Hello everyone,
I went in a week ago Thursday morning for Chemo Treatment #18 and it went off pretty much without a hitch. Either that or I'm just gettng used to them. Not too surprizing after 17 of them!
Last week was kind a tough. I was just getting over a chest cold when my post-chemo symptoms hit and really knocked me down! I choughed my head off (almost) and still haven't got my voice back completely! I'm so thankful I have the employer I do who is symathetic to my situation. I try to keep things going as normal but they know that from time to time things may take a little longer than usual and they're OK with it.
Everyone continues to do well. Eli is a crawling, eating, and almost walking machine! Oh, and he's up to 4 teeth now! Catherine got back from Phoenix and took a couple days to recover from the almost non-stop shopping! You should have seen the huge box that UPS dropped off the week after she got back!
Now for this entries Bible Trivia. The question from the last post was: Who were the parents of King Solomon? The answer is: David and Bathsheba. Once again, Kudos to my Aunt Elsie and cousin Lois for getting the correct answer again. C'mon, everyone! They're smokin' ya!! I've been told that maybe I need to make these questions a little harder so... for this entries question: What was Bathsheba's first husbands name? and how did he die? Yes, its a two part question and you gotta get both right to prove you know your stuff! Good Luck.
I close as always by thanking God for the many blessings in my life. I have to deal with this cancer, others have to deal with health problems, family problems, money problems, ... the list goes on and on. The Bible tells us that to worry is a waste of time and energy. Instead, bring it to God and you will surely feel the peace that passes all understanding! Amen & God Bless! Jace
Monday, February 13, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
01-21-2012 Saturday
Hello everyone,
Sorry for the delay but I'll get you caught up on all of my medical related stuff from last week.
I went to my family doctor a week ago Wednesday morning and he gave me a couple of prescriptions to dry the fluid in my inner ear and take care of the dizziness & balance issues I’ve been having. The new prescriptions are working and once my balance was better, the nausea went away too.
I went and had an MRI early that afternoon (I don’t know if you’ve ever had one, but you pretty much have to lay in a big tube, with your head in another tube-like saddle and you DO NOT move your head AT ALL for over an hour!) I went to the neurologist later that afternoon and he looked at the MRI images and read the radiologists report. The tumor in my brain measured 1.42 x 0.52cm versus 2.0 x 0.8cm last September. He told me had read through some studies and based on those studies how my brain tumor is shaped and is reacting to the drugs I am getting during chemo, he again believes the tumor is a benign menengioma rather than a malignant adenocarcinoma! YEA!!
I went in a week ago Thursday morning for Chemo Treatment #17 and my oncologist read Monday’s CT Scan and the radiologist’s report. They only seem to be noting the size of one mass now (I think that a good thing?). Visually it looked about the same size but the report said it was 2.1 x 1.3cm versus 3.1 x 1.8cm 6 weeks ago. In any case, its not any bigger and that’s what we want to see (although shrinking is even better!).
We had a good Christmas at the Hicok house. Lots of gifts and food and laughter and hugs. As you might guess, my best gift was simply enjoying the time with my family. There obviously were times during the past year when I doubted that would happen.
Everyone continues to do well. Little Eli is crawling like a madman, eating like little horse, standing and walking along things, oh, and he learned to clap his hands! My grandson is a genious!! We had an 8" snowstorm yesterday so we we're all digging out last night and today. My lucky wife Catherine, flew to Phoenix this last Wednesday to visit a great friend of hers for a week. She was rubbing it in that it was 70 and sunny in Phoenix when I talked to her last night!! That's OK thought. I got to see Eli clap by himself before she did! HA HA!
Now for this entries Bible Trivia. The question from the last post was: What language is Jesus believed to have spoken? The answer is: Aramaic. Kudos to my Aunt Elsie and cousin Lois for getting the correct answer again. The rest of you are slackin' a little bit! hehe.
Now for this entries question: Who were the parents of King Solomon? (This one should be pretty easy!) To share your answer, just post it in the comments area below this blog entry. Good luck! :o)
Once again, I can't close this entry without thanking God for the many blessings in my life. As I said in my last post, I know that I've had to deal with cancer (something that I would not wish on my worst ememy!!), but God has showered me with blessings in every other facet of my life!! GOD IS AMAZING!!
I wishing you all a warm and blessed January and I'll fill you in again in a few weeks!
God bless you all,
Jace.
Sorry for the delay but I'll get you caught up on all of my medical related stuff from last week.
I went to my family doctor a week ago Wednesday morning and he gave me a couple of prescriptions to dry the fluid in my inner ear and take care of the dizziness & balance issues I’ve been having. The new prescriptions are working and once my balance was better, the nausea went away too.
