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 A blog of no uncertain musings. What goes on in my mind is often a source of wonder to me. |
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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....  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.... |
| I went to my Clinical Trials consultation Monday with a number of specific questions to ask. I’d heard about both horror and success stories that had come out of such trials, though the horror ones stuck with me. I wanted to be sure what I was getting into. A very good friend, Ms. B, whom I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, had gone through such treatments and offered some questions to ask. Sad to say, I didn’t get to ask these questions as I decided not to pursue the trials. But, I’d like to offer her list on the off-chance someone reading my blog might be faced with the option of undergoing clinical trials (or some other medical procedure) in their future. 1. Why should I consider a clinical trial? 2. What makes clinical trials better than alternative treatments? 3. Are other treatments available? 4. Is this a placebo-controlled trial? 5. Will my insurance cover the costs? Will I have other costs in the future? 6. How will treatments affect my every day life? 7. Will I have a primary contact throughout the trials? 8. Will all the doctors handling this treatment/case keep in contact with each other? 9. Will I be able to leave the trials before they are completed? 10. What specific reasons are allowed for leaving early? 11. How often would blood tests, scans, and other procedures happen? 12. How will the trial affect current medications I’m taking? 13. Will I need to be hospitalized at any time during the trials? 14. How long is the trial? 15. How long are individual sessions? 16. What would be my commitment after the trial is ended? 17. Will the results of the trial be made available to me? Substitute your procedure for 'clinical trials.' And, you may have additional questions for your specific circumstances. Best of luck with any medical endeavors. Drop me a note if these questions helped you out; I’d love to know. |
| 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. |
| Tomorrow's the day I meet with doctors from the University of Kansas Cancer Center for a consultation regarding my potential entry into a kidney cancer clinical trial. Since I have to arrive for check-in by 12:30 pm and it's a 3-hour plus drive to KC, I'll have to decide whether to do my morning walk or work on my daily WDC tasks. I have a streak going in both areas, and rushing to do both before leaving seems too much. Decisions, decisions. Since it'll be a long day, we'll stay the night at Jeanette's daughter's house in KC. Must remember to take my laptop. I'm off to jot down all the questions I've thought of to ask at the consultation. 142 Words "The Bard's Hall Contest" Tagging: StephBee and Ẃeβ࿚Ẃỉtcĥ Ladies, I'm sure you'll be glad this is my last entry for June. Thanks for spending time with me. |
| While I'm organizing my thoughts about that kitchen pamphlet, I thought I'd chat about a fund-raiser that Jeanette and I attended last night. Our local Kiwanis Club sponsored an event last night called Singo, which is a musical Bingo game. You may have heard of it, but we hadn't. Jeanette's son and his girlfriend had played before and invited us along. Held at our local micro-brewery, the venue featured great beer, and super sandwiches & pizza. Basically, you pay $40 for two cards (it IS a fund-raiser, after all)--one card features titles of 70's Retro music, the other card contains Party List songs. Each card allows for three games--one line, two lines and full card—each offering cash prizes. The emcee plays musical clips of songs from the card's era. If you have the title of the song being played, cross it off. It was awesome to hear close to a hundred folks all singing the songs as they were played. Sweet Caroline was sung with particular gusto. And I won $50 for crossing off ALL the song titles of the 70’s Retro card. I had to tell everyone that 70’s music is NOT retro—it just IS the best decade for music. With good friends and family, Singo was a singularly great time. |
| Author’s Note: This and my previous entry, "So, You Want a New Kitchen" , were written about just one facet of my life primarily for my family. I included them just to establish some measure of expertise in the arena of remodeling or replacing an existing kitchen. My last day in the Army was 31 Aug,1992. The next day marked my first official day in business. From a more than adequate monthly paycheck with benefits and vacation to no paycheck on the horizon and no benefits of any kind. I just knew I wanted to work with my hands building something from the ground up. We were lucky though; well, I did plan ahead. We had a nest egg to help us survive while the business grew. I cashed in 60 days of leave when I left the Army, worth two months of my Major’s salary, and because I took advantage of an Early Out Program after the First Gulf War, I received a lump sum severance from the Army. That would last us about a year after paying some bills. Even with that, the road ahead looked daunting. The lack of capital is the primary reason a small business fails in the first year. While I had that part under control, I