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A year ago today...

Brother Dan — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:29:00 GMT

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

Brother Dan — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:30:00 GMT

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

Brother Dan — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:59:00 GMT

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

Brother Dan — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:31:00 GMT

Radiation pics

Brother Dan — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:25:00 GMT

J-Tree pics

Brother Dan — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:14:00 GMT

Joshua Tree camp out

Brother Dan — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:04:00 GMT

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

Shellster — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:50:00 GMT

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

Brother Dan — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:09:00 GMT

Val and Barbara

Brother Dan — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:03:00 GMT

Excellent Prognosis!!!

Brother Dan — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:14:00 GMT

Hi all!!

I met with my radiation oncology doctor yesterday (Feb.5th, 2010). His name is Dr. Taylor and i met him while i was in the hopital last April when we were trying to decide which way to treat, radiation or chemo. He said he is glad we chose chemo at that time because A) I responded so well to chemo and now we can go in with full guns blasting using radiation. If we had started with radiation last year i would not be able to recieve a full dose because the body can only handle so much radiation in a period of time. He said there are 3 very, very small spots on the left side of my brain. He said they are so small they arent even considered tumors at this time. He said we could wait a month, scan again to see if theyve grown, and then decide whether to proceed with radiation. I told him I'd rather be agressive with it and he agreed for 2 reasons...1. we already know i have an agressive cancer in my body and #2 when Dr. Cavalcant found out i had the spots he immediately put me on steroids. Steroids reduce brain swelling. Dr. Taylor said since there had been no decrease in the fuzzy vision on my left side that means that one of the spots is pushing on a nerve that is leading to my left eye. He said its possible i could regain my vision back or the damage has been done. We wont know until after radiation treatments. So on Monday i will go in for a CTscan to map my brain out. After that they will fit my face for a face shield that holds my head to the radiation table during therapy to hold me still. Then we will start 15 consecutive treatments and blast these little bastards into oblivion. I thought they would point the beams at the the 3 spots but he said they treat the entire brain otherwise the cancer just bounces around and then you cant get it all. He said there is probabaly smaller spots already growing that we just cant see yet so treating the entire brain is the way to go. Side effects include hair loss (been there-done that), possible fatigue and nausea (been there-done that as well).     He also said this is the same cancer that started in the breast. Once it moved into the bones it entered the blood stream and once into the blood stream it is very common to move into the brain. So far, I've had it in my breast, lymph nodes, spot on the lung, spine, ribcage, pelvic bone, and lymph nodes surounding my heart. I had 3 fractured vertabrae and a collapsed vertabrae and all that cancer is gone now!!! So there is no doubt in my mind that we will kick the brain cancer as well!!

This has been especially tough on my Mom who has been thru this with me from day 1. My Mom lost both of her parent to cancer and a younger brother (uncle Jim)... just a few years ago.  My aunt Alice had breast cancer and is now cancer free. My aunt Linda was just diagnosed with bladder and pelvic bone cancer. So this hits very close to home for my Mom and I want to thank her for being so strong and supportive of me. We WILL get thru this Mom!!! I love you very much!!!

I would also like to personally thank two people who had a hand in getting me the best health care possible and those two people are Valerie Simpson my BFF and her mother Barbara Duffy. Barbara referred me to Dr. Freedman who reffered me to Dr. Cavalcant and on to Dr. Taylor. I truely believe i ended up with the best doctors in the state if not in the United States. Thank you SO much Val and Barbara!!!
Also thanks to everyone of you who keep me in your thoughts and prayers, IT is working!!!

When i told my boss Richard the cancer had spread he hugged me and assured me i have a job with the Town of Gilbert. Thats a huge relief as I love my job there and am SO proud to work for such a wonderful community.   I believe i work in the best department in the Public Works Department and so lucky to be surrounded by so many awesome individuals. Ok, thats enuff blubbering....

I love you all and consider myself blessed!!!

