Asking for your help

1. The next time you're in a group or at work, look around at the people. 
2. Look at the women now.
3. COUNT the women in the room now.
4. Now look back at them and realize that ONE IN EIGHT of them will get                                                       breast cancer in their lifetime!!!
    
Scarey, isn't it?  Will it be you, or your best friend, mother, sister?

I know I've been missing for a long time!  I've been healing and working in the garden.

Most of you know I'm a breast cancer SURVIVOR and then had a botched surgery last fall that kept me in bed for 7 months.  But that's now over....history... and now I feel up to trying to walk in the 2012 Making Strides Against  Breast Cancer 5K Walk!  It is in Springfield, MO. on Saturday, October 20th at 9:00 a.m.  If you are local, I'd like to invite you to walk with me!  If not, please go to my webpage and make a donation.  No amount is too small!
  

  




The link to my personal page is

http://main.acsevents.org/goto/SheriDeMate

I've been walking with little Jimmie Dean, but I'm afraid I have a ways to go to walk 3.1 miles~that's what a 5K Really is!  They did tell me that they have markers on the way to tell you how far you've been, in case you need to turn around and go back to the starting point!  And they even have people that will pick you up if you find you can't make it all the way.  OMG I hope that's not me!  So far Mickey and my BFF Angie are walking with me.  

PROMISE I'll start blogging again!!  Really!  I'm doing some interesting stuff!

Thank you in advance for your contribution to a huge cause. Remember One out of Eight!!        

Here's the link  http://main.acsevents.org/goto/SheriDeMate
                   or click  My webpage to go directly to website!
Peace,
Sheri

Making some progress on antique rug and

the mat for Jimmie Dean's little chair that sits at the front door so he can see out!

First, here's the antique adaptation.  It measures 19" by 42" and there's really not that much more to do.  Just sit down and Do It!!!

I think this shot depicts the colors the best.

Very muted from my usual color palette.   (That's why I think I totally lost interest in it right in the middle of the rug.  When we hooked at JoLynn's a couple of weekends ago, it was my intention to get all the red diamonds hooked around the border.  That made it seem like there's not so much more!  Just fill in some lines now~~~LOL.

And this little mat for J.D. has been what I've been doing while I lost interest in the big star rug!  He sits on this little chair every day and watches the children walking to and from school.  I think he likes his little mat!

Had some not so good health news over the weekend.  I spent all of Saturday night in the ER.  I had seen my MD two weeks earlier for what I thought was asthma.  He gave me an inhaler and it did nothing.  So my radiation oncologist said her husband is a pulmonary specialist and sent me to his office that very minute!  He gave another inhaler, which also didn't help.  That was last Wednesday.  Well, by Saturday afternoon I Could Not Breathe and told Mick to take me to the Urgent Care Clinic.  They did tests that showed a suspected pulmonary embolism (from the surgery)  He said go to the ER immediately!  Your husband can drive you~I don't think you need an ambulance!  Scared the shit out of me!!!  Got to the ER and thank God I was expedited and didn't have to sit in the waiting room with sick babies that don't have health insurance~~~totally another story,  don't get me started on that.  But that's just not right for a mother to have to go there to get treatment for her sick child...

The ER physician comes in and checks the EKG and chest x-rays from the place I had just come from and suggested "congestive heart failure" especially since my breathing was almost impossible when I tried to lay down.  He explained that the left side of my heart showed damage and inflammation~~~ probably from the chemotherapy!!!!

He called my oncologist who said it Was Not from chemo, it was from radiation.  The ER doc was ready to admit me and start running all the heart tests and hook me up with a cardiologist.  Looking back, I wish that's what had happened.

He did, in the hospital start an IV with Lasix and Prednisone to try to get rid of some of the fluid on my lungs.  Then prescribed Prednisone for eight days.  I dread that.  Last time I took it I gained 20 pounds overnight and it took over a year to get it off.  Guess that's the least of my troubles right now though.

Yesterday I saw both oncologists/ the regular one and the radiation one.  Boy are they protective of their special fields of medicine!!!  Again the radiation doctor said it wasn't possible to have any heart damage from only 10 treatments (which makes since to me) but the regular oncologist keeps saying the chemo I took doesn't cause heart problems.  WRONG..... Now I should have known better than this because before I could have the chemo I had to have a MUGA(sp) test to make sure my heart could handle these drugs.  (This is what Tammy does all day in her job in nuclear medicine).  Of course me being me, I came home and read every thing I could find out about the drugs I received.

1. Adriamycin: side effects:  COMMON:

Damage to the heart with the symptoms of:

swelling of the hands and ankles 

shortness of breath

difficulty breathing

2. Cytoxan: side effects: Rare

Damage to the heart muscle.  Symptoms include difficulty breathing, swelling of the legs and feet and tiring easily.