knew we had an uphill climb. It wasn’t until I walked downstairs to the garage the next morning that the gravity of the situation hit me. I looked around my two-car garage turned shop and saw a few hand tools on a bench, some lumber I’d purchased stacked along a wall, and one 12-year-old Shopsmith. I remember thinking two things: this seems like a lot of space for a shop, and what the hell was I doing? My answer to both things--I had NO idea. Over the coming weeks, I finished outfitting the shop with additional tools I would need along with storage racks and pegboard on the walls. And I did a lot of reading—about business principles, woodworking plans, and IRS pamphlets from the library about setting up a business. It was three weeks before I made any sawdust. Once I did, there was no going back. My first set of custom-made kitchen cabinets happened in a most unusual way. I was approaching the end of my second year in business, and picking up supplies at a local lumber center where I met my insurance agent’s husband. He was the manager at the center. His wife had told him I did woodworking, and since they were completely remodeling their house, asked me to give him an estimate for some new kitchen cabinets. I was surprised as the center sold kitchen cabinets. I’d been trying to get into making cabinetry for months. Talk about getting thrown into the deep end to learn to swim. I’d read books on the subject, and I could see how NOT to make cabinets from the ones in my kitchen. But I was woefully unprepared for the financial end of building and the techniques for installing a kitchen. I mean, a cabinet is just a box with a door on the front. Right? Measuring and designing the kitchen was the easy part; preparing the estimate was not. Using graph paper, I sketched out the kitchen, as well as the individual cabinets to be sure I bought enough material to complete the job. In 1994, I was still using a DOS-based computer, and if any CAD software existed, it was way out of my price range. So, long-hand it was. Actually, I learned pretty quickly how to complete an estimate. That first one took almost a week to complete, though in fairness I checked a lot of resources to be sure I included everything I needed. The problem was, I wasn’t building anything while I was preparing those estimates. Within a year I was down to a long day’s worth of drawing and figuring. In mid-1996, I was contacted by a smaller contractor who was scheduled to build ten homes in a new development over the following two years. To date, I’d only dealt with the homeowner for their cabinetry. The contractor’s usual cabinet-maker had some health issues and was unable to handle the projects. I signed up for the first two as a trial run for us both, and because I was still working out of my garage. Things would have to change on several fronts to handle this much work. Change I did. First, biting the bullet, I purchased some proprietary CAD software that provided both drawings and estimates in as little as three hours (once I learned the software, of course). The software, called Cabnetware, set me back $6500.00, which included a technician who installed the DOS based software and set up all the parameters that told the software how to draw the cabinet diagrams. For example, did each cabinet have a face frame with a raised panel door on the front of the frame, or inset (flush) with that frame? Sounds complex, huh? It took that technician more than 11 hours to input all the parameters needed to generate the drawings. And he knew what he was doing. But I quickly learned how to use the software. Next, I would need specialized woodworking equipment to reduce my construction time. Again fortune favored me. I found a three-day woodworking conference with displays of different equipment and materials available, as well as seminars on woodworking techniques and equipment use. I found just what I needed—two pieces of equipment that reduced my construction time of an average kitchen of 16 to 18 base and upper cabinets from three months to three weeks. By myself. Installation time was extra. Finally, I would need to find a commercial building for constructing, finishing and storing completed cabinets. My garage had no place for storing finished kitchens. And now, I was ready for installation before the contractor was ready for me. By the end of the 90’s decade, I had designed, constructed, finished and installed 26 kitchens with two-thirds of the kitchens in new construction housing versus replacing kitchens in an existing house. By the time I retired 25 years later, I’d completed more than 300 kitchens, many with bathroom cabinetry, plus another 300 or more major projects including entertainment centers, closet systems, garage storage, pantry storage, bookcase systems, laundry room cabinets, and bedroom suites. Several banks and commercial businesses in the area use my cabinetry and counters. My motto was “If it’s in wood, I can build it!” When I re-read these numbers, they seemed low. But then, add a couple thousand small projects such as frames for stained glass, tables, desks, replacement counters, gift items, and so much more over these years. Christmas used to be particularly troublesome for me. Folks would wait until the last minute to ask for this gift or that to be made in time for Christmas. They would blow right through my published deadlines. I hated to say no, but finally realized my sanity trumped the insensitivity of waiting until the last minute. All the above validates my knowledge about what works in a kitchen and what doesn’t. I don’t claim to know everything … but I believe there’s little I haven’t seen or tried. Sorry for my wordiness, but trying to cram 33 years into this space has been a labor (of love). If you’ve stuck with me this long, hold fast. The how’s and why’s of a replacement kitchen is coming. |
