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June 2008
From diagnosis through treatment
and beyond....I hope my journaling will be
helpful, inspirational, and motivational to you.
It's not been an easy journey, but one that has
enlightened me in many ways.
June 8, 2008
Dear Friends,
School is out and my summer vacation has begun.
It’s difficult leaving “school” behind and I
found my first few days home working on lesson
plans for the coming school year. As long as I
can remember I’ve always needed “projects” to
keep me busy. I think I got that from my mother.
I’m also thinking about my upcoming vacation to
Zion National Park in Utah! Justin and I are
heading out for a much needed vacation together.
It’s been over two years since we’ve had time to
go off on our own and we’re both looking forward
to it.
Our last few years have been consumed with
“cancer” with both my deceased mom and myself
and now it’s a time for renewal for us. Keeping
a healthy spirit and outlook is really the key
to wellness for everyone.
But before we head out I have an orthopedic
consultation on Tuesday. My GP had diagnosed my
condition as tendonitis, which involves the
thumbs on both hands and radiates down the
wrist. It’s weird that it’s in both hands at the
same time. Justin thinks it is arthritis because
he has the same problems. So, I decided to take
it a step further and get an orthopedic
evaluation.
One of the side effects of a medication I’m
taking, Arimidex,
http://www.arimidex.net, is bone and joint
pain. Arimidex blocks the production of estrogen
and progesterone that were feeding my tumor. I’m
scheduled to take this medication for 3-5 years,
depending on how things go in the future.
Arthritis will no doubt be a side effect we’ll
be watching for and which I know I have
previously been diagnosed for in my lower back.
I’ll know more after Tuesday’s appointment and
will let you know :)
One additional item I’d like to share with you
is an email I received from a friend concerning
the “Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act, which
will require insurance companies to cover a
minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients
undergoing a mastectomy. It’s about eliminating
the ‘drive-through’ Mastectomy where women are
forced to go home just a few hours after
surgery, against the wishes of their doctor,
still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with
drainage tubes still attached.”
Lifetime Television has put this bill on their
Web page with a petition drive to show support.
Last year over half the House signed on. I hope
you’ll sign the petition by clicking on the web
site below. You need not give more than your
name, state, and zip code. It only takes a few
seconds of your time and will help so many women
receive a higher quality of care. It’s my hope
that you’ll pass this along to your friends and
family. Thank you, on behalf of all women!
http://www.lifetimetv.com/breastcancer/petition/signpetition.php
Blessings to you all….good health, happiness,
and abundant joy!
Cindy
June 10, 2008
Hello everyone....
What a beautiful summer day we're having in IL!
Sun is shining and there's a lovely breeze and
low humidity, my favorite combination.
I went to the orthopedic hand specialist today
and learned that thankfully it's not related to
any medication I'm on. I was diagnosed with "De
Quervain's Tenosynovitis". Tendonitis that
affects the thumb. It's caused by repetitive
motion, injury, or aging. I have a feeling it's
a combo repetitive motion and mostly aging. It's
painful when I grasp objects and the left hand
is affected significantly more than the right.
Dr. Welch suggested a cortisone shot and I asked
for alternatives...like a pill :). We're going
on vacation for a week and I didn't want to deal
with side effects of the shot, plus I'm a wimp
when it comes to needles...can't imagine why :).
So I'm going on Medrol which is a steroid for a
week. I've taken this in the past for my back
and can't recall any side effects. I'll have a
follow up visit with him next month and if it's
still bad, I'll go for the shot.
That's it for now...hope all are well....my next
appointment is with my radiologist on July 8th
and oncologist on July 15th. There's a bit of a
breather now for me...
Thank you for your prayers and well wishes!
Hugs,
Cindy :)
June 25, 2008
Dear Friends and Family,
It’s hard to believe that
I’ve only been out of school only 3 weeks! This
is my summer of travel. Now that my treatment is
behind me and I’ve regained my stamina and
strength, I’ve decided to make this summer a
very special one.
Justin and I just returned
from a lovely week out west. We hiked through
Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon – North
Rim, and Bryce Canyon. I can’t tell you how
beautiful it all was. Even though temperatures
in Zion were in the 100+ range, of course it was
a “dry heat”, we managed to travel some easy to
moderate trails. The Grand Canyon and Bryce
Canyon were much cooler (20 degrees) and easier
trails.
We were both surprised and
pleased that we did not sunburn! I’m very fair
complected and use Neutrogena’s Fresh Cooling
Body Mist SPF 30 sunblock twice during the day
-- once in the morning when we left and the
second spray around 1 p.m. It protected me very
well and I came back with a lovely safe tan!
To view our trip photos,
please visit
http://web.mac.com/cindy_zamirowski/Zamirowski_Travels
It was definitely a trip
worth taking. While we were there, we stopped
off in Las Vegas and saw two shows: Mamma Mia at
the Mandalay Bay theater and LOVE (Cirque de
Soleil – Beatles revue) at the Mirage. Both were
amazing and I recommend them highly!
My next “getaway” comes
tomorrow, June 26th! I’m traveling to New Jersey
to spend a week with my granddaughters, Kirsten
and Amanda. I’m thrilled because it will give me
some great quality time with my girls and a real
plus to know that Natalie Rose, my grandchild of
my second son, will be there too! She’s just
moved to New Jersey and now I have all my sons,
except one, and grandchildren in one location!
Life just keeps getting
better. Upon my return, I’ll be seeing Dr.
Lingareddy and Dr. Hantel for my 6 month follow
up. I’ll be anxious to hear how things are
going. So far the Lymphedema has not returned. I
expected with all the activity last week there
might be a flare up, but it seems to be draining
well. Fortunately, the breast area is far less
sensitive and I feel like it’s finally healing
and may eventually go back to normal.
I do hope you’ll visit and
refer my web site,
http://www.cindysangels.net to others. It’s
my way of sharing what I’ve learned in the hope
that it will help others who may be traveling
down a similar road.
Blessings to all,
Cindy
July/August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February/April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
December 2008/January
2009
February 2009/April 2009
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