QuiltsnCats

 January 30, 2025 Day 17 Amazing day. I feel good. Machine sewed binding on a quiltlet needing one, worked on the woven heart pillow top for the swap, discovered Snowy had an ingrown toenail and needed to go to the vet, made dinner, baked muffins and toasted the tops. and caught DH cheating on his AA meetings.  Dinner was good; spirited chicken, kasha, broccoli. Muffins are ok even toasted. Dana's friends Jim and Tammy came to get the leather sewing machines. I got the potato chip quilt top sewed together. Put it in the pile of things to go to a guild meeting, whenever I get to go to one. Made labels as to which month they belong in. Finished the hand sewing on the quiltlet for the next small quilt club -- hope I can go. I'm really feeling cabin fever.  I want to go to the Folsom quilt show. The Potato Chip Quilt They said "Betcha you can't make just one" I say "Oh yeah? Watch me"

 January 28, 2025 Day 15 Miracles happen.  Yesterday I woke up feeling good.  I ate, I created a mess in the sewing room, I felt human again. Today was even better. I did some sewing, although my back gave me some trouble probably due to all the laying down I did last week.  It will probably get better the longer I'm up, I hope so as I've made the decision to brave the crowd and go to the Folsom quilt show this weekend. With all the guilds not having shows due to rising rents I'm afraid it will be the last one, and Folsom is my favorite.  I'll take the walker and wear a mask and probably take my own lunch to be safe but their food is always catered and always good.  In addition to having a wonderful show they have the best raffle baskets. Last year I won two, both cat themed. Speaking of cats, we had a bad cat year two years ago, losing 9 cats in one year. They were all old; between 15-18 years old, all beloved rescues. It was a really bad year as I also lo...

January 18, 2025 Day 5  The last day to take the prednisone, thank goodness. That stuff made my glucose go to 345. Fortunately it is down by the next morning but rather scary to see it that high.  Last night was the first day of the five shots. DH got the pleasure of jabbing me.  I don't have the nerve to do it to myself yet. I just stood there with my eyes scrunched shut and let him do it. I'm trying to keep a log of symptoms, side effects, etc. so I know what to expect when in the following 8 chemo cycles. Have some vertigo today so I'm keeping the peppermint inhaler and compazine nearby in case the dreaded nausea/vomiting arrives. I'm really hoping I can skip that part. I did an online CraftNapa class by Pati Fried about making vignettes.  One of my creations: Preserved leaf with acorn I'm trying to be productive as long as I can; this is my February project for my little quilt club: It's 11 " by 12" and made from my basket of one inch scrap strips

 January 14, 2023 Chemo Day It almost didn't happen. I spent Saturday and Sunday with horrible stomach pains. Finally about 3am it let up enough I could get a couple hours of sleep. Something must have showed up on my blood test Friday as they called about 5:30 Monday and wanted me to come in for another blood test. I was trying to find someone to tell me if I should postpone chemo but it was after hours and I called every number I could find and nobody knew nothing.  So we proceeded according to plan, got up at the ungodly (if you are retired) hour of 6am. I had a handful of pills to take with food, but I can't eat early in the morning.  I am a night person.  Mornings are not my friend, nor is any food before noon. I managed to get down some yogurt and 12 pills and we headed out, hoping they wouldn't send me home.  I was prepared with my chemo bag of everything I possibly could need and my new minky blankie.   They didn't send me home. I was settled into a...

 January 6, 2025 The Biopsy It didn't work. The doctors said it was a small target and it was hit or miss. It was a miss. I'm laying there in the cat scan machine while the doctor is doing his thing.I feel like coughing but try not to.  My mouth fills with liquid, I swallow. happens again. The nurse starts suctioning out my mouth.  "Well, that's it. We hit a vein." the doctor says it was just too small a target with too many blood veins near it.  I wish they had gone with the original plan of doing three cycles of chemo then checking it on the pet scan. This postponed chemo by a week.   My chemo guide Swapna calls me every couple of days with information on the various pills and stuff I'm supposed to take and about the chemo drugs. The chemo info she sent is 18 pages long. I like that she keeps in touch and gives me helpful hints, Blood test Friday.  She said I will have to have blood tests before every chemo visit.

 December 18, 2025 The Verdict. Finally, the visit with the haemotologist/oncologist. There was the good news, if cancer can ever be good news, the lymphoma is stage one and hasn't spread anywhere other than my neck. 6 to 8 cycles of chemo should take care of it.  Then the bad news. He scrolled down the pet scan to the lungs and pointed out a tiny spot in the middle of my left lung.  Not likely to be lymphoma but there isn't a clue what it is as of now. He's calling it stage four. That sounds scary.  I will be getting that biopsied on January 6. He wants to hold off on the chemo until he finds out exactly what it is so the chemo cocktail can be adjusted accordingly.  I like this doctor; he explains things well and anticipated almost every question I had.  Next step the chemo port installation in two days.

December 14, 2024 Eight years later....  We survived the pandemic, three of the orchid plants are miraculously still alive, my oldest daughter passed, my son is moving to Columbia  and Kipling crossed the Rainbow Bridge last year at the respectable age of 17.  I have quilted up a storm and have quilts piled in every closet and corner.  I have little cartiledge left in my wrists so must wear braces on both hands which is why there will be many typos in spite of proofreading. My days of typing 70 wpm are gone.  Life has been mostly good.  Until recently.  So now there will be the CANCER CHRONICLES. With occasional pictures of cats, quilts, and plants of course. It started last summer.  I thought I had a piece of grape peel stuck in my throat. I drank a lot of water, gargled with soda pop, but it wouldn't go away. It gave me a sore throat. I'm used to sore throats; I get them with my allergies. Fall arrived and my voice left. Laryngitis I thought but...