Sew Chaotically! ~ Ooops I did it again!!! Quilt #3!

Earlier this month I finished the quilt that is to be the REAL housewarming gift for a dear one that I thought I was making when Brent co-opted my very first quilting adventure as his own!  It is for one of my many "adopted" kiddo's who is just the sweetest!  He has done so well for himself and built (literally with his own hands) a lovely home.  I couldn't be more proud of him!  I collaborated with him as to his preferred style and colors.  Then, armed with pics of his decor and his bestie, Roo - I was off to JoAnn's.  Rose is great at color, pattern and knowing Joseph, so she selected most of the fabric I used.  They were all Kona cottons.  The backing was ordered from Fabric.com.  The batting is Quilters Dream 80/20 cotton/poly I ordered from Amazon.  We tried to use the shades of blue, grey, and turquoise as well as a rich brown border, to compliment those Joseph prefers and used in his beautiful home.

Here are the inspo shots from the quilt's home-to-be:

I offered JoJo several design options which he narrowed to three.  Given the colors and prints we could find I picked this Peaches and Cream quilt pattern/tutorial from Simple Simon and Company as the basis of my design, although I didn't follow it exactly.

I used my usual DMC cotton perle #8 floss for the quilting, keeping it linear and simple.  

I marked straight lines through the pieces and traced a simple lattice design with my hera marker around the border as you can see in this detail pic.  Perhaps unconventionally, I loaded the quilt (it is only a 60X60 throw) on my frame initially, positioned so that the majority of the lines were set for stitching in a right to left manner.  Once I had completed all of those on the quilt, I re-loaded it positioned such that the fewer but what had been perpendicular rows were now ready for right to left stitching as well.  While stitching "upward" is doable on the fame, and I did so in both my previous quilts, working right to left is far easier.  Not sure if one is really supposed to do it that way, but I did and it worked a treat!

 

It was such a fun project all around!  I am really happy with how it turned out and can't wait to see it where it belongs!

I have already pieced this queen sized top for Freddo.  Another fun collaboration in color and design.  But it will be just a minute (Ha!) before it is quilted as it will be quite a project and I have another throw I am piecing currently and is up for quilting next.  It's been really fun to try to make things that fit the color and style preferences of the owners to be!

Feeling blessed with the pleasure found in making.  Wishing you all small joys. ~ les

Citrus and melanoma...

There was a great hubbub on this topic in 2015.  Last year, there was this:  Tangy, tart and sweet! Does citrus intake cause increased risk of skin cancer and melanoma?

Now, this:  

The association between citrus consumption and melanoma risk in the UK Biobank.  Marley, Li, Champion, et al. Br J Dermatol.  Aug 2021.

Background: Melanoma incidence has been dramatically increasing worldwide. Psoralen, a known photocarcinogen, is naturally abundant in citrus products, leading to the hypothesis that high citrus consumption may increase melanoma risk.

Objectives: To investigate the association between total citrus consumption and melanoma risk, and the association between individual citrus products and melanoma risk, and to test for interactions between total citrus intake and established melanoma risk factors.

Methods: Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between citrus consumption and melanoma risk among 1592 cases and 197 372 controls from the UK Biobank cohort. Citrus consumption data were collected via five rounds of 24-h recall questionnaires. International Classification of Diseases codes were used to determine melanoma outcome.

Results: After adjusting for potential confounders, participants in the highest category of total citrus intake (greater than 2 servings per day) had a significantly increased risk of melanoma relative to those with no consumption. For individual citrus products, participants with the most orange and orange juice consumption (greater 1 serving per day) had a significantly increased melanoma risk relative to those with no consumption. Fair- or very fair-skinned participants with high citrus consumption had an even greater melanoma risk.

Conclusions: High citrus consumption was associated with an increased risk of melanoma in a large, prospective, population-based cohort. Further validation of these findings could lead to improved melanoma prevention strategies.

Again - hmmm...  Well, here's what Wiki has to say about Psoralen:

Psoralen (also called psoralene) is the parent compound in a family of naturally occurring organic compounds known as the linear furanocoumarins. It is structurally related to coumarin by the addition of a fused furan ring, and may be considered as a derivative of embelliferone. Psoralen occurs naturally in the seeds of Psoralea corylifolia, as well as in the common fig, celery, parsley, West Indian Satinwood, and in all citrus fruits. It is widely used in PUVA (psoralen + UVA) treatment for psoriasis eczema, vitiligo, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma; these applications are typically through the use of medications such as Methoxsalen. Many furanocoumarins are extremely toxic to fish, and some are deposited in streams in Indonesia to catch fish.

