Scan and Test results.

 I haven't really written about my health issues since it all began but will be backtracking and adding in posts and hope to be able to have them in some kind of order if you would like to go back and read from the beginning. If the latter is true then just keep your eyes open for that post. 

 When this all began I wanted to keep an online journal here on my blog but things went so quickly even though at the time it didn't seem quick at all. I thought so many things would happen or I would have time for this or that but to my surprise, it didn't go quite like I would have liked it to. 

 For anyone just hoping on this rollercoaster, I call my life, Welcome, grab something to drink maybe even a snack. My name is Pamela, I have been married to my husband for 32 years and dating him for 33 years. We have 6 children. My son is 31, my daughter Samantha is 28, Bryan is 25, Nesie is 25, Deanna is 19, and Dorothy is 14. We also have 4 grandchildren 2 grandsons and 2 granddaughters. 

 I was adopted by my paternal Uncle and his wife. They are who I take about whenever I write about my parents if I talk about my biological then that will be the term I use while talking about them. My parents received me when I was two weeks old. 

 I hadn't been feeling well for quite some time (although to be honest I have been getting sick from the very day I was born). I kept losing strength and sleep was taking up most of my days and nights leaving me feeling even more tired. I knew something was wrong and when I found out I had diverticulitis we thought that was the answer but during a colonoscopy to check on my diverticulitis and at the time seeking a surgeon to remove my sigmoid from my colon they found a mass which they cut and removed which showed Cancer. 

 They were pretty sure they had it all and that I was at most stage 1 Colon Cancer but once they were able to do the Cancer Removal Surgery my results came back Stage 3 Colon Cancer. It had spread to my lymph nodes. As I said I am working on getting my notes from the last year or so together and adding them here so we are now going to take a big jump to now. 

 I finished my chemotherapy on July 21st. I had a few appointments after that date that will be added as I go along but we are going to keep our attention on my first set of scans and tests since then. 

 I had my colonoscopy in mid-September 2022. I have hemorrhoids, and my diverticulitis is still there, but where they did my surgery has healed well, and looks beautiful they said. My mammogram came back clean, but I am still waiting on the ultrasound they took of my ovaries. No news is good news, right? I see that Dr. later this month.

 I had my cat scans last Thursday. My Oncologists office called today to go over them with me. There is something on my thyroid (I already have hypothyroidism, and growth in the same area but not attached to the thyroid) that I didn't get the name of but will be confirming what action is needed next with my Primary Doctor who was given a copy of the scans. Called today but he had already left for the day so hope to hear from him by tomorrow. My oncologist is monitoring a few nodules on or in my lungs. Do forgive me I will update you when I know which it is. Instead of having a clear scan and being able to go another 6 months till my next scan I will be getting more scans in three months to check on my lungs.

 I had hoped to give everyone the all-clear for the next 6 months but it just isn't the case. I guess once you get Cancer you are always waiting for it to strike again. I didn't worry about it till I had it and now I can't shake the feeling of dread every time there is a test no matter how positive I try to be. I have a hard time sleeping and want to spend as much time with my family as I can. There is just never enough time to do it all. 

Today was a good day

 Today was a good day, I had breakfast, and a snack, and looking forward to dinner and dessert. Stuffed peppers, spaghetti, and Waldorf salad.

The mirage of an Oasis

 

Finally, they are letting me have clear liquids. Apple juice, water, and ginger ale.

Update: Shortly after they gave me liquids they took them back away someone made a mistake. So I am back to no solids or liquids only iv fluids, antibiotics, and the small sips of water to take any of the pill forms of medications that I am on. I can’t even chew gum because it stimulates my belly and colon. My mouth and throat are so dry.

At least I have lip balm to keep my lips moist. I had a very uncomfortable night but did get a few hours of sleep. The team and my Drs checked on me this morning they want the antibiotics to get a good hold before reintroducing liquids or solids so not sure how long this stay will be. Thank you to everyone for the calls, texts, comments, and prayers. They mean so much. Hugs

At a standstill

    Between homeschooling, family day, Narnia Night, and having my granddaughter over for the weekend, we have been super busy. Also, we were hit with a lot of information and are still sorting things out.

