tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1809966395144206132024-03-05T02:28:08.228-05:00Shannon Iezzi-Watson's blogShannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.comBlogger151125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-67458442046342235922010-04-21T19:46:00.004-04:002010-04-21T20:14:56.181-04:00EULOGY FOR SHANNON WATSON - BY HER LOVING HUSBAND<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;">I am not going to try to summarize Shannon's life over the next</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;">few minutes, because it would be an impossible task. She has </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;">accomplished more in her 29 years on this Earth, than most people</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;">could hope to accomplish in ten lifetimes.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#777777;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><div style="text-align: left;">Shannon's mission in life was to help others, who like her had </div><div style="text-align: left;">been diagnosed with cancer. Her other mission was to inspire </div><div style="text-align: left;">people to improve their health and live a life of love to the fullest. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Based on the outpouring of support we have been showered with </div><div style="text-align: left;">over the past few days, I can confidently say that she accomplished </div><div style="text-align: left;">both of her life's missions.</div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#777777;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><div style="text-align: left;">Shannon was a self-described - cat loving, tree hugging, outspoken, </div><div style="text-align: left;">healthy, happy survivor who was told that her life would be short...</div><div style="text-align: left;">but she was determined to take control of her situation and </div><div style="text-align: left;">completely ignore the timeline given to her by her doctors. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Her goal was to become completely healthy while helping </div><div style="text-align: left;">everyone she could on the way.</div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#777777;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><div style="text-align: left;">She was many things to many people. To me she was my wife, </div><div style="text-align: left;">my best friend, my soulmate and my hero! If you spent any </div><div style="text-align: left;">length of time with her I can guarantee you walked away a </div><div style="text-align: left;">better person. She had an infectious laugh, and a smile that </div><div style="text-align: left;">could warm your heart.</div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#777777;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><div style="text-align: left;">She touched countless lives, and inspired countless others to </div><div style="text-align: left;">live life to the fullest. She was not defined by her cancer diagnosis, </div><div style="text-align: left;">but did use her diagnosis as a vehicle to share her story with </div><div style="text-align: left;">thousands of people. As easy as it would have been, she never </div><div style="text-align: left;">felt sorry for herself and never adopted a "why me?" mindset.</div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#777777;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><div style="text-align: left;">She always said that she was glad that she was diagnosed. Being </div><div style="text-align: left;">diagnosed at the age of 25 gave her perspective. It allowed her </div><div style="text-align: left;">to focus her energy on what really matters in life. It also allowed </div><div style="text-align: left;">her to meet so many other inspirational and amazing people - </div><div style="text-align: left;">many of whom are in this church today.</div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#777777;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><div style="text-align: left;">Even until the very end, Shannon was more comfortable with the </div><div style="text-align: left;">thought of her passing than she was with the impact that it would </div><div style="text-align: left;">have on her family and friends. We can let her rest at ease, and </div><div style="text-align: left;">honor her memory by living our lives to the fullest...by finding </div><div style="text-align: left;">a silver lining in every situation. Don't let anything, or anybody </div><div style="text-align: left;">hold you back from chasing your dreams. Get outside of your </div><div style="text-align: left;">comfort zone. Challenge yourself, demand the best in life, and </div><div style="text-align: left;">don't let fear or self doubt stand in your way.</div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#777777;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><div style="text-align: left;">Lastly, at the end of each day ask yourself, "Did you do something </div><div style="text-align: left;">that makes you happy today?"...and make sure the answer is YES!</div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;color:#777777;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><div style="text-align: left;">-KEVIN WATSON-</div></span></div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-25635518794635897372010-03-25T21:50:00.007-04:002010-03-29T13:40:13.310-04:00Since Arizona<div>Sorry It's been so long since I've blogged. Life has been a little hectic since Arizona.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Here is my grandma Arlen and I on the golf course. We just followed as Uncle David, Melissa and my grandma's friend, Frank, played.</b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK33D_e8HiBp2MBrsYjPcg0VKJsZvigeukND5TaEZKYJt49hbiowiB15lj7lOAfR3WEDFxeYeRWqNvozdu_wNP97TjvwTYfQLAFsxxOF2xl0XzB7vYbzlP0QOC5V7y1xikoHLUXziR03Sf/s1600/S6300987.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK33D_e8HiBp2MBrsYjPcg0VKJsZvigeukND5TaEZKYJt49hbiowiB15lj7lOAfR3WEDFxeYeRWqNvozdu_wNP97TjvwTYfQLAFsxxOF2xl0XzB7vYbzlP0QOC5V7y1xikoHLUXziR03Sf/s400/S6300987.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452757530142772050" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">This is a group of us out to eat.</div></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04SSX5RrOAgLBkx-WR4A01zXjbGmA71bPHAvu0MqKtNYsCrf2BQ9XNUkrjc0FufRgyqU-ZkpvS6BAzF7eXHl0fYRNbt_grpzgjPHROLpXDPtBx0nlKn1vRLEnxImJMPsyUlwQPywu21fW/s1600/IMG_4925.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04SSX5RrOAgLBkx-WR4A01zXjbGmA71bPHAvu0MqKtNYsCrf2BQ9XNUkrjc0FufRgyqU-ZkpvS6BAzF7eXHl0fYRNbt_grpzgjPHROLpXDPtBx0nlKn1vRLEnxImJMPsyUlwQPywu21fW/s400/IMG_4925.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452757521095839234" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">Even my cousin Luc was able to make it down from school to hang out at my grandma's</div></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhue6EYMXxVCR46k5wrmQ3LcHBkxVK66L02zNRFtFxUOonTb2lu8qqM9chfpIaEszhyc2TFwWTBxGv2PYuHsJ87V7UUVxTnH2pHXxI5Z5Wzh57FUEvoP5o8VD9XVidS03fin0vATIGB_yIx/s1600/CIMG5771.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhue6EYMXxVCR46k5wrmQ3LcHBkxVK66L02zNRFtFxUOonTb2lu8qqM9chfpIaEszhyc2TFwWTBxGv2PYuHsJ87V7UUVxTnH2pHXxI5Z5Wzh57FUEvoP5o8VD9XVidS03fin0vATIGB_yIx/s400/CIMG5771.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452757507122094402" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">I thought this cactus was so funny. Woodpeckers make these holes and people filled the holes made with golf balls.</div></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZ2vBV2MihVJqZiMS73rCt4LcKnH36a_qrxkRkQUlMBWbZuIxphi-vd8HyCL_5grcDSojuJlwujg8OJ1-W0SwH7jlbxZ-3E9e8WXExstZ1mxC7na7DcO3Q0OMA5rqrTwAWaYKS4P31C9G/s1600/IMG_4917.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZ2vBV2MihVJqZiMS73rCt4LcKnH36a_qrxkRkQUlMBWbZuIxphi-vd8HyCL_5grcDSojuJlwujg8OJ1-W0SwH7jlbxZ-3E9e8WXExstZ1mxC7na7DcO3Q0OMA5rqrTwAWaYKS4P31C9G/s400/IMG_4917.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452757501850318834" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">Some of the girls hanging out at dinner.</div></b><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqr3tGojsuAynYB5DRAMVBXFszk0X9lRhBC1er2KJccwfnKl1zFwOe0c4Z6thyh80hxfF7eolPeVHGJhVRzKolWnuhxKWyKmYNSkM99oqT0DNWAePas3Ymo9BgHtnbhmux94yATGVN2vSD/s1600/CIMG5769.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqr3tGojsuAynYB5DRAMVBXFszk0X9lRhBC1er2KJccwfnKl1zFwOe0c4Z6thyh80hxfF7eolPeVHGJhVRzKolWnuhxKWyKmYNSkM99oqT0DNWAePas3Ymo9BgHtnbhmux94yATGVN2vSD/s400/CIMG5769.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452756271730307266" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><b>All the ladies from my grandma's tap class got up and did a dance routine they knew at the resturant we were at</b>.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlUIW3gLgKgW4WfHHHPUjewiROHBXwBSvdu4IaDa23PC8MTqueCEau2v96W8kU0W0qW4nOQuehXPDoeKcJSXUtic_SK3tqsDrk2hFfl-tlDtXheRp0V6Hu7Q6nNI6c0slgb2txfjuzZGtL/s1600/CIMG5777.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlUIW3gLgKgW4WfHHHPUjewiROHBXwBSvdu4IaDa23PC8MTqueCEau2v96W8kU0W0qW4nOQuehXPDoeKcJSXUtic_SK3tqsDrk2hFfl-tlDtXheRp0V6Hu7Q6nNI6c0slgb2txfjuzZGtL/s400/CIMG5777.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452756265070441826" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">There is a park close by that is absolutely beautiful. I sat by that waterfall and didn't want to move. The smell of the water and all the greenery was incredible and refreshing.</div></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62XQCPSor5Bt2LD3-n2AK4VblPDnOEEq13enEJ8rhQteJtbsLHGuCOdb1PNbrYykqtk5wnCpOvAJOzHiMWkRgV0qhGh1ZbC_H-09V0g_WyBRdqQtaPo_Iry4gE7yPvaaXv-h5oeYoWU9F/s1600/IMG_4928.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62XQCPSor5Bt2LD3-n2AK4VblPDnOEEq13enEJ8rhQteJtbsLHGuCOdb1PNbrYykqtk5wnCpOvAJOzHiMWkRgV0qhGh1ZbC_H-09V0g_WyBRdqQtaPo_Iry4gE7yPvaaXv-h5oeYoWU9F/s400/IMG_4928.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452756257957153090" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">We hung out at the park for a while.</div></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QWwjtCw4bLsVquycHB1uWMbu6VRzHqjpjtaKPUuqdAsxabmEYbaHCLUlNFH2XPBQJ8chAR7WtdVK0iokLS2pTENFKFDok81gqHXYquPK0EDtFw8SFGjPRV7E_VK4ZfVbTqC3kGiqGOjs/s1600/IMG_4933.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QWwjtCw4bLsVquycHB1uWMbu6VRzHqjpjtaKPUuqdAsxabmEYbaHCLUlNFH2XPBQJ8chAR7WtdVK0iokLS2pTENFKFDok81gqHXYquPK0EDtFw8SFGjPRV7E_VK4ZfVbTqC3kGiqGOjs/s400/IMG_4933.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452756242472525058" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">I wish this was in my backyard.</div></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Vp5WHWE5RJrxgeiOFsjhOrVRmKTWjEvGC7j-O-8TYeXd7C17itx03zkl4yHNvDBn3uM0kTyqbwEYMNmfqxTi1j-EK9B8tNfBgrp25wsXhXF_bB6H2r2kv2SPi6WeeByHLT6SGnhfmOfs/s1600/S6300990.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Vp5WHWE5RJrxgeiOFsjhOrVRmKTWjEvGC7j-O-8TYeXd7C17itx03zkl4yHNvDBn3uM0kTyqbwEYMNmfqxTi1j-EK9B8tNfBgrp25wsXhXF_bB6H2r2kv2SPi6WeeByHLT6SGnhfmOfs/s400/S6300990.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452756231305610994" /></a>Arizona was a fun time. It was really cool that My Uncle David, Melissa and my cousin Luc also were able to make it out there while I was there. I spent a lot of time laying in the sun. I had some fevers and some really bad abdomen pain, so I really couldn't walk around much and do many things. My grandma and I went to a beautiful park nearby. We went golfing (well, we watched everyone golf and we cruised around in the cart which was good enough for me). We went to watch my cousin Luc and my Uncle David play hockey up at Luc's college. It was pretty low key, but the trip was just what I needed. The good thing about having all this time off is that I am really able to spend a lot of quality time with my family and friends, getting to develop much better relationships with everyone. All and all I love Arizona and it was a fun time.<br /><div><br /></div><div>What has happened health wise since my trip:<div>When I got back from Arizona I was so incredibly weak. I literally could not walk on my own. I got my bloodwork and my hemoglobin was 7.5 (which is the lowest mine has ever been). Normal is 12 or higher (I forget how high it goes). So I got another blood transfusion the day after I got back from Arizona.</div><div><br /></div><div>I went to the Pain Clinic the next day because I was having the awful pain in my abdomen and nothing was working to get rid of it. Their recommendation was to take more pain medicine. I got a PET scan done the following day to see how things were going inside my body. So, I was in the hospital 3 days in a row after my Arizona trip. Fun! At least I got a weekend off before I started my new chemo, Ixempra, on Monday. </div><div><br /></div><div>I had to take the Neulasta shot the day after chemo, which is for having low white blood cells. The terrible thing about this shot is that it causes the worst bone pain in the world. One week later I was getting my blood counts checked and at the same time I had the worst bone pain that I literally could have cut off parts of my body it hurt so bad. My red blood count was down to 6.3 (lowest ever yet and of course I couldn't walk on my own) and my platelets were super low at 11 (150-300 is normal). So, of course I needed to go to the hospital to get a hemoglobin and platelet transfusion. I actually wasn't that upset to go, because I knew I could get IV Dilaudid all day and night which is about the only thing that will completely take away my bone pain. I even decided to stay the night when the transfusion was done, so I could just get IV Dilaudid all night long. Now that's when you know I am in bad pain.</div><div><br /></div><div>So now, the pain has started to fade. No more abdomen pain. I think I have enough blood cells now. I think they might give me a lighter dose of chemo next time... I hope. Why???????? Because Kevin and I have booked a vacation to Puerto Rico mid April. I am so excited to be able to go on a vacation WITH KEVIN. We're staying at a really nice hotel that has it's own private island that has the whitest sand and the crystal clear bluest water. I cannot wait to go.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also booked a shorter trip with my mom and sister, Stacie, to go to Marco Island, FL in early May (right after my 30th birthday). That place looks equally unbelievable. I cannot wait to spend some quality time with them just hanging out on the beach. It's not like I'm all better or anything. I might be sick or in pain while I am on vacation. I understand there are people who think I am crazy, but I am not going to stop living. I might not do much there at all, but all I am really interested in is the weather and the beach. I think I will have a great time and I'll make sure to bring lots of medicine.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, that's about all for now. I'll blog sooner next time. Life has just been really crazy and when I am not doing all this stuff I am sleeping because my new anti-nausea medicine makes me sleepy all the time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks everyone for your support.</div><div>Lots of love</div><div>Shannon</div></div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-84291389580874115072010-03-03T21:48:00.005-05:002010-03-03T22:29:30.563-05:00I'm in Arizona<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Here is me and Kevin at my grandma Arlen's birthday party. This is my new wig and Kevin has his new glasses on. He's worn contacts for about 6 years and finally got a couple pairs of glasses. I think he looks cute with them. My hot husband.</b></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQz2L1eKpZwehALIcCUkoRzvWbETnKrtmHTAYwzKHKGa-LtFyzkFSps9Zfu6QPoOwaL-7I4meBaCrbUBGoHbHazn6l1VKQRUxe4WC4H0kxIgPZRqGR1AYrybzwHPb4pnRbhoFO2cuCPVBK/s1600-h/IMG_4912.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQz2L1eKpZwehALIcCUkoRzvWbETnKrtmHTAYwzKHKGa-LtFyzkFSps9Zfu6QPoOwaL-7I4meBaCrbUBGoHbHazn6l1VKQRUxe4WC4H0kxIgPZRqGR1AYrybzwHPb4pnRbhoFO2cuCPVBK/s400/IMG_4912.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444605992878666562" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Uncle David and his girlfriend, Melissa, came into town and were able to be at grandma's birthday party. This is the very talented Melissa who took the pictures when I was in California</b>.<b> Think Uncle David is doing Blue Steel.</b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTVZ3YR2l9HonIFSGcWr3G0cv0STp1iuutfWK4za0iP7CWXV675X6Vx8Afe8kGNB1gefYLpzUZ30nxSpe0FE7TPpnKbjcTRgz0SxXTvIXf3j24jF2BPn-8PPTaaW03c8Pyz0kcL4IIgxt/s1600-h/IMG_4911.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTVZ3YR2l9HonIFSGcWr3G0cv0STp1iuutfWK4za0iP7CWXV675X6Vx8Afe8kGNB1gefYLpzUZ30nxSpe0FE7TPpnKbjcTRgz0SxXTvIXf3j24jF2BPn-8PPTaaW03c8Pyz0kcL4IIgxt/s400/IMG_4911.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444605977741526690" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">Kevin got me flowers for Valentines day and man, they were beautiful. I loved them.</div></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbM71NuXMxvnv8WqBtIeW6aHKXzn7MscSCAOsDppkrCOVRW8BuTPp4-BLsnu5hRC6W5P_fJUF54LHbIe6Nmmc0eLtQX35NFQBcgUKzRq38vRQygHuRLGWKUy8l_tCxjvAckJN3cxqTFgB/s1600-h/IMG_4897.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbM71NuXMxvnv8WqBtIeW6aHKXzn7MscSCAOsDppkrCOVRW8BuTPp4-BLsnu5hRC6W5P_fJUF54LHbIe6Nmmc0eLtQX35NFQBcgUKzRq38vRQygHuRLGWKUy8l_tCxjvAckJN3cxqTFgB/s400/IMG_4897.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444605971667950050" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is our niece Riley at her 1st birthday party. She got the biggest smile when we put the birthday hat on her. She should be a baby model. I call her Smiley Riley</b>.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGVr-iyu9b1l1sy34j1mM5GFQaK4CfOlmo5qn8NZC5gJKaVeiOj_ThvfrZM4MXrqosgVAb7PFP6O3dACoFdURMaHITu5X9x-pivxxhE_8JVdDziepPEZqkdY7vWPyomxJRz8nLFvTkSP5z/s1600-h/GetAttachment-9.aspx.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGVr-iyu9b1l1sy34j1mM5GFQaK4CfOlmo5qn8NZC5gJKaVeiOj_ThvfrZM4MXrqosgVAb7PFP6O3dACoFdURMaHITu5X9x-pivxxhE_8JVdDziepPEZqkdY7vWPyomxJRz8nLFvTkSP5z/s400/GetAttachment-9.aspx.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444605956577510802" /></a>Well, surprise...I'm writing from Arizona. Yep, my grandma Arlen decided to go out to her Arizona house and open it up for a couple weeks, so I decided to come out with her since I am always searching for a way to get away from Michigan weather. I'm only staying a week though. I just got here today so my next blog I will be writing about Arizona. Uncle David and Melissa and my cousin Luc will be coming out here this weekend, so it will be a nice family get together. I'm excited.<div><br /></div><div>I can tell you about my travels out here though. A while back I got bad bone pain again. Once that went away I got bad liver pain. Once that went away I got really bad pain under my left rib. We did a CT scan to see if it was a blood clot in my spleen, but nothing showed up. So, it's a mystery pain, but it is intense. I cannot stand up straight it hurts so bad. My doctor told me to use the Fentanol patch which is a pain relief patch you put on your arm. If I still have pain I'm supposed to take Dilaudid. I did that this morning, but I think the two combined are way too much for my stomach. My in-laws, Roger and Edie, took me to the airport. I was throwing up in a bucket the entire way to the airport. It was rough and I felt bad for them. I kept asking them to pull over so I could dump the bucket, but then I would throw up again. Luckily, I got it all out in the car and I didn't have any issues on the airplane. I did get a compliment on my puking skills though. Roger said I am really quiet, so that's good. : )</div><div><br /></div><div>I've adjusted to being bald and I do like my new wig. I still have another wig on its way but it's on backorder in Germany. I can't wait to get it. The chemo I am on now does not really seem to be working because my liver tumors have grown since the last scan I had. Next time I get chemo we're switching to Exempra. I need to look it up and see what side effects to expect. I've only had one transfusion since the last time I wrote in the blog which is an improvement. I just wish we could find a chemo that worked and didn't screw with my body so bad.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am so glad that everyone liked my idea of the indoor water park. I guess there are two already in existence, one in Japan and one in Germany. Now, we need one in Michigan. It's fun to dream.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm happy to tell you all that we have started planning the <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF6666;">Bras for a Cause show for 2010</span></b>. It will be at <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF6666;">Royal Oak Music Theatre again Saturday, September 18th.