Despite the photocarcinogenic properties of psoralen, it was used as a tanning activator in sunscreens until 1996. [WOW!] Psoralens are used in tanning accelerators, because psoralen increases the skin's sensitivity to light. Some patients have had severe skin loss after sunbathing with psoralen-containing tanning activators. Patients with lighter skin color suffer four times as much from the melanoma-generating properties of psoralens than those with darker skin.

So....when using this as therapy, the psoralen is taken as an oral medication, making the skin more sensitive to UVA rays, to which it is then exposed.  This PUVA treatment can help manage psoriasis, but can cause skin issues ranging from itching, blistering and darkening to squamous cell skin cancer and melanoma.  Nausea is also frequent - apparently.  This same therapy is said to aid repigmentation of vitiligo affected skin in 20% of cases.  

Interestingly, this is the compound that has been responsible for the brown dribbles of discoloration I've seen on the hands, necks and faces of little ones brought in by their disturbed parents.  A little investigation would reveal that, yes, they had in fact sat in the sun on their front step as they enjoyed sucking on lemons and limes.  My diagnosis - phytophotodematitis.

My question in regard to citrus intake and melanoma is this:  Does citrus intake, thereby the increased intake of psoralen, have the risk of melanoma if one avoids sun exposure?  I don't know the answer to that one.

Says the girl who had grapefruit for breakfast, lime in her water at lunch, and lemon on her chicken at dinner!!!

For what it's worth! - c

Running thoughts ~ A stolen mantra

Saw this self professed mantra on a post by another today - "It's not about you."  True in every way you think about it!  It was a good run.  

Thanks for sharing, my friend.  ~ les

July Reads ~

The Telling Room:  A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World's Greatest Piece of Cheese - Michael Paterniti. Oh.  EM GEE!!!!!!!!!!!!  This book.  I almost quit in the middle.  Or maybe much nearer the beginning.  I fell for its premise. The author was working part time in a deli, writing blurbs for their in-house handout describing the month's selections.  Not much income.  Certainly none that was disposable.  None earmarked for a tiny slice of cheese that cost twenty bucks.  Untasted by him, the story of the cheese - a small village in Spain, the geography, the animals, the determination of the man who made it - captured his imagination.  In fact, he was so intrigued by it all, he made a trip to Spain to find the place and the players - repeatedly.  For years.  It was cool to view the scene.  It was nice to hear about places B and I have visited.  But, a man who considers himself a journalist fell for a large loudmouthed blow hard, who preferred to bloviate in the presence of captive audiences, family and neighbors brought together largely because of the wine and food offered.  A man who told preposterous stories, acted out in a childish and demanding manner, lied about his best friend, and - get this - no longer makes the cheese!  Meanwhile, the author/journalist missed deadlines, failed to ask reasonable questions, and neglected to realize that the residents of the idyllic village were more than mere backdrops to the whims of the cheesemaker and his story.  Not to mention the writing was weird.  So, yeah.  NOT a ringing endorsement.  

Not sure why I feel compelled to finish books I start, even when I don't care for them.  B doesn't understand it AT ALL!!!  I guess I figure, "I've made it this far.  Surely there is something of value here!"  Only book I've started and not finished was Salman Rushdie's, Satanic Verses - twice!  Maybe I'll read it someday?

Ella Minnow Pea - Mark Dunn.  A linguistic triumph, told through a series of letters (Ha!) much like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, that relates the horror and mayhem inflicted upon the inhabitants of the island of Nollop.  As letters fall from the pangram, The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog, attached with now decayed paste to the base of a statue dedicated to its author, the island's Council interpret the fallen tiles as a message from his grave.  They issue a decree that once a letter has fallen, it can never again be used, written or spoken, by the residents under penalty of stocks, whippings, removal from the island, and worse.  The letters are written in keeping the rules, creating a vocabulary building, puzzle filled read.  Silly you say?  Such ridiculous rulings, much less the cruel enforcement could never happen - you contend?  Well.  Read on, my friend.  Read on...   

Landslide:  The Final Days of the Trump Presidency - Michael Wolf.  Why am I torturing myself?  I don't really know.  I guess I am on a search for understanding.  This is the first of three new publications on the same topic. Wolf writes well, if somewhat sensationally.  Revelations thus far?  Greed, grift, self aggrandizement, and a desire for protection and power make the man.  Not as if that wasn't clear from the descent down the escalator into an even deeper swamp than imagined.