I was supposed to have a radiation treatment today, but just can't do it right now.  Although the RA Dr. PROMISED ME this wasn't the problem.  Yesterday she said, "do you want this cancer to come back?  Then march down that hall and get your treatment!"  Which I DID!!!  But I just couldn't do it today.  How are you gonna know what's the right thing to do?  I will always question myself now.  what if.....what if...

Good news~~~This Thursday at 4:00 p.m. I am scheduled for an ECHO cardiogram.  This will answer all the questions about my heart.  Even congestive heart failure can be treated with medicine and the breast cancer is gone! Please send out some positive vibes my way!  I truly believe in  Prayer and Positive Thinking.  And I promise to keep you guys informed.

Peace and love,

Sheri

 

Springfield Hook-in

Yesterday was the 2nd annual hook-in at the Lake Springfield Boat House.  What a great day!!!  Great weather, great food, and great friends.  I was so glad I was able to go this year.  With the surgery I wasn’t sure I’d be able to.  But I did.  I stayed all day AND I kept my hair on all day!!!

Carolyn Snyder of Cricket Street Wool was selling some beautiful applique patterns and beautiful hand dyed wool. (www.cricketstreetwool.com)

I bought this snowman runner pattern.  Like I need another thing to do…

 Tammy and me hard at work!

Tammy has more pictures over on her blog~  www.skiptomyewe.blogspot.com.

Here are a few pictures of rugs and their hookers.  I’m sorry I can’t remember everyone’s name.  

Dulcy just starting a tea cozy from Karen Kahle. I’m sure she’ll be posting some pics on her blog too. www.dulcysdoorstep.blogspot.com

 

I’ll post more pictures this week.

It’s going to be a busy one.  I am going to start radiation the first week of May and I have two Dr. appointments this week to get ready for that.  (Looks like it’s going to be a long summer too.)

Hopefully when the radiation is over I can get back to my “normal life”!  Those who know me well wouldn’t call me normal!!

Peace to all,

Sheri

 

Chemo is FINISHED!!!

It is such a relief and a huge milestone on my journey with cancer treatment and survival.  In one month I will meet with the surgeon to discuss the mastectomy.  I have so many questions for him.  Number one being, can he do the reconstruction surgery at the same time even if I need radiation treatment?  I’ve heard you might have to wait for six months to a year if you do the rad’s.  I’ve decided I want to have an implant in the one they will remove and also an implant on the “good” one~to make it match the new one and be perky too!!!  Hey, might as well make the most of a terrible situation, right?

When I was first diagnosed my sister wanted to buy some pink bracelets and give them to our friends to wear.  I told her No Way…None of that pink crap!!!  Do you have any idea how much of this stuff is out there?  And where does the money really go?  One website proudly proclaimed that they give 1% of their profits to breast cancer research.  WOW…1%.

Here are a few needless things I found while surfing this evening

pink ribbon headphones!

pink ribbon candles

     

pink ribbon bracelets 

pink ribbon sandals

pink ribbon candy dish!

pink ribbon onsies

for the baby!

And finally a pink ribbon watch!

Like I said, what do you think they do with all the money from these products?  And this is just a Small sample of the things for sale.  Somebody’s getting rich. 

I did go to the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks   today after chemo and bought 10 of these rubber bracelets to give away!!!  For some reason they didn’t seem so bad. (Or maybe they are  still really bad and I was just feeling victorious!) They read Beacon of Hope and bcfo.org.

And yesterday I sketched a little mat with Jimmie Dean sitting on his little green chair.  Hooked a little on it today at the hospital.  I’m hand cutting all the wool for it and it’s fun so far!  Will show you when I have a bit more finished.

It’s so nice to read all of your kind, friendly and loving comments.  thank you.

Peace,

Sheri

I’m CLUELESS!

And Dulcy is my HERO! Last summer she asked Tammy and me if we would like to do a rug show at The Moxie Cinema. A unique movie theatre in our upscale downtown area. We were both thrilled and said yes immediately. She said the show would be in Feb. 2010. Oh how life changes when you’re not looking. I didn’t have any CLUE that I would be knee deep in chemo. Nor did Tammy have a CLUE that the night before the big show she would come down with food poisoning! Enter Dulcy and her husband Jim. Jim is a professional photographer and they have many years experience “hanging” shows. But I’m sure they didn’t have any CLUE that they would be doing it all by themselves this morning. We feel so bad about it too. I talked to Tammy a minute ago on the phone. I did remind her of what Dulcy told me yesterday. That we would gladly do it for her if the circumstances were different. And it made me feel much better. Of course we would. And think nothing of it! She promised to take lots of pictures and Mickey and I plan to go see a movie over the weekend.