</span></b> We're going to have way more food and a lot more seating. We learned so much from last year and I think this year will be incredible. I hope to raise between $75,000 - $100,000. Last year we did $50,000, so I think it's possible.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, we all know I don't do much because I sit home all the time and have family and friends come over and take care of me, so there's not much more to write about. I appreciate everyone's help. I also have people cooking for me and that has been a huge help to Kevin and I. I am so lucky to have so many caring people in my life. THANK YOU!!!!! I love you all!</div><div><br /></div><div>Take it easy. I'll be soaking up the sun and I'll tell you all about it.</div><div>Lots of love and sun</div><div>Shannon</div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-12189138430818739702010-02-17T14:30:00.004-05:002010-02-17T20:22:38.105-05:00Winter Blues and my great idea<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Me and Chloe chilling.</b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhht5x_5GYP_BfEUUcjHtZrhbwFWe12ZLImC7RxxYcOQjg67z-44ZtHNJ47EqG4hQWLokuOrBIMmY9mbjBRSzbOmzRKDCiRckoK92fcVEQnOjxJtEfzFC0vbbbdkhj7aWDhcYDT9d4kehbi/s1600-h/IMG_4708.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhht5x_5GYP_BfEUUcjHtZrhbwFWe12ZLImC7RxxYcOQjg67z-44ZtHNJ47EqG4hQWLokuOrBIMmY9mbjBRSzbOmzRKDCiRckoK92fcVEQnOjxJtEfzFC0vbbbdkhj7aWDhcYDT9d4kehbi/s400/IMG_4708.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439383658555591442" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">This is my friend Todd who basically took care of me every day for the past few months. He is also really good at getting my cold caps on really tight when I get chemo.</div></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPI0MA2W1nRh9WmHDabjfrS8el37Heaze8OoOMVVYlc_yyZIUUzr8pSqQl35o95F5YVdP1YwOJ39J3nvcRn_sCRpB4WNF4XuqWYTIimwwS6HqtCgtW3aDpg7WoZSwLJcpBkUarQP2OnZ_R/s1600-h/IMG_4711.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPI0MA2W1nRh9WmHDabjfrS8el37Heaze8OoOMVVYlc_yyZIUUzr8pSqQl35o95F5YVdP1YwOJ39J3nvcRn_sCRpB4WNF4XuqWYTIimwwS6HqtCgtW3aDpg7WoZSwLJcpBkUarQP2OnZ_R/s400/IMG_4711.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439383649797563442" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">Here I am getting chemo writing my blog. It's a really long day when we do the caps. It takes an extra 5 or 6 hours.</div></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheHrx7vtfz42V36vAvniBnJWw6q90pU86O8Fn7EK8U7RyR4enVvXi-nc6p81USC5HNp2IBxMZNaPjeJe2zM9QLuus-1FEpP8eQ2gDBpfkpbo-N2l45_3rn7y1ZXK5cO0rDHyU2kOvpvDzw/s1600-h/IMG_4710.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheHrx7vtfz42V36vAvniBnJWw6q90pU86O8Fn7EK8U7RyR4enVvXi-nc6p81USC5HNp2IBxMZNaPjeJe2zM9QLuus-1FEpP8eQ2gDBpfkpbo-N2l45_3rn7y1ZXK5cO0rDHyU2kOvpvDzw/s400/IMG_4710.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439383645096338386" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">I am just plain sick of this weather. I cannot believe it has not gotten over 30 degrees in weeks and weeks. The sun is non-existent here and the 10 day forecast never shows me any sign of relief. Usually I love winter but that is because I LOVE snowboarding. Since I cannot walk up the stairs without feeling like I could faint, there is no way in hell I could suit up and get out on the mountain and make it down the hill. Snowboarding was the highlight of my winters, but now I have nothing to look forward to. It’s only mid February and time is going slow since I am sick in my house.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> This past Valentines day Kevin and I decided to go up north to Frankenmuth to the indoor waterpark. It was me, Kevin, about 200 screaming kids, and about a million pounds of chlorine since I’m sure these kids were peeing, pooping and gross stuff like that in the water. We went on the water slides a couple times and went in the hot tub, which had so much chlorine it was making us cough. We had a god time, but it gave me a great idea. If I had the money I would totally make this happen. Why do the kids get all the fun??? Why doesn’t someone make an adults indoor waterpark??? I’m talking an indoor getaway for adults from the long Michigan winters.</o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> Here is how I see it… A huge place connected to a hotel. Artificial sunlight, a beach with sand and clear blue water, lounge chairs everywhere, a lazy river, some hot tubs and maybe some waterslides for fun. Then, they could have some tropical music playing, and a pool with a swim up bar where they serve beer and frozen mixed drinks. What adult would not want to go there?? I’d probably make weekly trips. It could be like an indoor Cancun. I think it’s a brilliant idea and I really wish some day (lets say in the next week or so) someone builds one.</o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> Health update and Penguin Cap update:</o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">My health has been struggling. I’ve been really sick and tired. Weak, sore, the list goes on and on. I’ve had to have people, like my friend Todd, take care of me every day since it is so hard for me to move around. I’ve had to have another blood transfusion. Pretty soon I will have a scan and we will hopefully see if this chemo is even working. The Penguin Caps may not be working anymore with this new chemo I am on called Abraxane. This past Friday I started having hair fall out. Every day it got worse and worse. I got one more round of chemo hoping that it wouldn't be the end of my hair, but it didn't work out that way. Today my hair was coming out 100 strands at a time. I was making a mess all over the house. Kevin shaved my head and I am now once again, for the third time in my life bald. The Caps worked for Gemzar, Cisplatin, and Carboplatin, but Abraxane is too strong for them. It's supposed to be easier on your body and bone marrow which is good since I was having to have so many transfusions, but it's really hard on hair loss. Oh well. Here is my list of positives now that I am bald...</p><p class="MsoNormal">1. Chemo will be super short. Maybe an hour and a half tops.</p><p class="MsoNormal">2. No more hair falling all over the house</p><p class="MsoNormal">3. I don't have to freeze my head anymore</p><p class="MsoNormal">4. I don't have to pay for the cold caps</p><p class="MsoNormal">5. I found a couple cute new wigs I should be getting within the next week</p><p class="MsoNormal">6. I get to hear everyone tell me how I can pull off the bald look</p><p class="MsoNormal">7. I don't have to be extra careful not to make my hair fall out when I shower</p><p class="MsoNormal">8. No more shampoo (since I am really smell sensitive and I end up hating every shampoo smell within a week of using a new one)</p><p class="MsoNormal">9. No more stressing about if all my hair will fall out or if it is just thinning. The mourning process is pretty draining on the spirit.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, I am convinced the caps work for some chemos, but not all. Not Abraxane.</p><p class="MsoNormal">I'll get some bald pics and show you all as well as new wig pics once I get them.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Trying my hardest to be positive</p><p class="MsoNormal">Shannon</p> <!--EndFragment-->Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-31730173067901371482010-01-23T20:30:00.005-05:002010-02-02T19:58:54.260-05:00<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Right next to the Santa Monica Pier</b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZWFzij9cHD75Stz9tEufib7Y9HFul3bll6gAplmMI1cXJMk2p3K7wLqbRZ23d33zEBORDlQ-HWs3KuDMyro4zHAJa391tp7I2LR4xVKlRWfSkuW6MNeGWFNaLjjctt2kH-LUOFclPueB/s1600-h/IMG_4821.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZWFzij9cHD75Stz9tEufib7Y9HFul3bll6gAplmMI1cXJMk2p3K7wLqbRZ23d33zEBORDlQ-HWs3KuDMyro4zHAJa391tp7I2LR4xVKlRWfSkuW6MNeGWFNaLjjctt2kH-LUOFclPueB/s400/IMG_4821.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430116614875338194" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">The pier. It looked so pretty later in the day.</div></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHw-ktndqlBV9CglGSNkaHuFRWqY8klwZZokbIMP3F18YxrnAkl7fbcE9ah9it8RQBHSrDI7nwfGtkb3-7gJaLCXpY3-3ICdbePxStWiWXwjIQ6v2ex7dy8G5D-LGiXZ4nUj1F9i62PDT_/s1600-h/IMG_4833.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMQDQkXZqEn7iH3alUz0CJzI2NmYxytz4WWCOLNYgjLCWiRmTWsB4GFTmvTcts64WKtoY2SV3a7mBKXMDoR8SzKafNb8t-Ln1GnxWxfdXoh2x-_EOs4m4sj9g81exfRaQMh6FploB1xCt/s1600-h/IMG_4842.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMQDQkXZqEn7iH3alUz0CJzI2NmYxytz4WWCOLNYgjLCWiRmTWsB4GFTmvTcts64WKtoY2SV3a7mBKXMDoR8SzKafNb8t-Ln1GnxWxfdXoh2x-_EOs4m4sj9g81exfRaQMh6FploB1xCt/s400/IMG_4842.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430116598945946738" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">I love this picture. Good job Shannon. : )</div></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQAaxrMBHAQvHP_AKmBv2pAsaNYbtAqST1ulrPKrRvub0Bk5t1Juq37FIhjw7oe8OGH_wXD5LzJoxUEnqwmvfiqV8cDB8P3dpdlvpxE6viKdPxVDTd0gYhYgKt8X8LgCThLNqxPr9FBhH/s1600-h/IMG_4823.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQAaxrMBHAQvHP_AKmBv2pAsaNYbtAqST1ulrPKrRvub0Bk5t1Juq37FIhjw7oe8OGH_wXD5LzJoxUEnqwmvfiqV8cDB8P3dpdlvpxE6viKdPxVDTd0gYhYgKt8X8LgCThLNqxPr9FBhH/s400/IMG_4823.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430116593600406610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvx8D208P0q9pXFA30VQUIigp9meHX3nw7Yas0_G9hvdavwmVqAH-WZNFlkuU0oe7xLxTSsNb5ODkzOtIMoSW_904vFywks2RaBH9qkMA7CGvZuxj5pG0mmm03LExW4iH1in_pe06b3_U/s1600-h/IMG_4846.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvx8D208P0q9pXFA30VQUIigp9meHX3nw7Yas0_G9hvdavwmVqAH-WZNFlkuU0oe7xLxTSsNb5ODkzOtIMoSW_904vFywks2RaBH9qkMA7CGvZuxj5pG0mmm03LExW4iH1in_pe06b3_U/s400/IMG_4846.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430116582748221218" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">There were lots of surfers out.</div></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CvVd17MU5CXl_lIFi19yJQnru7L9-ieGJNgdy4eAFcF7vwDnORW5WbzliVojNA9f4kwCopNshkMxFIafUwLWSDDVmFj_Tcymw1gK90sT2MM1xf21qfJA9vWGfXzokWAvT5uNN7ln85uk/s1600-h/IMG_4813.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CvVd17MU5CXl_lIFi19yJQnru7L9-ieGJNgdy4eAFcF7vwDnORW5WbzliVojNA9f4kwCopNshkMxFIafUwLWSDDVmFj_Tcymw1gK90sT2MM1xf21qfJA9vWGfXzokWAvT5uNN7ln85uk/s400/IMG_4813.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430113784963164450" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Despite the fever I was so happy to be on the beach.</b></div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqNn5UDCcKB1cPhhGmY0UpRTLfWAo_oOO_wRMfguQmhrFvJmgdo6tFiYUvVnJzU0elrR5pzZe-XNm4OeB4wX1EXtcpIn2hld4vqdlfWgqYiVGtAM9eF5PItqO_gvk28JVRS1l3yzWUwM4/s1600-h/IMG_4815.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqNn5UDCcKB1cPhhGmY0UpRTLfWAo_oOO_wRMfguQmhrFvJmgdo6tFiYUvVnJzU0elrR5pzZe-XNm4OeB4wX1EXtcpIn2hld4vqdlfWgqYiVGtAM9eF5PItqO_gvk28JVRS1l3yzWUwM4/s400/IMG_4815.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430113768403111282" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">The movie room at my uncle's. I'd open all the windows and let the fresh air in all day long. Loved the breeze.</div></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnTjEcrtr11EL6m8JZ-5i6Q_SEXZO8YoSJF02MqYycA00wBTqeWXl1TLqNNnM_GYyZb1o-9TGa1a2tnSEZxEIRYyyQrUjUw4lAqBkaDqQyyYBCYNWrGMOWyH93ThqA_yBecH18t_4dSiB/s1600-h/IMG_4790.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnTjEcrtr11EL6m8JZ-5i6Q_SEXZO8YoSJF02MqYycA00wBTqeWXl1TLqNNnM_GYyZb1o-9TGa1a2tnSEZxEIRYyyQrUjUw4lAqBkaDqQyyYBCYNWrGMOWyH93ThqA_yBecH18t_4dSiB/s400/IMG_4790.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430113754854084402" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">My best friend Ranger. He hung out with me the entire time I was at the house.</div></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ92RZFhqWmz8nJuw4bjgXpjGSnJ-q28cC2hqodw4otLHY7qmuoe93B4qKorxNbM1tgTf_pDpOFhtfPg5SWRpkf3tlChCdkkdJja5gfsg3bdN_5bZRwSzTv1Sxz5LZbLnfTSQH7j_2Q66M/s1600-h/IMG_4797.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ92RZFhqWmz8nJuw4bjgXpjGSnJ-q28cC2hqodw4otLHY7qmuoe93B4qKorxNbM1tgTf_pDpOFhtfPg5SWRpkf3tlChCdkkdJja5gfsg3bdN_5bZRwSzTv1Sxz5LZbLnfTSQH7j_2Q66M/s400/IMG_4797.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430113739376640418" /></a>The fevers and bone pain did not let up the rest of the time I was in California. The last night I was there was especially bad. I had the worst bone pain and an awful fever where I was shivering uncontrollably. We all decided it would be best that I went to the emergency room to check and see if I had an infection and also to try and get some better pain medicine since the oxycotin makes me throw up. They took blood cultures and did a CBC. We did find out I was very anemic meaning my red blood cells (hemoglobin) were very low. That explained why I was so tired, out of breath and moving around even the slightest was incredibly difficult. They weren't able to get me any better pain medication except Dilaudid through IV while I was there. We were able to leave by 4am. We had enough time to go back to the house, shower, pack and take off for the airport. So after an all nighter I was trying to make my 7:30 flight. My flight was delayed until 11am. Finally they sent me to another airline and I flew out by 1pm. I didn't get home until midnight. It was a very long, exhausting day and being anemic did not help.<div><br /></div><div>My doctor wanted to see me ASAP once I got back. My appointment was at 7:30am the next day. It took a long time to get everything taken care of and getting me ready for my transfusion. I was supposed to wait to get called from the hospital when they had a bed ready for me to get the transfusion. I guess they lost my paperwork and never called. I finally called by 5pm and they said "oops" and had me come in. The transfusion took FOREVER.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since California I've had bone pain, fevers, bad headaches, and liver pain. We switched up pain meds and tried so many different things to alleviate all these symptoms. I got a spinal tap to see if there were cancer cells in my spinal fluid. We thought that could be a possibility since I had headaches all the time. It came back negative thank god. I had a CT scan done as well. Once again my liver tumors have grown and very fast. My liver is huge. My stomach is so hard from all the pressure. Everything else is stable, but the liver is the most important spot to worry about. </div><div><br /></div><div>It appears that the chemo was not working. So, we stopped Gemzar and Carboplatin and I have switched to Abraxane. So far I am tolerating it much better. No more bone pain and I just feel better. The Abraxane is a weekly chemo though, so I will be at Beaumont more often.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I am leaving out a couple emergency room trips out of this blog. Nothing really came of them. I honestly cannot keep up with everything that is going on with me. I have my fingers crossed that we picked the right chemo and hopefully next time I write a blog, I can write about something else other than bone pain, headaches, not being able to breathe etc...</div><div><br /></div><div>Thank you all for your support lately. People have been making us meals and I cannot even explain how much that helps us. I have not grocery shopped in months. I never have energy to make anything at the house anyway. We are loving the meals and are so happy to have one less thing to worry about. Thank you!!</div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-26032502936675554532010-01-21T09:25:00.007-05:002010-01-21T19:01:41.057-05:00The Rest of the Photo Shoot Pictures with Melissa<div>Here are the rest of the pictures of the photo shoot. It was hard for me to loose my blanket. I literally had that thing wrapped around me the entire time I was out there.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIBAA5vNInENzd4sDbQqWOn7COKoPeYsVYAxkAT9zU3uX_ADnY_QLjIMQY7P7HCImZ2l2Vr04YvPCKlh0gO_B5KozCpRTmDLxCoasP1I7F3ixvugM6l2Y5YA7R3SsIYSYBfECNnL8Yuj6/s1600-h/01_Shannon_039.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIBAA5vNInENzd4sDbQqWOn7COKoPeYsVYAxkAT9zU3uX_ADnY_QLjIMQY7P7HCImZ2l2Vr04YvPCKlh0gO_B5KozCpRTmDLxCoasP1I7F3ixvugM6l2Y5YA7R3SsIYSYBfECNnL8Yuj6/s400/01_Shannon_039.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429203029167998306" /></a>Melissa was really good at posing me so I didn't feel too awkward at any time.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkbnotSXKXzw-4Cy9Fs9YFeWBeFsNFD7H1VbyR_mWmKgaaHo0ZEcGSv3twdjP6TNJuRE39b3z3sJf1XfdttXA4OghMa1sUVSOtW9cLihhmO1PClg33oBku-CD_wKShXi5SwHWbtI77A3-/s1600-h/+01_Shannon_043.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkbnotSXKXzw-4Cy9Fs9YFeWBeFsNFD7H1VbyR_mWmKgaaHo0ZEcGSv3twdjP6TNJuRE39b3z3sJf1XfdttXA4OghMa1sUVSOtW9cLihhmO1PClg33oBku-CD_wKShXi5SwHWbtI77A3-/s400/+01_Shannon_043.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429202822720824962" /></a>And of course I had Uncle David's commentary the entire time making me laugh so it was easy to have a natural smile.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SJVLuusEylQK_DqBSSl6Mv2YM5SgIYd1-zljxtczAHFsya3ZMuaWXYB_rh4gakWIBBjpBil2NC_vGmEWtIrTQUIt2qovgb980HWvPTUManBdhdkStlVl99yBVOD8NOuZDVRZKfMLEzls/s1600-h/01_Shannon_047.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SJVLuusEylQK_DqBSSl6Mv2YM5SgIYd1-zljxtczAHFsya3ZMuaWXYB_rh4gakWIBBjpBil2NC_vGmEWtIrTQUIt2qovgb980HWvPTUManBdhdkStlVl99yBVOD8NOuZDVRZKfMLEzls/s400/01_Shannon_047.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429202817002098562" /></a>A more serious one.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtFXe6krFCR5yC0awrpqnOxcBR4ptpwwISvQzUWmdK2Ox_KcSjkkbjbwHmtcdECh1gt5e8gwalXpbBlVQoNxF6i7rXt46l5hJmThKq4yAhVnXcfe5RRLDhT__pGQOzLVv5z1uPgTGaiSE/s1600-h/01_Shannon_073.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtFXe6krFCR5yC0awrpqnOxcBR4ptpwwISvQzUWmdK2Ox_KcSjkkbjbwHmtcdECh1gt5e8gwalXpbBlVQoNxF6i7rXt46l5hJmThKq4yAhVnXcfe5RRLDhT__pGQOzLVv5z1uPgTGaiSE/s400/01_Shannon_073.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429202798655636818" /></a>I did have a few of those fake eyelashes on so that is why my eyes look a lot better. My eyelashes are very short normally.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhUHdensMsOQgoC8hPkZc0xYRwPSqMQ2mybpDc6NrnHFeGmW80REd1UOshiuAGIHOtch4LaQJZV750LtQ4AqbVG2QR0zBfG3xBLQtmSFleR8hRkDHVUuDWRSMp-t6tMk094VVvvBt8WOF/s1600-h/+01_Shannon_074.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhUHdensMsOQgoC8hPkZc0xYRwPSqMQ2mybpDc6NrnHFeGmW80REd1UOshiuAGIHOtch4LaQJZV750LtQ4AqbVG2QR0zBfG3xBLQtmSFleR8hRkDHVUuDWRSMp-t6tMk094VVvvBt8WOF/s400/+01_Shannon_074.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429202793477295074" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7gjLUNyMPLjfGeV0yC2HYzkZ7-VUAKlQz79FK9rdqXD5Gvw3h9SlyjWDgyMGyWOrJFa0Q7OlrgOruoS3_bS2kB0DtRa7nZ9o2HnA3QwMZ7g8xUdMBlMw72FG4QzENX5crsVN5LI7-LGx/s1600-h/01_Shannon_076.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7gjLUNyMPLjfGeV0yC2HYzkZ7-VUAKlQz79FK9rdqXD5Gvw3h9SlyjWDgyMGyWOrJFa0Q7OlrgOruoS3_bS2kB0DtRa7nZ9o2HnA3QwMZ7g8xUdMBlMw72FG4QzENX5crsVN5LI7-LGx/s400/01_Shannon_076.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429202785591938194" /></a>Laughing at uncle david again.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QIr3eKxxqEldpx4fWLF3-mckW_d8GirSdvz9rZ2owD4ULxqP_CJHg-o7lWgZfrA4cyYDSXx_1UUvGDXtDRbEw6M4ALj_isJ6c2PTWxZiCtzs9zpilXJM7nyOiJTL_tatPE5ORTol7Wy2/s1600-h/01_Shannon_081.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QIr3eKxxqEldpx4fWLF3-mckW_d8GirSdvz9rZ2owD4ULxqP_CJHg-o7lWgZfrA4cyYDSXx_1UUvGDXtDRbEw6M4ALj_isJ6c2PTWxZiCtzs9zpilXJM7nyOiJTL_tatPE5ORTol7Wy2/s400/01_Shannon_081.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429200547154354786" /></a>Melissa normally works with models. In some of her past photo sessions they have painted words on the models faces for the pictures. I was able to pick out the words I wanted written on my face. Hope, Love, Passion, Truth, Peace, Strength and a Chloe paw print is what I picked. I do have a tube top on and I have the blanket wrapped around me as well. The picture is cropped exactly where the shirt and blanket end.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglV67bqKvzK0rsI3KXSgmfvqXEHtnkKUv2sulJmk9zHRff5ziVOqcLxZKqfJbd2I75hIzNsWypeX2ymBYiB1DGod5d2GZOwXgIuU17boH35hCGofCMAS1n-euJx_LSqrQwrm-o0Mrg_zsb/s1600-h/+02_Shannon_184.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 324px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglV67bqKvzK0rsI3KXSgmfvqXEHtnkKUv2sulJmk9zHRff5ziVOqcLxZKqfJbd2I75hIzNsWypeX2ymBYiB1DGod5d2GZOwXgIuU17boH35hCGofCMAS1n-euJx_LSqrQwrm-o0Mrg_zsb/s400/+02_Shannon_184.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429200542240149394" /></a>After we did a number of these pictures we painted my lips white too.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2rZ2Gf_PMmdl2C9t9hWfnT8Zp2kYL9HAWooMGgoBcX_qYS62k4XLr6qM0kLcNw6Gmmym45a259AvY4MDlyzBgNw4tGfIw4QEk_UG_c_wbKf_gsfACiGHbIQhIMyM8k2jeRf6aA4e6fmZ/s1600-h/+03_Shannon_223.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 287px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2rZ2Gf_PMmdl2C9t9hWfnT8Zp2kYL9HAWooMGgoBcX_qYS62k4XLr6qM0kLcNw6Gmmym45a259AvY4MDlyzBgNw4tGfIw4QEk_UG_c_wbKf_gsfACiGHbIQhIMyM8k2jeRf6aA4e6fmZ/s400/+03_Shannon_223.