Frankly, We Did Win This Election:  The Inside Story of How Trump LOST - Michael Bender.  Better writer.  Likely with better sources.  Enjoyed the personal footnotes.  Revelations as above, though with more horrifying details.  Bender spent a great deal of time with "The Front Row Joes".  Folks who traveled many miles, repeatedly, to T**** rallies despite not really having the funds to do so, creating their own club.  For the evil at the top, as a human with the power of reason and a conscience, I cannot comprehend living your life in his manner and still being able to sleep at night.  Greed, grift, power, delusions of grandeur, can do that to some, I suppose.  But, how do you explain the fascination, fantasy, and infatuation of the followers?  Folks He Who Shall Not Be Named held in great disdain.   Referred to as "the unwashed".  That, I really cannot grasp.

Next up - I Alone Can Fix It - Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker.  Yes, I must be a sucker for punishment!

Happy (?) reading! - les

Scars Upon Thars and Exercise (data pertinent to cancer peeps) ~ what 57 years and scars can do!

I do not like my scars.  I do not like them on my thars.

I do not like white spots; littered on my back like dots. 

Even though you may not see, they are very much a part of me.

As someone with more than twenty surgical scars and lots of vitiligo, I have given some thought to what they mean to me, society, self esteem, strength, weakness, beauty.

In 2010, there was this:  I finally figured out why...

In 2012, I wrote new words to this little ditty - I feel pretty

I have been inspired by many.  There was this in 2013:  The light that shines.....despite cancer and its scars   This in 2014:  Real beauty? Way more than skin deep!!!!  And this, in 2018, after my second cancer.  No, not second round with melanoma - been there, done that, too - but a whole new crazy cancer diagnosis with multiple surgeries for THAT one!!!  SCARS are more than skin deep. The love that sees me through....  

Before we go any further ~ by way of a trigger warning for those not interested in looking upon gnarly healing surgical incisions ~ I give you this parting pic while you flip the script!!!!

There is no doubt about the beauty of the Jewel Weed!  It is also called "Touch me Not!" because once the flower has faded, a little spring loaded case, looking for all the world like a miniature pea pod, develops!!!  They burst open, spewing tiny seeds everywhere, when lightly touched!

Now....where were we?  Oh, yes - scars and exercise...

I have learned that it takes a minute to process things; all sorts of things.  The same is true for body reconfiguration!  Here is a pic of my grossly swollen abdomen after removal of surgical staples several weeks after my second surgery in September 2018 for ex-goblet cell adenocarcinoma of the appendix -

It's a complicated physiologic and psychological situation.  You have been changed AGAIN, despite every positive action you can possibly take, by circumstances beyond your control.  You look like crap.  You feel worse.  The thought of walking to the bathroom (which you're having to do every ten minutes) feels almost insurmountable.  Going for a run?  Impossible.  Or is it?  

On that day, it certainly was!  How bout after SRS (radiation) to a brain tumor and removal of the right upper lobe of my lung for melanoma?  Again, a big no!  But, with lots of love and encouragement, especially from my girlie, my path back to fitness was a glacial process that started here - Reading this...  Yep.  On May 11, 2010 after the traumatic insults inflicted on April 27 and 30th, I did 10 minutes on the elliptical.  It was slow, supervised and of the lowest level of exertion possible.  But, it was a beginning. Exercising while on the immunotherapy that followed was not easy.  Some days were better than others.  The arthralgias and fatigue were a real challenge.  Many days were like this:  I feel like....  Chemo after surgery for the adenocarcinoma was an almost overwhelming obstacle; as the treatment left me ill and weak.  For days after dosage it was impossible.  But, I kept trying!  In November, two months after surgery, small improvements were HUGE victories:  Ex-goblet cell adenocarcinoma, CAPOX, and the GBD's!!!!  Almost a year later, I finally made it back to Barre classes with my girl:  Sew and LIVE chaotically!! ~ An AMAZING #MeMadeMay Day 7!

So, why do I bother, especially since my desire to exercise on some days is decidedly low!!!?????  Maybe I'm just vain.  Maybe, as I've always been physically fit and exercised, I object to having that part of my identity removed.  Maybe I'm just stubborn.  As a medical professional I have certainly been educated regarding the benefits of exercise - there is far less morbidity and mortality among those who do.  Less disease generally - diabetes and cardiac disease particularly.  Ironically, less cancer!  You gain stronger bones and muscles, better mental health, longer life.  Clearly, regular exercise for the past 57 years has not prevented MY cancers!!!  Still, I know I would have never been able to endure some of the insults cancer and its treatments have inflicted had I not been as strong as I could be.  

In 2013 I published this article:  Jump up, jump around...and fire up those Natural Killer cells!!!  There have been others since about the benefit of exercise and my particular cancers.  Now, there's this:

Voluntary wheel running can lead to modulation of immune checkpoint molecule expression.  Bay, Unterrainer, Stagaard, et al.  Act Oncol.  2020 Dec.

