BLOG.SHLLSTER.COM

Old pics

2010-07-25T19:43:00Z

These are old pictures taken when Dan was out visting. Hard to tell us apart when i'm bald. All is well, I should be getting scans done in August or September to see how things are going. This week i've got friends coming in from California that i went to school and played softball with at Yavapai College. Some i havent see in 30 years, so it should be a hoot. I'll post some pics of that when we get back from Prescott. Hope everyone is well.
P.S. Hi to Bea and Leroy, thanks for the cute cards i appreciate them, hope all is well in Lompoc!!!

Bro Dans visit

2010-07-10T17:48:00Z

Brother Dan was out for a weeks visit and we had a really good time. My parents came down and Dan and my Mom took me to chemo Thursday, July 1st, and then we went up to Payson for a couple of days. Dr. Cavalcant said i'm in remission and to keep doing what i'm doing. We spent alot of time in the pool and squeezed in a Diamondbacks game on the 5th. It went by way too fast!

I hope everyone is happy and healthy!

Shelly

Mammo and ultra sound

2010-06-27T18:03:00Z

Hi all, i went for a diagnostic mammogram and ultra sound last week and the doctor said he cant even tell where the cancer was. "Marked improvement" was the diagnosis. So at this time I am cancer free, which is always nice to hear. I should be having my 3 month scans done in July and i'll keep you posted as to the results.

Gotta few things coming up I'm really looking forward to. My brother Dan is flying in on Wednesday for a week so i'm taking some time off to hang with him. Then at the end of July we are having a small Yavapai reunion of sorts. Several of us that played softball together back in the early 80's at Yavapai are getting together. That should be a hoot!

So i'll keep ya posted, hope everyone is well!

Shelly

Luminaries

2010-05-22T00:44:00Z

A big heart felt thanks go out to Jodie Pilkenton and Erik Barriga who made up some Luminaries in my honor at the Relay for Life. Jodie did hers in Lompoc, Ca. And Erik displayed his at Tumbleweed Park in Chandler a couple of weekends ago. Thanks to both of you it is deeply appreciated!!

Also, my Port surgery was a success on Tuesday. I had chemo on Thursday and the chemo nurses were elated to learn i have a port now. Now they dont have to dread seeing me walk in and flip a coin as to who will get stuck trying to start an elusive IV.

Hope everyone is healthy and happy!

Shelly

Port

2010-05-19T20:48:00Z

Hi all, yesterday i had a Porta-Cath put in at Banner Desert Hospital. They placed the port in my chest yesterday morning and said it was successful. Tomorrow at chemo will be the true test. This should save time and pain trying to start an IV on crappy veins. Yesterday was painful after surgery but i feel much better today. Just wanted to keep everyone updated.

I had some friends here and in California donate some luminaris at 2 different Relay for Life events in my honor. When I get all the picures I will post them up here for everyone to see. They all turned out really cool.

Hope everyone is well,

Shelly

Heating pads

2010-05-12T12:01:43Z

Just want to send out a great big Thank You to my Aunt Linda and her 2 friends Andi and Sally!! My Aunt Linda has been selling my Moms heating pads at work and donated the money towards my medical bills. Her 2 friends have been selling them like hot cakes. Thank you all for your hard work it is greatly appreciated and helps out immmensely!!

Thanks again,

Shelly

Portacath

2010-05-05T22:55:00Z

Howdy everyone, today i went and consulted with a surgeon about having a port put in. She was recommended by Dr. Cavalcant and her name is Dr. Cashman. Getting an IV started has been extremely painful and time consuming because my veins are shot from all the chemo and blood draws. So, on the 18th Dr. Cashman will insert a port in my chest. A portacath is a small medical appliance installed beneath the skin. A catheter connects the port to a vein. Under the skin, the port has a septum through which drugs can be injected and blood samples can be drawn. The port is inserted in the upper chest, right side, below the collar bone. Having this port will save alot of time in the chemo room and getting my scans done as well.

Also, i havent been feeling well for the past few weeks and i think i'm finally getting some strength back. My appetite seems to be returning and i was able to do some chores after work today. Hopefully things will return to normal soon cuz its been a LONG month of fatigue.

Hope all is well with all of you!

Shelly

Dan escorted me to chemo last month.