A little over a week ago, one of my day's accomplishments was purchasing a Prime Rib roast in honor of my daughter's family's visit. Our tradition is that whether we visit them or they us, I pay for a Prime Rib and my son-in-law graciously and expertly cooks it. My wife took pictures of the before and the during (the actual cooking of said item). But I got the important pic: John is a true artist when cooking a Prime Rib. He maintains a spreadsheet with data on all the roasts he's cooked over the past ten years or so, and that's three or four a year. It is an all day experience to watch him work. The roast sits for at least three hours after coming out of the refrigerator where it's been aging in cheesecloth for the past five days. Before cooking, he tracks the temperature of the roast just under the surface and again in the interior as it approaches room temperature. He uses two digital thermometers to track these temps, as well as the meat temperatures every 15 minutes during cooking. There's much more to his technique, but you get the gist. When John discovered my wife grows her own rosemary in her herb garden, he decided to add her fresh rosemary, roasted in the oven ahead of time and finely chopped, to his own dry-rub spices mix. An excellent addition I have to say. The proof of his diligence is in the tasting. Much, much better than any restaurant effort I've even tasted. Also, a tradition--of sorts--is we've never paid full price for a Prime Rib roast. The last three times we visited my daughter, she ordered the roast, and the butcher or store messed up the order each time. Once we paid half price for their mistake; another time she received a 33% discount. The third time, John tried to pay for the roast at the self-checkout, which was rejected. Turns out there is a $100 limit per item according to the guy monitoring the counter. Before John could head for the full check-out, the guy over-rode the cost, setting it at $99, a savings of almost $80. In our case, the butcher gave us a Choice prime rib, which we didn't notice until we got home. It had taken two days for this to come in at the butchers, which was a 40-minute drive one-way from home. So we had to wait another two days for a true prime Prime Rib to come in and drive back up to get it. For our inconvenience, he charged the Choice cost, or $3.50/lb less, saving us almost $50. Every little bit helps. It was a true feast celebrated with family. |
| I consider myself to be extremely blessed for the care I've received so far and the anticipated care to come. A few days ago, I received four things in the mail regarding my medical situation. The first was the approval letter for my referral for a consultation for possible cancer clinical trials. I guess this is my approval to meet for the approval to enter the trials appropriate for my specific type of cancer. That meeting is scheduled next week at the University of Kansas Cancer Center in Kansas City. The next item was a very nice full color Patient Resource Guide. I'm sure the guide is designed to make a prospective patient feel welcome. It certainly did for me. The information contained within put a few fears at ease. After all, this consultation may determine some or all of my treatment for the coming year. The guide even provided a list of questions to ask the doctor, some of which I hadn't thought about. The third item was the approval from the VA to pay for any care I received from the Univ. of Kansas. One load off my mind. Finally, I received a genetic testing kit from the VA to determine if my form of cancer might be hereditary. I recently had a video consultation with the VA on that subject. I was concerned that my children and other relatives might be at risk. They offered me a choice for a blood draw or nasal swab with both tests having the same effectiveness. Obviously, my dislike of needles prompted the latter test. I'm pretty sure my cancer is not hereditary ... but better safe than sorry. And my walks continue, although the feels-like temperature this morning at 7:30 am was already 83. But I think our major heat has moved on to the east coast and northeast US. |
