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Wed, Jul 2, 2025

12:26am EDT

Members: 730

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Total Online: 2,545

From My Mind to....

by JACE

Rated: GC · Book · Personal · #1503918

A blog of no uncertain musings. What goes on in my mind is often a source of wonder to me.

My mind and my life are wonderous things ... as are yours, I'm sure. I have more slips of paper and pages of notebooks with musings and thoughts than I really know what to do with. Someone, actually several someones, have suggested I start a blog ... or a journal as a means of focusing some of this mental energy.

To be honest, I don't even know what the difference between a 'journal' and 'blog' is--or if there even is a difference. Read on, my friends, and you can judge for yourself whether it even matters.

And so....

Me on top of Mount Desert Island, Acadia National Park, off the coast of Maine

I'm JACE. Yep ... that's me! And somewhere in all my writings my last name may be posted. But I'll just leave it at Jace for right now. I'm 70 years old and heading full tilt to 71. It's strange that while I'm going through some rather serious medical issues, I still consider myself to be in the prime of my life--pretty good shape physically AND mentally, though I don't run for competition anymore

. I love to ... dang, if I put this stuff here, I won't have anything for my blog.

Guess you just have to be patient until such stuff leaks out.

Perhaps 2025, having embraced my retirement, will see more participation in my journaling efforts.

Well, one can hope....

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

StephBee

about 9 hours ago
In response to "Clinical Trial Consultation Results"

Thanks for the update, Jace. I was hoping all went well when you went up there. Enjoy your summer and thanks for blogging with the Bard's Hall this June.

All the best
Steph

Ẃeβ࿚Ẃỉtcĥ

about 12 hours ago
In response to "Clinical Trial Consultation Results"

Thank you for the update.

I think that's a wise decision, Jace. Time to plan your vacation without ill side-effects. Smart doctor!

Enjoy your summer!

Stik to My Own Beat

a day ago
In response to "Singo"

I am reminded of a thing I saw at the dry cleaner that said retro started at 25 years from the current date and vintage started at 50. With that in mind, describing 70s music as retro toes the line of being incorrect but for a different reason than the one mentioned here.

StephBee

Jun 29, 2025 at 4:12pm
In response to "Singo"

I've never heard of Singo but it sounds like a lot of fun. Hope you made lots of $$$

StephBee

Jun 29, 2025 at 4:09pm
In response to "Another Consultation"

Wishing you the best, Jace! Good to idea to stay overnight. 3 hours is a long drive. As Webbie said, Thanks for jumping into the Bard's Hall Blogging month. It's been fun!

Ẃeβ࿚Ẃỉtcĥ

Jun 29, 2025 at 3:17pm
In response to "Another Consultation"

Wishing you success, Jace, with the clinical trial. Your entries have been interesting and informative. Thank you so much for jumping into the Bard's Hall Blogging month, June 2025!

Ẃeβ࿚Ẃỉtcĥ

Jun 28, 2025 at 7:34pm
In response to "Singo"

I've actually heard them play Singo at the clubhouse in Florida. Yes, Sweet Caroline ALWAYS got them singing loud down the end of the hall from the TV room. I haven't jumped on the Bingo bandwagon. Maybe when I get old ...er.

Sounds like a fun time was had by all.

I hope the fundraiser was a huge success!

Ẃeβ࿚Ẃỉtcĥ

Jun 28, 2025 at 7:25pm
In response to "Setting the Stage"

It took a lot of guts and determination, Jace. But YOU did it! I need to finish my kitchen cabinets in Florida where the handyman who was working on them got ill and left everything undone. He couldn't come back to work. When I get back in the fall, I'll get another handyman to help finish it. I hope!...

StephBee

Jun 27, 2025 at 11:51pm
In response to "Setting the Stage"

I like the hustle to put something together. Sounds like you grew the cabinet business from the bottom up!

JACE

Jun 27, 2025 at 2:26pm
In response to "Setting the Stage"

Hi Jim, loved the story about your neighbor. I returned to that Dallas Woodworking Show two years later, and came across that same salesman from whom I bought my Pocket Machine. He was talking with a prospective client about the machine's features. I kinda butted in and offered several other uses for the machine that I'd discovered (mostly because I wasn't told the machine couldn't do that). Even the salesman was surprised.

I never took Shop in school. I was always fond of telling folks, "I learned all my bad habits on my own." Trial and error was my way, with mostly error at the start. Actually, the seeds of working with my hands were sown when I was a brand-new Lieutenant and found some useable 2x4's in a dumpster while making rounds on Staff Duty. I fished them out and made a very nice coffee and two end tables with them. The compliments hooked me.

I believe I would like your neighbor.

July 1, 2025 at 11:37am

#1092604

Clinical Trial Consultation Results

June is over, a month never to be repeated. And we're now on the downward slide to the end of 2025.

I wish to thank StephBee and Ẃeβ࿚Ẃỉtcĥ for sponsoring a Blogging contest in June as part of "The Bard's Hall Contest"

. While I've been using my blog to document my journey with kidney cancer for more months than just June, your encouragement fostered more entries in June than any previous month. Thank you.

And a huge THANKS to all the members, friends and family who have frequented my blog, sending your encouragement. I hadn't been a regular blogger before. I have to say, it's growing on me. Plus, these entries are something I can leave for my kids--who knows, they may even like reading them.

On to my news of the day.

I met yesterday with an Oncologist with the University of Kansas Cancer Center to determine further treatment plans for me. I arrived thinking the consultation was to see if I qualified for any on-going immunotherapy clinical trials for my specific strain of kidney cancer. It turns out I'm part of a very small group of only 15% of folks with my strain of kidney cancer.

My doctor strongly advised me not to pursue the rather new trials for that 15% group.

Her reasoning made absolute sense. Those trials are designed for persons who have Stage 4 kidney cancer, which has metastasized (or spread) to other areas of the body, especially lymph nodes, lungs, bones, etc. I'm at Stage 3 as determined by the successful surgery to remove a lone, though large tumor and the right kidney to which it was attached. My cancer has not metastasized.

She explained the history of the more than 20 years of trials for the 85% group. Big Pharma is loath to put large sums of money into testing and developing drugs for such small groups. That's why all the testing has been done for the tens of thousands of patients (85%) over those 20-plus years, thereby making big bucks for the pharmaceutical companies. (This is me paraphrasing; my doctor was much more diplomatic with her explanation.)

She concluded by saying the breakthrough for treatment of that 85% has only come in the past two years. Side effects, some extremely severe, plagued those trials for many years. She believed any benefits I might receive from the newer trials for my strain would be far overshadowed by potentially severe side effects. My best course of action would be to implement a series of CT scans every three months for the first couple years, moving to twice a year for a couple years, and then, if scans were still warranted, annually. My situation would be reevaluated after each scan.

It's not that "do nothing" option; but it allows me to continue living without ill side effects, while checking me out periodically. I've not been pronounced cured, but I am more hopeful for the future.

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