Here in Mexico

Becki & I are so glad to have escaped the snow and instead are looking at palm trees!
This is the view of Earl & my driveway yesterday morning. We had a big storm that resulted in my parent's being out of power for 40 hours and us leaving for the airport hours earlier.

Flying went really well. Nothing too exciting. We got pretty tired from 3 flights and the time changes. We're 3 hours earlier here than at home.
Today has been a day of relaxing and showing Becki around. I met with my doctor this morning and he says that we'll continue with the same treatment as previous. I got the results from my CT scan that was done a few weeks ago. I'm only hearing the results officially from Dr. Wong on April 8th, but I found out earlier because my doctor in Mexico got the results. My tumor has shrunk from 8 mm to 6 mm. The scan showing 8 mm was done in December and I had 2 rounds of chemo & treatment here in Mexico since then. I'm happy it's shrinking but obviously wishing that it had disappeared completely. However, my doctor here is happy with the results and with the nutraceuticals that I'm taking at home we should keep getting good results!
Tomorrow my treatments begin.
-Ramona

Last winter while Ramona was recovering from radiation she began making her jean blanket. It was a nice project to work on in her spare time when she felt good enough to work. The project was set aside during the summer as well as during chemotherapy. This picture is taken during family sewing circle.

Here is Ramona with this week's finished product. If you look carefully you can see her emerging hairline. (which she is incredibly proud of....I try not to smile too much)

This was one of the first meals we made when we came back from Mexico. The thing on the right side of the plate is a double. (Chick peas...curry..etc...absolutely delicious). The yellow stuff in the front of the plate is hummus.

The best learning is done by trial and error. We made some unleavened pitas. That was probably the low point of new recipes. Even the unburnt ones....you weren't sure if you were eating the pita or if you had accidently put your plate in your mouth. Ramona puts an amazing amount of time into finding new recipes and making good food. She has quite a collection already. It is a huge treat to come home from work to try some new kind of organic food. This food thing is a lot more fun for me than it is for Ramona. Green salad gets boring...especially if you see other people eating food you want.
Ramona's energy seems to be back. At the end of last week we were concerned why she was feeling so rotten.
-earl

The tickets are booked and my 16year old sister, Becki and I are flying to Mexico on March 30th. Earl will be staying home this time, making some money and so I asked my sister to be my companion. We'll be gone just under a week, flying home on April 5th. We're both really excited, I'm a little more apprehensive, realizing I'll be gone from Earl for such a long time. He's been with me this entire journey and I've grown really attached so I know that it is only healthy for me to be a bit more independent.
I had a CT scan this morning. My prayer is that it'll show that the cancer has disappeared completely. I only get the results sometime in April as my doctor is on holidays.
This last week I felt a lot more tired and fatigued than I did the previous week. I was on anti-inflammatories for my knee which caused some stomach discomfort. I stopped the anti-inflammatories and the stomach pain disappeared. I'm wondering if it also made me more tired?? Whatever the case, I'm hoping this week I'll have more energy.
Exciting news!!! I just officially decided that my hair is growing back. Last week the last scraggly eyebrow and eyelash hair fell out. I must admit I looked hilarious with no eyebrows or eyelashes. However, as soon as they fell out, new ones started coming. Now I have teeny, tiny, short eyelashes! My head hair...well, that's only a hairline. Half an hour ago when I looked in the mirror I could distinctly see my hairline so to me that's the first sign. It looks like it'll be dark again. Not sure if that's good or not-I'm thinking my 3rd hair could be something different-we'll see.
That's all for now
Ramona

Back Home

Yes, we are back at home! I know many of you have been wondering and telling us that we need to blog. Well here I finally am.
I am feeling significantly better than I have in months. I have so much more energy. It's exciting and fun to be able to work harder and do more things than I've been able to do in a long time. My limp slows me down a lot and is frustrating at times. It's hard to believe it's been almost a year since my hip surgery. Anyway... My knee is feeling a lot better. I went to a Sports Clinic on Thursday just to make sure that everything was okay. After chatting with the Doctor there and with Dr.Wong we came to the conclusion that I had banged my knee really hard and with time the fluid around the knee should disappear. The Doctor at the Sports Clinic scared me a bit as she was concerned that my swollen knee might be related to my cancer. I had an x-ray done yesterday and had Dr. Wong look at my knee and he wasn't at all concerned. His attitude was "I don't know why they sent you here." That was exactly what I wanted to hear.
Earl is back at work full-time and worked this morning as well. I'm having fun experimenting with my cooking. I'm making many recipes that I've never made before and usually Earl & I enjoy them.
We're still not sure when I'm going back to Mexico but we're expecting at the end of this month. We're waiting on Oasis of Hope to clarify. This time I'd only be there for a week.
Thanks for all your prayers and support and for helping to make the Oasis of Hope a reality.
Ramona