Today is nearing the end of the first day of the New Year of 2017.
Health-wise it has been relatively quiet.
In mid-October he decided to reduce the amount of Midodrine he is taking. Midodrine helps to increase his blood pressure. He has been taking 3 pills three times a day. Now he takes 2 pills three times a day. He has had infrequent episodes of shortness of breath, but he does not relate it to the decreased amount of Midodrine. But I always take note of it when he mentions it or I notice he is breathing harder.
Jim had two doctors visits in December.
... lab work followed by a physical at Dr. Butler's office was Dec. 13 - results were good. His weight, fully clothed, added a pound, so he checked in at 139.6 pounds. His blood pressure continues to waiver - 84/60. Thyroid remains normal. Labs showed no abnormalities.
... a CT scan of his chest was ordered by his cancer surgeon, Dr. Parekh. It was done Dec. 13 at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids.
... a visit to Dr. Brooks, his rheumatologist, was Dec. 21. He finished his 5-year plan on Reclast, a once-a-year IV regimen for osteoporosis, last year, so this year the doctor decided two shots annually would be the plan. Insurance approved it, and Jim had the first shot Dec. 28.
... bone density scan was Friday morning, Dec. 23.
Ministries
We continue meeting with friends and members of the church Jim served at in Wilton as interim pastor (1-year through the end of August 2016), keeping up-to-date with news and sharing Scripture and prayer with each other. Sometimes we get together for a meal or a movie too and always lots of visiting.
Since the last Sunday of November we have started serving as "interim" for the interim pastor who is recovering from back surgery at Lincoln Street Baptist Church, a small church in Mount Pleasant.
We have a new website that we have named Glorify GOD Ministries. GOD stands for Go His Way, Obey His Commands, Do His Will ... Glorify His Name. That is our goal. We both liked the name, so I put something together. You can look at it here: http://glorifygodministries.blogspot.com/ It includes Jim's sermons since March, links to my blogs, his resume, contact information, about us, how to be saved.
We are considering the possibility of incorporating Bible study with our visiting and have ordered a book on "Hearing God in Conversation: How to Recognize His Voice Everywhere" to review.
House Work - indoors, outdoors
Jim felt well enough to start cleaning the basement in mid-October. We have talked for more than a year about cleaning out the area underneath the stairs and putting a lot of our Christmas stuff in there. So he started and finished in relatively quick order. The things he found were interesting to both of us, but a lot of stuff was pitched.
He mowed the yard himself much of the summer and when Christina and the boys came over to rake leaves this fall, he mowed and mulched the yard.
One day in mid-November when the temperature was comfortable, he put up our outdoor Christmas decorations and decorated the lamp post. He took them down today without any problems.
It has been an eventful and sometimes troublesome 2016.
But now the slate is wiped clean and a new year begins.
Showing posts with label Dr. Parekh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dr. Parekh. Show all posts
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Thursday, October 6, 2016
And on we go ...
The day after Jim's visit (Sept. 12) to St. Luke's ER he still had blood in the stool, but on the following day, Sept. 14, it was clear. Hallelujah! On that same day he also had an appointment with his primary, Dr. Butler, who determined more labs were unnecessary. Blood pressure still remained on the low side - for the nurse it read 70/40 and for the doctor it was 88/40. Dr. Butler requested a followup visit with Dr. Gerke in Gastroenterology at UIHC.
On Sept. 15, we received an email from Dr. Parekh's nurse, Joan Ricks-Mcgillen, who noted the CT scan done July 6 at St. Luke's - Cedar Rapids shows no recurrence of esophageal cancer. Great News! Another CT scan of chest will be done in late December.
Although we are no longer the pastor at Wilton Baptist Church, we continue to minister to its members, many of whom have become lifelong friends. We attended the last WBC Senior Day of the year on Sept. 27 and were blessed with visiting with so many we hadn't seen for nearly a month. Sometimes 4 weeks seems like forever! Pastor Appreciation Day is Oct. 16 and we plan to also attend those activities.
On Wednesday, Oct. 5, Jim had an appointment with Dr. Gerke in Iowa City re: the rectal bleeding Sept. 12. His weight is 137 pounds, blood pressure is 102/56 (good!) and temperature is 97.3. The doctor said he could have an internal hemorrhoid, but not necessarily - a rectal exam would not give an accurate picture - so recommends nothing be done unless another bleeding episode occurs.
Today - Oct. 6, Jim had an 8 a.m. appointment with Dr. Hoxie at PCI Urology - Cedar Rapids.
