July 2, 2012
     11 down, 19 to go.
     They are not going to be there Wednesday, so that is going to mess up my configuration  because I will have to make it up on a Monday after my 6th week.
     Well, it was back to the RT this morning. Billy went with me and got to go in the room and see them get me ready for the treatment. I went from there for my Monday appointment with Dr. Manon. Whenever he comes into the room he always says, “How is my favorite patient  today?” I figure he says that to all the ladies. He is so pleasant, smiling all the time. He is going to be on paternity leave starting the 9th which is the day his baby boy is due. It is nice that he gets to have time off to be with his wife during that time.
     The watery eye and bleeding nose is to be expected, as are the sores in the mouth and sore throat. He gave me a prescription which will numb my mouth for awhile so I can at least eat without pain. I used it for dinner when Dorean’s family brought food over, I ate my soup, and we enjoyed their company.
     The new liquid worked and I was able to eat a whole bowl of soup without pain. I couldn’t taste it but at least I will get the nourishment from it. I made about a quart of my new Organic Whole Milk and sugar free Nestle’s Chocolate. I sipped on it, through the glass straw all afternoon and managed to finish the whole thing with my soup. Having a glass straw feels very elegant. Oprah always had water for her guests with glass straws in it. Several commented on how nice that was. So I feel like a big shot with my glass straw.
     Tomorrow Tim wants to go with me and see the set up. He had radiation about 24 years ago and wants to see how it has changed. He is such a good so-in-law. He works at Disney at Wide World of Sports and doesn’t go in till around 2:00 so he has mornings off. I am looking forward to going with him to my treatment.
      Here is a beautiful and comforting verse for me at this time in my life. It was on a card sent to me by my dear friend, Ann.

Psalm :18:2

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and

my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom

I take refuge. He is my shield and the

horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I find my comfort in knowing that God is

my Fortress,

Surrounding me with His care.

He is my deliverer,

giving me victory over life’s troubles.

He is my Shield,

always loving and protecting me..

He is a Stronghold that will never fail.

     God bless you all.
     Love to all,
     Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

July 1, 2012

     It was another beautiful and blessed Sunday. The service was almost full and they were from many places in the US and even Kenya, Africa. The visitors are so sweet to come by and let me know they will pray for me. That means very much to me because I know that  their praying is not only good for me but good for them also. Anytime we come before the throne for what ever reason is a good thing.
     I have a new motto for eating now. “If I have to chew it, I can’t swallow it.” My mouth and throat is getting very sore. I guess it will get much worse over the next four weeks. I have found that Panera’s has great creamed soups and Smoothies that I can drink. It makes for a very nice meal. I am not watching out for my diabetes because the dietician said not to worry about it but to just be cautious about sugar. I am eating so much that I’m afraid I’ll gain weight. We will know tomorrow because I get weighed before seeing Dr. Manon.
     I just got a call from one of our favorite people in the world. Bro. Sam Shepperson. Those of you that live in El Dorado certainly know him, he is a legend and has been our pastor for at least 60 years. He and Miss Dot, his wife are beautiful people and amazing Christians. We love them and are thankful to have them in our lives.
     At this time I am finishing up my blog while doing my fluoride treatment for 10 minutes. Then I will be ready for bed, even though I had a nice long 2 hour nap this afternoon. I sleep very well now, I don’t know what to attribute that to unless it is how tired I get.
     Anyway, I am signing off for today. I will let you know how it goes tomorrow at RT.
     Love to all,
     Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

June 30, 2012
     Today was a great Saturday. Bible Study this morning was wonderful, as usual. I just took it easy, had a little soup for lunch and took a nap. Got a haircut this afternoon then Dorean and McKenzie came over to watch movies for awhile. We watched Hop, a cute move about the Easter Bunny. If you have grandchildren you have probably seen it.
    I had another nose bleed this afternoon. I don’t know what brings them on but I hope it is something that can be controlled. There is no warning when it is going to happen I just feel something running in my nose. I guess I’ll have to carry a Kleenex in my hand all the time. Just another inconvenience of getting radiation. There are so many.
     The following is from a card sent to me by a dear friend. She sends me a beautiful card every week either by e-mail or snail mail. She has been going through her own battle with cancer and her testimony is such a blessing to all who know her.

Difficult things can cause us to ask, “Why did this happen?”

But if we’re trusting in Christ we never need to ask,

“How could He let this happen?”

God may never reveal all His reasons to us,

but He has revealed His character to us.

His character assures us that

He never makes mistakes, is never uncaring,

and that He never separates Himself from our need.

