Thoughts from the T-Shirt Lady

When I was going through chemo, I decided to create some pink ribbon designs as a way of saying thank you to all the people who helped me during my ordeal.

These designs have been in the works for quite awhile, since my treatments ended in December of 2006, and I’m just now getting them on-line at Sandi’s T’s. Oh well, better late than never :o)

The 2 designs that you see here, are created on either a purple tee shirt, or a white tee shirt. The fabric used in the heart has a pink ribbon theme, and I’ve appliqued a pink ribbon emblem on the shoulder as well.

You can see the unique designs here.

Oh, did I mention that you can order fabric covered button earrings to match these tee shirts?

These tee shirts are great for you to wear to show your pride in being a breast cancer survivor. Or give one to a friend who is undergoing the same thing! Want to be ready for the Relay for Life? Order and wear this tee shirt as you walk with other survivors. That’s what I’m going to be doing.

Last year, I was in North Dakota nursing my daughter back to health after cancer surgery. This year I will definitely be there!

Sandi

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In a previous post - I mentioned that I was going to have a ct scan to see something in my pelvic area. Well the results were a mass that was about the size of an orange or larger.

Things happened fairly quickly after that. I had an appt with a gyn oncologist - based on my history of cancer.  That appt was on the 5th of Feb.

I then had an appt with my oncologist - who is also my hematologist - since I have a blood clotting deficiency. That was on the 8th.

I needed to get plasma on the 11th, and then surgery on the 12th. So things were on a fast track.

Monday the 11th, I had to be on a liquid diet and included in that was 64oz of Gator-aide - with miralax. What a delight!

My plasma was supposed to start being given to me at noon. So off we trucked to the local hospital for that process.

The first thing they gave me was benedryl. Last time I got plasma, I developed hives. So the benedryl was supposed to prevent that. It also puts me to sleep.

I was scheduled for 4 units of plasma. The first went well. The 2nd unit was running a few minutes when the hives started showing up. So it was more benedryl, blood taken to see if there was a problem with the unit, and wait….. My hematologist decided to have me given hydrocordison (sp) and Tylenol. Then a new 2nd unit, and a 3rd were given. More benedryl and then the 4th unit. Then an hour wait to make sure that everything was fine. By this time, it is 9:30pm.

My dh picks me up - I get about 4 hours of sleep and then it’s off to the other hospital for the surgery. By this time, I am exhausted and starving.

Nurses and the anesthesiologist all try to use my right arm as a pin cushion as they try to find a vein that will work for the iv. It ends up being put in my foot. (I kept telling them to try that first!) You should see all the bruises on my right arm. My left arm can’t be used as I had lymph nodes taken out during the cancer surgery.

Had the surgery - the cyst was grapefruit sized. The procedure was a laproscopic one - tiny incisions that are already healing. It’s amazing what can be done!

The surgery was at 7:30am, and I was home by 1pm. Other than a little discomfort, I have not taken any pain meds and I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.

The results are that the cyst was benign - my ovaries and tubes were removed as well.

I still am not eating very much - one full day of liquids and another half day with no eating really shrinks your stomach. What a way to lose weight! 

Sandi

Just a quick note:

This morning, in a little while, I am going to the hospital to have a CT Scan.

Last Friday, I had my yearly GYN appt, and the doctor found something that needs to be looked at.

I had a hysterectomy in 1990 or 1991 - who can remember that far back. The surgeon left the ovaries in, and it’s possible that there is something attached.

So the CT Scan, then I go to a GYN Oncologist next week - due to my history of cancer. I will have to have surgery to see what’s going on, and to remove whatever it is.

This time, I will make sure that the surgeon removes the ovaries. If I’ve not been able to use them all this time - they stopped producing estrogen years ago - they don’t need to be in there any more! :o)

Will update you later.

Sandi

I can’t believe that Christmas is almost here. And to top it off - it’s been almost a month since my last post. Where has the time gone?

Not much has been going on this past month - and I really didn’t want to write some nonsense just to have something to post.

I went to the ocologist this past week for my 4th 3 month checkup - actually a year anniversary. Everything looked good, and I should be able to have the full results of the blood work sometime after Christmas. So I’ll post that when I get it.

My daughter had her last radiation treatment, has been to the surgeon for a check-up and starts her last 3 chemo treatments in January.

Our farm is winding down for the season. We have been selling collards, kale and turnips for the last couple of months - but that too is almost done. So now my dh will have to just figure out something else to do.

He hunts right now - but that ends the end of the month. Oh, well - he can start planning for his planting in the spring!!

I’ll try and post something after the holidays, just to let you know that I’m still here!