The ER visit Sept. 12 revealed:
On Sept. 15, we received an email from Dr. Parekh's nurse, Joan Ricks-Mcgillen, who noted the CT scan done July 6 at St. Luke's - Cedar Rapids shows no recurrence of esophageal cancer. Great News! Another CT scan of chest will be done in late December.
Although we are no longer the pastor at Wilton Baptist Church, we continue to minister to its members, many of whom have become lifelong friends. We attended the last WBC Senior Day of the year on Sept. 27 and were blessed with visiting with so many we hadn't seen for nearly a month. Sometimes 4 weeks seems like forever! Pastor Appreciation Day is Oct. 16 and we plan to also attend those activities.
On Wednesday, Oct. 5, Jim had an appointment with Dr. Gerke in Iowa City re: the rectal bleeding Sept. 12. His weight is 137 pounds, blood pressure is 102/56 (good!) and temperature is 97.3. The doctor said he could have an internal hemorrhoid, but not necessarily - a rectal exam would not give an accurate picture - so recommends nothing be done unless another bleeding episode occurs.
Today - Oct. 6, Jim had an 8 a.m. appointment with Dr. Hoxie at PCI Urology - Cedar Rapids.
The ER visit Sept. 12 revealed:
- portion of right urinary bladder distended, recommends cystoscopy
- mild increased dilation of distal common bile duct in the pancreas, measuring 8 mm in diameter compared to 5 mm a year ago. IF there is concern of biliary pathology, a right upper quadrant ultrasound would be recommended.
Jim returned from the appointment at 9. The doctor did a scope and said everything was fine. Dr. Hoxie said sometimes CT scans indicate things are abnormal, when they really aren't.
Thank you Lord for every miracle.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Mostly good news at 1-year followup visit
Today was Jim's one-year follow-up visit with cancer surgeon, Dr. Parekh, at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.
Although the news was not completely 100 percent great, for the most part it was.
His weight has gone up and down in the past six months. Currently it is 133 pounds fully dressed. On his last visit to Dr. Parekh in November of last year, he weighed a couple of pounds less.
Blood pressure is up some at 92 /51.
Results of CT scan of his chest shows some patchiness on his left lung. The doctor thinks it could be aspiration where food or drink goes down the wrong tube. He wants another CT scan done in three months. Jim will have that done in August at St. Luke's Hospital here in Cedar Rapids.
If the second CT scan shows improvement then Jim will come back in a year for continual followup. If the CT scan shows infection or inflammation a PET scan will be scheduled.
We are reminded to run the race with endurance with our focus on Jesus. If we keep our thoughts on Him and thank Him for what comes, then we cannot feel sorry for ourselves. We covet your prayers to achive that.
Although the news was not completely 100 percent great, for the most part it was.
His weight has gone up and down in the past six months. Currently it is 133 pounds fully dressed. On his last visit to Dr. Parekh in November of last year, he weighed a couple of pounds less.
Blood pressure is up some at 92 /51.
Results of CT scan of his chest shows some patchiness on his left lung. The doctor thinks it could be aspiration where food or drink goes down the wrong tube. He wants another CT scan done in three months. Jim will have that done in August at St. Luke's Hospital here in Cedar Rapids.
If the second CT scan shows improvement then Jim will come back in a year for continual followup. If the CT scan shows infection or inflammation a PET scan will be scheduled.
We are reminded to run the race with endurance with our focus on Jesus. If we keep our thoughts on Him and thank Him for what comes, then we cannot feel sorry for ourselves. We covet your prayers to achive that.
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
One-year anniversary May 12 / followup visit with surgeon May 25
The last time I updated The Race was 3 months ago, on Feb. 15. At that time, Jim had gained a little weight at 138 pounds, blood pressure was on the low side at 80/54 and he was slightly anemic. He was to come back in April to see his primary care doctor, but because of other things, the appointment was rescheduled for June 6.
The only doctors he has seen in the past 3 months are the dentist and the podiatrist. A year has passed since his esophageal cancer surgery May 12, 2015. He will have a one-year follow-up on May 25 - a chest CT scan and then a visit with Dr. Parekh at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
The days since have been busy and for the most part Jim has been feeling good. Tiredness sets in after doing too much, but then that's a common complaint for all of us. He continues to take Midodrine to increase his blood pressure. Sometimes he gets a little light-headed and I attribute it to not taking the medicine regularly. He is doing better at remembering to take it three times a day.