Background: Exercise and physical activity (PA) are associated with reduced tumor growth and enhanced intra-tumoral immune cell infiltration in mice. We aimed to investigate the role of PA achieved by voluntary wheel running in promoting the immunogenic profile across several murine tumor models, and to explore the potential of checkpoint blockade and PA in the form of voluntary wheel running as combination therapy.

Material and methods: The experiments were performed with C57BL/6 mice bearing subcutaneous tumors while having access to running wheels in their cages, where key immunoregulatory molecules expressed in the tumor tissue were measured by qPCR. Furthermore, we tested the hypothesis that wheel running combined with PD-L1 -or PD-1 inhibitor treatment could lead to an additive effect on tumor growth in mice bearing B16 melanoma tumors.

Results: Wheel running increased immune checkpoint expression (PD-1, PD-L1, PD-L2, CD28, B7.1 and B7.2) in B16 tumor-bearing mice, while induction of only PD-L2 was found in E0771 breast cancer and Lewis Lung Cancer. In studies combining voluntary wheel running with PD-1 -and PD-L1 inhibitors we found significant effects of wheel running on attenuating B16 melanoma tumor growth, in line with previous studies. We did, however, not find an additive effect of combining either of the two immunotherapeutic treatments with access to running wheels.

Conclusion: B16 tumors displayed upregulated expression of immune regulatory molecules and decreased tumor growth in response to PA. However, combining PA with PD-1 or PD-L1 blockade did not lead to a further augmented inhibition of tumor growth.

Hmmmm......  There is also this:

Association of Survival With Adherence to the American Cancer Society Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Survivors After Colon Cancer Diagnosis: The CALGB 89803/Alliance Trial.  Van Blarigan, Fuchs, Niedzwiecki, et al.  JAMA Oncol. 2019 Apr 1.

Importance: The American Cancer Society Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Survivors (ACS guidelines) include maintaining (1) a healthy body weight; (2) physical activity; and (3) a diet that includes vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. It is not known whether patients with colon cancer who follow these guidelines have improved survival.

Objective: To examine whether a lifestyle consistent with the ACS guidelines is associated with improved survival rates after colon cancer.

Design, setting, and participants: This prospective cohort study included 992 patients with stage III colon cancer who were enrolled in the CALGB 89803 randomized adjuvant chemotherapy trial from 1999 through 2001. Data for the present study were analyzed between November 2016 and December 2017.

Exposures: We assigned an ACS guidelines score for each included patient based on body mass index; physical activity; and intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and red/processed meats (score range, 0-6, with higher score indicating healthier behaviors). Secondarily, we examined a score that also included alcohol intake in addition to the other factors (range, 0-8). Lifestyle was assessed during and 6 months after chemotherapy.

Results: Of the 992 patients enrolled in the study, 430 (43%) were women, and the mean (SD) age was 59.6 years. Over a 7-year median follow-up, we observed 335 recurrences and 299 deaths (43 deaths without recurrence). Compared with patients with a 0 to 1 ACS guidelines score (n = 262; 26%), patients with a 5 to 6 score (n = 91; 9%) had a 42% lower risk of death during the study period and improved disease-free survival. When alcohol consumption was included in the score, the adjusted HRs comparing patients with scores of 6 to 8 (n = 162; 16%) vs those with scores of 0 to 2 (187; 91%) were 0.49 for overall survival, 0.58 for disease-free survival, and 0.64 for recurrence-free survival.

Conclusions and relevance: Having a healthy body weight, being physically active, and eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains after diagnosis of stage III colon cancer was associated with a longer survival.

SO...  Nothing is a sure thing.   But, the data is clear.  High veggie, low meat and alcohol diets with regular exercise are better for all of us - in lots of ways.  Have I prevented cancer in my life?  Obviously not!  But, I'm still here!  57 years and counting! So, after my run today... here are a couple of my scars ~

I ain't J Lo - BAHAHA! - still...  57 ~ what it do!

I do not like my scars.  I do not like them on my thars.

I do not like white spots; littered on my back like dots. 

Even though you may not see, they are very much a part of me.

Despite the lines upon my skin, they do not break the me within.

Strength is not just what you see, but how I deal with adversity.

I AM strong.  Scars be dammed.  I will determine who I am.

Be you.  Timshel.  ~ les

Running Thoughts ~ Kitsune no yomeiri

I have always loved running in sun showers.

Fox's wedding.  Kitsune.  Thank you, b.

 ~ les