I went and had an MRI early that afternoon (I don’t know if you’ve ever had one, but you pretty much have to lay in a big tube, with your head in another tube-like saddle and you DO NOT move your head AT ALL for over an hour!) I went to the neurologist later that afternoon and he looked at the MRI images and read the radiologists report. The tumor in my brain measured 1.42 x 0.52cm versus 2.0 x 0.8cm last September. He told me had read through some studies and based on those studies how my brain tumor is shaped and is reacting to the drugs I am getting during chemo, he again believes the tumor is a benign menengioma rather than a malignant adenocarcinoma! YEA!!
I went in a week ago Thursday morning for Chemo Treatment #17 and my oncologist read Monday’s CT Scan and the radiologist’s report. They only seem to be noting the size of one mass now (I think that a good thing?). Visually it looked about the same size but the report said it was 2.1 x 1.3cm versus 3.1 x 1.8cm 6 weeks ago. In any case, its not any bigger and that’s what we want to see (although shrinking is even better!).
We had a good Christmas at the Hicok house. Lots of gifts and food and laughter and hugs. As you might guess, my best gift was simply enjoying the time with my family. There obviously were times during the past year when I doubted that would happen.
Everyone continues to do well. Little Eli is crawling like a madman, eating like little horse, standing and walking along things, oh, and he learned to clap his hands! My grandson is a genious!! We had an 8" snowstorm yesterday so we we're all digging out last night and today. My lucky wife Catherine, flew to Phoenix this last Wednesday to visit a great friend of hers for a week. She was rubbing it in that it was 70 and sunny in Phoenix when I talked to her last night!! That's OK thought. I got to see Eli clap by himself before she did! HA HA!
Now for this entries Bible Trivia. The question from the last post was: What language is Jesus believed to have spoken? The answer is: Aramaic. Kudos to my Aunt Elsie and cousin Lois for getting the correct answer again. The rest of you are slackin' a little bit! hehe.
Now for this entries question: Who were the parents of King Solomon? (This one should be pretty easy!) To share your answer, just post it in the comments area below this blog entry. Good luck! :o)
Once again, I can't close this entry without thanking God for the many blessings in my life. As I said in my last post, I know that I've had to deal with cancer (something that I would not wish on my worst ememy!!), but God has showered me with blessings in every other facet of my life!! GOD IS AMAZING!!
I wishing you all a warm and blessed January and I'll fill you in again in a few weeks!
God bless you all,
Jace.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
12-24-2011 Saturday
A Merry Christmas Eve to my friends and family,
I had Chemo #16 last Thursday and it went pretty much without incident. I asked Dr. Masri if the radiologist had added an addendum to the last CT Scan reading. He had. Unfortunately, he had only measured one of the masses when he/they/??? normally measure the three primary masses. I'm guessing that Dr. Masri may be having a word or two with the radiology department!
I did start getting some treatment for my neuropathy and it seems to helping my feet feel better and they don't seem nearly as numb. The treatment is called Anodyne Therapy and basically they put four rubber pads with 60 Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) each on each foot for about 30 minutes. When the system is turned on, the LEDs emit an Monchromatic Infrared Energy (MIRE they call it) that stimulates the cells in that area to release a chemical called Nitric Oxide (NO). The NO caused the blood vessels in that area to dialate which improves circulation and the improved circulation provides the nerves with the blood they need to begin repairing themselves! Whew! Now you know all (and probably more than you wanted to know) about Anodyne Therapy!
The family is all doing well. Melissa is on break from school and Grant and I get the Holiday week off from work too. In case I forgot to mention it before, Grant got a job with the same company that I work for. He is now a Test Technician for DISTek Integration and works on-site at the John Deere PEC in Waterloo. Unfotunately for Catherine and Jody, they are in the health field and, as Catherine says, "We can't catch a break!" Eli cut his second tooth and has learned how to crawl now! I forgot how fast those little knees can scoot once they learn! He is quick!!
Now for this entries Bible Trivia. The question from the last post was: How many son's did Adam and Eve have and what were their names? The answer is: Three and their names were Cain, Abel, and Seth. I think I stumped everyone except my Aunt Elsie and cousin Lois (at least they were the only ones that I heard from). Good job ladies!! Now for this entries question: What language is Jesus believed to have spoken? To share your answer, just pot it in the comments area below this blocg entry. Good luck! :o)
Well, I can't close this entry without thanking God for the many blessings in my life. I know I've had to deal with this crappy disease, but the care given me by the Doctors and nurses, the love shown me by my family, church family, and friends, and the strength and comfort that God has provided are more blessings than I or any of us deserve. What a loving and giving God we have. He is amazing!!
I close by wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!
God bless you all, Jace.
I had Chemo #16 last Thursday and it went pretty much without incident. I asked Dr. Masri if the radiologist had added an addendum to the last CT Scan reading. He had. Unfortunately, he had only measured one of the masses when he/they/??? normally measure the three primary masses. I'm guessing that Dr. Masri may be having a word or two with the radiology department!