Sandi

Recently went to my oncologist for my 9 month checkup. Everything looks good, and the results of all the bloodwork is normal. As I mentioned before, I don’t stress about it. As long as I wake up each morning, I’ve been given another day. Some days I get so busy, that I don’t even think about cancer. Is that realistic? I think so - by not worrying about it - maybe it won’t come back. Of course - it might be too early to think about it returning. It’s not even been a year since the end of my treatments. My next appt is in Dec - for my 1 year checkup. Not sure if the next year is still 3 month checkups or 6. But we’ll just take it one day at a time!

Update on my daughter - her 3rd chemo treatment done, she went to the radiologist to get ready for her radiation treatments. A full body scan, and a consultation and she was ready. Started her radiation treatments last week - and seems to be doing fine with them so far. She’ll have daily treatments until Thanksgiving or so, go back to see the surgeon and have 3 more chemo treatments. She’s done very good thus far, so I have no doubt she will continue to have good results. And of course, she’s a trooper - working full time and not complaining! ok, maybe a little bit

I have been remiss in writing! A friend asked me if there was anything wrong. Was this ever a nudge to add to my blog…

My daughter’s 2nd chemo treatment was about the same as her first. She had the treatment around 10:30 am, started to feel a little shaky on the way home and promptly went to bed.

She woke up Saturday feeling fine - just like the first treatment. And Sunday was a wash - in bed all day, really struggling to get up to eat… again same as the first. By Tuesday she was back at work. What a trouper

She has even started back to bowling in a league. Good for her!

Her next treatment is the 14th of this month. If all goes true to form, she will be back on her feet early the next week. Then she waits a month while everything is getting set up to do radiation, and that will be for 6 weeks.

I am so glad that she is able to tolerate her chemo so well, and able to get on with her routine!

Sandi

Well, my daughter’s 2nd treatment is coming up tomorrow - instead of last Friday. I guess it has to do with the doctor’s schedule, since she has to see him the morning of the treatment.

We’ve been in touch every day, just to see how she is doing. Her hair started coming out, so like me, she had it buzz cut. She still has stubble and fusses about it, but it will all come out eventually.

She is doing fine at work, no problems. Of course this weekend, if it’s anything like the first treatment she will be in bed all Sunday and most of Monday. I hope that is the way it goes this time, and that she feels good enough to go back to work on Tuesday - since being at work gives her less time to stress over this.

Sent her my turbans - the ones I used when I was going through treatment. She also has a couple of stretchy caps that the clinic gave her to wear. She complained about her head being cold at night when she went to bed. Of course, I had the same problem and always wore a cap to bed.

Will try to write next week and let you know how she is doing.

Sandi

Recently, I had a phone call from my best friend in California, telling me that the doctors have discovered cancer in several places.

A little background - my father was a career navy man, so we as a family moved around a lot. I was born in California, moved away and then went back in 1961 - when I was in 9th grade. There I met a girl who was to become my best friend. We lived about 3 blocks from each other, went to the same high school, and walked to school every day.

Over the years, we have been in touch with each other during trying times as well as good times. I frequently went to California for work - and whenever I did, we made arrangements to get together for several days. It was great reliving old times and catching up!

Now to the present day - she was at work, and while there, she fell down and broke her femur. Once at the hospital, xrays were done, and the cancer was detected. What she has is Multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cell, which is an incurable but treatable disease. If not for the break…

She has been through surgery for the break, in rehab to learn how to move correctly, and help herself, and on to her sister’s home. My best friend’s house is 2 stories, and her sister’s is 1 - so it was best not to have to climb stairs.

She will have chemo and I think radiation too - we chat every so often, so she can bring me up to date with how she is doing.

I’ll have more as time goes on.

Sandi

Finally have some news for you. My daughter in North Dakota finally had her first treatment a little over a week ago (Friday, July 27th). She had gone to the hospital having been told that the treatment would take 24 hours so she would be in the hospital overnite.

When she got there - having been driven to the hospital - they told her it would be 3 days of treatments. She went home via taxi - packed a bag and drove herself back.

Again, she was told something different when she arrived - the treatment would only be 5 hours! What confusion….

Finally started at 3pm, and she was done and checked out of the hospital at 10:30pm. Drove herself home with no problems.

Talked with her on Saturday and she was fine. Called on Sunday and left a message. Didn’t hear from her until the afternoon - at which time she could barely talk, she was so tired. Her joints ached - as did mine at the time of my chemo with Taxol (which is part of what she is taking). Of course, my mother’s advise kicked in with - lots of fluid and plenty of protein to keep her strength up

Since then, I have spoken with her every day. Each day, she was feeling a little better. She went back to work on that Tuesday (much faster recovery then me - my DH said of course, she is so much younger than you…).

Her joint pain diminished as well so she is doing great! Her next treatment will be on the 17th of August, and she now knows what she can expect…. sort of.

Sandi