World Cancer Day

Today is World Cancer Day.  You can find more information about this at http://www.worldcancerday.org/.  The key areas of focus are healthy lifestyles to prevent cancer, early detection, open access to quality treatment, and quality of life for those with cancer.

I am so happy that I live relatively close to Duke Cancer Institute, a nationally ranked comprehensive cancer center.  They are actively involved in research to improve cancer detection and treatment and I am happy to participate in clinical trials to help with this research.  The care I receive from Duke is exemplary and I can't imagine getting better treatment at other centers.

I may have cancer, but it does not have me.  I am going to continue to live my life to the fullest extent possible.  I leave Friday morning to go on a cruise with friends and family and I am busy planning other fun activities in my life.  Cancer has changed my life, but I have not allowed it to take over my life.

Long Time, No Post

It's been a while since I last posted.  I have been struggling with Sinusitis.  I have been totally miserable.  It seems that the colder it gets, the worse I feel.  I hope this clears up when I drive to Florida on Friday to go on my cruise.  I'd hate to feel sick and miserable on the cruise.

The weekend was made even worse because of the chemo on Friday.  I don't think I did anything all day Saturday.  I know Mike must get tired of me whining about feeling miserable.  But I am feeling a bit better today. The nausea has gone away and I am just dealing with the Sinusitis now.

Here is the stitching I have accomplished since my last post - not much considering the amount of time that has passed.

Circe the Sorceress:

Edwardian Garden Party

The Nativity

Chemo is No Fun

I had my biweekly treatment with Avastin today.  It took them multiple tries to get an IV started.  Again!  My veins have gotten so tiny with the cold weather that they blow out easily.  I will have some pretty bruises tomorrow.  Oh well, they finally got the IV started and I got my treatment.  It took longer to get the IV started than it did to deliver the Avastin.

I fell asleep in the car on the way home and then took a nice long nap.  I don't know what is so tiring about sitting around all day, but I always come home from Duke completely exhausted.  It will take me the weekend to recover.

My new laptop still hasn't shipped.  I wonder when they will ship it to me.  I want instant gratification, but I also want what I want.  My only choice to get the laptop I really wanted was to order it online.  So now I sit waiting for them to ship it.  :( 


I did get a little stitching done on Circe between last night and this evening.  Here is the progress picture.

Tomorrow, I will work on my SAL piece.

I am a Survivor

This little graphic says it all.  I've been through a lot over the last two years, including surgery, radiation, brachytherapy, two types of chemotherapy, and now a clinical trial.  There have been times when I have wondered if it was worth it.  But I'm still here and I'm still fighting.  I will continue the fight to the end. 

In October, 2013, my doctor told me I probably had at most a year to live.  It's now been 15 months and I'm still here.  And feeling better than I did back then.  The cancer may eventually take my life, but it has a major fight ahead of it.

Long day at Duke

Today was a long day at Duke.  It started with labwork followed by a CT scan, an echocardiogram, a doctor's visit, and then treatment with Avastin.  Considering that it takes over an hour to get to Duke, that makes for a very long day.

The good news is that the CT scan and the echo showed no change.  None of my tumors have gotten larger and there are no new tumors.  My heart is still nice and strong.  So I can continue taking treatment.  Each month of treatment with no increase to the cancer prolongs my life by a month and that is good.

I did get a little stitching on Zinnia when I got home.  Here is what she looks like now...

I just need to finish her wing and all the beads and she will be done.  Maybe next week.