    First of all, when they find cancer they like to come up with a plan within the first 30 days. Because of my other health issues, it will take a bit more time to sort out. I have to get my Gynecologist to contact my Surgeon to see what his plan for the growth on my ovaries will be.

    When and if they cut me they want it to be once. My biopsies have been sent to a second pathologist for more testing. Also, I have to have more tests to make sure my cancer has not spread. They don't want to do anything with my diverticulitis right now unless it is an emergency and I was told I could eat anything as the seeds, nuts, etc are only a myth (so many doctors and patients disagree with this).

    We talked about weight loss surgery but we have kept food diaries in the past and I eat less than most people so my weight gain doesn't match my intake, so maybe more movement is needed which has gotten seriously less over the last 13 years due to pain from my fibromyalgia, back, and of course more weight gain from not moving as much. There just isn't an easy answer to all of this.

    To be quite honest it seems like we don't have all of the information we need yet. So until the doctor's talk, the results from the pathology come back, and I get more testing we are at a standstill. I am sorry I don't have any better news, my health issues just make it extremely hard for the doctors to come up with a plan to treat or medicate me.

    I hope to have more of an update in the coming weeks. I am scared, this isn't easy on me or my family. We are just praying and taking one day at a time, enjoying the time we have together, and finding joy in each day, until we can take the next step. Thank you to everyone who keeps asking how we are doing and for updates. Keep the prayers coming. Hugs.

Family Wall Art

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We have had this idea forever and it seems like others had the same idea as well. We wanted something for our walls that was personal and customized to just our family. What I wanted was to make our family names into a Scrabble like look on our walls. We couldn't find anything at the time to do this. My husband didn't want anything too heavy for the walls, and wanted to be able to re- position if ever we had to add a name in the future. He did a layout on Graph paper years ago, of course we had added quite a few names (we are now grand parents) since then so we are still a work in progress.

A company asked me if I wanted to review their product and I took one look and knew this is exactly what we need to do our project. I went with rounded corners as you can see above but they do have square corners and they have completely round tiles to choose from.  Each tile is 4 by 4 inches which is the right size we were looking for. They come with a sanding block and you can stain or paint them which ever way you would like too. These tiles are versatile, think coaster, art projects, ect. We are currently looking for the templates for the letters and numbers and we found a few options for hanging them on the wall. I have links to the tiles which will take you to all and to the options we came up for hanging tiles. 

We decided on 3 inch letters and 1/2 inch numbers, found them while putting this blog together for you. We have to order more tiles to  get all of our names done and work it out on our walls. We went from smooth walls to wood paneling. We rent so we have to deal with the walls we have at the moment. We live on a small income so we are still getting the supplies together to complete this but hope to get it up soon. Until then there are some inspirational pictures below to see just about how we would like to do ours. I hope you like this and hope to show you ours as we get it up. I am sure it will be years in the making for all of the extra bits around the letters but I am so excited we can finally make this happen.

Nitetime Badminton

How do you make a game of Badminton more fun? How about night time Badminton with some really cool LED Shuttlecocks. Oh Yeah! Super fun for the the whole family. 

Badminton used to be one of my favorite games to play when friends came over to our house. It was fun that is until sundown came and you couldn't see the shuttlecock anymore. 

I really like how it came with 4 for some reason I thought I was only going to get one. I must have read it wrong but sure enough there are 4 in a pack, 3 steady lights, and 1 that changes color. Anyone for a game of nighttime badminton? 

You can find the LED Shuttlecocks on Amazon.

~Enjoy playing badminton at night with these Ohuhu® LED Badminton Shuttlecocks!

Fesrures:
*4 x LED Feather Shuttlecock (Red, Green, Blue, and Color-changing) - Perfect for playing in the dark environment.
*LED lights installed in the back of the cork, with On/Off push button.
*Material: goose feather, feather, SMD lamps, electronic products.
*Cork ball head and each shuttlecock only weights about 6.7g/0.24oz.
*Economical shuttlecocks for beginners and amateurs.

Specifications:
-Package Dimensions: 7.3 x 2.5 x 2.5 inch
-Product Weight: 60g 

Package Includes:
-1 x Red LED Shuttlecock
-1 x Green LED Shuttlecock
-1 x Blue LED Shuttlecock
-1 x Color-changing LED Shuttlecock

#LEDBadmintonShuttlecock

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