Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas.

A little smile,

A word of cheer,

A bit of love from someone near,

A little gift from one held dear,

Best wishes for the coming year… 

These make a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy 2012

Tonight will be the third treatment with the cream and then I have 2 days off  before going back on it on Monday. So far I have had a few excruciating headaches today but that is one of the side effects. A few Tylenol's though helps to ease them. I am starting to notice that the area is starting to get red again...maybe by Christmas I will light up like Rudolf's nose (yes, I still have my humour thank goodness).
Have a great weekend!

Day 1...

Today I start on my new treatment for 6 weeks. I have to apply the cream for 10 hours every night for 5 days and then 2 days off.  My incision is really healing nicely but that is going to change according to my doctor as it WILL get worse before it gets better. The getting worse part is the way they know if it is working or not....worse means it is working. It reminds me of when I had my mastectomy, the scars were healing nicely and then after the chemo came the radiation and everything went haywire...what a mess and to this day the scars from it are horrendous and I still suffer with pain in those areas.This is the 4th Christmas for us that we are dealing with something to do with this cancer stuff. I really thought this year was going to be different. My pharmacist and I joked around tonight and said " no close up photos this Christmas". He is so sweet and is always there if I need to ask questions about any of my medications.
Most of my shopping is done and wrapped and some for family off to the post office....cards were all done...decorations up so now I will just relax until Christmas Eve Dinner.

A reminder

Today is one of those very few bad days I have and then I have to remind myself.................

Sunset

The sunset through the trees tonight was stunning. 

Vacation cancelled...

 Unfortunately we are cancelling (or maybe just postponing) our trip that we were going to take over the Christmas holidays. We were planning on leaving here on Christmas Day and flying to Las Vegas and then onto San Diego and back into Arizona for 2 weeks. The medication I will be starting on the 14th has a lot of side effects and so we decided it is best to stay here in Canada just in case of  needing any medical attention.

These are some of the side effects.......I definitely am not looking forward to any of these....maybe I will be lucky but my pharmacist did say that it will get worse before it starts to get better.....UGH!!!!!!!
 Redness
Swelling
A sore, blister or ulcer
Skin that becomes hard or thickened
Changes in skin color that do not always go away
Skin peeling
Scabbing and crusting
Itching
Burning....

The area being treated is likely to look worse before it looks better. Skin reactions may be of such intensity that you may require rest periods from treatment. 

Other potential side effects of imiquimod include headache, back pain, muscle aches, tiredness, flu-like symptoms, swollen lymph nodes, diarrhea and fungal infections. If the reactions seem severe, if either skin breaks down or sores develop during the first week of treatment, if flu-like symptoms develop, or if you begin to not feel well at any time, contact your healthcare provider.
                                      --------------------------------------------------------

In the meantime  have been working on some Christmas crafts.

These are made out of foam.....

Wall hanging 

I have made a few of these ...all different but I have not had a chance to hang them up and take photos.

Gingerbread Houses

Sunday we went to the Inn at Laurel Point to see all the wonderful gingerbread house creations. All money from the donations go to Habitat for Humanity.

This photo album made with Smilebox Make sure you click on the photos to enlarge them.

Rest in Peace Deanna

REST IN PEACE DEANNA

July 21, 1965 - December 2, 2011

Today at 7:56 am we lost another brave woman fighting breast cancer. Dee you were a fighter and never complained about anything. I will miss your blogging and your friendship on Facebook. You will always have a place in my heart along with the many others that we have lost from breast cancer.
http://deeupdates.blogspot.com/

Makes the perfect Christmas present for everyone.

Time to get back to the real meaning of Christmas and not so much about how much you spend or how big the gifts are or how many you get. Enjoy this holiday with family, friends, good food and lots of laughter....maybe buy a gift for a child that has nothing, visit with the elderly, help out at a homeless shelter.

∩ │◥███◣ ╱◥███◣

╱◥◣ ◥████◣▓∩▓│∩ ║

│╱◥█◣║∩∩∩ ║◥█▓ ▓█◣

││∩│ ▓ ║∩田│║▓ ▓ ▓∩ ║

•°*”˜˜”*°• From my house to your house •°*”˜˜”*°•

•°*”˜˜”*°•Merry Christmas •°*”˜˜”*°•