chemo day 3 tomorrow

Soldiers,

It’s that time again….time for you to warm up your good thoughts and prayers. Please send them my way tomorrow as I embark on chemo round three (ding ding!).

Some good news and general random thoughts to share: I had an appointment today at Duke for another ultrasound on the tumor. Several good things occurred: First, the intake nurse made very enthusiastic remarks about how good I looked. She said she remembered me from a previous appointment and thought I looked better now than I did then. She said "your eyes are bright, you look great!" I am attributing this to adding bone broth to my daily diet last week, although I should also note that I have started doing my yoga set almost every day, as well as morning and evening meditation and I started taking enzymes last week. But, Ken told me that he has had cancer patients who had to stop doing chemo because they were too sick and after they started doing acupuncture and eating bone broth they ended up healthier at the end of chemo than they were before they started it....which is ridiculous and amazing! So, I think that is the primary factor at work. And I'm feeling amazingly good…. the difference in my energy and general perkiness is dramatic. Last Monday I had to ask my neighbor S.P. to take my garbage to the curb for me; this week I have gotten every little chore done that I wanted to with no undue fatigue. It's great!

The doctor doing the ultrasound said the tumor looks smaller still, and that she was having a hard time finding its edges, so it is also less defined. (I can hear Cindy's horrible shrieks.....they make me laugh gleefully) She thinks another MRI might be in order because she was having so much trouble getting a clear picture. Keep those prayers and good thoughts coming! Dr. Shaw's theory so far has not failed!

I need to respectfully and gratefully request that the overflowing food tap be turned to the right for a little bit....my freezer is JAMMED with food right now. I also need to ask that no one put any spicy things in my food right now...and man do I hate having to ask that because I love spicy food. However, I now get instant heart burn if something is spicy. =( The food everyone has made me is wonderful! I had no idea I worked with so many good cooks! I also have an obnoxious amount of tupperware building up in my possession. I have been pondering ways to unload it....I mean, I could 'give it back' to everyone I suppose. But I had this brilliant business venture occur to me. I was thinking that maybe I could get 10 of my friends to sell it for me...and they each in turn could get 10 of their friends to sell it for them...everyone who has people under them will make more money, just as long as they have no qualms with asking family and friends to become business partners. That's always a good idea! Who better? Cancer has given me great business acumen. I am going to be RICH after this is over pursuing my 'name that tumor' and 'get 10 of your best friends to sell your stolen extra tupperware brilliant business venture!!’ I think that will be the name of my company; I think I will keep it in italics. There is just something about italics, you know? Something that makes words have more, I don't know....emphasis. Maybe in my business letters when I am really adamant I could put things in all caps, bold faced, underlined, hot pink and use at least 3 exclamation points. Let me try it out:

EMPHASIS!!!

How did that make everyone feel?

In other news: Members of my former department at work went together last week and purchased me an Ipod, along with $150 gift certificate for downloading. I FREAKING LOVE IT!!! My gadget geek has come out full blast.(sucks spit through head gear, pushes up taped glasses, adjusts pocket protector) I was experimenting last week with getting up at 3:30 am to take this enzyme that has to be ingested on an empty stomach. It was backfiring on me b/c I would get up to take it and then not be able to fall back to sleep. Well...on one of these nights I kept lunging out of bed to write down the name of another song I want! It's a sickness! I had a vague inkling that something might be up when my old director called me...and when I got to her office the door was locked. When I knocked, it opened to a sea of people jammed into the room with this hilarious, excited air vibrating around them. I felt like the kid at a birthday party whose best friend got them something and they can’t wait for her to open it. I was overwhelmed, and I started to shake, and I could hardly talk. I am deeply touched by the gift. They said it was for me to use while on my exercise bike, and on my walks, and during chemo. They also put this hysterical card in it that reads "Tina was so tough her poodle skirt had a bulldog on it....your tougher" and almost everyone made some crack about 'Cindy sucks, but M.J. is great'. The gesture, the card; not only are they incredibly generous, but they make me feel heard. The people around me are reading my updates, laughing along with me at the pratfalls, and they are thinking 'how can we make this a nicer experience for her? I know! Let's get her a really cool toy!'

I now have Cindy to thank for two laptops and a boss daddy Ipod. (I can now download every episode of "This American LIfe" and listen to it on my walks...It even plays videos!...I can watch "Lost" while I sit in a waiting room...dork dork dork dork....*explode*)

I now want one of those super sexy armbands that I see other people who are jogging using to strap their ipods on while they exercise....my ipod shall make all other ipods spontaneously shatter in its presence. Especially once it is housed in its sexy arm band. It shall be the 'chosen' Ipod...I am terribly excited!! Can you tell? Maybe I need more exclamation points....!!!!EXCITED!!!!

Alright…this is long enough. Things are good. Life is good and beautiful and I feel really great. I am so happy and grateful for these things I am having a hard time repressing my mirth.

I salute you.


Love Fabulous Love,

M.J.