| To date, I’ve completed 2242 reviews. Two-thirds of those reviews were completed within the first four years of my membership. Like many members, life’s events determine one’s participation here. It ebbs and flows. In my case, a divorce, a re-marriage, a business that bloomed and other events that consumed my personal time took precedence over WDC. Blasphemy, you say. Necessary, I say. Still, I missed the camaraderie of members I “grew” up with on site. Some of those folks disappeared or went dormant like me for a period of time. New members came and stepped up with their participation. While I never really stopped coming, I did step back. My hiatus from reviewing tells my story. In my Notepad, I have a page on which I’ve listed all my accomplishment and achievements, and when they occurred—promotions, activities that are tracked on one’s Community tab, every 100 qualified reviews, and so on. Honestly, that list helps keep me focused on maintaining my participation on WDC. The list also tells me how important reviewing was to me in my early days. As a Newbie (my first six months), I completed approximately 700 qualified reviews. I’d completed 1400 within my first four years. Then I slowed way down, completing fewer than 100 reviews during the next eight years. But I believe the quality of my reviews remained high, having received half of my Reviewing MBs in those four years. The remainder of my 63 Reviewing MBs were awarded in the past four years. In the immortal words of Will Sonnett, “No brag; just fact.”1 I’m trying to point out that we all have lives and WDC ranks at some level on the spectrum—sometimes higher; sometimes lower. Life affords me the opportunity at present to have a higher participation factor. I really missed the site during my middle membership years. I checked in daily, posting in some Help files and completing an occasional review. But I missed the interaction and camaraderie. That’s what brought me back. And I’m here to stay. Do you have ups and downs in your WDC participation? What brought you back? 1 A favored mantra from The Guns of Will Sonnett, an American Western television series set in the 1870s that was broadcast in color on the ABC television network from 1967 to 1969, starring Walter Brennan. |
I’m doing an experiment--a reviewing experiment. I’m trying to find out if and where I might land on the Most Credited Reviewer list by completing just one review each day for one calendar month. Normally, I would do anywhere from one to four reviews in a day, with at least one per day. If I had time, I would do two or three more reviews on any given day. For a while I was doing between 30 and 60 reviews a month. The award for those on the Most Credited Reviewer list is the Reviewing Merit Badge, which is given monthly by Writing.Com Support to the top 100 reviewers based on criteria cited below. This explanation is taken from the page header for Most Credited Reviewer: Most Credited Reviewers are found by tabulating the Public Reviewing Credits of our members and ranking them. Ranking is determined by combining the credits earned and the Reviewer Influence of those awarding Gift Points. Our Top Reviewers List consists of the most active and influential Public Reviewers on Writing.Com. For more information on this process, please see "Reviewing Credits" and "Reviewing @ Writing.Com" .I believe reviewing is a very important tenet of Writing.Com, along with writing and general membership participation. Awards for the latter two facets can be found in entering contests, the daily Achievement awards, and personal recognition from other members. Tomorrow, I'll add a little history of my participation on WDC as a nostalgic look back to how I got here today. |
| We have a cat. Like millions of homes across the world, we have a cat who fancies us as subjects. I've mentioned before that my wife loves cats. She really hates not having one in the house. Our last cat disappeared while we were on vacation in March (long story there). And this one was to be temporary until her grandson moved into his apartment at college. I don't know who decided temporary was to be permanent ... but it wasn't me. Anyway, Cheeto (no, he is not an orange cat; and no, I don't know why that name was chosen) now resides with us. He's a nice enough cat. And though he was an outdoor cat as a kitten, when grandson took him to college, he was domesticated indoors. And this is where we came in as guardians. Cheeto, like all his brethren, displays a remarkable disdain toward his human ... I was going to say masters. But that's obviously incorrect. Staying indoors requires a litterbox, which we keep in the attached garage. There is a small animal door in the garage door for Cheeto to use when he needs the litterbox. While he will use that door to come back in, he will NOT use it to go out. Thus, he sits by the door wailing to go out. Did I mention that I really don't care for cats? New development. Cheeto has spent the last two nights outside. We noticed his increased interest in the outside from his continued meowing at the screen doors and open windows. Jeanette let him out on the back deck as she tended to her herb garden. Normally a very cautious cat when confronted with something new, he bolted off the deck finding refuge under the shed. No amount of coaxing would entice him from his new lodging. Since he still had his claws, Jeanette took pity on me and said I wouldn't have to go under the shed to get him. I just smiled and said nothing, knowing that no Executive Order nor Congressional bill would force me under that shed. So, Cheeto spent his first overnight outdoors. Hunger must have forced him to reconsider the house as he was waiting to come inside when I went out for my walk yesterday and again this morning. He went straight for his food. I actually thought that a bit strange as Cheeto is an accomplished mouse catcher, having rid the house and garage of no fewer than eight mice since mid-April. If we could only teach him to catch moles. Still, I can't fault him for catching and killing mice but not eating them. I couldn't imagine them much of a delicacy.  So, akin to throwing someone in the pool to learn how to swim, Jeanette is letting Cheeto out for the night to learn the ways of the wild. We'll see how this works out. For now, Cheeto is still using the litterbox. Which reminds me--I have to tell Jeanette the litterbox needs cleaning. |