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429200533989014898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNTa4QkCZ4p1U8qzcq6GwROQUe1OLvj2adOI0EppxUHHoKFdazeUY3rxfmZl-7dV8cOU-4-b3NJgrIVNbd7SkWF8xViu-ElK5AF-RtjcpGRkmCMGerPyGoEPYqozy7yZqBluFS5Y-_N-a/s1600-h/+03_Shannon_190.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 284px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNTa4QkCZ4p1U8qzcq6GwROQUe1OLvj2adOI0EppxUHHoKFdazeUY3rxfmZl-7dV8cOU-4-b3NJgrIVNbd7SkWF8xViu-ElK5AF-RtjcpGRkmCMGerPyGoEPYqozy7yZqBluFS5Y-_N-a/s400/+03_Shannon_190.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429200528905938210" /></a>And that is the rest of the pictures from the photo shoot. It was a lot of fun. I was surprised how good I looked despite having a really bad fever. The makeup worked really well for covering up black circles under the eyes.<div><br /></div><div>I have a lot to update you on my health status. That will be very soon with some of the California pictures I took. </div><div><br /></div><div>Shannon</div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-88690708520362437942010-01-18T13:31:00.006-05:002010-01-18T14:04:26.659-05:00Photo Shoot With Mellissa and Uncle David<div style="text-align: center;"><b>My Uncle David's girlfriend is a really good photographer. She wanted to take some pictures of me. These are the pictures of me and Uncle David goofing around before the more serious pictures started.</b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxiX2LYuLS3YKGzntfzhD9ALazP1mEeg0lSD727jz9nvQaiZYmvq7B7uZTs6kaedOz5u7xuSbFj1el4T0aO9XoEB3XX-qAks1NQaQrh6VX6mqWn8pouSGZZ2U9Sw5vEQ5IgGtJkXFLyDzz/s1600-h/01_Shannon_026.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxiX2LYuLS3YKGzntfzhD9ALazP1mEeg0lSD727jz9nvQaiZYmvq7B7uZTs6kaedOz5u7xuSbFj1el4T0aO9XoEB3XX-qAks1NQaQrh6VX6mqWn8pouSGZZ2U9Sw5vEQ5IgGtJkXFLyDzz/s400/01_Shannon_026.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428155899699088658" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><b> I still had a fever so while they were getting me ready for the shoot I was wrapped up in a blanket. Actually, I have been wrapped up in this blanket the whole time I have been here. We called these pictures our Snuggie Model pictures</b>.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xDPsGqxJ6DfDGQc9plDJIDLEGwpOqBbpBfScPMO93TVH71_kYe_lRpqihNQrXvMOH93mDavVS1hT-bZUdMHrPv0RvEsyrGvrVJRhIsTYOke2l-IdFfc1jZOqIz3aeWO2uJzglLvxA_2m/s1600-h/01_Shannon_008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xDPsGqxJ6DfDGQc9plDJIDLEGwpOqBbpBfScPMO93TVH71_kYe_lRpqihNQrXvMOH93mDavVS1hT-bZUdMHrPv0RvEsyrGvrVJRhIsTYOke2l-IdFfc1jZOqIz3aeWO2uJzglLvxA_2m/s400/01_Shannon_008.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428155889597181474" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><b>We were supposed to be making cold faces, but I was just smiling</b>.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuhyphenhyphenc9Ak2p14TNO_fwP3jvtR1aCrFlzkvXrI4x5mSzJfhBDf7HhEWAz2lZTT1TckgwTrs9j7OOVQkySBi32-T_UObYrAxsa6HyZx6voQS5QN1rG8UCdHKuozbLSxe5VzVoZt-LhAjjuVo/s1600-h/+01_Shannon_009.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuhyphenhyphenc9Ak2p14TNO_fwP3jvtR1aCrFlzkvXrI4x5mSzJfhBDf7HhEWAz2lZTT1TckgwTrs9j7OOVQkySBi32-T_UObYrAxsa6HyZx6voQS5QN1rG8UCdHKuozbLSxe5VzVoZt-LhAjjuVo/s400/+01_Shannon_009.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428155879969141954" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpf89GEufB29PoJwhk4a2E-AHNv6nr-h3xOW3wtNcsmMETvDcrHFtHnqINZdSJUc-1esB06zvCTfoO57gL5-zCJuetYc9iyFcHG1k-6ZpnGmiRjB6gTEQiuQ5xWDdDcEMo3Xy-gIyDbgAx/s1600-h/01_Shannon_015.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpf89GEufB29PoJwhk4a2E-AHNv6nr-h3xOW3wtNcsmMETvDcrHFtHnqINZdSJUc-1esB06zvCTfoO57gL5-zCJuetYc9iyFcHG1k-6ZpnGmiRjB6gTEQiuQ5xWDdDcEMo3Xy-gIyDbgAx/s400/01_Shannon_015.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428155873763559074" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">Uncle David's commentary during the shoot kept me laughing.</div></b><div><b><br /></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_21iLhUQoTv-bS2OQC87yb8sVRd-v9xDddvXWjhihYofQSGNKECXoiKPvLCaIWnhB8v1oJ61dQrKkL47mkM8aujW-XXthuirbAU_ZTSki2jRkArYRoTeqY7e0PzodSELT4ZPIBYZhSUk/s1600-h/+01_Shannon_019.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_21iLhUQoTv-bS2OQC87yb8sVRd-v9xDddvXWjhihYofQSGNKECXoiKPvLCaIWnhB8v1oJ61dQrKkL47mkM8aujW-XXthuirbAU_ZTSki2jRkArYRoTeqY7e0PzodSELT4ZPIBYZhSUk/s400/+01_Shannon_019.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428155861333909042" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZL_9P7ra-54CMUslGBRV3zfVykZ6O3AAzH2SWE-ZL_Yzr390wEQSfZi2wtgDnVWey4VKZVRW-8kiLHzKdXulEk7dGAptedeuP9HL-y5S1v55gRC3ENyLvR4HOV0ULi6aVhvf3nilYEfii/s1600-h/+01_Shannon_024.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZL_9P7ra-54CMUslGBRV3zfVykZ6O3AAzH2SWE-ZL_Yzr390wEQSfZi2wtgDnVWey4VKZVRW-8kiLHzKdXulEk7dGAptedeuP9HL-y5S1v55gRC3ENyLvR4HOV0ULi6aVhvf3nilYEfii/s400/+01_Shannon_024.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428152913619408562" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJ2arTwwjgHnv9ZVu5OReQD-F6wihSdse3DZm-tRKRP-65xravJxCOvB6PSQ1hJoMlm_hCuSiVTilrbc-5sIMxcLoo1InocGmryV-wBaRwv8cAL96Jfr9J_QgomBZziayVvK0XJRM2Ki7/s1600-h/01_Shannon_027.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJ2arTwwjgHnv9ZVu5OReQD-F6wihSdse3DZm-tRKRP-65xravJxCOvB6PSQ1hJoMlm_hCuSiVTilrbc-5sIMxcLoo1InocGmryV-wBaRwv8cAL96Jfr9J_QgomBZziayVvK0XJRM2Ki7/s400/01_Shannon_027.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428152891896260082" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Uncle David had me cracking up most of the shoot</b>.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhkU-dl9Lnsk_8H5E4w012ntfXF2H-7fha82d8ACFtc05rg9cOfhX_ZWizQwr-WfWKjZ-XEevVKkUGnXmZqcTz2msmNA5IAgAJQtTsBQXDX3Pesiuf4MTX2H7olx9Cfp-rSkW3KSD6Krq/s1600-h/+01_Shannon_030.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhkU-dl9Lnsk_8H5E4w012ntfXF2H-7fha82d8ACFtc05rg9cOfhX_ZWizQwr-WfWKjZ-XEevVKkUGnXmZqcTz2msmNA5IAgAJQtTsBQXDX3Pesiuf4MTX2H7olx9Cfp-rSkW3KSD6Krq/s400/+01_Shannon_030.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428152882595396082" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is our catalogue model picture. Don't we look really surprised by what we are looking a</b><b>t?</b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMwsm3vK1dfQZHjXJyft9VGyj_Q2CF6W_aFAS17EDmKYXyko8YpcPSix_Wb5tjTa0ztbTxU1aLaCZ-A0Zgb2k7Z4g0deg8BlUQlkTn-uE1oJ-6UCLsZpR9N7RpO-2Uekwu_ItL4MtXUHK/s1600-h/+01_Shannon_032.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMwsm3vK1dfQZHjXJyft9VGyj_Q2CF6W_aFAS17EDmKYXyko8YpcPSix_Wb5tjTa0ztbTxU1aLaCZ-A0Zgb2k7Z4g0deg8BlUQlkTn-uE1oJ-6UCLsZpR9N7RpO-2Uekwu_ItL4MtXUHK/s400/+01_Shannon_032.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428152874204057938" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SiknPpPViRQ79cGO4pWhrVBUuLmOLohM4oK7q47v-lGkrZEZ2fbft1cmjz6AYnYT7D3_7uQmbaeIYQ906rV5thHsxlCq01N3IWM4J_ZsWg1anBV8CfYGnuiKXVKQsxEw4Jq6xhNSv7CK/s1600-h/01_Shannon_034.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SiknPpPViRQ79cGO4pWhrVBUuLmOLohM4oK7q47v-lGkrZEZ2fbft1cmjz6AYnYT7D3_7uQmbaeIYQ906rV5thHsxlCq01N3IWM4J_ZsWg1anBV8CfYGnuiKXVKQsxEw4Jq6xhNSv7CK/s400/01_Shannon_034.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428152864010093602" /></a><div>Anyways, there are more pictures of just me. I'll put those up on another post. I think Melissa did a really good job.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm flying home tomorrow.</div><div>Feeling better. Still have fevers and pain, but it is getting better, so that's good.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lots of love</div><div>Shannon<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></span></div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-89100091152365551392010-01-11T20:08:00.013-05:002010-01-16T19:54:11.119-05:00Going to California<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">The Santa Monica Pier yesterday</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXm_KYyampZUqYM6WmssNjWjpXa4r1NV87DVle7MJAJkUdZ2JeVg_Df-6kgKTZm9CiUCpf1148lQCRMk3Q_TvUMblVgyo8wTfUcBh3DU8igScODynDR7g5GIVITxCxR1vTIr4aVBqq_6Vc/s1600-h/GetAttachment-3.aspx.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXm_KYyampZUqYM6WmssNjWjpXa4r1NV87DVle7MJAJkUdZ2JeVg_Df-6kgKTZm9CiUCpf1148lQCRMk3Q_TvUMblVgyo8wTfUcBh3DU8igScODynDR7g5GIVITxCxR1vTIr4aVBqq_6Vc/s400/GetAttachment-3.aspx.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427504166653832722" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;">Me and Ranger hanging out with Uncle David. Such a cute dog.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3KExpCNFSYjIApwdf9XFNhMlxgmsiHIrx95_KQIgai6a6apqibs_eHYP_j4I63lylThB96lp3P2b3Rz0rHDje9SXO2S8Pu35A00bi_KcsGR0w1pbC9hV8TnAxTZmwwe0PSJMZBMtSCL2/s1600-h/GetAttachment-4.aspx.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3KExpCNFSYjIApwdf9XFNhMlxgmsiHIrx95_KQIgai6a6apqibs_eHYP_j4I63lylThB96lp3P2b3Rz0rHDje9SXO2S8Pu35A00bi_KcsGR0w1pbC9hV8TnAxTZmwwe0PSJMZBMtSCL2/s400/GetAttachment-4.aspx.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427504158470238866" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><b><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div></b></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zFPSQpfwSGgXiNk6aJpwhgRrSXuVOWA0RqOFqmxD4AmJntMgFPL34pAezi2k2It6e-re8FOok4BNccqq6zIe7V-vtFh2M5I_cQKTHNeIwAPJf9P_WQfI_VzonOIvfbgGEQRTpOtieuPn/s1600-h/GetAttachment-3.aspx.jpeg" style="text-decoration: none;"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zFPSQpfwSGgXiNk6aJpwhgRrSXuVOWA0RqOFqmxD4AmJntMgFPL34pAezi2k2It6e-re8FOok4BNccqq6zIe7V-vtFh2M5I_cQKTHNeIwAPJf9P_WQfI_VzonOIvfbgGEQRTpOtieuPn/s1600-h/GetAttachment-3.aspx.jpeg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Well, my platelets were in fact REALLY low. The next day I got a transfusion of two units of platelets. I had to go to the hospital. It took almost 7 whole hours to get done. It took forever. After my transfusion I went home and booked my flight out to California to stay with my Uncle David and his girlfriend Melissa. I got bloodwork done before I left. I was given the okay except I developed a upper respiratory infection and had a 103.3 fever the day before I left. I left on this past Wednesday in a hurry to get in some warm weather and to fit in the trip before my next chemo treatment (antibiotics and pain meds in my carry on).</span></span></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family:Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><pre style="white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The first day I pretty much just chilled around their house. I opened every window in the sunroom, layed in the sun on the huge comfy bean bag and smelled the freshly cut grass as the lawn crew did all there work. There was a perfect Breeze to cool me off when I needed and it would also bring the grass smell rushing back in the room. After the<br />yard crew was done I got in little shorts and a tank top, grabbed a<br />lawn chair, a book and some shades relaxed and worked on my tan. Some<br />would say I did nothing that day, but for me it was awesome. Plus I got<br />to hang out with a really cool, smart, carrot loving dog of my uncle's, Ranger.<br />I might have overdid it in the sun because my skin was burning up all<br />night and I was completely drained, but oh well. I usually feel like<br />that all the time anyways, so what's the difference.<br /><br />Day 2 I woke up with a mission. I was going to the beach. Now, it<br />might seem like everything is a-ok with my body, but nothing could be<br />further from the truth. When I left I was dealing with horrible bone<br />pain and 103.3 fever. Well, the infection picked up and my throat is<br />pretty raw. I still have fevers but lower grade. My bone pain was<br />replaced with some muscle pain that was very intense. I think my<br />muscle might be pinching a nerve. Then, the bone pain also came back.<br />On top of all that I have a headache that will not go away. I am so<br />sick of taking pain medicine, but I can't function without it the pain<br />is so bad. Moral of the story is, I can change my environment and love<br />it, but I can't change what is going on with my body.<br /><br />Honestly though, just changing my environment is proving so refreshing<br />to me. Not being in my bedroom where I sweat all the time and have<br />sleepless nights. Not being on my couch where I resort to when I have<br />no more chance of going back to sleep. Not looking outside at the same<br />yard covered in snow and seeing the usually grey skies. Out here<br />everything is alive. There are flowers in bloom. It smells different.<br />I'm in a different bed without any negative stigma that I created like I have with my bed at home.<br /><br />The beach was great. I went to Malibu first and watched the surfers.<br />There were some big waves. Then I drove down to the Santa Monica Pier<br />to have lunch. Afterwards I sat on the beach again. It was so nice and<br />relaxing. I love the smell of the ocean. My sense of smell has been<br />like a dogs since I started chemo. I can smell things from so far away<br />and everything smells so strong. Bad thing is, most of the smells make<br />me feel sick. All colognes and perfumes, anything scented, laundry<br />detergent etc etc.... But this day I could smell the ocean from inside<br />the resturant I was in and it was wonderful. I wish I could trap that<br />smell and somehow tape it over my nose.<br /><br />My uncle's girlfriend Melissa and I watched Julie and Julia at night<br />and ordered Chinese. It was very nice and relaxing.</span></span></span></pre><pre style="white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Today is day 3 and I have the worst bone pain ever. I was stuck in my seat and couldn't move because it hurt me so bad. I had the same thing a couple days before I left for California. I have to take Oxycodone and Oxycotin together. Those two combined make me pretty sick. I was throwing up a lot. I can't handle those two medicines combined. Actually I threw up here in California on just the 4-6 hour Oxy, so I just cannot tolerate that stuff. Anyway, just because I was in pain didn't stop me from getting a lawn chair and sitting out in the sun until I finished my book. I'm getting by though. I'll let you know how the rest of the trip goes. I am very happy I came out here. Still having a great time despite what is going on with my body.</span></span></span></span></pre><pre style="white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sending sun and warmth to everyone</span></span></span></pre><pre style="white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Shannon</span></span></span></pre></span></div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-63100415818651585192009-12-29T20:41:00.008-05:002010-01-07T23:20:01.794-05:00No News Does Not Always Equal Good News<div><br /></div><div>Christmas Eve at my dad and stepmom's house. </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQxL1lorNnu9GmCp9NiA6eGSMtDPZi1tXsP7n3OAhVx7rULnnzFLnS2WrjkO0mI1pdTgaqSG2D8XLVvuOk7tT5vnLe6ninqv2MNb3pEBskxpoQfYuScrxkGwIQugG1aL7Iw5Kn0GuTvAi/s1600-h/LR+ShanKev.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQxL1lorNnu9GmCp9NiA6eGSMtDPZi1tXsP7n3OAhVx7rULnnzFLnS2WrjkO0mI1pdTgaqSG2D8XLVvuOk7tT5vnLe6ninqv2MNb3pEBskxpoQfYuScrxkGwIQugG1aL7Iw5Kn0GuTvAi/s400/LR+ShanKev.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424212866433039218" /></a>Hey everyone,<div><br /></div><div>I know, it has been a while since I have last blogged. A lot has happened and we have been dealing with a lot.</div><div><br /></div><div>I went to the hospital once again. This time I had a small infected spot on my skin by my port in my arm. When there is infection by a port you always have to be EXTRA careful. So, Kevin and I went to the emergency room on Monday night (December 21st). They gave me IV antibiotics and wanted to admit me overnight. I did not want to stay and really wanted to get some sleep, so I signed out against their recommendation and went home...at 4 in the morning. The next day I had an appointment with my oncologist, who in turn wanted me to go right back to the hospital and get admitted for a couple days. I was pretty devastated because this would keep me in the hospital until Christmas Eve. </div><div><br /></div><div>I did stay there until Christmas Eve and was finally let out in time to get to Christmas at my dad's only 1 hour late. On Christmas day I had to go to a clinic and get IV antibiotics for an hour <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">in between</span> Kevin's family and my mother's Christmas dinner. They had me go to the clinic daily for a week until they completely confirmed that I didn't have a blood infection.</div><div><br /></div><div>I got some tests and results. Overall my CT scan was improved. Liver tumors shrunk, more cancer cells are dead, but there were new spots in lymph nodes. My doctor thought I got the best response from the chemo, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Gemzar</span> (the stuff that sent me to the hospital with the fluid around my lungs). We decided to add the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Gemzar</span> to the chemo I already do (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Carboplatin</span>) despite the fact that I will develop fluid around my lungs. I take <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">steroids</span> for 2 days and then just tolerate it the rest of the time. I do have fluid around my lungs, but as long as I can breathe and am not in major pain, we just deal with it. </div><div><br /></div><div>When I got chemo I was anemic pretty bad (low red blood count). So, the day after I had to get another blood transfusion, this time getting two units of blood. </div><div><br /></div><div>Honestly, this chemo is kicking my ass. No need to sugar coat it. I feel horrible all the time. I have had a headache non stop since I got chemo. I never sleep because I am still waking up drenched in sweat multiple times each night. Sleep medicine is not working. My body aches. I was really <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">nauseous</span> before and actually throwing up, but since I stopped taking <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Oxycotin</span> for pain, that has gone away. I have no energy after getting no sleep and sweating all night. I am still really skinny. 120lbs now and that's with me eating like crazy trying to not loose any more weight.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today I went for a checkup and found out that my platelets might be extremely low. (It could be a mistake, they are re-testing and I'm waiting to hear from Beaumont) Either way, they already have me scheduled for a transfusion of platelets for tomorrow. I'm supposed to stay basically on bed rest and to not do anything in case I happen to bump or cut myself. If I start bleeding at all tonight (like from brushing my teeth), I'd be at risk of bleeding to death and have to go to the ER. 150 - 350 is the normal range for platelets and mine came back at 11. I never had this before. My platelets have always stayed in the normal range through ALL the chemo I have ever done, so I am half expecting this to come back as a mistake. I'll let you all know.</div><div><br /></div><div>All and all, I have just been depressed. Not like this freaking cold gray weather that has no end in sight is helping my cause. I just want one 60 degree sunny day so I can open all my windows and take a short walk outside and breathe some fresh air. Uncle David doesn't know it yet, but he is getting a call soon because I need to go somewhere sunny and warm right now before I slip into a state of depression I have never seen. Some nice 70 degree LA weather might be just what I need. I'm sure my doctor would tell me to stay home, but I realize my need for a change. All I do is sit around my house. If I leave the house, I get so darn tired I race back home to lay on the couch. I am so SICK of my house. I'm SICK of my bed. I'm SICK of the smell of freshly washed sheets. I'm SICK of watching TV, but honestly, it's all I have the energy to do.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I don't blog forever and all I do is complain. Sorry. Kind of why I haven't blogged. I usually only like to write when I have something good to say. I'll let you all know about the platelets and think of something positive to say soon. Maybe I'll have a flight booked soon and I can blog all about the sun and fresh air breezing in from Venice Beach.</div><div><br /></div><div>Penguin Cap update - I still have all of my hair. There is no thinning at all even with the two chemos combined. I'm thinking these things really work. I have noticed my hair has a little less life in it, but otherwise it's just awesome to have hair still. I'll keep you all posted on how the penguin caps go.