I was going to show you the rugs I am displaying……BUT my pictures app won’t work!

So in closing I wanted to tell you that have been asking how I’ve been feeling that honestly I’ve been run over by the chemo truck. Been in bed for 10 days. It’s the weakness and shortness of breath that’s keeping me in bed. If I get up and walk around my heart just pounds and my arms and legs feel like they weigh 100 lbs!!! Only ONE MORE to go though. My last chemo will be Feb. 16th!!!! Then surgery hopefully by the end of March. Then the dreaded radiation. I had my calendar out yesterday and I think I’ll be finished with all treatment and all patched up by the end of June for sure!! It will be here before I know it.

Keep sending your prayers and positive vibes my way. They’re working. I know this because I’m still smiling through all of this! Thank you.

Hopefully I can show pictures of the rug show soon!

It’s good to talk to you again!

Peace,

Sheri

I’m still here! Just a little slower than before!!!

First I want to share with you the gifts I have received from the two swaps I entered.  The first one was Deena’s Jingle for the  cure.  It came from my new friend Lea from Arkansas. Here was just inside the box.   Mind you, this is supposed to be an ornament swap.  Not to her!

She mailed me two handmade ornies~both beautiful.  

Everyone's favorite, chocolate!

Some warm fuzzy socks.  Two pair, so my little tootsies don’t get cold.

     

And my favorite.  A shabby sheep she made from the last piece of an antique wool blanket she had been keeping in an antique trunk in the basement.  Lea said she had been saving it for something, just didn’t know what!  Until she saw that I was Shabby Sheep!  then she says she knew!  Isn’t that the sweetest sentiment?  I have her on my mantle with all of my old Santa's.  Thank you again, Lea.  Like I said, they were all good tears!

Then Laura from Got Three Bags Wool, got my name in the Wool Snippets swap.  She also totally went overboard with her giving!!!

First, this darling hooked pin.  (I’ve always loved black sheep for some reason)

This great hooking/ditty bag.

  

Another pin, this one wooden!  And adorable.

And the greatest for last! This BEAUTIFUL hooked angel mat!  I cried when I opened her.  It’s just so special.  Ever since this cancer diagnosis, my mom and I have been collecting all things angelic.  And this fits on the box on my coffee table like it was made to go there!  Thank you so much, Laura.

We had a hooking~Christmas party at Dulcy’s house last night.  I’ll show you the picks from that tomorrow!   We had a great time, eating, drinking and hooking!

Peace, Sheri

 

Drop Cloth Draperies

I think they look just like linen! These are cotton painters dropcloths. Measuring five feet by nine feet. I purchased each "panel" at Lowe's. About $10.00 each. Then I machine washed and dried them on hot and ironed the "valance". I did this by folding over 13 inches on all of the panels. (with the pretty hemmed side facing front). For the hem, I merely snipped a piece and tore it across!



Clip them onto your drapery rings and VOILA, LINEN DRAPERIES!!! OK some of you with linen draperies are saying I need to get my eyes checked, but I can still have my wallet checked too! I did the living room ~ 2 windows and dining room ~ 1 window, for $30.00!!! I think I'll still add one more to the dining room for fullness.

Been doing a few crafty things. I got out my Fimo clay. (Which my friends knowingly told me to take out of my garage sale stuff to sell) and whipped up some breast cancer jewelry. Ford has a new campaign with "WARRIOR" as the theme for the pink fight. I like it. Sounds tough. Then I made a necklace, the same clay minus the white highlighted letters that says F%@K CANCER! Blazing crude and vulgar~but I like it! You'll just have to use your imagination to see it!

And later this morning I'm going to load up all the scarves and hats and take them to the St. Johns Chub O'Reilly Cancer Center, here in Springfield, MO. The nurses have already told me they'll have to set up a new place to display and distribute them! I'll call them first and let them know I'm coming! That makes me so proud! Proud of YOU!!! Thank you. We have a very nice start!!! (Maybe I should go to work for PBS or somewhere like that!)

I'm also thinking of extending my challenge to Wanda Kerr's THE WELCOME MAT. I think you may need an invitation to join the group, but let me know and I'll gladly "get you in". It's a huge group of rug hookers and fiber artists from all over the world! You probably recognize Wanda's name from Rug Hooking Magazine and the great dyeing recipes she contributes each issue.
And in closing, here's a picture of the progress I'm making on my Antique Star rug.



I'm moving right along~between the nausea and extreme arm fatigue. So Glad I have something to escape to, though. I can't imagine just Sitting here staring at that black box you call a TV. It seems like such a waste of LIFE!

Have a great week!
Peace,
Sheri