Thank you---Shelly

Doctors visit 2-1-2010

Brother Dan — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:27:00 GMT

My Mom and I just got back from the doctors office to get the results of all the scans I've had done recently. The MUGGAscan of my heart looks good and so did the PTscan. Unfortunately the MRI of my brain show some small cancer tumors. He said they are tiny and were caught early which is very good. So now he wants me to postpone chemo and start radiation right away. The reason they did an MRI is I've been having blurred vision in my left eye.

On a happier note...My Mom and Dad and I are meeting Dan for a camping trip at Joshua Tree National Park in two weeks. Leah cant make the trip due to school work So, stay tuned for pictures of our camping trip!

Chemo #31

Brother Dan — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:07:00 GMT

Howdy bloggers!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I know I did. We had a great time while Dan and Leah were here. Tanner still misses his cousins.

I went for chemo #31 yesterday. It was tough starting an IV again and is painful. That is the worst part of chemo now. It was nice to see the chemo nurses tho. They are all so kind. After 31 trips I'm on a first name basis with all of them and have gotten to know them pretty well. They always have encouraging words, and a smile. We manage to have some chuckles while we are there. I saw Dr. Cavalcant yesterday and told him that my vision is blurry in my left eye and he wants an MRI of my brain done and also wants me to see my ophthomalogist. Its been 3 months since my last PETscan so I will be having one of those as well. We will get the results of those tests on Feb. 11th. My Mom has taken me to damn near every chemo and has been very strong through out this experience. She doesn't like to drive but my Dad brings her down from Payson to go with me and drives me home after chemo when I'm looped on Benadryl. THANKS MOM!! I've been feeling great and am getting stronger everyday. Beer tastes good again and thats a GOOD sign!!

Tanner

Tanner and Amy

Clint on our last "dig", Oscar in the backhoe.

It is SO good to be back to work! I know I've said that in past blogs but I cant over state that. When I'm at work I don't have cancer. And we have been really busy. In the past few weeks we've had 3 "digs". Thats where we go out and replace/repair lateral sewer lines. First we have the area blue staked which essentially locates utilities in the area for us. Then we saw cut the asphalt and sidewalk. If there are utilities in the area we have the Vac truck crew come out and "soft dig" to physically locate the utilities for us. Then we use the backhoe to excavate. We dig as close to the pipe as possible then install shoring. After shoring is installed we can enter the trench and hand dig to the pipe then repair/replace the pipe. Then we pull the shoring out and back fill with pea gravel to bed the pipe. After that we start back filling with AB dirt and use a "wacker" several times to compact the area. Each dig takes 3-4 days working through lunch. Its involved but time flys. I love working with Clint. He knows what he's doing and working with him is non-stressful.

Life is good!

Thats the story from Spring Circle,

Shelly

Christmas 09

Brother Dan — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:46:34 GMT

Hi everyone, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. The Bovee's did. My folks, Dan and Leah came to Mesa for a week of frivolity. Dan brought his smoker and cooked us a Farmer John ham Christmas day that was outstanding. He used Moms apricot/habenero jam for a glaze...best ham I've ever had! A couple days later he smoked some baby back ribs that he calls "Dans dirty bones" that were pretty tasty. Of course we ate our customary king crab legs while we were together. I put Dan to work while he was here and had him help me fix my roof, install a new garage door opener and trim an orange tree. Everyone pitched in and took down decorations before they left. The doggies got along great and played from sun up to sun down every day. Tanner misses his cousins already. Dan and Leah brought a Wii game and we had some laughs playing that one day. We played baseball, golfed, boxed and skied and never left the front room. All in all it was a great Christmas.

Work has been extremely busy with 2 lateral line replacements in the last couple of weeks. Richard said we have 3-4 more lined up, so work will be busy for awhile. Unfortunately my body is extremely sensitive to temperature change and i've been breaking out into hives every morning. I've been combating it with Benadryl which helps a little. Soon enough it will be warm again.

Hard to believe this year is over. After everything i've been thru this year i'm not sad to see it end. Hopefully 2010 is full of positive test results and no cancer. I should be getting a PETscan in the next few weeks to see if there is any cancerous activity. Hopefully not.

I hope everyone has a healthy and prosperous New Year!!!