</div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-61020320859074168072009-12-01T09:36:00.013-05:002009-12-07T21:30:44.682-05:00Penguin Caps - Hopefully Keeping My Hair<div>Christmas tree and lights are up. Yankee Candles smelling like mistletoe are burning and I am ready for the holidays. Chloe too. She loves sleeping under the tree. (and chewing on the branches)</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0-lc8EmBsc417-iYB2eXzuiTfZFy3zNuQOhtNgyZX_hSMBJnCY3QYLIbFqaN3Ns3a1AK_DiBRnCg-dR0VY4apWk2CVgvn7Z_-zCINCol6CUuLKucXsg1_wtU2v6cWp1juQzRC1NVYIDp/s1600-h/IMG_4736.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0-lc8EmBsc417-iYB2eXzuiTfZFy3zNuQOhtNgyZX_hSMBJnCY3QYLIbFqaN3Ns3a1AK_DiBRnCg-dR0VY4apWk2CVgvn7Z_-zCINCol6CUuLKucXsg1_wtU2v6cWp1juQzRC1NVYIDp/s400/IMG_4736.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412645288878962994" /></a><div>Hello,<div><br /></div><div>Well, it's been a nice few weeks away from the hospital. It's also been a while since I had chemo. I love this every three weeks schedule. While I've been out of the hospital I have felt much better, but there's always been some issue every day. I kept having the sweats bad every night for a while. I also was loosing so much weight I was at risk of wasting away. Even my skinny jeans that I almost gave away because I never thought I would fit in them again, were big on me. I spoke to doctors about it and they basically explained to me that my body is running a marathon. The cancer is making my body work so hard, plus I have the fevers at night and sweat for 8 hours that my metabolism is going crazy. Luckily though, the sweats have slowed down. Last night I barely sweat. My weight has remained steady which is very relieving when before I was loosing at least 2 pounds a day.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've once in a while had bad liver pain. A couple days ago I was having bad bone pain where I have tumors. Kevin and I keep telling ourselves the pain is because the chemo is fighting the tumors. I do still have fluid in my lungs. The doctor said another 2 liters, but was comfortable waiting to see if it gets any worse since I'm not in major pain and can breathe good enough. The chemo causes this fluid to build up and I guess until the chemo gets removed from your body the fluid will keep being there. I guess they just keep tapping people until the fluid stops building up. I'd like to just deal with it and wait for it to go away. I would really rather not be tapped. I'll let you know what we see.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, what I wanted to tell you all about is the Penguin Caps I am using. These were invented by some guy in England. They are these caps with some white stuff in them, and they get frozen REALLY cold. You put them on your head 1 hour before chemo, all during chemo and 3 hours after. You keep your hair follicles frozen and it prevents the chemo from getting to them and causing your hair to fall out. A lady bought them and used them at Beaumont right around when I was first diagnosed in 2005. They worked and Dr. Margolis became a believer and got a freezer for Beaumont. They did a clinical trial and saw they were effective a lot, so now they let you use them. You have to pay for them, but if I keep my hair it's worth it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, I do not sit in the chemo chair with a penguin on my head. My dad thought it would be cute to put this stuffed animal of my sister's on my head via his photoshop skills.</div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjuaFAr6vUbDxfkAza2ixpqt4pdJcgiepX6Z8lwuF3MoZXKuj1w0J6tmNxj9IO2jvNhWUSJR91kyHhV5QCpJ7Sq8wlV5s2lEwowSLw9-WCsV6fMhArm2YB-u58CFQbnrG-WwlDneMRohJ/s1600-h/Penquin+Cap.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjuaFAr6vUbDxfkAza2ixpqt4pdJcgiepX6Z8lwuF3MoZXKuj1w0J6tmNxj9IO2jvNhWUSJR91kyHhV5QCpJ7Sq8wlV5s2lEwowSLw9-WCsV6fMhArm2YB-u58CFQbnrG-WwlDneMRohJ/s400/Penquin+Cap.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412641587884661410" /></a><div>You have to switch out the first three caps every 20 minutes and then the rest are every 30 minutes. When you first put them on it hurts because it's so cold. Luckily, I've always liked ice and cold things on my head. By the end I am freezing and I'm bundled up in blankets. I go through 13 caps and I'm there all day. The one thing that does suck, is when I am done with chemo, I am ready to GO, but I have to stay an extra 3 hours with caps on my head.</div><div><br /></div><div>My dad usually goes with me. I get IV Adivan with my chemo, so I'm really sleepy and I pass out every cap we do. Usually by the time I fall asleep, it's time to change the caps. You have to have someone with you to put the caps on for you. So, you have to bring someone who is willing to stay all day. The first time we did the caps we were the first people in and the last people out of Beaumont. That was when I did Gemzar and Cisplatin. At least my new Chemo, Carboplatin is a lot quicker..</div><div><br /></div><div>I got Gemzar twice with no caps, but that only has a 20% chance of making you loose your hair. Then I added Cisplatin to the Gemzar and we did the caps. Cisplatin is one of the chemos that is like a 95% chance of loosing your hair. Carboplatin (which I use now), I think has a high chance of making you loose my hair too (I didn't look it up). So far so good. I keep tugging on my hair, but nothing comes out. I would be so excited if this works. I know two people who used them and kept their hair through chemo that usually for sure makes people's hair fall out. My doctor seems to think they are working.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last thing, I am having a Jewelry Party this Sunday, December 13th at my house. It will be open house style from 12 noon to 5pm. I'm selling necklaces, bracelets, earrings, bookmarks, and wine glass charms. I'll have food and drinks. My prices range from $10 to $30. I accept cash and checks. Please email me if you are interested and need my address. iezzzi@hotmail.com.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, that's all the updates I have. Even though I am having some issues every day, I am still so happy to not be as bad as I was in the hospital. </div><div><br /></div><div>Shannon</div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-37561528157225925242009-11-23T18:40:00.005-05:002009-11-30T23:23:34.174-05:00The Sickest I've Ever Been<div>Isn't my sister Paige the sweetest girl in the world????</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vixo-nDT_gkOsnjp34GEGLptMMEslvhZkv1ZuMjjNoYzpeRtO7XQCCqqmPKTHA7qzBGs2aZbodnlPhs-ksL6nq6GvWuBtLzpmYGG6y2W-HDZtMpwzveLXiWJCqJ1dALOnLJGATyN8qkh/s1600/IMG_5211rlr.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vixo-nDT_gkOsnjp34GEGLptMMEslvhZkv1ZuMjjNoYzpeRtO7XQCCqqmPKTHA7qzBGs2aZbodnlPhs-ksL6nq6GvWuBtLzpmYGG6y2W-HDZtMpwzveLXiWJCqJ1dALOnLJGATyN8qkh/s400/IMG_5211rlr.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407448348903553602" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">Well, It’s about time I let everyone know what I have been going through the past couple weeks. Well, I had the fevers for months and I was trying the enzymes as a natural therapy to my cancer. After a couple tests it confirmed that I think I was too far along with the cancer for the enzymes to work. My liver tumor sizes doubled and the activity was much more aggressive.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, I decided to go back on chemotherapy and take a break from the enzymes. The chemo I chose was Gemzar. Funny thing is it gives you a really high fever the night you get it. Now, I’m used to fevers, but these were unbearable. I was curled up, unable to move, shaking uncontrollably all night. You know how they show people in movies after getting chemo and they are all sick and out of control??? I always see that and say “that’s not realistic” Well, now I’ve changed my mind. That was me.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The other thing Gemzar does is cause fluid around your lungs. For a while I was unable to breathe. I would be out of breath from walking 10 steps. I couldn’t do anything. I went to get my next chemo infusion and my pulse oxygen was really low. So, instead of chemo on Tuesday I went to the emergency room. They admitted me and I stayed overnight. I got a couple chest X-rays and we discovered that 60% of my right lung was collapsed from fluid buildup all around my lung. They thought it could be from cancer or from the Gemzar. Then, I had to have an awful procedure called a Thoracentesis, which is where they inject a small tube in your back and drain the fluid from my lungs. It hurt really bad and while the drained the fluid my lung started opening which causes you to have an awful coughing attack. Once I started coughing so much they had to stop. They drained 2 whole liters of fluid from my lungs. 2 freaking liters. Like a 2 liter of Coke. Did you know that 2 liters of fluid weight 4.6 pounds?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I got to finally go home to recover. Then on Thursday I went to get Chemo since I missed it on Tuesday. This time I added a new drug called Cisplatin. Cisplatin sucks. It’s really hard on your body, on your bone marrow and it makes me really nauseous. We added it because the oncologists are pretty scared of my situation and they kind of scared me into getting really aggressive with chemo since the tumors made so much progress in such a short amount of time. Plus they were still considering the fact that all that fluid in my lungs could be caused from cancer.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Friday night I woke up with <span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">debilitating</span></span> pain in my right chest. I called my oncologist and of course she told me to go back to the Beaumont emergency room. AND they admitted me AGAIN. I had more chest X-rays and they showed that the fluid was back. The same amount…..in less than 2 days. This worried everyone. They were still testing the first fluid they drained to see if there were cancer cells in it. They wouldn’t let me leave. They even started talking about doing a surgery on my lungs where I would end up with drains coming out of my chest to keep draining the fluid after the surgery. I was in so much pain the whole time. They put me on Dilaudid which made me either asleep or completely loopy. I had to stay Friday, Saturday and Sunday night getting a chest X-ray each day. They started me on Steroids because they were supposed to make the fluid go away if it wasn’t from cancer and was from the chemo Gemzar. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">By Monday we got the test results from the fluid and luckily there were NO cancer cells in it, so the fluid must have been caused by the chemo. On Monday I was supposed to have another thorancentesis, but when they did the ultrasound to figure out the best place to “tap” me he said I didn’t really have enough fluid to drain. So I guess that means that the steroids worked to get rid of the fluid. The other thing that happened was I got completely anemic. Your red blood count is supposed to be between 12 and 14 and mine was 8. I had to get a blood transfusion. Between needing blood and having a 60% collapsed lung it completely makes sense how I barely had energy to walk and could barely breathe.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Since I got out of the hospital things have been much better. I’ve had a lot more energy. I switched chemo drugs. I now get Carboplatin only which is supposed to be easier to deal with than Cisplatin. I haven’t really had any bad side effects. I still have trouble breathing a little.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I had a CT scan last Thursday and the results are promising. My liver tumors shrunk a little bit and I guess the cells look like they are dying. Guess the visualization is working. Please keep it up. We do. They did say that there is a significant amount of fluid around my lungs again, but they say less than I had on Monday in the hospital. The fluid can come back, so I am going to keep a close watch on myself and hopefully take care of things with steroids or another procedure before it sends me to the emergency room. That’s kind of where I’m at now.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It was a horrible time, but things have been so much better. I really appreciate every day I don’t feel horrible. I’ve lost a lot of weight and can’t seem to put it back on. I’m eating a lot too. I’m keeping an eye on that as well. I still have a lot of sweaty nights and that drives me crazy. I still have to wash the sheets all the time and I soak through about 3 t-shirts a night on the bad nights. I haven’t been taking my temperature at night, which I am going to start doing. I don’t feel like I have a fever, but for some reason I still sweat it up at night. I’ll give you all an update soon. It took me a while to write this because I had to remember everything that happened and it’s all kind of a blur to me.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Please keep up the meditation and visualization for me. I am so thankful for it and I think it is working.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I am thankful for every day I get to spend away from the Beaumont Hospital and I am SOOOOO thankful for all the support I have gotten from all my friends and family. This would be so much more difficult without all of you</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Lots of love</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shannon</p> <!--EndFragment-->Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-48774248526394430952009-11-02T22:14:00.011-05:002009-11-17T16:24:43.265-05:00Help with Visualization<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;">Here are a couple pictures of a liver to help with the visualization.</span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB25CTKhjWDm6AxirOGuibYE-rn9GhOwKRVFKmehMrwuJbZFntoLYvHx4pPHYmMMNOKthg09EFqni71fT37eCqcvWgRmIlxz3G7_hHEvNhTeLUqSw3r-E8MScpPWbx5-3-4JcRxmDaFO0r/s1600-h/liver_illustration.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB25CTKhjWDm6AxirOGuibYE-rn9GhOwKRVFKmehMrwuJbZFntoLYvHx4pPHYmMMNOKthg09EFqni71fT37eCqcvWgRmIlxz3G7_hHEvNhTeLUqSw3r-E8MScpPWbx5-3-4JcRxmDaFO0r/s320/liver_illustration.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403971135885636306" /></a>This picture makes me think that the chemo dissolves the cancer cells on the liver and then sends them down the Hepatic Duct and into the intestines where the cancer cells are then excreted. There are many different and detailed ways cancer cells are removed, but I think for the sake of visualization, we should keep it as simple as possible. That works for me.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9syRUxQ3FJmf8vT8_g8SWCildU8bV4HKw45WYppukEZomCJRKASUGnxQ9ba0TQPmkcsNktu2pXTP94uf9-j8Cn2SUBOxzp7Z_enVnnexkhM72cG1UmSM5t6GxhjQn7VQZZNG1l7nMQg3/s1600-h/00077616.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9syRUxQ3FJmf8vT8_g8SWCildU8bV4HKw45WYppukEZomCJRKASUGnxQ9ba0TQPmkcsNktu2pXTP94uf9-j8Cn2SUBOxzp7Z_enVnnexkhM72cG1UmSM5t6GxhjQn7VQZZNG1l7nMQg3/s320/00077616.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403971123910326818" /></a><br />I want to provide some help for everyone with the visualization/meditation we are doing every night at 9. Kevin and I usually talk about how it went afterwards and he said he needed to know what a liver looks like, what tumor cells look like and to also understand how that cancer cells actually leave the body. Some people need lots of details to actually get a picture in their head. I know I do and so does Kevin. Luckily, I really paid attention at the Body World Exhibit when it was in Houston and I actually saw a healthy liver next to a liver with cancer all over it. So, I kind of know what it looks like. Plus I always loved anatomy in school and crazy enough, took a special interest in the liver back in the 6th grade. I thought it was an amazing hard working organ.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande', Nachlieli, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The liver is the largest organ inside the body. In an adult it is about the size of a football and weighs close to three pounds. It is located behind the ribs in the upper right-hand portion of the abdomen. Shaped like a triangle, the liver is dark reddish-brown and consists of two main lobes. There are 300 billion cells in the liver that are connected by a well-organised system of bile ducts and blood vessels called the biliary system.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande', Nachlieli, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande', Nachlieli, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The liver is such an important organ that we can only survive one or two days if it shuts down—if the liver fails, your body will fail too. Fortunately, the liver can function even when 75% of it is diseased or removed. This is because it has the amazing ability to create new liver tissue (i.e. it can regenerate itself) from healthy liver cells that still exist. Wonderful news for me.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande', Nachlieli, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande', Nachlieli, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;">When we start the visualization, we kind of welcome everyone from all over the country who are joining us. I thank them for doing it with us and express my deepest gratitude. I acknowledge that the power of all our thoughts, prayers, good vibes and good thoughts all focusing on the same end result has exponential power since we are all doing this together. Then I go into focusing on my breath and then start the visualization. We have been really good about doing this every night and I hope everyone else keeps it up. I need the help and the hope. Thank you so much for doing this with us.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>I've had a lot of medical stuff going on this past week. Either Kevin or I will write a blog really soon and let you all know what is going on. I'm doing a lot better right now, so please don't worry too much.</div><div><br /></div><div>And what would my blog be without cute kid pictures. Here are the kids in our family for Halloween.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our nephew Miles as a puppy for Halloween. How cute?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX53ufmEY4xeYBLMqcvJLj9erq_Dv7hMrOBzR4PJP0nYSIxUNUAcrHHJXLsGTuLN6rPwHzi1n22TwGgi4UxqEQSM4kKQEt3oAQcCPdURswTcW4rpF_VdA-EUFMI1_oaL_GTOYJwjfepJxx/s1600-h/IMG_4698.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX53ufmEY4xeYBLMqcvJLj9erq_Dv7hMrOBzR4PJP0nYSIxUNUAcrHHJXLsGTuLN6rPwHzi1n22TwGgi4UxqEQSM4kKQEt3oAQcCPdURswTcW4rpF_VdA-EUFMI1_oaL_GTOYJwjfepJxx/s320/IMG_4698.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399861972213198258" /></a>Our nephew Drew was Tigger.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3Z_7b1W5uyg0JSOllpnu-YVTlUSiMrKKS-NpIp7PWHSYZS0Wv6vCsAW4Sdng2Rg9pjp4U60mi7-fkn23aWTFcb19qr8K-VUP_uZOj8xrhhIyQEUlg4bVZaFZPlFyRhu3We4dgYg1VpHp/s1600-h/IMG_4699.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3Z_7b1W5uyg0JSOllpnu-YVTlUSiMrKKS-NpIp7PWHSYZS0Wv6vCsAW4Sdng2Rg9pjp4U60mi7-fkn23aWTFcb19qr8K-VUP_uZOj8xrhhIyQEUlg4bVZaFZPlFyRhu3We4dgYg1VpHp/s320/IMG_4699.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399861964032402434" /></a>My sister, Paige was Super Woman.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJR6PrwsOro9HYB5HIVsPjl4ZhnTiYglz6UNwB3Woo-6yxUcSRr-A_0Etq3sIn0-KEgfH0fOiM9AYJRVrKe8_zCDdKc60beyGbLO978CQb0M_0T7b0jHudgEq6HGbS2pPvV0DNo9mxYXx/s1600-h/IMG_4825r+lr.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJR6PrwsOro9HYB5HIVsPjl4ZhnTiYglz6UNwB3Woo-6yxUcSRr-A_0Etq3sIn0-KEgfH0fOiM9AYJRVrKe8_zCDdKc60beyGbLO978CQb0M_0T7b0jHudgEq6HGbS2pPvV0DNo9mxYXx/s320/IMG_4825r+lr.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399861957838529474" /></a>Our niece Riley was a cute little white kitten.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNq9jS4dW3TAwnWOj4LPhNbCcpWyOSVu4TztLboVUDIghCHHN8dpO5Oe9588pxHYN9Cz9Lwe-hsfqYo767s8rVPKT3CbXswQoj5XkJWkzKcQxUBRKXio_M5RPzTQorCHYJMRuRyb4s0dkE/s1600-h/IMG_4718.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNq9jS4dW3TAwnWOj4LPhNbCcpWyOSVu4TztLboVUDIghCHHN8dpO5Oe9588pxHYN9Cz9Lwe-hsfqYo767s8rVPKT3CbXswQoj5XkJWkzKcQxUBRKXio_M5RPzTQorCHYJMRuRyb4s0dkE/s320/IMG_4718.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399861956549935122" /></a>And our niece Lauren was a pink butterfly. I love seeing them all dressed up.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuXwLhBZ869G2DNVI1uvtFbs96hxy6K1mhOBdyOXOizPIDSDe2Uj7c4p8HhgIjXerG9lOaIAC9GcBRv8Ro953c5Ws801r0ivzjqMvM7k3oLgz0Fy0ngRWw3HbRnSzuiR2CW1dUM7JsxRQ/s1600-h/IMG_4713.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuXwLhBZ869G2DNVI1uvtFbs96hxy6K1mhOBdyOXOizPIDSDe2Uj7c4p8HhgIjXerG9lOaIAC9GcBRv8Ro953c5Ws801r0ivzjqMvM7k3oLgz0Fy0ngRWw3HbRnSzuiR2CW1dUM7JsxRQ/s320/IMG_4713.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399861950024121906" /></a>Once again, thank you so much for helping Kevin and I get through this tough time by joining us at 9pm for visualization and support. It means so much to me. I really can't explain in words. I love you all for what you do for me and I have eternal gratitude for how willing you all are to help.