03-26-2011 Saturday

As you probably know by now, the big news this week was that on Tuesday the Hicok family welcomed our newest addition, my grandson Eli Alexander Hicok. He was in the NICU (neonatal ICU) the last few days with an IV to get his blood sugar up to par. Not a serious situation or anything. The medical staff just wanted to be sure he's strong and stable and ready for his new life when he goes home (which should be late this afternoon or tomorrow). By the way (I know, I know... grandpas are biased), he is just perfect!! As far as my own situation, if was not a great week. I was pretty exhausted most of the week, had very little appetite, most everything tasted BLAH! and I has to deal with some "lower digestive issues" if you get my drift. On the other hand, I didn't actually get sick, had no nausea, and was able to work from home (thanks again to Deere PEC and DISTek for allowing me to do so). My taste buds are starting to return, so next week should be business as usual and I plan to work all week... God willing. As I close today, I must thank God for all of the blessings in my life. Yes, I have to deal with this crappy disease and eventually the brain tumor, but God has blessed me with loving and supportive family and friends and with His grace and strength to help be through this unpleasant chapter of my life. I think back and remember that I received my first chemotherapy treatment on my 52nd birthday and thought at the time that it was kind of fitting. With God's help, it was a rebirth... a realization of how weak we humans really are and how awesome God really is. God Bless you all.

03-22-2011 Tuesday (Welcome Eli)

Greetings everyone. Up until now, these entries have all related to my illness, treatment, and recovery. Well, today's entry is a little different. I have the joy of announcing that today at 4:04pm, Catherine and I welcomed our grandson, Eli Alexander Hicok, into the world and the Hicok family. He weighed 6 lb. 12.5 oz. and was 19.5 in. long. Oh, and he is BEAUTIFUL! Jody (my beautiful daughter-in-law) was having some BP and liver enzyme issues. She went into the hospital to get those monitored and they found that her urine proteins were also on the rise (these are all warning signs for preeclampsia). The doctor decided the time was right and Eli was delivered by C-Section. He was a few weeks early, but he's a healthy pink with dark hair and all his fingers and toes! Mommy & Daddy (Grant) are doing well too! PRAISE BE TO GOD!

03-19-2011 Saturday

It was a good week this week. Monday I went in for a follow up CT Scan at 6:45AM! I had the scan done and was still at work before I usually get there. Lynette greeted me with her usual smiling face, she and Camie set me up, ran the scan, and Lynette walked me out to the hall, and sent me on my way with another smile. What a gal! I worked the rest of the week except Thursday... Chemotherapy Session #3. Before treatment they always draw blood & get a urine sample (the blood counts are all staying within normal ranges... Hooray!). Then they take my BP, temp, and history updates. Then Dr. Masri came in and went over the blood counts and vitals... and then good part! He compared my original CT from January with one done on Monday. Great news! It appears that all of the masses are smaller by about 1/3 and others by possibly a little more! Also, because of the masses, there had been several partial portions of my lung that had collapsed (No wonder I was having shortness of breath!). Most of these have recovered almost completely! DO WE HAVE AN AWESOME GOD OR WHAT!!! With a medical staff caring for me that have been blessed with their knowledge & skills (& compassion), the love & prayers of our friends & church family (or maybe that should be 'faith family') & my own family, and most of all with God love & strength on my side, this nasty disease inside of me is loosing strength! Thank you all for your love and prayers and God for His presence in my life!!

P.S. Just a little FYI. I checked how much fluid (medicine, saline, etc.) that I got via IV this treatment and it was about 1850 ml (over about a 6 hour period). Thats almost a full 2-liter bottle of liquid or just under a half-gallon! Just thought you might be interested. : )

03-12-2011 Saturday

This was a good week overall. I worked full days every day except Wednesday. I was a pretty tired boy by the end of those days but with God's help I made it through. I didn't work on Wednesday because I had and MRI in the morning and an appointment with Dr. Ryken, my neurologist, in the afternoon. No issues with the MRI. Its simply a matter of not movving your head (AT ALL!) for over an hour. (At least you get to pick the music you want to listen to. A little oldies this time.) The appointment with Dr. Ryken went well. From the morning's MRI images, he determined that my brain tumnor is an "acoustic neuroma". It is located between the left inner ear and the brain stem. He thought the tumor was either the same size or slightly smaller. He said it is likely that the steroid (dexamethasone) that I get before my chemo treatment could have shrunk it slightly. He said it could also be affected by one of the drugs (Avastin) I get during chemo. In any case its not getting bigger which means it is benign (thank you Lord!) and treatment can be delayed while the cancer treatment takes center stage. On another subject, I've had quite a few people at work (PEC) ask me about my new "hair style" (or lack thereof). Needless to say, when I tell them that I've been diagnosed with lung cancer and the chemo made buzzing my hair necessary, they are shocked but also very supportive. I can't help but thank God for all of the good people in my life, my church family, my own family and most of all, His presence in my life. Each of us is blessed in so many ways. Please take time to thank God every day!   

03-05-2011 Saturday

Well, this week had no real events worth noting. There weren't any doctor appointments or CTs or MRIs or anything too noteworthy (I was prescribed a med to control my blood pressure but that I kind of expected). So, I thought I would share some of some of the unpleasant things (cons) and then good things (pros) that have become a part of my life... at least for this week. Lets see... unpleasant things... CON: Most mornings I wake up with at least a slight headache. PRO: They are not debilitating (but definitely irritating!) CON: For several days this week I've had at least some level of "loose bowels" (I know GROSS! but I thought you should know). PRO: Immodium works really fast! CON: As you know, my hair is now absent. PRO: We're saving on shampoo. CON: This week I don't have much of an appetite and almost everthing tastes kinda salty. PRO: Bananas, vanilla ice cream, and yogurt rock! CON: My mouth has gotten sore and sensitive. PRO: A softer toothbrush is better for my teeth and gums. CON: Every kind of fast growing cell in my body is taking a big hit from the chemo... hair, fingernails, mouth, etc. PRO: The cancer cells are getting hit even harder!! Lord, thank you for all those who help my body fight this disease, thank you for all those who love me and pray for me, thank you for my family, church family, and friends, and thank you most of all for Your presence in my life!! Throught Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.