Shelly

December updates

Brother Dan — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:02:00 GMT

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't written in awhile but I dont have much to report. I'm still having side effects to chemo after they told me I wouldnt be having any. My latest side effect is the hives. Cold air seems to trigger them. I'm either hot or cold and ultra sensitive to temperature changes. Other than that I can tell I'm getting stronger and my stamina is increasing which is a good thing. It is so good to be back to work, working with my partner Clint, back in a routine. I dont get winded as easily now and getting up at 4:30 am isnt as hard as it was when I first started back to work.

We found out today that my Aunt Linda (Moms sister) was diagnosed with cancer. She has a tumor in her bladder and in her pelvic bone as well. She starts chemo Dec.30th.

Next week Dan, Leah and the pups will be coming into town for a week and my parents and I are really looking forward to the visit. My freezer is full of crab legs, prime rib, baby backs and turkey just waiting to be cooked up. Us Bovee's do know how to eat! Usually we go all out decorating my parents house up in Payson but since they will be down here this year we put up lots of decorations here and my house looks great.

Tanner is still growing rapidly and last weekend I had him neutered. Mellowed him out for about 24 hours and then he was right back to his rambunctious self. He weighs 40 lbs and is filling out finally.

Thats about all I have for now. Hope everyone is well. Have a great Holiday season!!

Shelly

Update (11-19-09)

Brother Dan — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:59:00 GMT

Howdy bloggers,

I saw Dr. Cavalcant on Thursday and he said my heart looks great and my lungs look good also. The fluid in my lungs tested negative for cancer cells. He said he has no idea why they filled with fluid. He was very happy with the results and I am feeling much better. I will have a chest x-ray on Monday to make sure they got all the fluid. So this is a short blog but its all good news. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving, I know I have a lot to be thankful for!!

Peace!!

Shelly

Continuing hangover

Brother Dan — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:12:00 GMT

Hi all,

My side effects carried on during the week and I stopped in Thursday to see Dr. Cavalcant. I was having problems breathing. Dr. Cavalcants office connects to Banner Desert Hospital so getting tests done just requires an elevator ride and a small walk depending on what department you are looking for. On Thursday he sent me up to radiology to have a CTscan done. The results came back as an enlarged heart and fluid in both lungs. Dr. C. said he wanted the fluid removed ASAP and radiology was able to fit me in Thursday afternoon (Nov. 12th). As a precaution they only remove the fluid from one lung at a time in case a lung collapses you still have one good one to work with. They give you a shot in the back to numb the area and use ultra sound to guide the tube into your lung to drain it. The procedure took minutes and I was able to breath better instantly. The procedure is uncomfortable and painful but over quickly. The tube is inserted into a vaccuum packed glass container so you can see what comes out. It was gnarly! Looked like a nasty beer with a whole lot of foam on top. They removed 800cc's of fluid from my right lung on Thursday and over 700cc's of fluid from my left lung on Friday. They also did an EKG on Friday morning. On saturday I had to go back and have a MUGGAscan done of my heart. I will see the doctor on Thursday and learn the results of all the tests. I am breathing much better, altho there is still some pressure in my chest and side. I will blog again later in the week after i get the results back.

Hope everyone is well!

Shelly

Herceptin hang over

Brother Dan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:33:00 GMT

Howdy bloggers...

Last week was my first dose of 'herceptin only' and it was quite a hangover when it kicked in over the weekend. They gave me a "loaded dose" meaning it was a larger dose than normal and it really packed a punch. Saturday I was fatigued all day, but Sunday was the day all the side effects came out to play. Started with vomiting Sunday morning which lasted until early afternoon. On top of that I had the chills and then I'd get hot and break out into a sweat. Hot and cold all day. My skin was crawling and i felt like I had a weight on my chest and was having trouble breathing. My body really wanted to sleep through it but when I would lay down I felt like I couldnt breath and then anxiety would kick in. All in all it was a miserable weekend. I had some residuals Monday afternoon with more vomiting. So they are either going to decrease the herceptin dose and/ or increase the benadryl dose. My next treatment is December 3rd and I see doctor Cavalcant that day. Meanwhile I got the results from my PETscan last week and it looks like there is some cancerous activity in some lymph nodes surounding my heart and also in my spine. Doctor Cavalcant said its mininal and strarted me on tamoxifen which is an estrogen blocker. It acts by binding to the estrogen receptor on the breast cancer cell, thereby blocking stimulation of the cell. It is the least toxic of cancer therapies. Unfortuately it comes with possible side effects as well, including blood clots, endometrial cancer, increased risk of cataracts and most promintently hot flashes. Doctor Cavalcant believes the herceptin and tamoxifen combined should take care of the activity found on the latest PETscan.