</div><div><br /></div><div>Love to all of you</div><div>Shannon</div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-27186579901425762822009-10-28T10:17:00.005-04:002009-11-02T17:05:41.829-05:00How Can YOU Help ME<div>Feeling sick, but trying to smile for the camera.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1aPMP2XaSW9sdSM3NplSFwSMFIt47qhfl_KslTY7KxbY1Q-ajT4-W7GsYaSxL_ibcSRHPlfmZEoDzk-i-X843GiP9CJmuRB0MsVZpK9Y3M8cumgoxpcuyQLdmoWDp-7cHyklMipSzQ07/s1600-h/IMG_4649.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1aPMP2XaSW9sdSM3NplSFwSMFIt47qhfl_KslTY7KxbY1Q-ajT4-W7GsYaSxL_ibcSRHPlfmZEoDzk-i-X843GiP9CJmuRB0MsVZpK9Y3M8cumgoxpcuyQLdmoWDp-7cHyklMipSzQ07/s320/IMG_4649.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397684127052957650" /></a>My nephew Miles is getting so big. He's such a love bug.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBieONdFgPRoqxA4E0wCVaSSh8M5ie3e64moDiJeZtWer-b6e2H_XB-2JGgN-x4J7cVA-U6Bw8MNybkk-rBf-YNqRtBU2fiHquxhmkBl2tcDiFLapOrBv6eV9uRsJ6RKGBb1tIhoX6xb9k/s1600-h/IMG_4641.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBieONdFgPRoqxA4E0wCVaSSh8M5ie3e64moDiJeZtWer-b6e2H_XB-2JGgN-x4J7cVA-U6Bw8MNybkk-rBf-YNqRtBU2fiHquxhmkBl2tcDiFLapOrBv6eV9uRsJ6RKGBb1tIhoX6xb9k/s320/IMG_4641.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397684098227822514" /></a>Beautiful fall tree at the park by my mom's house.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUYN3RQ5abmdk2kya9ZhV6CZDo28qbN3-Zd1N_dAhM82dVgSLQBbmnZP1kONsDIvL9w9C7FsfP4eDoXvhLzruMgLd-tU1u5ijMzvYK7t0nNNYM-BJbjWGZh_CTTQvCL3PMsXRQQPSdpjb/s1600-h/IMG_4673.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUYN3RQ5abmdk2kya9ZhV6CZDo28qbN3-Zd1N_dAhM82dVgSLQBbmnZP1kONsDIvL9w9C7FsfP4eDoXvhLzruMgLd-tU1u5ijMzvYK7t0nNNYM-BJbjWGZh_CTTQvCL3PMsXRQQPSdpjb/s320/IMG_4673.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397684093217611954" /></a><br />I don't want to go into the health situation for too long because I have more important things to discuss on this blog. Well, I don't think the enzymes worked for me. Honestly, I think I was too far along to rely on enzymes removing the cancer from my body. All the fevers were not from the enzymes, but from tumors on my liver. They have doubled in size and now my liver is partially compromised. I guess liver tumors cause fevers and also cause a TON of pain when they get so large. I got a CT scan and PET scan. The PET scan showed that they were more active than before. I also have a lot of fluid in my abdominal area. It make sense, because I have lost a lot of weight from lack of appetite, but my stomach sticks out. My legs and arms are smaller though.<div><br /></div><div>I started chemo last week. I don't feel like I had much of a choice. I love how many times I have gone back and forth between not doing chemo and then doing chemo. I'm taking <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Gemzar</span>. I got another port because my veins are very small and I'll get the chemo often and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Gemzar</span> actually burns your veins as it goes in. HURTS. I got to experience that last week and man was it fun. </div><div>So, enough about that. Here's hoping to me getting better, liver tumors shrinking, fevers going away and fluid <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">disappearing</span> so I don't feel like my abdomen is trying to explode.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now what can you do to help? Well, Kevin and I have started a 9pm ritual. So far for 5 nights we have meditated/visualized together. We lay down in silence with our eyes closed for 20 minutes. First we just focus on our breath until our minds are clear. Then, we start the visualization. We visualize the chemotherapy eating away at the tumor cells around my liver and then <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">swooosh</span> they get swept away to be taken out of my body. The other thing we visualize is the cancer cells right on the liver turning into healthy liver cells. Cancer cells are gray to me and the liver cells are red. I mostly vision the cancer cells there, but more like dead cells where the liver cells are very much alive. Every time my mind starts to wander I focus back on my breath and then get back into the visualization again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once again, how can you help?? Join us. You can stay in your home, but join us at 9pm and do the visualization with us. It has been proven that more minds don't just duplicate the power by the extra number of minds, but they exponentially increase the effectiveness. Please don't look at this and say, "Oh, that's nice. I'm sure someone is doing this for them." Don't assume someone else is doing it. I NEED your help and I am asking you for it. You don't have to do it every day, but please join as much as you can. You don't have to do the full 20 minutes either. If you have the time, please from 9pm to 9:20 focus your thoughts on my cells turning into healthy cells. Some people are into meditating, some visualization, some like to pray, either way, we all have the same goal and I think us doing it together will increase the effectiveness. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some tips on visualization:</div><div>1. Make sure you are in a quiet area where you won't be disturbed</div><div>2. Set an alarm, so you don't have to worry if the time is up yet and you can focus</div><div>3. If your mind starts wandering, just let the thought lightly pass, focus on your breathing and start again.</div><div>4. ALWAYS have a positive attitude while doing this and try to internally smile. </div><div>5. If my picture doesn't work in your head, create your own picture of chemo, cancer cells and healthy liver cells</div><div>6. Think in the present moment. (VERY IMPORTANT). Think that at that moment all my cells are turning into healthy cells. If you keep thinking about it in the future it will always b in the future and will be less likely to happen</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't really ask people for much. I get a lot of "please let me know if there is anything I can do" offers. Well, here I am taking them all up at once and I need them all. Please do your very best to help us with this as much as you can. I will have so much hope doing this knowing that I have so many of you out there helping me make this happen.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thank you all so much</div><div>Lots of love and healthy liver cells</div><div>Shannon</div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-79244529889654092622009-10-19T11:43:00.012-04:002009-10-21T21:03:57.763-04:00New York Trip and Health Update<div>First - All the pictures are available to view from Bras for a Cause. They are on the website. </div><div><a href="http://www.brasforacausemichigan.com">www.brasforacuasemichigan.com</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Things have been interesting lately to say the least. I've had a fever for the past 11 days straight. Before I go into that, I'll tell you about the New York trip.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vDFkwhgoni1fbNvEsxv2jatUbjwe0mT2ZDcHCAiA1KsqMFDk_j1sZ7HgQM_RwNYj3STTUPNAlP8urcOZHbM70UAONnDrrwLr4MS8N_R5OefMxwd4dnYpGYd_akC7aDaX2AuuS4JqZv5Z/s1600-h/IMG_3233.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vDFkwhgoni1fbNvEsxv2jatUbjwe0mT2ZDcHCAiA1KsqMFDk_j1sZ7HgQM_RwNYj3STTUPNAlP8urcOZHbM70UAONnDrrwLr4MS8N_R5OefMxwd4dnYpGYd_akC7aDaX2AuuS4JqZv5Z/s320/IMG_3233.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395218477773785506" /></a>On Wednesday I went to fly out to New York and my flight was cancelled because of wind. They said they couldn't get me out to New York until Saturday which was no good because Kevin and I were supposed to fly back to Michigan on Sunday. (Kevin was already out there for work and was supposed to spend Wednesday - Sunday with me). I tried Thursday and Friday to get on the 7:20 flight standby, but it didn't happen. So, three mornings in a row I woke up at 3am trying to get out to New York. I had them at least make my return flight a few days later, but unfortunately I would be in New York without Kevin. I kept thinking maybe this was a sign that I was too sick to go to New York. I went anyway (finally on Saturday)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh018c8fY3d-gzdqx8kDJTEj5hA1n0L_r4ft_WhZO1KhBg7Z-pwNkMKotdYRSaXJIcJgooSSca4ipBpCQq2W78GWGW5Dsmu2DU6tkWud7AWQShGZYF-xGVWqd19umw6kOKlVn7EO4-o-LnL/s1600-h/IMG_4532.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh018c8fY3d-gzdqx8kDJTEj5hA1n0L_r4ft_WhZO1KhBg7Z-pwNkMKotdYRSaXJIcJgooSSca4ipBpCQq2W78GWGW5Dsmu2DU6tkWud7AWQShGZYF-xGVWqd19umw6kOKlVn7EO4-o-LnL/s320/IMG_4532.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395218243013949618" /></a>Here is Kevin, Pat, Sue and Dave at Central Park.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbnasGkf3LhRxgLYnONii9JsS9Ar3qPUtybxun8tbm52zI8AzscJKNxXe5QSWar6KKpDHAS4qNJQ6mCWfHvv6ZhZ_Lv8tFNjpBsdON3II11I8I1h54DFCz460qkij_G7kYa4n64ZsK0BT/s1600-h/IMG_4537.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbnasGkf3LhRxgLYnONii9JsS9Ar3qPUtybxun8tbm52zI8AzscJKNxXe5QSWar6KKpDHAS4qNJQ6mCWfHvv6ZhZ_Lv8tFNjpBsdON3II11I8I1h54DFCz460qkij_G7kYa4n64ZsK0BT/s320/IMG_4537.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395218242191235618" /></a>Me and Kevin.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIKAUJKhEV8z1Cxg_Wix2l8ENrnoxzfQN2fxT9GY6S_TaBMEZXaOd_dvY8SUdUVMNZCjJlezXOcNmF0Ss1aHobV2Nl8leyGWG3_GFELt28ddD_VHnKxJbvO_2LE0hVsNnuaj488YK88SJ/s1600-h/IMG_4561.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIKAUJKhEV8z1Cxg_Wix2l8ENrnoxzfQN2fxT9GY6S_TaBMEZXaOd_dvY8SUdUVMNZCjJlezXOcNmF0Ss1aHobV2Nl8leyGWG3_GFELt28ddD_VHnKxJbvO_2LE0hVsNnuaj488YK88SJ/s320/IMG_4561.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395218235363753378" /></a>Grand Central Station. Beautiful place.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkrOizalfJOS5Fo26jH04EfOoUF0rMUAHDpiEP8MmuUiLRBlOMDto7NXOLONi4zaXOy7DTMScl7Q2x4N5iPf6Oc1DheOOAme19LN3WU1wtR2htb3IDVIZ8Y71ulGGRSIzInlQxY6rl461/s1600-h/IMG_3283.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkrOizalfJOS5Fo26jH04EfOoUF0rMUAHDpiEP8MmuUiLRBlOMDto7NXOLONi4zaXOy7DTMScl7Q2x4N5iPf6Oc1DheOOAme19LN3WU1wtR2htb3IDVIZ8Y71ulGGRSIzInlQxY6rl461/s320/IMG_3283.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395218227258776898" /></a>Me and Dave on the Subway.<div><br /></div><div>We had an action packed Saturday. We went to Central Park, Times Square, Grand Central Station. My uncle did an amazing thing and actually got Kevin and I tickets to see Saturday Night Live filmed. Those tickets are almost impossible to get. I was so excited to go. If I could pick any show to see filmed it would be <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0); "><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">SNL</span></span>. We had such an incredible time. Then we walked around Rockefeller Plaza and watched people ice skate.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxXMz79RFjhxxf_bcByfobXBgqtS7aQcAl6FTqL71YX7GI-CihA9Na3rnWPh2IY4hHEK9iJPpdaX04En6PO8oD2Q3byMZm5M5_hyphenhyphen1Fcp7v057zR0Jxn94-uy9TdBZiWzdiBHt8EO9TCnk/s1600-h/IMG_3286.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxXMz79RFjhxxf_bcByfobXBgqtS7aQcAl6FTqL71YX7GI-CihA9Na3rnWPh2IY4hHEK9iJPpdaX04En6PO8oD2Q3byMZm5M5_hyphenhyphen1Fcp7v057zR0Jxn94-uy9TdBZiWzdiBHt8EO9TCnk/s320/IMG_3286.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395218224270869266" /></a>Here is Kevin and I outside NBC studios after the Saturday <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Night</span> Live rehearsal.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQjTU43hmQvM_5Pw1jTfY2Xl4P6EGGLRaL0Ej0ODpR5TtdsaVSUdz0wkqHsIMmJOBUhJCDQuKQTlO3AeuJFPau5C_gCSo86pOYbkIBID0fUGeR1VNpQduFs7zhV5AsFEBqYqLpxid7cAL/s1600-h/IMG_3311.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQjTU43hmQvM_5Pw1jTfY2Xl4P6EGGLRaL0Ej0ODpR5TtdsaVSUdz0wkqHsIMmJOBUhJCDQuKQTlO3AeuJFPau5C_gCSo86pOYbkIBID0fUGeR1VNpQduFs7zhV5AsFEBqYqLpxid7cAL/s320/IMG_3311.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395211020860688306" /></a>This is a cool crystal thing that hangs in Rockefeller Plaza.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYHfVeFF-w4IwJfVmsE4Kgbr_lUJiMBPeyoa7M7qUnoC7FEu25p5twE5ibn2s8gjRamO9n0-QYHiYBf3MaPLla8ckxhbIzVk9HymnFG-7MX5kGmIaODT7as-iMsJuLx-9j-mvOt1CccpP/s1600-h/IMG_3349.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYHfVeFF-w4IwJfVmsE4Kgbr_lUJiMBPeyoa7M7qUnoC7FEu25p5twE5ibn2s8gjRamO9n0-QYHiYBf3MaPLla8ckxhbIzVk9HymnFG-7MX5kGmIaODT7as-iMsJuLx-9j-mvOt1CccpP/s320/IMG_3349.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395211010245303362" /></a></div><div>The next day, we went on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0); "><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Staton</span></span> Island Ferry, Kevin went home and I got a really bad fever and felt like complete crap. The next day I was slightly better, but not much. My friend Dave took me to the Met and we looked at art in-between my frequent breaks to sit down because my body was so exhausted. That night Dave, Pat and I went to a comedy show at the Cellar. It was so much fun. We saw Jeff Ross, Colin Quinn, and Jim Norton. Louis CK was also there, but I don't think he ever went up on stage.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here I am rubbing the head of the bull. It's supposed to bring you wealth. Hopefully enough to cover the cost of the enzymes I am taking. : )<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaN-cBcvOSxVAXHIlDY68vj0kVOR_C51ceo_rFP9Uj8ExTk76R-N5iHqlOQsUn-rQtWsWwOa1P3RBUTCYiF_dZQ4SX05d6TKvkSLQ9CXDebs_dVNu86hwcy-jJWZh09p_zzjMxOGc9IQn/s1600-h/IMG_4581.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaN-cBcvOSxVAXHIlDY68vj0kVOR_C51ceo_rFP9Uj8ExTk76R-N5iHqlOQsUn-rQtWsWwOa1P3RBUTCYiF_dZQ4SX05d6TKvkSLQ9CXDebs_dVNu86hwcy-jJWZh09p_zzjMxOGc9IQn/s320/IMG_4581.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395211006505520818" /></a>I went to a Broadway show caller Superior Donuts with Dave and my friend Mark and got to see the financial district. Dave and Mark were both pretty good at understanding my energy level and were always trying to find elevators and escalators as well as places for me to sit down often. That helped a lot. That way I could still see what I wanted, but not kill myself doing it or feel bad about inconveniencing them.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is my friend Mark. We were neighbors in college and stayed friends.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigapbAWremA1BKXNfx4uBj0muZtsY8kVR_J_D_ulpF0JLxrdgQTqeXha2iehZo_UAbjU5OVJQR4BHiKK-oe2m1xIEz1kp5p9uvqGPI_P4-7sMZ6sUvg2_rCNmFxEvhZ4yXfuwAOWCsqtYg/s1600-h/IMG_4592.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigapbAWremA1BKXNfx4uBj0muZtsY8kVR_J_D_ulpF0JLxrdgQTqeXha2iehZo_UAbjU5OVJQR4BHiKK-oe2m1xIEz1kp5p9uvqGPI_P4-7sMZ6sUvg2_rCNmFxEvhZ4yXfuwAOWCsqtYg/s320/IMG_4592.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395211004872066418" /></a>Times Square looks VERY cool at night. I don't think pictures do it justice.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrALVccSKyWo5XuY-QkVVVTXSichatTT1xTejTcnOtluwrM6z8jtXuGh1i2rPXrzP5anZS8JanNTRT8WqA5cPFPyYnfzpMW3Hcd0tWXikIKFdjNsAes9FzopOApBoSgKsGvnmQv_ShaBR/s1600-h/IMG_4604.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrALVccSKyWo5XuY-QkVVVTXSichatTT1xTejTcnOtluwrM6z8jtXuGh1i2rPXrzP5anZS8JanNTRT8WqA5cPFPyYnfzpMW3Hcd0tWXikIKFdjNsAes9FzopOApBoSgKsGvnmQv_ShaBR/s320/IMG_4604.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395210992875915506" /></a><div>Since I have gotten back I have been exhausted. I have fevers every day. My bones hurt, I get winded from standing too long, my liver hurts and just about every single night I break my fever, sweat until I wake myself in a pool of wetness, but the fever doesn't go away. I have not been myself for a long long time. It's been rough to say the least, but I have a plan. I'm going to decrease the amount of enzymes I take at a time and that should help me feel a little better. Nonetheless, I have been just plain sick of feeling sick. I've had a pretty negative attitude lately. Maybe I can vent, get it out and start focusing on the positive.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, I created a list in a effort to get it all out and move on:</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some things I am SO sick of: </div><div>1. I am sick of asking Kevin to get me things and do things for me</div><div>2. I am SO sick of washing my pillow cases, sheets and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">comforter</span> almost daily</div><div>3. I am sick of waking up in a pool of wetness on my side of our king sized bed, moving to the center which is dry until I wake up again and now my side and the middle is wet, then kicking Kevin out of bed and sending him to the guest room to sleep and finally waking up on his side, soaked again. I go through 3 pillows and the entire area of our king sized bed every night.</div><div>4. I am so sick of not having energy to do anything</div><div>5. I am so sick of the TV, movies on demand, everything I have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">DVRed</span>, and everything on all the premium channels. I hate the TV, but have no energy to do anything else.</div><div>6. I am sick of my negative state of mind. Seems like it is one thing after another lately and I am sick of the fact that I am expecting bad things to happen to me.</div><div>7. I am sick of pain. (Bone, liver and muscle pain) A couple times a day the pain makes me take a Motrin and it drives me crazy since I am trying to DETOX my body.</div><div><br /></div><div>I cannot just make this negative list without making some effort to force myself to focus on something positive. While writing this list I decided to write something positive about every single item I listed.</div><div>1.I am so lucky to have a husband who will be my own <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">personal</span> slave when it is impossible for me to take care of myself. And this is not just through a 3 day cold or anything. He's been taking care of me like this for a month now.</div><div>2. My pillowcases and sheets are getting that nice broken in soft feeling you can only get after owning them for a really long time (or when your a crazy sweaty person like myself)</div><div>3. Thank god we got a king sized bed. I am lucky to have so much space to move around and find a dry spot on my bed to sleep in so I can get back to sleep quickly.</div><div>4. I got so sick of the TV that it forced me to get a new book. I got Dan Brown's latest book and it is a page turner.</div><div>5. I have been gradually getting more energy as I have been off the supplements for a couple days. I can use this time to accomplish some things and visit with people.</div><div>6. I think my negative state of mind has hit a breaking point. I now realize it's time to get serious again about changing my thought process and expect good things to happen to myself.</div><div>7. My pain is different every day, it's not like it steadily gets worse of anything. Today I could be in terrible pain and tomorrow my body could feel like nothing happened. There is always the hope of tomorrow being a better day.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wrote all this yesterday and I already feel a tiny bit better today. Things always have the opportunity to get better.</div><div><br /></div><div>Take care everyone. I'll take care of myself and hopefully I'll soon be writing about my next voyage away from my house. For now, I'll just enjoy saving so much gas money by staying home all the time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Your VERY SWEATY friend </div><div>Shannon</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-30922786006433654882009-10-04T16:35:00.006-04:002009-10-06T12:17:00.417-04:00Been in a Real Funk Lately - New Supplements<div>Starting off on a happy note, here are a few pictures that my dad took of the Watson family.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4RZoI_ti4MfqOW4wtHCsTzNfueRCluEJvVft_Hc7k3hfMRAnYGSWIjDf1TJhY0C_D3NKZcam5W5GiJpOuHKVDZgX3Vwv8v1Ov8Mrx48xfy-DjohftUnlK6D-qoHsvt5MiItmH2ROv_3v/s1600-h/web-247.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4RZoI_ti4MfqOW4wtHCsTzNfueRCluEJvVft_Hc7k3hfMRAnYGSWIjDf1TJhY0C_D3NKZcam5W5GiJpOuHKVDZgX3Vwv8v1Ov8Mrx48xfy-DjohftUnlK6D-qoHsvt5MiItmH2ROv_3v/s320/web-247.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389520140982899010" /></a>I think this picture is great. Roger, Edie and Lauren are so happy and Riley just started to cry. She has got to be the cutest crying baby in the world.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uT3Uh1U8dIebljHr05aEX7888neHWWrAsuqGEiHoG2VErGGxIch4XReP1KzHKKeMzVvWIu1NN288-CKXIuBDgPVnI6TeGKRZxxhsAeal67ecP01LDnHrbGiSHnCM_EOcDYyLlDPN3fdn/s1600-h/web-120.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uT3Uh1U8dIebljHr05aEX7888neHWWrAsuqGEiHoG2VErGGxIch4XReP1KzHKKeMzVvWIu1NN288-CKXIuBDgPVnI6TeGKRZxxhsAeal67ecP01LDnHrbGiSHnCM_EOcDYyLlDPN3fdn/s320/web-120.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389520129148941586" /></a>Here is the whole group. It was such a nice day. Keith, Kevin, me, Roger, Edie, Lauren, Kevin S., Wendy and Riley.