Scan results

2010-04-30T21:42:00Z

Hi everyone, My Mom and i went and saw Dr. Cavalcant yesterday. He walked in with a smile on his face which is always a good sign. He said the results from the MRI and PETscan were very good. There is a small spot on my lung and a small spot on my Lumbar region. Both have been there since the beginning. So nothing has grown which is great. I've been extremely tired lately and have no appetite. He said he's not surprised because my bodies been thru alot lately. Hard core chemo, radiation, and now back to chemo. I thought for sure we were going to hear bad news based on how tired i've been since my brother left a few weeks ago. He was very pleased with the results so thats a good thing. Also, i asked about getting a port put in and he's going to hook me up with a surgeon to get that done. Fighting to get an IV in has become too time consuming and very painful. All my veins are shot and run when they see the chemo nurses in the vicinity. So its all good news on my end. Hope everyone is well!!

Shelly

Dr. visits and Dan visit

2010-04-15T22:07:00Z

Hi everyone, hope all is well. Things have been very busy in my neck of the woods lately. I saw Dr. Taylor last Monday and i asked how long it will take to see hair on my head...he said "weeks and weeks". Not the answer i was looking for. Then last Thursday my brother Dan flew in for 5 days. He took me to chemo on Thursday. We saw Dr. Cavalcant who said i will be on Herceptin indefinitely. We were there for 3 and half hours, Long day at the doctors office. On top of that I had a reaction to chemo and it was miserable. For over 2 hours i had the eebie-jeebies, the chills, couldn't get comfortable. The nurses thought it was from Benadryl but i'm convinced it was the herceptin. As soon as the herceptin was done things went back to normal. At any rate i hope i dont have that to look forward to every 3 weeks. Next Wednesday i have an MRI of the brain and a PETscan scheduled at Banner Desert to see how the radiation therapy went and scan for cancer. Hopefully the radiation took care of it.

Dan flew in to help me do some home improvements. We put in 4 big windows in 2 days. The next couple of days we tore out the carpet, foam, tack strips and base boards in the front room and replaced it with Schon wood flooring and it turned out fantastic!! The wood is called Brazilian Koa and its very impressive looking wood. Dan did a hell of a lot of work while he was here and its much appreciated!!! It was good to hang with him, we got alot done in a short amount of time. Thanks for all your help too Mom and Dad!!

Shelly

Check up

2010-03-12T12:45:00Z

Hi Everyone, I hope the blog finds you all well and healthy! I went and saw Dr. Cavalcant yesterday and I'm due for a MUGGAscan again (scan of the heart). Also he wants me to go back on Herceptin starting next week. He gave me the option of every 3 weeks or weekly. I asked which he recommended and he said weekly so next Thursday is the first one. I also went in for a Zometa drip (bone marrow production) yesterday in the chemo room. It was packed and very quiet until my Mom and I arrived and riled up the nurses. We hadn't seen them in awhile and had some good laughs. They are all such nice and kind women. You've got to have a special person to do what they do day in and day out. So, I'm looking forward to spending time with them again. I asked about an MRI of the brain and was told they need to wait 4-6 weeks. If they did a scan now it could give a false-positive reading. So we will wait for the radiation to mellow out before we can scan again. Also, Dr. Cavalcant said i could return to the gym if I promise not to overdue it and my Mom chimed in "She always over does it!" He told me "you need to listen to your Mom"! So, I will keep you all posted as we go with future en devours.

Yesterday i had all my bedrooms re carpeted by Discount Floors and they turned out great! Very happy. My parents were here and had all the furniture back in by the time i got home! SCORE!

And today is my first spring training game of the year! GO ANGELS!!!

Have a great day everyone!!!

Shelly

Last summer at Diamondback game. Coach Hatcher and Sciosca. THAT was a GOOD DAY!!!

Me and Mom 3-12-2010

A year ago today...

2010-03-09T11:29:00Z

A year ago today i got a phone call at work from Valley OBGYN telling me I had Breast Cancer. I got the phone call in the afternoon i thought to myself what a way to learn you have cancer...over the phone. It was a Monday afternoon about 1pm. I left work early and headed home obviously upset, thinking i have to call my Mom and tell her and she's gonna lose it and then I'm gonna lose it!! But I couldn't get the words out. I started crying on the phone. When i was able to tell her, her response was "well, WE WILL get through this and do what ever we need to do"!!! And thats how its been for the past year. When I'm weak, she is strong and vice-versa. THANK YOU MOM for being there for me whenever I needed you!!! What a hell of a year. I've been educated for sure. Attitude adjusted, and a new appreciation for life go along with all that we have been through. I know how truly blessed I am to have such an amazing group of family and friends and i Thank each and everyone of you for your support during this last year of ups and downs!!! I'm sure Dr. Cavalcant will be scheduling an MRI soon to see how radiation went and i will let everyone know as soon as I do.