The need you face is great, but the grace

that is yours in Christ is even greater.

May your heart and your faith stay fixed upon Him

as you go through this difficulty.

Be assured that He is holding your hand

and will not let you go!

So do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be dismayed.

for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you

with My righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 NIV

     Have a lovely week end.
     Mary Margaret

     The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

June 29, 2012

    10 down 20 to go 2 weeks down 4 to go!

     Friday, I love Fridays! It means I get two days off from radiation. My mouth is getting  uncomfortable with sores in many places. The worst is at the back of my throat and along the left side of my tongue. It is getting hard to swallow anything but liquids. I tried to eat an orange when I came home this morning and I couldn’t get anything down but the juice. I had soup for lunch and the hot liquid felt good in my mouth but hard to swallow. I can’t imagine what it will be like in 4 weeks. I am hoping that these sores will clear up before more come. The mouth washes are supposed to help with this, I am thankful I don’t have to go through this without them.

     Today in the machine was truly a blessing.  Prayer today was “praise and thanksgiving.” I had what I’m calling, a “holy epiphany” while praying and praising God. I was praising and thanking Him for what Jesus did on the cross for me. He went through all that because He loved me and wanted me to be able to spend eternity with Him. I know I have believed and talked about what He did on the cross for many years but He gave me an illustration today that made it more personal to me. While listening to the noise of the machine and my Christian CD of Aaron-Jeffery playing over the noise, it came to me that because of my love for my girls, I would be willing to climb into that machine everyday for the rest of my life if they didn’t have to go through this themselves. Tears were running down my eyes as the reality of how that compared with what Jesus did. My sacrifice would be on such a miniscule proportion to what He did that it isn’t much of a comparison, but it did bring it home to me. All this was an   amazing blessing to me and the time flew by and ended before I could get to all my praise and thanksgiving to Him.

     When I walked out of the movie “Passion of the Christ” I said to my son-in-law, Daniel, that I feel like I was actually at the crucifixion. The thought popped into my head clear as if someone had said it out loud, it said, “You were, your sins were there as Jesus paid for them.” It dawned on me that the very worst of who I am was there and He suffered for me anyway.

     The picture tonight is of my Jerusalem stone that I take into treatment with me. If you don’t remember my former explanation here it is. Billy was in Jerusalem a few years ago. He does a lecture at The Holy Land Experience of the Jerusalem model that is there. While in Israel he did a lecture on the model that is there. It is larger than the one at THLE and is outdoors. The  gentleman that usually did the lecture graciously allowed Billy to do it for him. He was not a Messianic Jew but while Billy was doing the lecture he scratched the cross into this piece of stone and gave it to him. He told Billy that he was very impressed with what he said in the lecture. The stone is meaningful only because it came from Israel and from the place where  Jesus actually walked. It has no power, it is just a stone. It is also a testimony because I have had the opportunity to tell people about its meaning to me.

     I am posting this early because I will probably want to go to bed early tonight. We have to take Billy’s car over to Deanna’s so they can borrow it to pick up Matt and his three brothers tomorrow at Ocala. The were helping Matt’s twin brother move from Colorado to Ocala.

So good day, my friends. God bless you all.

     Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

 

June 27, 2012
       At last, Dorean figured out how to post a picture. I will have to catch you up with some of our pictures but tonight I have the latest. Omar, one of the techs at radiology took this picture with my phone for me. Yes, that is me in that garb. The designer gown was designed my some psychopath that thinks comfort and beauty is not fit for hospital wear. It has 3, yes 3, sleeves in it. You put it on backwards and put your arms in two of the holes then the third is hanging in the back and you pull it around to the side and slip your arm into it. When I get into the room with the machine I take my arm out of the 3rd sleeve so the gown can be pulled down so the radiation can get to my neck and clavicle area. That’s all the information I have on the lovely gown. The blue ring on my tummy is oval shaped and soft rubber for me to hold onto because the table is not wide enough for the arms to rest on it. My rock is in my right hand but doesn’t interfere with me holding the ring. The mesh over my face is the famous mask that was made just for me. You could call it couture since it is one of a kind. It fits very tightly over my face and goes past my head and is attached to the table so there is no way I can move my head. The blue pillow like thing under my head was also made to form to my head. You can see a little of the machine that I am about to slide into. The medieval tortures had nothing on modern day medicine.
     The day started out raining but cleared up in late afternoon. It was good to see the sun again.
     I went to the acupuncture doctor this afternoon. He is very nice and I hope his stuff will work for some of my side effects. I sure do get relaxed while I am there. I was wondering if I would be able to drive home, but I made it.
     I am having some trouble with my nose bleeding off and on during the day. I had to stuff some Kleenex in my nose this morning for RT and again this afternoon at the doctors. It will just start running and won’t stop for awhile. Naturally it is on the left side so I figure it has something to do with the radiation. I’ll have to talk to Dr. Manon about it on Monday.
     This is something that was on a get well card.