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhte9F0y-u21K89_PNHVug2Z7VnTfe692DOkqLycOCbPoWDRMhI3l8pARBROXBC5Nw96_yT25Ox_J8KfHwIZTV_SqKeynIY6ApAU31Ll46yOKBFjREvbAYwjCUnjLwxCC6fU-OOlrh8pm/s1600-h/web-36.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhte9F0y-u21K89_PNHVug2Z7VnTfe692DOkqLycOCbPoWDRMhI3l8pARBROXBC5Nw96_yT25Ox_J8KfHwIZTV_SqKeynIY6ApAU31Ll46yOKBFjREvbAYwjCUnjLwxCC6fU-OOlrh8pm/s320/web-36.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389520124556611986" /></a><br />I have to be honest. Lately I have felt like complete crap. I'm not sure if it is due to the new supplements I am taking (hopefully that's the case) or if my body is slowly deteriorating from disease. Of course I always have my doubts.<div><br /></div><div>The new supplements I am on are supposed to get rid of tumor cells and bring them out through your body meanwhile causing a lot of "toxic" symptoms. All these symptoms are supposed to be signs that it is working. You're supposed to take them for 15-20 days and then stop for 5 days to let your body detox. For 4 days straight I had a fever at night. I felt horrible. Every night I would wake up absolutely drenched in sweat. The bed would be soaked. I'd have to dry off, change and move to the other side of the bed and kick Kevin out to the other room. Along with the fever, I have aches and pains all over the body. My liver has hurt since I've started these. Sneezing, coughing, laughing breathing deep and laying on my right side all cause me pain. I feel sick to my stomach a lot. I eat way less than I used to and a lot of the time I only eat because I SHOULD and not that I WANT to. For three weeks I didn't sleep because I was taking a supplement at the wrong time of the day. That didn't help things for a while. Now, I have that on the right schedule, so sleeping is no longer and issue.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've had a lot of bone and muscle pain. I'm weak, tired and just feel crappy all the time. I think the worst part is that I feel like I have lost my zest for life. That little spark in me you have all complimented so many times has been missing lately. I went to Chicago and didn't want to do anything except lay on the couch and watch TV. The second time I went to Chicago for more Purina media interviews I was supposed to stay longer and hang with Jessica and Joe. Instead I cut the trip completely short and went back home to my bed as soon as I could. I didn't want to admit it, but I would have stayed home for the Michigan State vs Michigan game and watched it on the couch. I am so glad we went. That was the most life I've had in me in a long time. Kevin and I were jumping up and down and screaming the whole game. Of course on the way home I slept the entire time and was pretty useless the rest of the day. Sunday I passed up tickets to the Tigers game. The possible game to put them in the playoffs. Instead I wanted to stay home. Now, I know I am still under the weather and that any normal person might have done the same thing....but not me. Normal Shannon would have gone to the game in a heartbeat.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm worried because on Wednesday (tomorrow) I go to New York. There are so many things (lots of them on my bucket list) that I want to do in New York. I'm worried that this funk I am in is going to make this trip no where near as great as it could be. I don't want to be wishing I could be napping while I'm in Central Park. The last couple nights I had fevers again. Woke up in a pool of sweat again. I'm on the enzymes right now, but I think I'll take a break from them while I am in New York to hopefully feel better.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm working on staying positive and healthy. It's hard. I'm sick of feeling sick. I know people see me with a smile on my face looking physically healthy, but inside I have been hurting lately. Here is where the positive thing kicks in. IF, this sickness I feel is due to cancer cells leaving my body....my god I will EMBRACE the pain and crappy feeling. Bring it on!! Problem is, I don't know for sure. I will try to believe that is the case and appreciate ever crappy feeling I have as it is part of my healing. I usually bounce back really quick, so maybe that is what is getting to me. This has been going on for about 4 weeks. Since the bra show. Like I said, I am sick of feeling sick.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's all I got for now. </div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, go to <a href="http://catchow.com/pink">www.catchow.com/pink</a> and upload a picture of yourself and your cat and for every photo uploaded, Purina Cat Chow will donate $1 to Susan Komen for the Cure.</div><div><br /></div><div>Take care everyone and bare with me for a while. I miss the happy and productive me too who actually gets out, does stuff and visits people. Hopefully my old self will be back soon healthier than ever.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lots of love and healing</div><div>Shannon</div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-65809744864549728302009-09-27T18:06:00.004-04:002009-09-27T18:47:30.458-04:00What am I doing now??? It's always changing.<div><br /></div><div>***If you would like to get email notifications on a blog post please email iezzzi@hotmail and let me know so I can add you to the list***</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzmZovU39yY__tqjYLK7EZJzK8f95sYrCUKUahKZTsqLmYKzYmJJP-udi5i6oNITWs3XbPnfZt2qZlyxg3dbockBK6cI7adRQRbnUkWSWm4Sl9E1M11et-3kUegweu1G5nGi1hKt6NXU-/s1600-h/IMG_4499.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzmZovU39yY__tqjYLK7EZJzK8f95sYrCUKUahKZTsqLmYKzYmJJP-udi5i6oNITWs3XbPnfZt2qZlyxg3dbockBK6cI7adRQRbnUkWSWm4Sl9E1M11et-3kUegweu1G5nGi1hKt6NXU-/s320/IMG_4499.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386280348038181602" /></a>Here I am with my new treatment I am trying. 72 enzymes a day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyNH6RiilylHZznyaUxKktj17u6lovQ17buRfTao8dUN1e2-dURkqKa-d5CCWExjlh3qGhbDZdC0oSnjebUL2F5z8daA-ATBtuM_cnRdZZQGdcCpH2tThoBNqk-Nt9Twwsu4ovueqxKhfK/s1600-h/IMG_4501.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyNH6RiilylHZznyaUxKktj17u6lovQ17buRfTao8dUN1e2-dURkqKa-d5CCWExjlh3qGhbDZdC0oSnjebUL2F5z8daA-ATBtuM_cnRdZZQGdcCpH2tThoBNqk-Nt9Twwsu4ovueqxKhfK/s320/IMG_4501.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386280345840337010" /></a>This is how I really feel about taking all these supplements every day at times. It gets a little old.<br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">I left you all hanging. Before the Art Bra Show I told you how the pain that put me in the hospital was one of the tumors on my liver growing. Of course I went for CT scans, PET scans, blood work and everything was grim and gloomy. Masses were larger and my blood work went WAY up. The doc wanted me to start chemotherapy immediately. I was supposed to get a biopsy of the liver, a new port put in (this time on the other side) and I was supposed to start chemotherapy all before the art bra show. Nice huh?? I friggin HATE chemo. I can’t stand it. I’ve done WAY too much of it. If I keep at this rate I won’t die from cancer, but from too much chemo. I also was not looking forward to more surgery, biopsies etc…</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, of course I freaked out and got depressed. I was close to giving in and doing all of that in one week. Instead I started looking into more alternative things I can do. It led me to some enzymes called Solozyme and stuff called Cesium. The enzymes are pancreatic enzymes that you take in VERY large doses (like 72 a day). What they are supposed to do is break down the protective barrier on tumors and then digest up tumor masses and flush them through your bloodstream to get eliminated from your body. A doctor cured himself from pancreatic cancer with these and has cured many more once he started making these available to everyone. The Cesium alkalizes your body and is supposed to starve the cancer cells to death. That’s as medical I am getting in the blog, but I at least wanted to explain a little how I believe these could help me.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The thing with the enzymes is that as they digest up the tumor cells and they enter your bloodstream you feel like shit. Same thing with the Cesium. Tumor cells are filled with toxins, so a HUGE part of this protocol is detoxing daily with the coffee enemas. Since I already did this, it was easy for me. However, even with the coffee enema you still have a lot of toxins in your body. Let’s see, you feel achy, feverish, nauseous, irratible, tired etc etc… All these symptoms are supposed to be signs that it is working and removing cancer cells. I can honestly say that since I have been taking these, I have lost weight because I feel nauseous a lot, I have goosebumps on my arms regularly and I’m always cold, I am SO achy and I am tired all the time. I think about taking naps a lot and I am NOT a nap person. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’ll deal with this feeling all the time if it means I am ridding myself of tumor cells though. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Why is chemo not the cure??? Well, I talked to multiple oncologists about my situation and I got a certain vibe. The vibe was that I was not expected to live long even with the chemo. If that is the case, screw the chemo. Chemo is not a cure anyways. Maybe I can try something natural that actually has been a cure to so many. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, no friggin chemo for me. That’s the plan for now. Like I have said before, I will keep trying and trying until I find the magic combination that will make me completely healthy and cancer free.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, we all have our opinions. I respect everyone’s opinion, but only I get to decide what I do and no one else. It’s my life and my body so that means I am the head honcho. I call all the shots.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ll keep you all posted on how things go, but we have to give it time. Glasses up and let’s toast to health. AND to the LIONS!! Holy crap!! They won finally!!! Can you believe it!</p> <!--EndFragment-->Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-7690742589583380562009-09-21T10:15:00.008-04:002009-09-21T10:40:43.956-04:00Bras for a Cause - BIG SUCCESS<div>The First Annual Bras for a Cause Show Was a Complete Success. </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIiKyFx_p1-ZycLpO4XgmKsNto68ognbaVyFKRizKiGYCBFp-yjla2RcqIVJ2NIpJw8qCv13zB56TXB4Ege1JzLK6uTg5nsezz9p5W9YgB6evzEPjFVdbSb8hsDCoOAJW4MAc1k2fG5Ty/s1600-h/IMG_2253rlr.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIiKyFx_p1-ZycLpO4XgmKsNto68ognbaVyFKRizKiGYCBFp-yjla2RcqIVJ2NIpJw8qCv13zB56TXB4Ege1JzLK6uTg5nsezz9p5W9YgB6evzEPjFVdbSb8hsDCoOAJW4MAc1k2fG5Ty/s320/IMG_2253rlr.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383928766848193394" /></a>Myself, Michael <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Radner</span>, and Sarah <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Angelini</span>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcdQRI5vfhiRvUxoBVz2K8SmeSWdVJtbessYzZz410kKSH0F2HvhH4cpdgurdVjM1JxJ3yg_5BnuFQvtKEF0Sep0Sj01BW-ynh50R2Jq91VGJRgsHxAksiXOfo2pM-fSRRAoa4sH9HYYw/s1600-h/IMG_2265rlr.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcdQRI5vfhiRvUxoBVz2K8SmeSWdVJtbessYzZz410kKSH0F2HvhH4cpdgurdVjM1JxJ3yg_5BnuFQvtKEF0Sep0Sj01BW-ynh50R2Jq91VGJRgsHxAksiXOfo2pM-fSRRAoa4sH9HYYw/s320/IMG_2265rlr.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383928516010598210" /></a><br /><div><br /></div>We had <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Shutterbooth</span> there. Here I am with my sister and brother in law right before I had to do my speech.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCuseFLPtsHJgoNvNFeupPzBfQlt8BPqNB2TBoq4Qa3ckOZwIlBv9Uaz_0utJGEFzUmnKWdAFYrFzXbRUYTO5DsbVvY2UnJV8GjE4uWL9VK9O5Sv1EysSE40_ryka7PyYdpKerD2yqcJTk/s1600-h/2009.09.12.19.33.07.1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCuseFLPtsHJgoNvNFeupPzBfQlt8BPqNB2TBoq4Qa3ckOZwIlBv9Uaz_0utJGEFzUmnKWdAFYrFzXbRUYTO5DsbVvY2UnJV8GjE4uWL9VK9O5Sv1EysSE40_ryka7PyYdpKerD2yqcJTk/s320/2009.09.12.19.33.07.1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383927557793814658" /></a>See in my hands is my speech rolled up.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHROU11DKJnInAR_0YGjYY35iulgHtL3q5A2NE8h6H1m2lYndH0QVwIvTTE747ytYzo19njJSM1JaNVuTzk6Kff6R7N45rFs6lP672vU7faMP6GSu_2hyphenhyphenfVXDX9EDVF1_YkYLg4WnY0cP/s1600-h/2009.09.12.19.33.07.2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHROU11DKJnInAR_0YGjYY35iulgHtL3q5A2NE8h6H1m2lYndH0QVwIvTTE747ytYzo19njJSM1JaNVuTzk6Kff6R7N45rFs6lP672vU7faMP6GSu_2hyphenhyphenfVXDX9EDVF1_YkYLg4WnY0cP/s320/2009.09.12.19.33.07.2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383927549155750834" /></a>I love this booth. It's so fun.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde_8OAEVuavnaTUmPKgxn-Bvo1rwL7wjg6FyGosXhsMiE8_dEN7w9bFllWuQ7Z9WyI4yNyGJvIZT1aKmAElcHJ1Tv9wMcP6126fJHwzMR0BIoDtmmyErUwX0Nuzgta2eYYnUgkJLJJV0u/s1600-h/2009.09.12.19.33.07.4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde_8OAEVuavnaTUmPKgxn-Bvo1rwL7wjg6FyGosXhsMiE8_dEN7w9bFllWuQ7Z9WyI4yNyGJvIZT1aKmAElcHJ1Tv9wMcP6126fJHwzMR0BIoDtmmyErUwX0Nuzgta2eYYnUgkJLJJV0u/s320/2009.09.12.19.33.07.4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383927538896626242" /></a>Think we'll have a photo booth next year too.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxzNsyz_EL_Ul_OKmoVNFe1l_LDR5_5z7XJL6s8aUWDuaRcjJiif179-egOo0uvrx1J_8Z0JSVaBd06ximHKo1m9ueWTbPMAPP4I4q4pMWBsgAqu3RzASy7ReXhW0ru48gzz1pBaycLhH/s1600-h/2009.09.12.19.33.07.3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxzNsyz_EL_Ul_OKmoVNFe1l_LDR5_5z7XJL6s8aUWDuaRcjJiif179-egOo0uvrx1J_8Z0JSVaBd06ximHKo1m9ueWTbPMAPP4I4q4pMWBsgAqu3RzASy7ReXhW0ru48gzz1pBaycLhH/s320/2009.09.12.19.33.07.3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383927530872058754" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">It’s funny when I think back to the day I walked into the executive director of Gilda’s Club’s office and introduced myself as a new member. I first mentioned that I would like to start a group for young women with breast cancer. Then I started to tell him about a fundraiser I would like to plan for them that I think would raise a lot of money. I knew at the time I was the only one who could see it the way I did. The amazing thing is, when I was up there on stage the night of Bras for a Cause, I realized the night was everything I had imagined in my head. And I'm a big dreamer too.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">I remember saying confidently that I could sell 300 tickets to this show. We ended up selling 530 tickets. I also remember saying with confidence that I could raise $25,000 with this fundraiser. Once I started crunching numbers in my head I realized 25,000 was too easy of a target for me, so I doubled it.<span> </span>It’s after the show and I have crunched the numbers and we have raised $50,000. How amazing is that????? I need to have this kind of determination with being healthy, because I think a determined mind can accomplish anything.</p><div><p class="MsoNormal">I am so proud of myself, the committee, the models, my family and friends. It’s amazing planning fundraisers, because you meet so many people who are good deed doers. I met so many generous people willing to help. We had incredible programs, auction items, amazing art bras, models, vendors and great food. Everything was wonderful.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">I was running around like crazy and hiding back stage with my uncle trying to get the nerve up to go on stage and thank everyone. I was so nervous going on stage that it started to interfere with my enjoyment of the night. My fingers went numb before I walked out there and I thought I was going to throw up. When I went out there I held my uncle in a hug and asked him to stay up there with me. That helped. Once I started talking everything was fine though and I was able to thank everyone appropriately. Then, afterwards I was able to take a deep breath out and enjoy the night.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Everyone said I didn't seem nervous on stage. I was actually fine once I was out there. Think the torture was getting ready to go out there and the anticipation.</p></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3rS7BOPMTaTMC6JJClaz2SgMFjsv6JvCbKyV46aOID8yRsb-QetCy0Te7jjFAwyXnOcPFEETOjECg-cavaoGzENew4j7mx4wHCB8OAnexT_g99EKnBlcIGPbY7lQ2wTGX7vu-4i2eKJmM/s1600-h/IMG_2365rlr.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3rS7BOPMTaTMC6JJClaz2SgMFjsv6JvCbKyV46aOID8yRsb-QetCy0Te7jjFAwyXnOcPFEETOjECg-cavaoGzENew4j7mx4wHCB8OAnexT_g99EKnBlcIGPbY7lQ2wTGX7vu-4i2eKJmM/s320/IMG_2365rlr.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383926616232653714" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Kevin</span> bringing back our live auction art bras. "Bee Cups" and "Living Life to the Fullest"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlMJZx6flD71sYwsS3ZcFcSebMk-MHAKdcWRwcChWyHP_P8tuCogC9LoZkluLvdeCrqGBZ6Yb5tWMMjTdunzCK2r7iH3Vk75d2WepkAnJPT7pgYpEuDK02WyZADuMNS0uh8LJbYlzAoc_/s1600-h/IMG_2323rlr.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlMJZx6flD71sYwsS3ZcFcSebMk-MHAKdcWRwcChWyHP_P8tuCogC9LoZkluLvdeCrqGBZ6Yb5tWMMjTdunzCK2r7iH3Vk75d2WepkAnJPT7pgYpEuDK02WyZADuMNS0uh8LJbYlzAoc_/s320/IMG_2323rlr.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383926605982307506" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">We learned a lot this first year, but for a first year event I don’t think we could have done better. Our biggest shortcoming was that we sold way more tickets than expected and we <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">didn</span>’t have quite enough food for everyone. Please feel free to post as many comments as you would like on the blog and we'll take them all into consideration. Tell us what you liked and what we can improve on.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Here are some of the best compliments we got</p><p class="MsoNormal">“No first year event goes that smooth.” Manager of Royal Oak Music Theatre</p><p class="MsoNormal">“You know it’s a good event when the crazy people start buying tickets” Royal Oak Music Theatre’s box office</p><p class="MsoNormal">Other’s told me they haven’t felt that good in a long time and were truly inspired. That makes me feel so good, that we not only raised a ton of money, but we held an inspirational event.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Nancy Armstrong, myself and Alyson Thrift (3 Rack Pack and committee members) getting everything ready for the show at Royal Oak Music Theatre.</p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxJzBAMiob_oDDW8zVB7MlKEnpt2s9PYNpS_ERHZUWF5GqVjCBzp3tUPpZhlRZpfeXh_YS-7dP49lC0QOG2gulA65MbmJ_HGc_wSH_Dzp8oNkjGfnmGhJ3YTmj7wYvUukUiBkpU6_ZM4F/s1600-h/IMG_3205.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxJzBAMiob_oDDW8zVB7MlKEnpt2s9PYNpS_ERHZUWF5GqVjCBzp3tUPpZhlRZpfeXh_YS-7dP49lC0QOG2gulA65MbmJ_HGc_wSH_Dzp8oNkjGfnmGhJ3YTmj7wYvUukUiBkpU6_ZM4F/s320/IMG_3205.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383926598402800898" /></a>The marquee the day of the show.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkydS1r3zA3GcrLRx7HCdZzp6eGR7r4SLL0BhHmbN6oCPVoS0tqVl8mj-8-wseT4kcvprezwPsZKUP2kakfLbrY2KE1IVmu_xzcLJlBLXROZjeoYvF2zogRiLZT9B7ACHmn03Yh6EWeZF8/s1600-h/IMG_3197.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkydS1r3zA3GcrLRx7HCdZzp6eGR7r4SLL0BhHmbN6oCPVoS0tqVl8mj-8-wseT4kcvprezwPsZKUP2kakfLbrY2KE1IVmu_xzcLJlBLXROZjeoYvF2zogRiLZT9B7ACHmn03Yh6EWeZF8/s320/IMG_3197.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383926584714439554" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">The most important thing to me was that the models enjoyed themselves. They loved it. They loved being models and they loved the event and meeting <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">each other</span>. That was probably one of the most important things to me was that survivors enjoyed this event and it made them feel good. That’s what it’s all about for me. We deserve that day where we can just feel good about being a survivor and enjoy it with everyone.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Very soon I will be getting all the professional pictures my dad took of the night. Once I get those, I will post a photo album with all the pictures on the website. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Lastly, if you were a volunteer and have the pink lanyard we gave you, we are trying to collect them all back. Please contact me and we'll figure out a way to get them back.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Thank you everyone for your involvement in Bras for a Cause and for your support. I am truly so proud of all of us.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Lots of love</p><p class="MsoNormal">Shannon</p> <!