A LENTEN EPISTLE

Most of you are familiar with my life journey in the last few years. For those of you who are not, the previous blog entry has a brief overview.

A lot has transpired in the last few months. You’ve heard about the new RV, and there will soon more about it on the RV page. However, there is much more to this story...

The Peripatetic Copelands are on the move again

The boys, Hill and Chris, have been extraordinary support, visiting regularly in spite of how difficult it was for them given work, travel, etc. and calling regularly when they weren’t here.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you about the exceptional support my sister and niece have been during this time as well. Actually,it was Tracy who first broached the idea, offering for me to move in with her and her family so I would have more support.

After a lot of discussion, it was decided that her offer was the right path. However, after much more discussion, it was decided that I would buy a home and Chris and his family would move back to Texas to be my long-term caregivers.

After several weeks of searching, Chris found a place in the Hill country that was just under four acres with two homes...a large two story home for him and his family, and a smaller home for me. My home was specifically designed for elderly living with all the handicap features that would allow me to live there for a long time, including live-in care if that became necessary. In the meantime it is ideal for my new life.

I moved in mid-December, and Chris, Stephanie, and Kate moved in mid-January. It looks like it’s going to be an ideal situation, and the circumstances make it a real God-incidence.

My Health Update

After six months, I say I’m getting better “millimeter-by-millimeter,” and as long as the trajectory is onward and upward I’m a happy camper.

I decided to go back to Grapevine and finish my treatments and Dr. K agreed to take me on again as a patient. So February 4th, Younderin’ 2 (the story behind the name will be in a Roadtrek post soon) and I went to Grapevine and started my treatments.

It’s February 23rd as I write this, and, after finishing the treatments with Dr. K (if you’re interested in specifics of those treatments, drop me an email) I now say I’m now getting better “centimeter-by-centimeter.” Several things are still out of whack, but I’m getting better and better as each day goes by.

This week I had another appointment with Dr. Baquero, the endocrinologist treating my thyroid. She looked at my bloodwork, exclaimed my thyroid panel was ‘perfect’, took me off the medicine for the a-fib, and said she’d see me in two months again. (She’ll be tracking me for a long time.)

Also this week I had my first appointment with my new doctor, Frank Mueller. He’s also my sister’s doctor and the one who helped us find Kotstansis Institute, and I’m really looking forward to this next step in my recovery. We have decided to continue essentially the same protocol as I was on at Dr. K’s in order to continue cleansing me from all the side effects of the cancer treatment and Graves disease, and to build me back up again. He asked me where I thought I was compared to where I was before the cancer treatments. I said I thought somewhere between 60% and 80%.

Dr. Frank is an incredible doctor. After years of traditional medicine he has become more involved in ‘alternative’ medicine, especially the use of ozone. He also left the traditional medical delivery model (they make more money if you’re sick) and has become a concierge doctor focusing on health (the less your sick everybody benefits.) If you’re interested in any of these concepts drop me an email.

I hope this Epistle finds you and your loved ones well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings!

Dick