Happier thoughts....This weekend I'm going to a spring training game Friday to watch my Angels kick some White Sox tail with Clint, Rhonda, Kendra and Vanessa. And then Saturday a bunch of us are going to the Renaissance Festival which is always a good time!!

Thanks Peeps I love you all!!

Shelly

Me and one of my favorite chemo nurses Terri...she always makes me laugh out loud!!

Palm Springs

2010-03-08T01:30:00Z

Got back from Palm Springs this afternoon and had a really good time! Judy, her black lab Maggie, Tanner and I left about 1pm on Friday and got there about 5. Sherris Mom stayed with us for the whole weekend and it was really good to see her. We ate, drank and had some good laughs. It pored rain for a good hour today when we left Palm Springs. Good road trip! Its been a few years since I've seen Traci or Betty and everyone looks great. Glad i went!

Sherri and I

Betty, Traci, Judy and I

Radiation

2010-03-02T00:59:00Z

Hi all,

Just wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow (March 2, 2010) is treatment #15 and final one! They told me i would lose my hair after #10 and they were not kidding. A few hours afer treatment #10 it started falling out in clumps. Its all gone. I will try and get a picture up soon. I saw Dr. Taylor today and he said Dr. Cavalcant will scedule the next scan. I see Dr. C next Thurdsday and go in for a Zometa drip in the chemo room for bone marrow production. Looking forward to seeing the chemo nurses. I've gained 14 pounds in 3 weeks due to steroids they put me on for brain swelling/headaches from radiation. I can start weening off those tomorrow, unfortunately its going to take about a month to completely get weened off.

This weekend I'm off to Palm Springs to visit Sherri and Tracie. Judy and Maggie (her black lab) are going with me. And Tanner. I'm looking forward to the trip. I'll get some pictures up next week.

Have a great week!!

J-Tree pics

2010-02-21T12:31:00Z

Radiation pics

2010-02-17T00:25:00Z

J-Tree pics

2010-02-17T00:14:00Z

Joshua Tree camp out

2010-02-17T00:04:00Z

We had a awesome time at J-Tree over the weekend!! The weather was beautiful and lots of fresh air!! It was Tanners first campout and after the 1st day of barking at everything that moved he mellowed out and got the hang of things. Dan and i went on a couple of really good hikes especially Sunday when we were able to take Tanner and get off the beaten path. Dan smoked a ham, some pork loins and we qued some filet mignons that were all tasty!! I can tell since I havent had any chemo my appetite is back with a vengeance! I've been eating more than i have in a very long time and food tastes good again. I defintely want to go back to J-Tree soon, nice park. I started looking at pop-up trailers for camping and am really chomping at the bit to get one. Cant wait to start camping again. Thanks Dan for putting us up in your toy hauler, we had a great time!!

I started radiation therapy last week and have a total of 4 out of 15 under my belt. It is NOTHING like chemo!! Chemo takes hours and your drugged up. Radiation is in and out in minutes. Should be losing my hair by the end of the week, early next week at the latest. I just have to be careful not to sunburn and after the last couple of days, that is a possiblility, it sure has warmed up quick!!

First nuke job! 2-9-2010

2010-02-09T22:50:00Z

Hey everyone, hope all is well. Just a little update. I went in for my CTscan yesterday and they fitted me for my face mask that holds my face down to the table during radiation therapy. Today was the 1st of 15 'nuke jobs'. It is completely different from chemo. Chemo is an ardous long process taking hours. With radiation, once they have you down on the table, it literally takes minutes. They said expect to be in and out in 10 minutes. My treatments start at 2:15 everyday for the next few weeks. The nurse said my hair should begin to fall out after the 10th treatment and completely go. So be ready for the bald look again!! I could have mild headaches, fatigue, and nausea...nothing new here. The nurse said to listen to my body and if tells me its tired or sick, to listen to it and 'shutter down'. Once they have fired up the microwave there is some buzzing and some bright lights flashing but you cant open your eyes and its over in a flash. I feel great!! I feel stronger everyday and expect to be cancer free in NO time!!

This weekend my parents and I are meeting bro Dan in Joshua Tree for a few days of camping and I'm really lookin forward to it. When we get back Monday I'm gonna take Mom to R.T. and have her snap some pictures so we can have them up on the blog next week! So, everyone have a great weekend and we'll blog at ya next week!

Peace, Shelly

Me and Mom

2010-02-06T15:09:00Z

Val and Barbara

2010-02-06T15:03:00Z