I did start getting some treatment for my neuropathy and it seems to helping my feet feel better and they don't seem nearly as numb. The treatment is called Anodyne Therapy and basically they put four rubber pads with 60 Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) each on each foot for about 30 minutes. When the system is turned on, the LEDs emit an Monchromatic Infrared Energy (MIRE they call it) that stimulates the cells in that area to release a chemical called Nitric Oxide (NO). The NO caused the blood vessels in that area to dialate which improves circulation and the improved circulation provides the nerves with the blood they need to begin repairing themselves! Whew! Now you know all (and probably more than you wanted to know) about Anodyne Therapy!
The family is all doing well. Melissa is on break from school and Grant and I get the Holiday week off from work too. In case I forgot to mention it before, Grant got a job with the same company that I work for. He is now a Test Technician for DISTek Integration and works on-site at the John Deere PEC in Waterloo. Unfotunately for Catherine and Jody, they are in the health field and, as Catherine says, "We can't catch a break!" Eli cut his second tooth and has learned how to crawl now! I forgot how fast those little knees can scoot once they learn! He is quick!!
Now for this entries Bible Trivia. The question from the last post was: How many son's did Adam and Eve have and what were their names? The answer is: Three and their names were Cain, Abel, and Seth. I think I stumped everyone except my Aunt Elsie and cousin Lois (at least they were the only ones that I heard from). Good job ladies!! Now for this entries question: What language is Jesus believed to have spoken? To share your answer, just pot it in the comments area below this blocg entry. Good luck! :o)
Well, I can't close this entry without thanking God for the many blessings in my life. I know I've had to deal with this crappy disease, but the care given me by the Doctors and nurses, the love shown me by my family, church family, and friends, and the strength and comfort that God has provided are more blessings than I or any of us deserve. What a loving and giving God we have. He is amazing!!
I close by wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!
God bless you all, Jace.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
12-03-2011 Saturday
Hello everyone. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving holiday. Ours was great, great food (a special thanks to my son Grant for smoking the turkey this year), a chance to share laughter and stories with my own family, Catherine's folks, her brother Roy and wife Alicia and Alicia's Uncle Bob. Some of you might think, "Jace, how can you really feel blessed when you've got cancer!?" Well, I look at it this way. Yes, cancer is now and always will be a part of my life and life experience. But the key is that it is "part" of my life, not the center of my life. And with God's strength, I refuse to let it be the center of my life! -- I had another CT Scan last Monday and my Chemotherapy #15 on Thursday. We went through the normal steps: get blood drawn, pee in a cup, weigh in (I used to hate that part but don't really care too much that I'm a fat man at this point in my life!), blood pressure, pulse, temperature, standard "how are you feeling" questions, and then chat with Dr. Masri. He read the radiology report from Monday's CT aloud and it didn't give any measurements of any of the masses! He pretty said the report was not help as it was and would send the radiolgist an note to MEASURE THE MASSES and append them to the report! He did pull up the CT images from this scan and the previous one visually compared the masses they looked to be the same size and that's what were looking for... shrinking is better, but maintaining is good. We talked about my neuropathy (numbness and pain in my feet) and I showed him some information I had found about a specific brand of electronic neurostimulator (it stimulates the damaged nerves to get them active and working again). He went ahead and set up an appointment for me to talk to the Physcial Therapy group and see what they use, if they knew of this tool, if it works, and in any case, look into settng up some type of therapy for me. I'm hoping they recommend or use the tool as it sounds like it would fit the bill, but they are the experts so I'll wait to see what they say. All in all, I'm feeling pretty well... just tired most of the time, achy muscles, and numb feet! Woo Hoo! -- And in closing, the last entry's Bible Trivia question was: Who cut off the soldier's ear when Jesus was arrested? The correct anser is: PETER. Was that your guess? And for this entry's Bible Trivia question: How many son's did Adam and Eve have and what were their names? Drop me an email, or Facebook message if you think you know the answer. I want to thank all of you all once again for your interest in the progress of my treatments, your prayers and words of support, and I want to thank God for His presence in my life. God bless you one and all, Jace. :o)
Sunday, November 6, 2011
11-06-2011 Sunday
