I'M DONE!

Matt and I - prepoetry slam

I don't know what else to say. I just finished my last radiation and I am done with my treatment for Hodgkin's. I think it will take a couple days to set in that I don't have to go any more and that when I start feeling stronger I will get to continue feeling stronger instead of getting some treatment that makes me feel like crap.

I already started celebrating with mochi ice cream. Yum! I love it.
Now Matt and I are trying to decide where to go to dinner, then we are going to a poetry slam, which may sound weird to you, it sounds weird to me too. But one thing I have been thinking is that I do way too much of the same thing over and over and I need some new experiences. Some may just be different, like the poetry slam, others may take an interest further, like the journaling class I am going to take at the community college, and some may push me a little in my fears, like learning to paddle in the open ocean. Regardless, I am tired of doing the same things, going to the movies, etc and not being satisfied with the experience. It is time for new experiences. There is no good reason I have to only do things that I have already done. There are a million things I have never done that there is no good reason I shouldn't try (all of them legal). So I am off to my new adventure. Hopefully my first try at this - the poetry slam- doesn't suck.
Peace,
MEA

Bryan, Trisha (who suggested the poetry slam), and Jaime

Me, Linda and Josh. Isn't the lei Linda brought me pretty?

Josh and Matt getting into the poetry groove.

The poetry slam was great fun!

House Update

The house - all dressed up with batting and railings.

(going clockwise around it)

Matt's shed

Kitchen - still lots left to do, but we got a stove this weekend. Yay!

Stairs - still need to do the landing, stain and railing.

The outdoor furniture we bought for the deck, but have been using inside instead.

We broke down. We are not going to paint the exterior ourselves. A friend of ours is using a painter that seemed to quote a really good price, so we hired him. So the past two weekends Matt has been working on getting the outside completed for the painter. Little did the painter know that when he gave us his quote we going to add 5 more out buildings. Just kidding, but we did add the batting and Matt's shed, as well as the railings.

The painter has already started cocking the outside. He told Matt he would start with 5 cases and see how much more he needed after that.

So last weekend Matt did the batting and this weekend he did the railings on the upper lanai and the deck off the kitchen.

We are getting down to the final list. Pretty soon, I think we are going to have to spend a weekend or 2 at the Waikiki place to get that ready to rent. So if you know anybody, let me know.

Have a great week.

Peace,

MEA

First day back to work! :)

Hello! I was finally healthy enough to go back to work and start radiation on of Monday.
I just finished my 2nd radiation treatment. Yeah, I am a little tired after them, but just a little.
I am pretty excited because I thought I had 20 radiation treatments, but when I met with the doctor yesterday, he said only 17. Yahoo! I have a treatment everyday, M-F, at 3:30pm. So I will be done the first week of March.
I am only under the machine for 3 minutes. It takes me longer to park and get changed than the actual treatment does.
Radiation is different than chemo-thank goodness it is such a short time. It feels way more invasive. With chemo, I showed up at the doctor’s office, got my vitals taken, some blood drawn, then sat in a recliner for an hour while they pumped the chemo cocktail into me and I watched TV with Matt, a friend or family.
With radiation, I have to take off everything above my waist, including jewelry and watches, put on a gown, then go lay on a hard table while they position me around just right (this is where my boobs get flashed a number of times). Then everybody leaves, they shut a door that is about 3 feet thick and the machine does its thing while you hold perfectly still.
I am sure I as I do it more it will be less of a thing, but yesterday was pretty scary. Matt went with me and watched through a video feed. (That’s right! Can’t even have a window into the room.) I closed my eyes while I was being zapped, because I thought I would be able to see a red beam going into my chest. (I don’t know why, but that is how I always pictured it.) And as I was laying there, I thought if I did see a red beam coming at me, that I might move out of the way or completely jump off the table. So I closed my eyes. Later when I asked Matt about it, he said there was no red beam. So today I kept my eyes open (for most of it anyway). I didn’t see a red beam either.
Radiation is supposed to make me tired, give me a sunburn on the area they are zapping and I may get a sore throat. But other than that it should be pretty easy.
So that is what I know, and now you do too – no red beams while getting zapped.
Have a great week.
I will catch up with you again soon.
Peace,
MEA

The Pneumonia Healer

As you may or may not know, when I got back from Dallas I got pretty sick. I didn't really feel sick when I was just lying around, but as soon as I would get up I would start coughing. A stupid dry, unproductive cough. I also had some spots on my lungs.

The doctor put me on antibiotics and steroids and told me to come back in a week.