With God,

every day is a day

to hope for the very best — 

to believe our prayers

are being heard,

to have faith

good news is on its way,

and to know

that anything can happen

between yesterday

and tomorrow.

     Good night and God bless.
     Mary Margaret

     The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

June 26, 2012
     7 down 23 to go.
     It is raining constantly and has been for days. There is a tropical storm front going through and we haven’t seen the sun for about a week. This is a good thing for me since I can’t get sun on my face, like a vampire I only come out on overcast days and nights.
     After the treatment I had an appointment with a dietician. We had the best time talking for about 2 hours. She did give me some ideas about how to get in enough calories to keep from losing weight. I don’t like the idea but they are telling me I have to do it. I was counting on this opportunity to lose weight because you always lose during radiation. I may try to sneak in a pound or two loss along the way.
     I am starting to get some little bumps in my mouth and along my tongue. They are like the “lie bumps” we sometime get on our tongues. My throat is also getting sore a little. I use my gargles as often as I can, but it is hard to work them into my daily routine.
     Yesterday I met with Dr. Manon. He always greets me with a big smile and a hardy handshake. Yesterday he said, “How in my favorite patient today?” I‘m sure he says that because I made a baby blanket for the baby they are expecting next month. He said he will bring a      picture of how his wife put it in the baby’s room when I see him next week.
     God has given me the opportunity to bring Him up to several people along the way.       Yesterday I got to talking to a lady in the dressing room after my treatment. She just had her last treatment for cancer in her spine, liver and some other place I can’t remember. She said she had brain cancer before and thought she had beat it, but it came back. We talked awhile and I told her how I prayed during the treatments and my schedule for each day. I told you the schedule before, but here it is again. Monday-family, Tuesday-our church family, Wednesday-our missionaries, Thursday-our country, the world and leaders, Friday-praise and thanksgiving.  The time goes by quickly. Anyway, she and I had a nice hug and said we would pray for each other. Her name is Marjory, please pray for her if you remember. Today I got to talk a little about the Lord with the Dietician.
     Billy went back to work today. I didn’t think he was ready, but he is a man and they can sometimes be rather stubborn. His throat is real raspy from the tubes they put down his throat to look into his stomach. He took some Honeygar (honey and vinegar) to make a hot tea to drink which is very good for the throat. All this rainy weather isn’t helping his throat either. I hope he gets better soon.
     It’s time to start getting ready for bed. I find that I am ready to go to bed earlier and earlier every night. I don’t seem to get much done during the day. By the time I get home from RT I just want to rest. Some days I can get a little done, like a load a washing or a little cleaning in the kitchen.
     Fortunately, someone made us a wonderful chicken pot pie for tonight and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks, Toni. We will be enjoying it for a few days. That was a great treat!
     I’ll tell you about my acupuncture visit tomorrow.
     Much love to all,
          Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com

May 24, 2012
It has been a rainy “tropical storm fringe” day, rain constantly which is always needed in   Florida.
     Church this morning was a blessing, as usual. Billy was able to go but didn’t preach. Our son-in-law, Daniel, preached and did a wonderful job. Everyone was blessed. Donna sang a beautiful song, “No More Night” which David Phelps recorded. I had decided a while ago that I wanted it played at my funeral, which I hope isn’t going to be too soon. I cried the whole time and was greatly blessed.
     Due to the weather and Billy still in recovery we decided to cancel Bible Study tonight. We went to lunch at the Elephant Bar and came home to take a nice long nap. We are just chill’n tonight.
     Tomorrow I begin the second week of my treatment. I have the peace of the Lord knowing that this week will bring more possibility of some side effects. I am anxious to see what     wonderful things He is going to perform to get me through this week. It is exciting to be     waiting on the Lord and know that He is going to do something amazing in my life.
     I’m going to say good night early. I have my nightly routine to go through before going to bed.
     God bless you all.
Love to all,
     Mary Margaret

The big "C" in me is Christ enabling me to deal with the little "c" which is the cancer!
Don’t forget to E-mail me . . .

angel8mmj@gmail.com