Ostiant or Chalenduin

... but I keep getting distracted by life. I should really make an update on all the things that have been happening.

My reading page is half empty; I can only go 40 posts back and then nothing. I need to find more people/communities to follow...

Hello all, I’m trying to raise money for my LIS master’s thesis defense, and I’m opening commissions.

I spent most of this year in chemotherapy, and while we have universal healthcare, My pay was cut since I was on medical leave, and I couldn't work at my second job. As a result, I had to use my savings to pay for additional meds and bills.

I offer handmade items: handbound sketchbooks and printed planners, and genuine & faux leather traveler’s notebooks.
The techniques I use are Coptic stitch, vellum and case binding. I also plan to add calligraphy and watercolor commissions soon; page updates will follow.

( Read more... )

:sigh: My poor Dreamwith... I think I'll have to change my theme, at least until I manage to upload my images to another host. But most of them don't seem to fit... :goes back to searching:

On June 1 I received my last chemotherapy.

:sigh of relief:

I think it's only today that it really hit me that I won't have to be going back there for more chemicals to be pumped through my veins (my poor veins!). This past month has been really crazy, with me falling ill several days after going home: my fever spiked at above 38°C, and lasted for a few days, but luckily there were no intestinal problems, which was a major issue the last time I experienced something similar.

I'm lucky in that my GP's office is located in the same neighborhood, just five minutes away, so I was monitored for any symptoms that would require me to be hospitalized again. It took a couple of weeks, but after that I was back on my feet.

I still feel achy all over; even going to the grocery store across the street leaves me tired and sore. I've also gone to work for a few hours last week, so that's also tiring, especially since it takes an hour to get there, and an hour to go back.

Next ween on Tuesday will me my first check-up; the results of the MRI, PET CT, the ultrasound and my bloodwork are all OK. The check-ups will be scheduled every three months for the next two years; after that they'll be scheduled for every six months. I've got to drink plenty of water - 2 - 2.5 liters every day minimum, eat a lot of vegetables, go to the mountains, and be more physically active (I was always hungry during the therapy when I wasn't sick and throwing up, so I gained a lot of weight - I thought it would be the opposite).

All that is going to be a problem because of finances: I am on sick leave, which means I get 80% of my pay, and I stopped working at my second job because it was a night shift and after a while I just couldn't keep up any more. Still had to pay back my loan every month, and I have 13 more years before I own my apartment. I will definitely have to find some additional work to help wit the expenses.

I also restarted working on my postgraduate thesis - I tried to keep up during the therapy, but I couldn't keep up. I'd often start reading a page, and would have to go back several times because I couldn't follow what was being said. Luckily I had spoken with my mentor and she said I should concentrate on getting my health back together and that we'll talk again after I was finished with my therapy.

We met on Thursday, and spoke at length about what I need to do and what to focus on; I still feel like this is a huge project, especially since my BA was in another field and I had to catch up a lot to be able to do this (it still feels like there are huge gaps in my knowledge that I have to fill). But at least things are clearer, and seem a little more manageable. I have to send in the first draft of the first part of the thesis on July 20, so I hope the deadline will help me focus.

But here's hoping that it will all turn out fine in the future :)

I'm going to the hospital again tomorrow for my 8th chemotherapy, which is supposed to be my last. I've got nearly everything packed, from pajamas to fresh fruit, and I hope I won't have to stay longer than 4-5 days. Unfortunately our hospitals don't have a practice of using a port for hooking up the IV, so my poor veins are in a bad condition; some puncture locations are swollen, others are hard to touch, and one seems to be inflamed - I noticed this morning that it was red and painful to touch. I'll definitely draw attention to this; that's not supposed to happen.

After I'm done with all of this, I intend to start posting more regularly (I've said that before, but I really mean it this time :crosses fingers:), and I mean to start working on improving my calligraphy, bookbinding and watercolor skills. The money I had saved for my postgrad had to go for bills, some additional meds and healthier food, so I need to find an additional source of income. I had to quit my nightly teaching job because I couldn't handle being awake until 3 a.m. any more; I can reapply but if I do, I'll have to rework my schedule so that I can work on my thesis as well as on my skills. It won't bring in as much as it used to, but any little bit will help. And hopefully, once I finish my postgrad, I'll be able to ask for a raise.

If only I could win that jack pot... :D

I seem to have handled this chemo well - this is day two and I don't feel any major side effects. I'm staying in hospital over the weekend; we'll see what the next week will be like. The docs have recommended a trip to the mountains; I'll have to see if that's doable.

Hi guys! I'm writing this from home, where I'm spending the couple of days of holidays. I'm going back to the hospital for my second chemo on Wednesday, and I hope there won't be any side effects this time - I had the misfortune of having trombosis in the front lobe of the brain and had to suffer through some really bad headaches, tingles and loss of sensation in the right side of my body. I'm doing much better now, and I'm giving myself shots of Clexane as treatment. It's been a long time since I finished secondary medical school, but the medical technician instructed me well. When I get back, the nurses will take over.

One thing that will change regarding therapy is that this time they will skip the injection that goes into my spine because of the trombosis. They'll reconsider it for the third therapy.

 So it looks like I will be admitted to hospital for treatment tomorrow. I hope not to stay for long, and that the therapy will not be difficult. 

It is my intention to start posting on Dreamwidth and LJ again more regularly; it would be great if there was a reliable app since considering I will be going to hospital at some indeterminate time in the future, a smartphone is what I'll have with me.

Speaking of hospitals, a repost from my LJ: On Thursday they called me from the Radiology department to let me know I am scheduled for my PET/CT scan on Friday at 11:50. They informed me of the procedure, and asked me not to be late. When I got there, they hooked me up to an IV and gave me a radioactive tracer which will help them see if the lymphoma had spread anywhere else in the body.

It took about an hour to receive the IV and to rest afterwords so that the tracer can make its way through my body. The scan itself was about 20 minutes, and then I had to wait for a nurse to remove the cannula. I didn't feel any soreness or discomfort during the IV, and was just a little uncomfortable during the scan because I had to keep still during the entire time in the machine. The test results should be available in 7 days, and the test results of the bone biopsy I did on the 15th should be ready early this coming week. Hopefully they will show that I don't need any strong chemotherapy. Wish me luck!

Dear friends,

I've been quite neglectful with posting on both Dreamwidth and LiveJournal, and lately I've been trying to rectify that. I've been working on brushing up on my bookbinding skills so I can put up more of my works for sale.

I've also been designing diary pages and weekly/monthly planners to be used in any Midory-style leather notebooks or as a customization of my Coptic stitch journals. Today I have a diary design to share with you. Please let me know what you think of the current design, share any thoughts on possible customizations and the like. I am hoping to offer these as digital downloads on Etsy as well as physical items for sale.

As for the Coptic bound journals, let me know what kind of designs you'd be interested - a TARDIS journal for the Whovians, Starfleet arrowhead for the Trekkies, or anything else that catches your fancy. In the coming days I'll put some some photos of the papers I have to choose from.

( Diary for the year 2015... )