| I read "Life's Writing Seasons" , today's entry from Charity Marie - <3's Blog. Her blog got me thinking about how my writing journey has developed. Perhaps those seasons DO exist. Until High School, my writing efforts consisted of the minimum to get by in the classroom and homework. I was an average student, and didn't do much to improve that status. Until High School. I discovered Social Studies, AKA History. I developed a penchant for research and writing papers. Not exactly the stories, essays and poems which 'litter' my Port today. But I did begin getting A's on my research papers, which translated to A's in History. Too bad math didn't allow long-hand papers for homework. The discovery of writing for myself didn't happen until my fifth year of college. Yep, took me five years ... well, nine semesters actually. I changed my major three times my freshman year, starting out as a Geology major (one department, one advisor). But for some reason they required Calculus. I barely survived Algebra--I was not math oriented. So, I switched to Architecture (a new advisor with another department). That didn't work out either, finally switching to History with a minor in Political Science (a third advisor in a third department). I figured my research abilities would hold me in good stead here. Unfortunately, all that department AND course changing resulted in me missing the required Freshman English course. I had signed up for a course in Interpersonal Communications, which I thought would satisfy the English requirement. Years later when the powers that be reviewed my transcript for graduation purposes, they discovered the missing course. I tried to take a summer English course, but it had been filled. I decided to work over the Fall Semester and take English in the Spring. That decision sparked a change in my life that would set me on an entirely new direction in life (and a story for another time). And the English course I took also ignited the passion I still hold for writing. That course was essentially a guide to writing essays. Google the types of essays and you'll find at least a dozen varieties of essays; argumentative, narrative, expository and opinion essays were a few of the styles taught in my class. I still enjoy writing (and reviewing) essays today. Graduating after that fifth year, I entered the US Army's Corps of Engineers and was sent to West Germany. I learned an entirely different style of writing--efficiency reports, terrain reports and memorandum writing. The Cold War standoff was in full swing with a still highly charged border between NATO forces and the OPFOR (Opposing Forces) of the East Germans and the Soviets in 1978. I loved my time in Europe. But writing took a back seat to photography for the next three years. I took literally thousands of color slides, and prints of both black and white and color, for personal use and military duties. As a First Lieutenant and the Intelligence Officer (S2) for a divisional combat engineer battalion, I would take slides of the terrain where training exercises would take place and give terrain briefings to commander and platoon leaders in advance of the exercise. To save time, I learned how to develop both slides and prints, a talent I had to let go when I moved back to the states and started a family. One bathroom with four women in the household is not conducive to maintaining a darkroom. And that is about the same time the Army decided to cut such amenities and services for soldiers and families as darkrooms and woodshops. After one such briefing on a divisional-level exercise, my battalion commander (Lieutenant Colonel) ▼ invited the Division Commander (Major General) to watch my briefing. Apparently the general was so impressed he turned to his G2 Intelligence Officer (Colonel) and asked why he didn't give such briefings. I remember slinking down in my seat thinking I just embarrassed an officer four levels higher than I was. Fortunately, all turned out well. A high point was selling an article to The Engineer Magazine about a particularly pertinent engineering topic while stationed there; however, my social writing was non-existent. I got out of the Army to begin my woodworking business in 1992, spending all my time growing my business. Writing took a back seat until 1998 when I moved the business out of my garage and into a commercial place. I began writing stories in earnest shortly after by writing early in the morning before I opened for business. That's how I discovered my creative period for writing was early morning. A number of the scrap pages I still keep came from these early days. In the late 90's and early 00's, I started sharing stories with folks I found on sites such as Yahoo Messenger and AOL via email. Yahoo began a social site called 360 in 2005, which really increased my writing and exposure to others. But even that site was winding down after just a few years, encouraging me to find an alternate place to post. That place was Writing.Com in 2008. To this day, I'm not sure why I never looked for other sites for my writing. But, I have never looked back since finding WDC; neither has my love for writing. And so the journey continues.... |
