, seemed to have minimal side effects.  The full  beneficial effect expected has not yet materialized, although he says there is some reduction in the leg pain.

We saw one local oncologist whom we liked very much, but he is not willing to work with Dr. E.  We saw another one on Friday who is willing to work with him.  Her name is Dr. Michaelanne Liss.  She prescribed a blood transfusion for today, which we went and did this afternoon.  It was in the Cancer Center of Peace Health Hospital. Very well organized, good ratio of  very skilled and kind nurses to patients.   Dr. Liss said he would feel better immediately, but we are reserving judgement on that.  Leland has not only been very fatigued and sick, but has not slept for the last 3 nights.  Dr. Liss believes he needs to discontinue several of his meds, and Dr. E. agreed, so we will begin immediately and reassess his situation in a week or so.  I am certainly hoping all this will help him have more strength and a better quality of life.

With a local Oncologist now, we should be able to cut down on the trips to LA, maybe every other month rather than every month.  The trips are very tiring for Leland, even though we are now getting wheelchair escorts through the airports, and of course they are also very expensive.

We have become the old couple who need assistance with routine things, and are thankful for motorized carts in the stores and wheelchair assistance when needed. There are perks to this-people are mostly very kind,  doing little extras to help us out when needed. We will be getting a handicap parking permit in a couple of days, which will also make life a little easier for us, as it is really hard for him to walk across the parking lot these days.

We take one day at a time, sometimes an hour at a time.  Mark and Grant have been over helping us for a couple of hours at a time, which we really appreciate.

 We are looking forward to Christmas with our family. We will all be at Cherilyn and Todd's including Dawn and her daughter, Ena, whom some of you know. We wish for each of you a full measure of God's blessings on Christmas and throughout the New Year.