This is my 3rd week back to work and it has been GREAT!! I really am lucky to work at the Town of Gilbert. Everyone is so supportive and positive. Next week i will start working 40 hours a week again. I'm sure its going to kick my butt for awhile, since fatigue is one of the biggest side effects from treatments, but I'm looking forward to working with my partner Clint and getting back to "normal".

Tanner is growing like a weed and is turning into a good little pup. He will get to meet Amy and Rolo, my brothers retrievers next month when Dan and Leah come out for Christmas. We are all looking forward to that visit. So stay tuned for lots of doggie pictures next month!

Hope everyone is well. Enjoy life, its getting shorter everyday!

Shelly

Back to work!!

Brother Dan — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:10:00 GMT

Hey everyone, I got to go back to work this week (10-19-09)!! What an attitude adjustment! It was good to see smiling faces that I certainly missed. My department supervisers pitched in and thru me a welcome back BBQ on Friday. Clint BBQd brats and burgers. Berna made me a cake that looked like a manhole with pink frosting that said "welcome back Shelly". It was very cool. I am only supposed to work 24 hours a week for the first month. Hopefully by then the chemicals will have thinned out and I wont be getting sick anymore. All in all, it was a very good week.

Next week I have a PETscan on Thursday and see the doctor the week after for the results. At that time I will start back up on the chemo every 3 weeks. Its nice to have a break right now.

At this time the Angels are still scratching and crawling in the ALCS. There has been alot of bad calls by the umps in this series. Hopefully they still have some left in the tank to get some wins in New York. Go Angels!!

Peace out!! Shelly

The last Taxotere! (10-15-09)

Brother Dan — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:12:00 GMT

Howdy everyone.

Yesterday was my last Taxotere! Hoooray!! Now in about 4 weeks my hair should start growing back and I should start feeling strong again. I got released to go back to work starting with 24 hours a week for 4 weeks and then back to full time. I got released with no restrictions after 4 weeks altho that could change after next weeks PETscan. We'll have to wait and see. Its a huge relief and I cant wait to get back to the smiling faces at the Town of Gilbert....I certainly missed work people these last 6 months. Knowing I'm going back to work on Monday is a big boost! Back to chemo...Yesterday we took 2 dozen halloween cupcakes with us to chemo. Also, Mom made 2 dozen pink ribbon heating pads for all the nurses and one for Dr. Cavalcant. At the end of the treatment I got to ring the bell signafying the last treatment. I look forward to doing that again in 6 months but for good!! It was a good day. Also, Jodie Pilkenton came out from California and went with us to the last one. While Jodie was here we went and visited Monica Galuski who played short stop for Yavapai Sofball back in the early 80's. So we took a little trip down memory lane. I havent seen Monica in over 25 years and she looks great, exactly the same. So that was fun getting out of the house for some laughs.

So now I that I will be going in for Herceptin every 3 weeks I dont have to get blood work done anymore and I wont have to take steroids either. That will help in the healing process. My veins can start healing and my body can start ridding itself of all the chemicals. The Herceptin dose will however be a higher dose so it will take a couple of hours in the chemo room. But now I can make my appointments later in the afternoon so I dont have to miss any work. The biggest side effect with Herceptin is damage to the heart, so they will be monitoring my heart as we go thru treatments. It is amazing where we have come in 6 short months. From stage 4 breast cancer that had metastisized into my bones.... to remission 3 months later. I was very lucky to have Doctor Cavalcant and his aggressive approach to this and also very lucky to have everyone of you pulling for me. We will continue to fight this thing and we will beat it!!!

Hope everyone is well, blog at ya again real soon....

Shelly