| While I was on my walk this morning, the thought of what I accomplished yesterday came to mind. I reached for the small tablet and pen I always carry, only to find I don't always carry them. As I know that I will soon forget those things I remembered I did yesterday (because my mind moves ever forward; because I've convinced myself something doesn't happen unless I write it down; and because I'm old), I started reciting the points I could remember along to the classical music I listen to as I walk. I must say, not all classical music is conducive for such recitations. At any rate, I was successful enough that I was able to jot down the following things upon my return.  Kept my exercise streak alive with a 31-minute brisk walk first thing. Kept my WDC daily Achievement streak going into day 52. Ordered a true Prime Rib roast for my oldest daughter's pending two-week family visit here this coming weekend. Her husband is able to come for the first week but would have to leave for business early. Husband will prepare the Prime Rib (WILLINGLY, I might add) which is better than ANY Prime Rib I've ever had in a restaurant. Yes, I shamelessly asked J. if he would cook for us, and he agreed. This wasn't easy; we had to call four places to find a Prime Rib. Mailed our registration and deposit check for a trip to Ireland in May 2026. Helped my wife tie up here tomato plants, which is a huge concession as I dislike gardening intensely.  Scheduled a consultation appointment before the end of June for possible clinical trials at the University of Kansas Health System Cancer Center.Indeed, they seem smallish in nature. But I'm retired, so anything I accomplish is a good thing. |
| Yesterday it rained here ... all day. Normally that wouldn't bother me. I'd just stay inside, perhaps listening to the rain (and the thunder) through the screens and reading. Or I'd write on my laptop, and begin organizing those scraps I alluded to a few days ago. I even finally filed all the paid bills. With a title like the one for this entry today, a reader on WDC might surmise the streak to which I refer would be the five daily Achievement tasks. And you would be right--as of today my streak is 52. But I have another streak, somewhat related to my surgery on 17 April. Part of my recovery requires some exercise. Currently, that exercise is walking. My doctors suggested I walk three or four days a week for the first six months. They didn't give me a distance or time limit. But I imposed that--minimum of 30 minutes per day, five days per week. Yesterday it stopped raining about 7:30pm and I was able to complete my 50th consecutive day of walking. Two things I noticed from yesterday's walk. Eventually, I'll have to walk in the rain to maintain that streak. (Never liked walking nor running in the rain, a carryover from being forced to do so in the Army, I guess.) And the humidity last night, probably due to the rain, during last night's walk was pretty extreme. With summer coming, high humidity will be a factor. Most of my life I've been a runner. I wasn't competitive ... but I enjoyed running, especially in the high heat and humidity. I'm here to tell you that a surgery like I had really takes a toll on my exercise regimen. That humidity last night kicked my butt. But I have a streak going. Suck it up, Jace, and keep pushing forward. |
| Many of my blog entries over the past few months have chronicled my journey with kidney cancer. This one follows that journey but represents a departure ... no, that's not quite right. It signifies a change in direction about how I'm handling the treatment going forward. Some background, courtesy of my appointment with Oncology yesterday. I was scheduled for my first immunotherapy (IT) treatment yesterday. That process is a series of events and meetings beginning with a blood draw checking for various things, but most of all to ensure my condition hasn't changed enough to warrant a different course of treatment. Apparently my kidney function is some 10% lower than optimal--which is understandable since I only have one remaining kidney. Dr. P, my Oncologist, says it's nothing to be concerned with presently. Just keep drinking lots of water to flush that little bugger out (my words, not hers). On the other hand, that's easy for her to say as I've never been much of a water drinker, preferring sweet tea and soda. The latter is definitely a no-no. The next step is the meeting with Dr. P., followed by the actual IT treatment. The entire process should take about three hours. Add the four-hour total drive and it's a long day. The meeting portion is what changed my direction. Dr. P. presented me with three options for the future: Opt 1: Complete the immunotherapy treatments with CT scans for the next year. Opt 2: Find and enroll in a Clinical Trial engaged is my specific strain of kidney cancer. Opt 3: Do nothing--no treatments at all, though CT scans would be done every six months. By the numbers, I'll begin in reverse order. Option 3 is not as dismissive as it sounds. My specific cancer is a non clear-cell Renal Carcinoma cancer (papillary type). Sounds impressive, huh? And there are some numbers that further identifies