Hello everyone, I apologize for not posting more often and I will try to break that bad habit. I'm being somewhat disrespectful for not keeping you better informed and I will try to improve. So, lets get caught up here. I had a CT Scan on 10-17 and Chemo #13 ON 10-20. The treatment went fine and the radiologist report indicated a very slight growth in the masses. At first I was kind of bummed out (since up until then, the masses had been getting smaller) but Dr. Masri explained it this way... He said since I am in maintenance phase of treatments, that slight growth or shape changes are not unusual. He said as long as the growth is less than 20% over the previous size, it is not a concern. He also said that he recently read a study that showed there can be as much a 10% deviation in noted sizes of a mass because of different radiologists and/or different CT Scans done at different times of the day. That made me feel better, although I still feel slightly disappointed. I just leave it all in God's hands. Other than that, my primary symptoms remain fatigue and pain in my feet from the neuropathy. When I last posted I was preparing for the East High Alumni Swing Show. Every performance went great and all I heard from anyone was compliments to everyone involved. It was somewhat exhausting toward the end but I enjoyed the whole experience very much! My family is all doing well. Eli (the cutest grandson in the world!) is 7-1/2 months now, starting to cut his first tooth, up on all fours and rocking back and forth but not quite crawling, and eating cereal, vegetables, and 5 bottles a day!... Oh, and growing like a little weed!! As all grandpas and grandmas know, his laugh is the sweetest sound imaginable!! To close, I'll give you the answer to my last entry's Bible Trivia question. The question was: What were the names of Lazarus' two sisters? The answer is (drum roll): Martha and Mary! Did you get it right? I hope so. The entry's Bible Trivia question is this: Who cut off the soldier's ear when Jesus was arrested? Drop me an email, of Facebook message if you think you know the answer. I want to thank all of you all for your interest in the progress of my treatments, your prayers and words of support, and I want to thank God for His strength throughout this ordeal. The Bible says that God only gives us as much as we can handle with His help, and I believe that now more than ever! God Bless you all.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
10-05-2011 Wednesday
Hello everyone. I wanted to wait to post another entry until I got my voice back (I don't know why, you can't hear me anyway!) Anyway I'm over the cold or whatever and am now dealing with last week's chemo kickback. I don't feel too bad this week, just very tired. I did want to tell you that back on Tuesday, 9-27-2011, I had the joy of another MRI. If any of you have had an MRI of your head you know what I'm referring to. Its not painful, but it it really hard to not move your head AT ALL for over an hour! But, I survived and then went to see Dr. Ryken, my neurologist. He looked things over and told me some great news and some maybe not so great news. The great news is that my last MRI showed that my brain tumor was 1x1cm and this latest MRI show that the tumor is now 1/2x1cm! Woo hoo! Still shrinking. The maybe not so good news is that because the tumor continues to shrink so quickly, it may in fact be related to my lung cancer and not a beningn meningioma. Again, not good news but it doesn't really change any treatment approach at this point in time. I'll have to talk it over with my onocologist, Dr. Masri, at my next treatment and see if he would recommend it be treated, and if so when and how. As far as the rest of my life (yes, there is life beyond cancer... its a part of me now but not all of me), things are going well. I am still working, either at home or at JD PEC when I'm up to it, the rest of my family is busy, healthy, and growing... Eli especially! God continues to bless and strengthen me through all of my daily trials... as he does all of us! I have been practicing for the East High Alumni Swing Show which will take place on Thursday October 20th at 7:00PM, Friday October 21st at 11:00 AM & 7:00PM, and on Saturday October 22nd at 7:00PM. I'll be playing electric bass and singing. DON'T MISS IT!! Now, to close with this entry's trivia question. Last entry's question was: What is the shortest verse in the New Testament? The answer is: John 11:35 "Jesus wept." Those of you who responded, all got it correct! Kudos to you! OK, now for this entry's question: What were the names of Lazarus' two sisters? Good luck and God Bless!
,
,
Monday, September 19, 2011
09-19-2011 Monday
Hello all. Kinda felt crappy all day today so I worked from home at least part of the time and took a long nap as well. Somehow I lost my voice starting Friday night and it comes and goes at will. Its not a sore throat or anything, just a coating of really thick mucus. Everybody hungry now? hehe. I was invited to attend the Iowa - Pitt game this weekend by my brother-in-law Roy (Catherine's younger brother). It worked out great because the comeback touchdowns were scored in the north endzone about 20 yards in front of us! It was so kewl! Thanks again Roy! Nothing else too earth-shattering on the home front. I went and had bloodwork done today and the counts are holding at a good level. Catherine spent today at a quilting class (sounds booooring to me but she loves it and that's what counts). The kids are all good and as usual, Eli is the cutest and smartest grandson in the world! :o) God has truly blessed me. It's easy to fall back and say, "He let me get cancer, how is that a blessing!". But the fact that I have His strength and guidance is the blessing. The fact that I have family and friends who love and pray for me is a blessing. And the fact that I realize my body has failed me and He is the only real strength that I or any of us have is a blessing! Lord we thank you without end! Oops, I almost forgot the trivia portion of this posting. I was asked if you as readers were supposed to respond. You are all welcome to respond... it might actually create some interesting conversation. The last question posted was: What was Paul's original occupation? the answer: Acts 18:3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers. Did you get is right? Here is the next question: What is the shortest verse in the New Testament? Good luck and God Bless! :o)
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