In the mean time, my cousin Becky heard that I had been in bed for a couple of days and decided she needed to come nurse me back to health. The amazing thing, besides that fact that anyone would volunteer to wait on me hand and foot for a week was how it all came together in less than 2 days.

1. Her mom happened to be in town for a conference, so she took care of Becky's 11 yr old son.

2. Becky's job was at an in between flux state.

3. Her husband encouraged her to come.

4. She got a ticket from Phoenix for $300 - AMAZING!

She got here on Monday, and the bossing of me immediately began. I mean that in a totally great way. She would not let me out of bed, counted how many times I coughed everyday, not only brought me my meals, but water and anything else I needed. I think the last time I was this pampered was in high school by my mom. We played cribbage and talked and talked and talked. I think the day she got here I immediately started getting better.

Matt was pretty happy she was here too because Becky is a pie maker. This is Matt with the 1st pie Becky made on Monday. If you didn't know, pie is the fastest way to my husband's heart. So Becky also promised Matt that she would teach me to be a pie maker, with all the Shumate secrets. Becky made 3 pies in her spare time between waiting on me and then when I was feeling better showed me how on a 4th. Matt was in pie heaven.

Needless to say, I am feeling much better, the spots on my lungs are gone and I barely cough - all thanks to Becky's healing touch. The doctor wants me to take next week off to make sure the pneumonia is all gone, and so that I am (hopefully) strong enough to start radiation on the 9th.

Can I really say having cancer sucks when I have had all these great experiences? I have seen more family in the last 4 months than I have in the last 4 years. I have had moments of total clarity and the outpouring of caring from family and friends astounds me daily. I know this has been hard on people to see me this way, but I am sure that just as it has made me trust my maker, it has done the same for others. I really don't think I can say that having cancer sucks. To do so would diminish the many moments I will treasure for the rest of my life and would have never had without Hodgkin's disease.

Peace,

MEA

Dallas with Dad

Dad and I at Pizza

I'm back from Dallas. Had my CAT scan on Tuesday, met with my doctor on Friday for the results. If you remember, after my 4th treatment they did a CAT scan too, because it was the midway point. At that time my tumors had shrunk, one by 80% and the other by 50%, which I was super stoked about. From the CAT scan on Tuesday, my doctor said they hadn't shrunk much more. Kinda disappointed, but my doctor assured me that only about 50% of his patients have all of their tumors gone by the end of chemo, that is what the radiation is for.

So from his office I went to get some preliminary stuff done to start radiation. They put some marks on me to help them align the laser. What I didn't know is that on my next visit they will actually tattoo little dots on me for the alignment, so they can't wash off.

I was supposed to start radiation on Wednesday, January 28, but I unfortunately have pneumonia and have been in bed for 4 days straight. I feel fine while in bed, but as soon as I get up and move around I start coughing. Little annoying coughs, that don't produce any phlegm (I know - gross). But they just won't stop until I lay down again. It totally sucks. But at least today, Matt moved the Internet in the bedroom, so here I am complaining to you. Neat, huh?

So radiation has been postponed a week, and I am continuing to put drugs in my body, but now they are antibiotics and steroids. Nice. I just wish they would start working already.

On a brighter note, my hair is starting to fill in. My head isn't quite so shiny(don't have to worry about standing directly under a light and blinding anyone anymore), my hair looks darker, and the best part is.....NO GRAY HAIRS! Whooopeeee! My hairdresser is going to be so bummed (not really she is great, and will be happy for me), only hair cuts for me! No color! YEA!

My time in Dallas with my dad and Jean was great! Here are some pictures from the highlights.

Jean picked me up from Levitra training and took me to her all time favorite BBQ place. It was the best BBQ sauce I have ever tasted - and they served the sauce warm. It was onolicious. Brought a bottle home for Matt to try. Ummmm good! Then we shopped Dallas together. Yea!

After that went to the Friday night pizza joint. Also very good.

Mark, Katie, Jean

Me, Katie and Mark on our way to the picnic Katie planned. It was a beautiful day in Fort Worth. We ate sandwiches, played soccer, threw the football, and went to the art museums gift shop. It was a great picnic.

The day before I left was my dad's birthday. We actually celebrated all weekend long, but this was from birthday lunch on Sunday.


Here is the new look for the bed thanks to Dad and Jean. Yea! Jean made the accent pillow on the bed and the cushion on the chair for me. Thanks Jean! I also scored one of her quilts. I absolutely love it. It has all sorts of colors, but bright turquoise, yellow and green are the anchor colors. It has monkey's on the back and swirls (which remind me of monkey tails) embroidered into it. I can't wait to get the downstairs room done to put it in there, then I'll put a picture of it up.

Gracie obviously loves the new coverlet.

I just love this fabric.