my cancer, but you get the point. The bottom line is two-fold: All post operative test results indicate the surgeon removed all the cancer. Of course, there is a chance (probably a good chance) that some microscopic cancer cells remain. But them growing would take time with expectations that the scans would reveal them, thus potentially changing my treatment direction again. And the current IT treatments for kidney cancer currently use a drug called pembrolizumab, also known as Keytruda. That keynote trial did not include my specific cancer type. Thus, there's little or no data to support any positive effect of the IT treatments for me. Option 2: Clinical Trials would provide the most effective treatments as they would be geared toward my specific type of cancer. Having been re-classified as Stage 3, I'm eligible for them. But being enrolled in one is still not assured. I have found two trials--one in St Louis, the other in Kansas City. the first would be closer to home (only 2.5 hrs. away but right up I-44); the other is 4.5 hrs. away, but without an easy way to get there. The advantage of KC is my wife's daughter lives there, allowing for an overnight stay. Since I don't know any particulars regarding the trials, specifically how long any treatments would take, having available lodging is a distinct advantage. Option 1: Taking the already scheduled IT treatments would provide some piece of mind that I am taking steps to combat (or suppress) the cancer discovered within. Notwithstanding the fact that there's no real evidence that the immunotherapy drug being used is effective against my cancer type, this option seems like a fallback position. Even taking one treatment might disqualify me from participating in the Clinical Trials. Not much up-side here. All things considered, I've decided to pursue option 2. My doctor will place the required consult request to Kansas City. I should hear something within a week whether or not I can meet with them. Even if accepted, it may take a month for the vetting process to be completed. My doctor stated with my current health status based on the CT scan last week, this should present no problem for me to wait. Until then, I forge ahead. |
Several events have conspired against me posting this entry in a timely manner. It was meant to be posted before I left for my doctors' appointments.  Today is my first immunotherapy (IT) treatment. Their drug of choice is Pembrolizumab. Or, more popularly known as Keytruda if you watch any TV commercials. These treatments and the subsequent scans I will have over the coming year will determine the actual success of the surgery that removed both a fist-sized tumor and my right kidney. The treatments are to happen every six weeks with CT Scans to determine the IT's efficacy every three months. At least, I don't have to take any pills (can't remember the name)--they would present more side effects than the IT treatments. Gonna be a busy year medically. Of course, I continue to fulfill my retirement duties--writing (and organizing), photography (and organizing), travel (should probably be number one since it will generate issue from both items listed initially), with a little woodworking on the side. Oh yes, and living! |
| At this past Christmas, my wife and I received a card from all four of my kids with money and a note to enjoy a Bed & Breakfast treat at our convenience. With all that has happened over the past five months, we put that trip off until this week. We stayed in a B&B called The Amber House in Rocheport, Missouri, located along the Katy Trail. A small and very picturesque community, Rocheport acts as one of many Trail Heads along the trail. This year the town is celebrating their 200th Anniversary. A true Bed & Breakfast, the owners offer many complimentary amenities, including home-made cookies, a refrigerator stocked with free drinks, and a true home-made gourmet breakfast. We've found that since the pandemic, many so-called B&B's no longer offer breakfast. Before you check in, ask if breakfast is served. We've stayed at more than a dozen B&B's in Missouri and consider The Amber House our favorite. We stayed here twice. Our first visit coincided with a fair. While we weren't so lucky this time, there was still lots to do, including a hike along the trail. The town has several galleries and studios, a quaint Mercantile shop, a museum, and several great places to eat dinner. We enjoyed brick-oven pizza and bourbon-infused BBQ sauce meatballs with pretzel bites at the Rocheport Winery. Yes, the wine was great too. Don't pass up a hike or bike ride along this section of the Katy Trail. From BikeKatyTrail.com: The Katy Trail is a 239-mile (386 km) trail stretching across most of the state of Missouri. Over half the trail's length follows Lewis and Clark's path up the Missouri River, where you can ride beneath towering river bluffs while eagles circle overhead. After leaving the river, the trail meanders through peaceful farmland and small-town Americana. Don't forget to take time in your busy lives for a one- or two-day getaway to revitalize your over-worked lives. We do something like this every other month. Honestly, this really helps keep ouu relationship energized. Try it; you'll like it. |