He continues to serve as interim pastor at Wilton Baptist Church, fulfilling pastoral duties there three times a week. He and I enjoy serving there, being among the members, visiting and working to meet their needs and finding ways to enable church growth. At the beginning of March we started recording his sermons and putting them on the church website (www.wbc2002.com). You can access them there under sermons or go to http://www.podcasts.com/wilton-iowa-baptist-church-8cb59301a which should give you multiple sermon links too.
We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary April 27 with a reception open house on the 30th at Immanuel Baptist. Outdoors it was cold and rainy, but fortunately, we were inside. It was nice to see family and friends old and new, but was sorry for those unable to come. God answered our prayer for the lilacs to be in bloom, so that was a nice touch. Artificial flowers just aren’t near as pretty and definitely not fraqrant.
On May 7, when I was reviewing "The Race" events of the past year, I wrote the following article.
I was thinking about The Race To Run With Endurance.
It's not just about health, but also our whole life is a race. Keep going. Persevere. Push past every pain, every struggle.
God set us apart to be different, to show the world His Way, His Truth, His Life.
If we're not showing His Way and delivering His Truth, then we most certainly are not living as He.
We have succumbed to a lower power to whom we have bestowed more greatness than the God of the universe and The Son who died to set us all free. We have given Satan free reign over our lives and he will never bring us to gloryland. He will control us. We will hear and believe every negative. We will live and die in bondage. We will forget to whom we truly belong. We will think the lust of the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of our thoughts and wants and desires are what is important; are all that matters.
Satan is the destroyer - one person at a time. He has destroyed many.
Will he, is he destroying you too?
God allows events to unfold. God gives us each free will. The choices we make now will determine the outcome of future events.
Remember His love
Turn Back - Turn Around
Before the hour gets later
Before there is no time
Don't be a statistic ...
Be a glimmer
a glimmer of light amidst the darkness
"To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet unto the way of peace." ~ Luke 1:79 NKJV
The only doctors he has seen in the past 3 months are the dentist and the podiatrist. A year has passed since his esophageal cancer surgery May 12, 2015. He will have a one-year follow-up on May 25 - a chest CT scan and then a visit with Dr. Parekh at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
The days since have been busy and for the most part Jim has been feeling good. Tiredness sets in after doing too much, but then that's a common complaint for all of us. He continues to take Midodrine to increase his blood pressure. Sometimes he gets a little light-headed and I attribute it to not taking the medicine regularly. He is doing better at remembering to take it three times a day.
He continues to serve as interim pastor at Wilton Baptist Church, fulfilling pastoral duties there three times a week. He and I enjoy serving there, being among the members, visiting and working to meet their needs and finding ways to enable church growth. At the beginning of March we started recording his sermons and putting them on the church website (www.wbc2002.com). You can access them there under sermons or go to http://www.podcasts.com/wilton-iowa-baptist-church-8cb59301a which should give you multiple sermon links too.
We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary April 27 with a reception open house on the 30th at Immanuel Baptist. Outdoors it was cold and rainy, but fortunately, we were inside. It was nice to see family and friends old and new, but was sorry for those unable to come. God answered our prayer for the lilacs to be in bloom, so that was a nice touch. Artificial flowers just aren’t near as pretty and definitely not fraqrant.
On May 7, when I was reviewing "The Race" events of the past year, I wrote the following article.
"Be a glimmer"
The Scripture for "The Race" was taken from Hebrews 12:1-2a, which says, "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."I was thinking about The Race To Run With Endurance.
It's not just about health, but also our whole life is a race. Keep going. Persevere. Push past every pain, every struggle.
God set us apart to be different, to show the world His Way, His Truth, His Life.
If we're not showing His Way and delivering His Truth, then we most certainly are not living as He.
We have succumbed to a lower power to whom we have bestowed more greatness than the God of the universe and The Son who died to set us all free. We have given Satan free reign over our lives and he will never bring us to gloryland. He will control us. We will hear and believe every negative. We will live and die in bondage. We will forget to whom we truly belong. We will think the lust of the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of our thoughts and wants and desires are what is important; are all that matters.
Satan is the destroyer - one person at a time. He has destroyed many.
Will he, is he destroying you too?
God allows events to unfold. God gives us each free will. The choices we make now will determine the outcome of future events.
Remember His love
Turn Back - Turn Around
Before the hour gets later
Before there is no time
Don't be a statistic ...
Be a glimmer
a glimmer of light amidst the darkness
"To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet unto the way of peace." ~ Luke 1:79 NKJV
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