--EndFragment-->Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-4097091763602224142009-09-03T14:09:00.008-04:002009-09-03T15:21:37.722-04:00Uh oh. We know what the pain was.Well, I think we figured out what cause the pain that sent me to the emergency room in London. It was what I feared...progress in terms of the tumor on my liver. That one stupid tumor that was not responding to hormone therapy while the rest of them were keeping still or even shrinking. The liver tumor is growing. The ultrasound confirmed. Where it is growing there are a bunch of nerves, so something could have aggravated it and caused the pain. The pain has also come back. Not to the point where it hurts as bad as in London, but it hurts. I really don't care about the actual physical pain. I'd deal with the pain for the rest of my life if I could trade in what the pain meant. That's what's screwing with my mind.<br /><br />My blood tumor markers are also going crazy which completes all the clues we are looking for to determine that my cancer is no longer idly sitting in my body, but starting to grow again. They went from 440 to about 880. Scary.<br /><br />Of course I freaked out. Kevin was at the airport getting ready for a nice boys trip to Vegas with some Austin friends and I called him hysterical. Remind anyone of anything???? If you've read my blog back in the day you'll remember when I was re diagnosed, Kevin was on his way to the airport for a Vegas bachelor party and I called him to tell him the cancer spread all over my body and that they said I wouldn't live more than two years. Of course he skipped his trip and I forever felt guilty because he missed his Vegas bachelor party. So, this time I got my shit together and told him to GO and have fun. I should have just told him when he got back, but I can't help it, he's my emotional dumping ground and he plays the part well. He's always been there for me and I know he will always have my back no matter what. He keeps me sane for the rest of the world.<br /><br />I feel for Kevin. This affects him almost as much as it affects me. I get so caught up in my own fear and sadness that I have no room left to feel sorry for him or worry about how he is feeling. Then, I get all the sympathy from everyone and Kevin I think comes up shorthanded. I can't imagine what this is like for him. I know he wants to make things better for me, but what can he do??? That has to be difficult to deal with.<br /><br />Medically, what the hell am I going to do?????? Well, I am considering getting the ovaries out which is more effective hormone therapy than what I am currently doing. I manage no hormones pretty well, so I think it should be a pretty doable adjustment. However, now that things are looking a little worse, I have more to consider. I got a CT scan today and I get a PET scan tomorrow. What we're looking to see is if disease in other spots are progressing or just this one liver met. If it's just the one, we might consider RFA (ablation - sort of a surgery to remove the one non-hormone therapy tumor) If there are more spots then I think my doc is going to start speaking the dreaded word chemotherapy. I'm getting a little ahead of myself. We have two major tests to consider, but I've been down this road a few times and kind of know the plan. I pretty much know what my oncologist is going to say and suggest before we make an actual decision. We plan multiple courses of action for each possible way things turn out during every appointment, so we have a plan ahead of time. I'm just very resistant to the chemotherapy plan she always suggests.<br /><br />Anyway, not a good day for me. I also have to stop getting tests done at Troy Beaumont. It's so close and convenient, but also the hospital my grandpa Joe died in. Every time I walk down that long hallway I remember the countless times I walked down there just hoping for a miracle. I walk past area D where I went up to his intensive care floor and I get immediately choked up. I remember my family hanging out in the lobby with my little sister trying to keep her occupied so she stops asking to see Pupa because it would be much too traumatic for a 4 year old. Honestly, I decided I will start making the drive out to Royal Oak for all appointments so I stop remembering that time. Guess it didn't help having that memory followed by the phone call to tell me my tumor marker results. It set me over.<br /><br />Wow is this a depressing blog. Sorry. A girl's got to vent and Kevin's on his way to Vegas.<br />Here's the deal. I get bad news and I'm very traumatized and sad for one day. Usually by the next day I've gotten my head together and I can move on. That's usually when I write in the journal. So, today, you get traumatized, sad, scared Shannon rather than, day after already thinking positive Shannon.<br /><br />It's a beautiful day and I'm going to do some gardening. Maybe that will take my mind off things. Or, I could just let Chloe keep sleeping on me and take a nap myself.<br /><br />On a completely opposite note to try to end this happily...........<br />The Bras for a Cause show is coming along great. It's a welcomed distraction. Saturday September 12th. Come and see what we've worked so hard on for a year. I'll even get up on stage for 5 minutes to talk since I'm the president. I'd love for all you readers and supporters to come.<br /><a href="http://www.brasforacausemichigan.com/">http://www.brasforacausemichigan.com/</a><br /><br />Check out some of these pictures we took of the planning committee for the program. They got funnier as we kept trying to get a good one. These are some of the people that are making this show happen. (as well as my uncle, my mom, my grandma...my family and a lot more people as well)<br />This is your Bras for a Cause Planning Committee.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILpHavZpMTelfEMKW_7MRMCeTKhnE0EIso3BjN5NqZJ9o32cYuVKDmVDsipQT0OdY-70zl9u04rDfxgFKwCkZsO2yIsXv7pB6cVeF74ZMCoSttHr6ktmqucFjdxONGnUTjnVBqr35uHFJ/s1600-h/committee+011P.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 226px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377321657693156210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILpHavZpMTelfEMKW_7MRMCeTKhnE0EIso3BjN5NqZJ9o32cYuVKDmVDsipQT0OdY-70zl9u04rDfxgFKwCkZsO2yIsXv7pB6cVeF74ZMCoSttHr6ktmqucFjdxONGnUTjnVBqr35uHFJ/s320/committee+011P.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiubhu1VM52IKf5UYdH4qXOgABjiQpY6YsbV7cKS1gN-ln24X6QS25i-DxVNMZ4p5EE_PgFq0jIBx8_KDq4ztTGdI3A_D1Xp1u1pJHsqsM8rVOSoAuiLf4Y96s-6JNvS4FSKLIiUSixg_LL/s1600-h/committee+018.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377321645145000034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiubhu1VM52IKf5UYdH4qXOgABjiQpY6YsbV7cKS1gN-ln24X6QS25i-DxVNMZ4p5EE_PgFq0jIBx8_KDq4ztTGdI3A_D1Xp1u1pJHsqsM8rVOSoAuiLf4Y96s-6JNvS4FSKLIiUSixg_LL/s320/committee+018.jpg" /></a> Then we broke into the art bra selection and all picked one to wear.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNcVHw6ZEdxM_sbMvii7-rplZlASNG_3Flpaf6D8u2Ejgpook5luI3MJnNzSlkNBRfoK4TVXfAEr4hM_NrGENJPPPPdhbbhvk1VZ2ojCJI5_Fss8-qkPi4VMQJ-gkmGnVb4jVRfSPpmHqX/s1600-h/committee+020.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377321636831402546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNcVHw6ZEdxM_sbMvii7-rplZlASNG_3Flpaf6D8u2Ejgpook5luI3MJnNzSlkNBRfoK4TVXfAEr4hM_NrGENJPPPPdhbbhvk1VZ2ojCJI5_Fss8-qkPi4VMQJ-gkmGnVb4jVRfSPpmHqX/s320/committee+020.jpg" /></a> Kevin cracks me up. Never worried about his masculinity.<br /><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQTOz_PY8Ef47YG8d5DwnxNdj61bhNnZJ2R_zhFCM5o59tCMs7E0kQVP5jKPNFfwLpm8u7Mc1qkgD1s_pI5pyLvFK9VL-7F1JwvAhLan3oJ0xBOn_KfW8CTVGTPkZH7fxbvGi6uIZH5KS/s1600-h/committee+023p.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 219px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377321621946859426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQTOz_PY8Ef47YG8d5DwnxNdj61bhNnZJ2R_zhFCM5o59tCMs7E0kQVP5jKPNFfwLpm8u7Mc1qkgD1s_pI5pyLvFK9VL-7F1JwvAhLan3oJ0xBOn_KfW8CTVGTPkZH7fxbvGi6uIZH5KS/s320/committee+023p.JPG" /></a></div><div>See, there's always something to smile about.</div><div> </div><div>I promise I'll tell you all about the socialized health care in London and my experience in a blog soon. Might be after the bra show. And of course I'll tell you what the CT and PET scan says as well as what route we go to get me back to healthy. You all know I'm a trooper, so please don't worry too much. Things will be turning for the better in no time. <div><br /><div>Your determined to be positive friend</div><div>Shannon</div></div></div></div></div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-19078563819837567782009-08-16T21:48:00.009-04:002009-08-20T07:55:54.287-04:00I Went to the Emergency Room in London<div>I'm back from a long 11 day vacation in London and Ireland. We did so much and saw so much, I couldn't possibly cover it all in here. So, I am not writing about the trip part at all (in this blog entry, more to come). Instead I am going to tell you about my experience in the ER in London.<div><br /></div><div>Yes, I went to the ER in London. It all started the second day of our trip. Yep, right as this picture was being taken, I was realizing that I needed to go to the emergency room I was in so much pain.</div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvF-g27BkCt9_2QrPOPESkaRaGswpP3iBfcms23vJtVe5WEKyVtmuxkvLsET2bA1eyQIpVBUBpUd-v_wW_CoYLQpZQRCKOv1BdsoJpWR1XspnxTf_Kel3mZrY5dHLYiEbzJKYVSaLxY59/s1600-h/IMG_3888.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvF-g27BkCt9_2QrPOPESkaRaGswpP3iBfcms23vJtVe5WEKyVtmuxkvLsET2bA1eyQIpVBUBpUd-v_wW_CoYLQpZQRCKOv1BdsoJpWR1XspnxTf_Kel3mZrY5dHLYiEbzJKYVSaLxY59/s320/IMG_3888.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372009457078730258" /></a>Here is me after our 24 hour stay in the ER. I'm totally high on pain pills and I look spent, which I was. Want the story........????? Read on.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwO1c3Dshe1WhtXtbahogVbSRp8szsyYDCPxhzG5Fni83iswtEGZukTtcKC0nULV1PgG5wNIrvj2PhAD2x87ZAzw1Jv5e-_3FJ2L7IvfLZ2BHfzlLOpaM2MD35ljLa8Cizmina72TY5o13/s1600-h/IMG_1896.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwO1c3Dshe1WhtXtbahogVbSRp8szsyYDCPxhzG5Fni83iswtEGZukTtcKC0nULV1PgG5wNIrvj2PhAD2x87ZAzw1Jv5e-_3FJ2L7IvfLZ2BHfzlLOpaM2MD35ljLa8Cizmina72TY5o13/s320/IMG_1896.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372009446705895570" /></a><div>We were in the British Museum looking at some old Greek statues and Egyptian tombs and drawings when all of a sudden I got the sharpest stabbing pain right under my lower ribcage on the right side. Kevin noticed and I tried to shake it off. It happened about 4 more times but went away. Then we went to a lunch and it started hurting again, but this time the pain wouldn't let up. It was constant. I was in so much pain I could barely focus. Standing, sitting, walking, it didn't matter I was in pain. After trying to cover it up for a while from the other couples hoping not to rain any of the fun we were having I had to give in and go back to the hotel with Kevin.</div><div><br /></div><div>Frantically we tried to figure out what to do. I could barely walk, the pain had me in such agony (and I have a high tolerance to pain). How do you go to the hospital in another country? How does insurance work???? How much will this cost us??? It was bad. If I was giving in and going to the hospital in another country it was bad.</div><div><br /></div><div>Luckily in London they have socialized health care. It's free. All you have to do is write your name and address. No ID, no insurance card, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">copays</span>, deductibles and pages and pages of stupid forms to fill out with the same info on each page.</div><div><br /></div><div>We were seen within an hour. They drew blood and said it looked fine. That helped us rule out <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">appendicitis</span> since there would be signs of infection. The liver is located exactly where the pain was so I was very worried about something being wrong with my liver especially after the last scan showed increased tumor activity there. My liver enzymes were just fine though. The doctor told me I must have pulled a muscle working out in the morning. I had to stop myself from jumping across the table and slapping him on the face for suggesting such a thing. Still, he sent me back to the hotel with some heavy pain <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">meds</span> and told me to wait it out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then, we got an email from one of my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">oncologists</span> suggesting that it could be a blood clot in the lungs. We did some research and realized if that were the case I could easily die from it if we didn't do something. We also looked at the fact that I was such a high risk person to get a clot. Being diagnosed with cancer, the hormone therapy I am on, the fact that I was on a 10 hour flight, and I also have a genetic condition that makes me more prone to clot. .....and off we rushed back to the hospital.</div><div><br /></div><div>This time they took us very seriously and I think agreed that it could very well be a blood clot. Unfortunately the only way they could really tell was by getting a CT scan which couldn't be done until the next day. They wouldn't let me leave since it could be a clot and that was so dangerous. So we got to sit in the emergency room from 1am till 3am in the morning after a Saturday night while all the drunk people from the bars came in puking their guts out from drinking too much, getting their stomachs pumped, and there was a guy with his face bashed in from a bar fight crying. Honestly, Kevin and I listened to people puke all night.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally they <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">transferred</span> me to the overnight unit where there were more people puking. We barely slept. They would wake me up every 45 minuted to check vitals just as I was starting to fall asleep. I got a blood thinner shot just in case and they barely woke me up to give it to me. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">WTF??</span> It totally freaked me out. Then I woke up to about 7 doctors surrounding my bed. They talked about what was going on and my upcoming CT scan. I finally had it done by 11am and then we sat and sat and sat. It was a beautiful day outside and I was REALLY starting to feel guilty. Here Kevin works his ass off all year to get this trip and then of course I have to make it all about me and get sent to the emergency room, so we can't even enjoy our time in London. The rest of the crew we were with were watching the changing of the guards and touring Buckingham palace. Kevin never made me feel bad. I just did it to myself.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally someone came in except they told me the doctor who was going to read my CT scan wouldn't be in until 5pm. And then I started to cry telling them I just wanted to leave and I wanted to be on vacation. The tears worked. Within 30 minuted another doctor told me he didn't see a clot and I was free to leave without worrying about dropping dead any minute. We still were clueless, but have finally ruled out everything life threatening.</div><div><br /></div><div>We went back one more time before we left for Ireland to get my blood work done because the pain had not stopped the last 4 days in London. I basically just walked around with my head in a cloud on those C<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">odeine</span> pills they gave me. It was quite the experience as well, but that's for another blog. Anyway, we were checking my liver function to see if anything changed (well to see if it is still working). It checked out fine. The doctor that night thought it was possibly an ovarian cyst that burst. The pain is much higher than where my ovary is, but I guess the pain can radiate up really high. He wanted me to stay and get an ultrasound, but it was too late and we had to fly out to Ireland.</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't worry, the ER didn't ruin the trip and neither did the pain. I'm a tough girl, so I dealt with it the entire time and was still able to focus on all the awesome times in London.</div><div><br /></div><div>Afterwards we went to the London Eye.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfQlpc1DPtqVfEni5lCs3geipfadOOEhHxGpfxf2kmBp4VYDip4di3XlmooUXWMH4Wh_6kqNF3pp-QAx9q2e3IY1OqXMBIQoJk_QKc7uwxtpDg52k1StgIJjeSxETTtoDl_rbO8Uvmr27/s1600-h/IMG_1736.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfQlpc1DPtqVfEni5lCs3geipfadOOEhHxGpfxf2kmBp4VYDip4di3XlmooUXWMH4Wh_6kqNF3pp-QAx9q2e3IY1OqXMBIQoJk_QKc7uwxtpDg52k1StgIJjeSxETTtoDl_rbO8Uvmr27/s320/IMG_1736.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372009439700164130" /></a>I saw the Tower Bridge which was my absolute favorite. The actual London Bridge is just a plain concrete bridge. Funny huh??<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqDi5GtVAoFS0skVpmJmkAVlo_5B1V39rD2jsn_l5jKDpxWlvVmBpDkFal7hqjaheHnDsNyPMbfw2MAWELXxpLSF4kDRQbISVla00H0CbtRIZk5DZAwEl8fmQE29Du6qruH0nIxwNLK8I/s1600-h/IMG_3722.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqDi5GtVAoFS0skVpmJmkAVlo_5B1V39rD2jsn_l5jKDpxWlvVmBpDkFal7hqjaheHnDsNyPMbfw2MAWELXxpLSF4kDRQbISVla00H0CbtRIZk5DZAwEl8fmQE29Du6qruH0nIxwNLK8I/s320/IMG_3722.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372009427671473778" /></a>We walked miles and miles every day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8h0onR0LL8O-JNKxymCeh8WmNlh6JJMLlyb5_pV513qmiiINQpZYbctTFxcDuncXbBTR1hNJxitE7Sj8UcQ7zLqSVbR39Lq6L_cjHLcfQ24YXOS2FSmfmSgRikYNAecI93_u7QBfxQRV/s1600-h/IMG_1611.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8h0onR0LL8O-JNKxymCeh8WmNlh6JJMLlyb5_pV513qmiiINQpZYbctTFxcDuncXbBTR1hNJxitE7Sj8UcQ7zLqSVbR39Lq6L_cjHLcfQ24YXOS2FSmfmSgRikYNAecI93_u7QBfxQRV/s320/IMG_1611.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372009415935500386" /></a><div>Half of our time was spent navigating the tubes or the "underground". Thank god we had navigator Kevin who had lived in London for 4 months during college. These are the other couples that were with us. Matt and Carrie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Koster</span> and Nick and Kelly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Miotke</span>.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6xtxaCmwhAnPdX6VAX44X0Dwn0K51NEpwHowi_D2ad4u6YuqaphTPdjdQIzAZZ-ep7PnVTHksMawnboPvewbrrRaewu2lPuhRY7TJlNvCPDjkDmtBID4Spkkp6AHNR14jGXI6UqIWmAK/s1600-h/IMG_1990.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6xtxaCmwhAnPdX6VAX44X0Dwn0K51NEpwHowi_D2ad4u6YuqaphTPdjdQIzAZZ-ep7PnVTHksMawnboPvewbrrRaewu2lPuhRY7TJlNvCPDjkDmtBID4Spkkp6AHNR14jGXI6UqIWmAK/s320/IMG_1990.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372005688145525522" /></a>Rick Kidd joined us a couple days in. Here we are making the long hike to the top of St. Paul's Cathedral. It was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">soooooo</span> cool.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9vXOkfGoTIk_HLOLl92C1SsHeE_JZkqWhxbHw-zSOCbzVmWhDy_htTQUjlo6fPwS0Nq_q89_gX7zU709wCj0KjF0zGL28ECusOkG_i8Wb-6CrNDFQxNdfUvFfvNQHun1jF5L70xxyFHf/s1600-h/IMG_2053.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9vXOkfGoTIk_HLOLl92C1SsHeE_JZkqWhxbHw-zSOCbzVmWhDy_htTQUjlo6fPwS0Nq_q89_gX7zU709wCj0KjF0zGL28ECusOkG_i8Wb-6CrNDFQxNdfUvFfvNQHun1jF5L70xxyFHf/s320/IMG_2053.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372005681138751650" /></a>On the tube again. The happy group. This was before the ER.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rOIo4lkAfH_QQjMPgXqviJ6xDJBVbSnUyCKqEbbv9mPwYD539U5bEZuUEOCfR7ROvRqgdOg2YiO3cvk3ljgUi4k_FqDLm93LXqLeoSJ0CtK9UahRgWQ231V04JivfAbbNDsw4AXLbbcA/s1600-h/IMG_2108.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rOIo4lkAfH_QQjMPgXqviJ6xDJBVbSnUyCKqEbbv9mPwYD539U5bEZuUEOCfR7ROvRqgdOg2YiO3cvk3ljgUi4k_FqDLm93LXqLeoSJ0CtK9UahRgWQ231V04JivfAbbNDsw4AXLbbcA/s320/IMG_2108.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372005667693128482" /></a>This is me and Kevin on the London Eye. It was cool. Rather than a seat, we were in this big bubble room that fit 20 people to go around. You could see everything from here.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJelwBRMdIAqkoY7aOJUID_qMqm88a5Q4Wgc241TshN1Oto_7XdspWdcRF6quyishs_t0CbbpDdftHreyC_QyOMa2VtS3K1scAbpzOxdx3ItS5ZmVciing2flPP1XJiZLY9qEIESJ9G5go/s1600-h/IMG_4035.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJelwBRMdIAqkoY7aOJUID_qMqm88a5Q4Wgc241TshN1Oto_7XdspWdcRF6quyishs_t0CbbpDdftHreyC_QyOMa2VtS3K1scAbpzOxdx3ItS5ZmVciing2flPP1XJiZLY9qEIESJ9G5go/s320/IMG_4035.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372005661829054018" /></a>The group on the eye of London wheel.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDaXe5CP-0OJ9amWhD47w0O32LdM6SJkpdnQUFkl6MdXcsR2x1CL47iB4WMBvNwBcFVXi-glj2lURTIar7v2fsHKP-xsCNMHcjNuGmSYJ0MDa8urwXUHFb90PmDT5Ve2qWqsnUBlJFuqck/s1600-h/IMG_2133.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDaXe5CP-0OJ9amWhD47w0O32LdM6SJkpdnQUFkl6MdXcsR2x1CL47iB4WMBvNwBcFVXi-glj2lURTIar7v2fsHKP-xsCNMHcjNuGmSYJ0MDa8urwXUHFb90PmDT5Ve2qWqsnUBlJFuqck/s320/IMG_2133.