| Yesterday I had a CT scan of my abdomen in order for the doctor to compare my before-surgery scan done on 13 March with my current status after surgery. That meeting will take place next Thursday. I came out of the scan more confused about the reason for the scan. If the doctors want an apples-to-apples comparison, shouldn't I have had the same kind of scan? Instead, this time I was required to drink a Barium smoothie, ostensibly to enhance the scanning procedure. By the way, the powers that be may call that drink a 'smoothie' in an effort to make it more palatable. But they failed. Some finer points about drinking the smoothie. I'm supposed to drink it at least four hours before my scan, which they were 45 minutes late in doing. If one's scan is in the afternoon, you drink the mix in the morning; if the scan is in the morning, you drink it the night before. And the instructions tell you to drink the smoothie at room temperature. I drank mine about six hours before. My first scan in March did not require the Barium smoothie--just an IV port for some meds that were supposed to enhance the images. So I figured no IV port this time. I was wrong. I got both. Did I mention I really hate needles? And not only did I have to take the smoothie once, but they made me drink another one while they were installing my IV port. Apparently, after six hours most of the smoothie was in my colon; they wanted something a bit more upper-level for scanning purposes. I wondered what happens to the poor souls who drink it the night before. Oh, and the second smoothie came right out of the refrigerator, which was much more palatable to drink. Coulda told me that before. Before I left, on the advice of a good friend who's undergoing cancer treatments, I got copies of all the image testing I've had to date on a CD. I knew my laptop didn't have a CD player, but I thought my wife's older laptop did. Wrong. Guess I'll have to hook up my old desktop PC to look at the images. Something to do after I write my Noticing Newbies newsletter this afternoon. |
| The enormity of my present situation is beginning to sink in. I say 'beginning' because I'm a stubborn old coot who has to learn his lessons the hard way, to wit, repeatedly. Yesterday being Monday, I increased the length of my daily walk by another five minutes. Doesn't seem like much, but I'm feeling the difference today. Add to that, helping my grandson-in-law moving out of our house to his college apartment. I didn't do any of the heavy lifting when loading the trailer. But all the twisting, turning, sliding items, and tying them down apparently takes a toll. I finished the day by burning all the accumulated cardboard we had been storing in the burn pit. I'm sure throwing some logs on the fire to keep it going didn't help. Bottom line is I woke up with a pain in my side--the same side my one remaining kidney lies. My first thought was I injured that lone kidney. Then I thought since the pain is toward the front, I feel the issue is not with my kidney. My nurse daughter-in-law keeps reminding me the kidneys are situated toward the back of one's body, and more likely my recovering stomach muscles are the culprits. Still, I really need to remind myself that I can't continue doing all those things I took for granted. On the plus side, my wife and I are looking ahead. Her college sponsors tours for alumni every other year. We were scheduled for an Alaska cruise when the 2020 pandemic threw a wrench into things. The tour next year is Ireland, a place we've been wanting to visit for at least ten years. The college's Acapella Choir is performing along the way, an added benefit for her as she sang with them while in college. We sent a deposit in yesterday. I better start pacing myself. |
| This morning, a couple men from my wife's church are meeting to move the upright piano out of the choir balcony. Using the stairs are out of the question as they are not wide enough and there's a 90-deg turn at the bottom. So, it's remove the railing and over the edge it goes. They are renting a lift. And my wife wants me to help out. I'm thinking that moving a piano was not on my surgeon's mind when he lifted my restrictions earlier this week. Come to think of it--it might be fun to watch. |
| Two days ago, my surgeon lifted my surgical recovery restrictions ... officially, that is. Yesterday, being my first full day of freedom, I embraced the lifting fully. After all it's been six weeks--forty-two days. He DID say six to eight months for full recovery. I guess I overlooked that part. I returned to all the things I used to do. My wife wanted to use the hot tub, so I removed the top and replaced it when she was finished as before. Helping to clean up the kitchen after dinner, I put away the air fryer, which must weight 25 lbs. I cleaned the riding mower deck (we do have a chain lift to help raise the front end), and I raised my walking distance from a mile to a mile and a half. A pretty normal day for me in the past. I woke up this morning ... pretty sore. I decided to use the hot tub for these tired muscles. Even showering today was a real chore. You really take using your arms for granted. Yep, today is a television day. Query: How many reading this blog have had a situation whereby physical restrictions were placed on you for a period of time. and when they were lifted, throw caution to the wind and jump fully into everyday doings? |
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