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372005648073878050" /></a> I'll write a blog about London, one about Dublin and the I will write one comparing the differences between the socialized medical system they had in London to our system here in the states. It was an interesting experience. <div><br /></div><div>I've since had a ultrasound back here at Beaumont in Michigan. Nothing showed up, but it it was an ovarian cyst that burst it probably would have been absorbed before I had this test anyway. We might never know what caused it and that will drive me crazy. Where is Dr. House when you need him. I was all messed up on the pills in the hospital telling them that I bet he could figure out what was wrong with me. This was by hour 22 in the hospital.</div><div><br /></div><div> The pain is much better now and I barely notice it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, that's my ER in London story. Never a dull moment.</div><div><br /></div><div>Peace and love and pills</div><div>Shannon<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-71231324236374788332009-07-28T18:30:00.003-04:002009-07-28T18:43:43.734-04:00Upload your Kitty picture for Purina and raise money for Komen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1mUcm-n4hRbZcUJ-i6pMQiduLcuLdnfOvcjiY7_8jIR1ddGTXpZgxvhsCjDd1tYD-DlQZg61KheVlUyQdBbLRp5ZlEc6ksrOZS2x2nl_WVtbwFhHYJCBRlpsGDFnqlbUSnp_orrHKplY/s1600-h/Pictures+035.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1mUcm-n4hRbZcUJ-i6pMQiduLcuLdnfOvcjiY7_8jIR1ddGTXpZgxvhsCjDd1tYD-DlQZg61KheVlUyQdBbLRp5ZlEc6ksrOZS2x2nl_WVtbwFhHYJCBRlpsGDFnqlbUSnp_orrHKplY/s320/Pictures+035.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363642240028694322" /></a>Hey everyone,<div><br /></div><div>I was just contacted by the Purina people and told we are doing more Purina Cat promotion stuff September 30<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> in Chicago (ready for 2 visits in one month Jessica and Joe??)</div><div><br /></div><div>I think we were supposed to go to New York, but now we're going to Chicago, which is fine with me. This time I think I get to choose if Chloe travels with me and I think I might let her stay home in peace. She's not a huge fan of changes of scenery.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, they sent me the link <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family:Arial, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><a href="http://www.catchow.com/pink">www.catchow.com/pink</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">where my story is as well as Missy and Lara's story (the two wonderful survivors I was able to meet for the filming.) You've probably already seen mine, but their stories are really good.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Purina wants people to post a picture of themselves with their cat (no need to be a survivor, just a cat lover) and for every picture posted they will donate $1 to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Komen</span>. So why not throw up your picture on the site? I want to go on there and see some familiar faces. Once you post a picture, leave a comment on the blog, so then we can search by name and see you. You can see mine on there.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Let's raise some money for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Komen</span> by uploading a picture. Get going!!!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I have to get going to the Dave Matthews Band Concert. : )</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">- Enjoying summer - Shannon</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-26622612612529951392009-07-16T10:24:00.015-04:002009-07-24T13:29:50.999-04:00Bras for a Cause - Tickets on Sale Today!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KKKnfSmPyCwRksH4oXveBLRAZaGqB23qIff-oqqd41ja0T_JrsJyz2uxxsDRvd3gm5JOl18L_A3ojkbG6pzFz1619Xx29R5PB4J8EhU38y1J5pJPVUkidakZ7o9evlMdYe0Oos8Zz1QZ/s1600-h/bras_for_a_cause+logo.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 238px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362076404829251186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KKKnfSmPyCwRksH4oXveBLRAZaGqB23qIff-oqqd41ja0T_JrsJyz2uxxsDRvd3gm5JOl18L_A3ojkbG6pzFz1619Xx29R5PB4J8EhU38y1J5pJPVUkidakZ7o9evlMdYe0Oos8Zz1QZ/s320/bras_for_a_cause+logo.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://www.brasforacausemichigan.com/">http://www.brasforacausemichigan.com/</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-PKpjPfDo0fiMRBTwlvvNtKvO5sO2QvEEKRsDFJbk4mE8iG_OUIvU26xfsAhYu03nXrx-rVGCk_kBMcTPGbalz72ZFCuhW7sHnrdao84HqJAOqw7gGo7smMtQbB-TS14qtNvzsmqlekv/s1600-h/bras_for_a_cause.jpg"></a><br />Check out our latest Art Bra made by Johs from Brown Dog Welding (who will also be selling art at the show). This bra is amazing.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnB-BNRwwWjCxfkVLmNobtNrVe7e00NHD-C2u0nSI0VY39XsuLRRD-AlpsPCDFiTtEZnNr1O3_sDoM2tJOGa4VzPPeWWuzTrJcb3NrtBZqvk7-iM5PPb-U9kEZtzbTbw-pv6Apvjat_PL/s1600-h/3752477688_9d4ec21a30.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362076169517559522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnB-BNRwwWjCxfkVLmNobtNrVe7e00NHD-C2u0nSI0VY39XsuLRRD-AlpsPCDFiTtEZnNr1O3_sDoM2tJOGa4VzPPeWWuzTrJcb3NrtBZqvk7-iM5PPb-U9kEZtzbTbw-pv6Apvjat_PL/s320/3752477688_9d4ec21a30.jpg" /></a> To say I have been busy would be an understatement. I have been planning and recruiting and calling and emailing and selling and organizing and sewing all for the big fundraiser we are holding for Gilda's Club Metro Detroit. The event is called Bras for a Cause (as you can see with our super cool logo)</div><div><br />I've poured my heart and soul into this event. It means so much to me since Gilda's Club has been a place of support to me since I moved back to Michigan re diagnosed with stage IV cancer, completely bald, in the middle of chemotherapy and all alone with no other survivor friends. I was able to walk into Gilda's Club and see a bunch of faces who understood what it was like to be in my shoes. Their services are completely free to all members, and they rely on people like us to be generous to keep them going.</div><div><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Here are the event specifics:</span></strong></div><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;"><div><br />Bras for a Cause benefiting Gildas Glub</div><div><br />Royal Oak Music Theatre <span style="color:#330033;">***TICKETS ON SALE TODAY 3p.m.***</span></div><span style="color:#330033;"></span><div><br />Saturday September 12th 6-10pm<br /></div><div>Art bra fashion show (with survivor models)/silent and live auction/food/drinks/music and fun</div><div><br />Hosted by Dave Coulier of Full House<br /></div><div>TICKETS ONLY $35 ($40 DAY OF EVENT)</div><div></div><div></span></strong></div>Tickets available from any consignment seller or from the Royal Oak Music Theatre box office<br /><a href="http://www.romtlive.com/">http://www.romtlive.com/</a><br />800-919-6272<br />318 West 4th Street<br />Royal Oak, MI 48067 <div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color:#ff6666;">Consignment sellers:</span></strong><br /></span>(****ALL TICKETS PURCHASED FROM CONSIGNMENT SELLERS OR PHYSICALLY AT THE BOX OFFICE AVOID ALL SERVICE CHARGES****)<br /></div><div><strong>Gilda's Club Metro Detroit</strong></div><div>3517 Rochester Rd<br />Royal Oak, MI 48073<br />248-577-0800 </div><div><br /><strong>A Woman's Image</strong></div><div>43273 Garfield Rd<br />Clinton Township, MI 48038<br />586-286-1277 </div><div><br /><strong>Individual Consignment sellers:</strong><br />Shannon Watson<br />Kevin Watson<br />Sara Angelini<br />Catie Hormel<br />Nancy Armstrong<br />Edie Watson<br />Alyson Thrift<br />Karen Coulier</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/brasforacausemichigan">You can also donate online to the event at </a></div><div><a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/brasforacausemichigan">http://www.firstgiving.com/brasforacausemichigan</a><a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/brasforacausemichigan"> </a></div><div>Join us on Facebook Facebook Group:</div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=94471492004&ref=search#/group.php?gid=102370210669">http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=94471492004&ref=search#/group.php?gid=102370210669</a><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=94471492004&ref=search#/group.php?gid=102370210669"> </a></div><div>Facebook Event: (To RSVP for event)</div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=102370210669#/event.php?eid=94471492004&ref=search">http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=102370210669#/event.php?eid=94471492004&ref=search</a></div><div><a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/brasforacausemichigan"></a><br />This is my MSU bra I created. I am hoping some U0fM grad takes it upon themselves to make a UofM art bra. We shall see.<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcvrtiK3RX4_3zoQTCuw9cm8clHhPeup4tNfhvEWmqjL-TQphv667fNYNg89Yjw6Az8V6DwGSrYU-S1DofrFvczWga5NKfSIoEISP8HkfxfbTbJgO384z_CPJs48aCVJ3YOSqX5LGF4tE/s1600-h/MSU+bra.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 231px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362076163338181346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcvrtiK3RX4_3zoQTCuw9cm8clHhPeup4tNfhvEWmqjL-TQphv667fNYNg89Yjw6Az8V6DwGSrYU-S1DofrFvczWga5NKfSIoEISP8HkfxfbTbJgO384z_CPJs48aCVJ3YOSqX5LGF4tE/s320/MSU+bra.JPG" /></a><br />My old manager, Mark Engelhardt made this Spartan Head made of copper. MSU is representing in this Art Bra Show.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsZBVW2PY1duE6jMSKYtI0FpBDysE0Z30xfJ5fD3cILmZJGSB0A899u-oWfu_nTfn6aYBu7UT2y2bFI4DItQeOksfNrv_wd4ziPyLSn0lm7L-dON3mi4YwwpYryXdkBibg9LdMV6gwF7n/s1600-h/Spartan+Head.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 226px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362076157811583106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsZBVW2PY1duE6jMSKYtI0FpBDysE0Z30xfJ5fD3cILmZJGSB0A899u-oWfu_nTfn6aYBu7UT2y2bFI4DItQeOksfNrv_wd4ziPyLSn0lm7L-dON3mi4YwwpYryXdkBibg9LdMV6gwF7n/s320/Spartan+Head.JPG" /></a><br /><div><div><div>Hope to see you all there!!!!!! I'll be speaking up on stage. That might be worth the ticket itself.</div><br /><div>Shannon : )</div><br /><div>Kevin and I are going to London and Dublin soon. Soooo excited. We leave August 6th!!!!<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-84181884178311456832009-07-12T07:40:00.007-04:002009-07-13T14:38:55.197-04:00PET Scan ResultsWe got a Picture of Kevin and I. Finally.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sFACdNlzvmD3hm8mzqaOtIqGgrN_g1kKNvqcOMWe2g-7_00t9rau9aZlzAbz0ED_5-GlPH4JRrtVel5KN8akUxrEVM60q623zImnrWf9PCODjuS16n6ojN56OYQ1Tu_f1BvNz6KHU3ud/s1600-h/Shannon+and+Kevin.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358013872613166226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 218px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sFACdNlzvmD3hm8mzqaOtIqGgrN_g1kKNvqcOMWe2g-7_00t9rau9aZlzAbz0ED_5-GlPH4JRrtVel5KN8akUxrEVM60q623zImnrWf9PCODjuS16n6ojN56OYQ1Tu_f1BvNz6KHU3ud/s320/Shannon+and+Kevin.JPG" border="0" /></a>Well, My PET scan results came back Friday and I learned a few things.<br /><div><div>First, that my mind is a powerful thing.</div><br /><div>Second, that the hormone therapy I am on, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Femara</span>, can cause pain especially in the bones</div><br /><div>Third, that I am not supposed to die soon, like I have been thinking in the back of my head where that evil little part of my brain lives<br /></div><div>On Friday my doctor called me and I frantically dropped my sister's call to switch over and get the news before the weekend. I first ask her the overall impression of my scan before we get into specifics. That way, I can pay attention to her details before I'm trying to figure out if the cancer has spread like wildfire through my body as she talks about one detail at a time. All in all she said she was pleased with the results. As the weight of the WORLD seemed to slip off my shoulders, I asked for the details.<br /></div><div>I had just started feeling some painful spots on my spine I was very concerned about. Every time I have a scan I start aching all over my body pinpointing where possible new tumors could have grown. I do have a couple active spots on my spine(not masses, but just where there is possible cancer activity), but we have known about those for a while and they never had pain. Like I said, there is no hiding from PET scans. They show where tumors could form before it even happens. Anyway the point is that there were no NEW spots on my spine and the old ones are actually doing less than they were before which is great. The glucose uptake is half what it was the last time I had a PET scan. There was absolutely no activity on these new sights of pain on my spine I have been noticing.</div><br /><div>My liver had developed new spots a few months ago at my last imaging. We don't really know when these appeared because they were found on an ultrasound and not CT scan which might have missed them a few months before that. (did they appear before or after my last CT scan we will always wonder) The hormone therapy can sometimes cause growth first and then actually start working, so those new spots could have been a result of starting hormone therapy. Anyway, those spots were still there but they were less active too. Once again the large (original) liver masses have shrunk and decreased in activity <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">significantly</span>. </div><br /><div>But this good news has to come with a drawback. There is one spot on the right side of my liver that is very active. I don't know why everything else can be less active and smaller except one mass. My doctor <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">said</span> you can sometimes get a mixed response from treatment. Of course the next night of sleep, when I usually feel and focus on all of my pains, I didn't notice the spine pain anymore, but right side of my abdomen hurt right where my liver is. The mind is a VERY powerful thing and mine seems to have a tight grasp on me lately.</div><br /><div>I know a lot of the pain is in my head. I am ALWAYS focusing on it at night when I lay there trying to fall asleep.<br /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Femara</span> (my hormone therapy that gets rid of estrogen in my body) causes bone pain. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Zomeda</span> to help my bones grow also causes bone pain. It's nice to know this so I don't always have to think "TUMOR!!" when I have a pain in my bones. I try to tell myself this all the time, but it's hard when you are having aches all the time.</div><br /><div>All in all I am happy with my PET scan results. I really slacked on the whole health regimen for a while when my grandpa was in the hospital and everything. I am getting back on track now. Back to the juicing, sprouts, enemas, supplements, sauna and exercising and all all the other stuff. The physical stuff is easy. What I really need to start focusing on is my mental health. Kevin has told me I have been pretty negative lately (I think I've improved since I got my results). I've been worried about my health a lot lately with really bad <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">expectations</span>. That negative thinking goes against everything I try to focus on mentally. It's hard to change though. Fear is a powerful emotion. I'm ready to stop living in fear and focus on what I can control. What am I doing worrying??? <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Accomplishes</span> nothing and makes life suck while I'm doing it. Someone needs to slap me in the face and say snap out of it. I need to get a grip on my mind and release the grip it has on me. Good test results can help with that so I will start from there.</div><br /><div>Here's to more stability in my life. Thank you a for listening. Another PET scan, and yet again some results I am happy with.<br /></div><div>Shannon</div></div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-69667894799144742102009-07-08T20:29:00.011-04:002009-07-09T08:03:41.480-04:00Married to Kevin for 2 yearsA little birdie told me I was WAY overdue for a blog. The birdie was right. Sorry I have been M.I.A. everyone.<br /><br />I think everyone should buy bulbs in the fall and watch flowers like these come up in the summer for a beautiful surprise. I was so excited when these bloomed.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVbA4iTPiV6L3O0xw1KaO7KmOxOpBXKNInebN2DGv6JhrdRbZmwAISCAUcVzHm04oSyKXZ2h-woyIv1Dyu444wwEn-9btDgFhsePuL3mHWV0KweOgzhAyMyiAjhbmZQ1eFBQqMvyn1a7w/s1600-h/Spring+2009+008.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356278309218946082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVbA4iTPiV6L3O0xw1KaO7KmOxOpBXKNInebN2DGv6JhrdRbZmwAISCAUcVzHm04oSyKXZ2h-woyIv1Dyu444wwEn-9btDgFhsePuL3mHWV0KweOgzhAyMyiAjhbmZQ1eFBQqMvyn1a7w/s320/Spring+2009+008.jpg" border="0" /></a>Kevin and I just celebrated our 2 year anniversary this past Monday July 6th. 2 years married already!! It's been an incredible two years jam packed with adventures. Our marriage has been tested, tried, and celebrated. We have grown ever stronger through the good times and the bad......I'm leading into a trip down memory lane...........<br /><br />Over our two years of marriage (NOT IN ORDER):<br />I've done a combined 18 month of chemotherapy (9 months of Taxol, 3 months of Xeloda, and 6 months of the clinical trial on the Parp Inhibitor flying back and forth to MD Anderson in Houston every month)<br />I've now done 4 months of hormone therapy<br />I had my port put in (right after the honeymoon)<br />And then I had the infected port removed that was the worst infected port my surgeon has ever seen who surgically removes them for a living.<br />I let Kevin fill the flaming red infected wound with gauze. I think that was enough to test our marriage alone.<br />On to better memories; we went to a honeymoon in St Lucia, New Orleans twice, Chicago Twice, Boyne Mountain, Cedar Point, the Grand Canyon, Sedona and other beautiful places in Arizona<br />We sold our house in Austin<br />We moved to Michigan into an absolutely beautiful house<br />Had a nephew and niece born<br />I completed the 3 week course at Hippocrates Health Institute<br />I passed my two year since diagnosis mark<br />We went skydiving<br />My Honda Died<br />We got a new JEEP Liberty<br />We realized that we are crazy about the card game UNO and we love UNO tournaments<br />We got through the tragic death of my grandfather<br />Kevin won a trip to Ireland and we added on a 5 day stay to London (going this August)<br />We've been planning a HUGE fundraiser for Gilda's Club (more info coming soon)<br />We finally got an HDTV and had a T.V. tech upgrade (then we bought another HDTV)<br />I built a beautiful relaxing garden.<br /><br />Oh, we have done a lot. I love Kevin more today than I did yesterday. We had an incredible anniversary day. We rode our bikes up to Spencer park and went swimming in the lake. The lake was warm and clean. The scene there was beautiful. Then we got home and watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Yep, that's how much Kevin loves me. He watches Harry Potter movies with me. He knows how excited I am for the 6th movie to come out. Kevin knows me and loves me exactly as I am (including all my baggage and mental issues). I love him unconditionally as well. I am proud to say he is my husband.<br /><br />Anyway, I'll leave you all with a health update for myself. My blood test this past month went up some. That's not good, but my doctor wasn't worried because it wasn't that high. I do have a PET scan tomorrow and naturally I am having aches and pains all over my body. I honestly have forgotten what it is like to have aches and pains on your body and not conclude that it could be a tumor growing somewhere. Sad huh? I'm hoping it's my nerves though. I really hate getting PET scans. You can't hide anything from them. If there is active cancer, the PET scan will find it and expose you.<br /><br />Wish me luck and I'll be blogging again soon<br />Lots of love<br />Shannon<br /><br />I realized while putting pictures on this post that we don't have many pictures of the two of us that are recent. That will be my goal for the next month.<br /><br />Of course I took a Chloe picture. Here, she's about to try and jump through the screen to get a bird.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk68OcoT4q3Th6_ySZmRK832aygy-f-qGXqT6NvQZv7si-43bXXOx74s1IgMHh9KP7otEAoyGDRrw-WsyKd2NUSX-eUKHAT9PmkXDXCXOdxhwp0_-u9HJzW_xyzJqLvtVfGcp0t3Bc6o59/s1600-h/Spring+2009+018.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356278297925679362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk68OcoT4q3Th6_ySZmRK832aygy-f-qGXqT6NvQZv7si-43bXXOx74s1IgMHh9KP7otEAoyGDRrw-WsyKd2NUSX-eUKHAT9PmkXDXCXOdxhwp0_-u9HJzW_xyzJqLvtVfGcp0t3Bc6o59/s320/Spring+2009+018.jpg" border="0" /></a> Here is Kevin, my little sister Paige and Chloe relaxing.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdMXUN8Z_WADA3NDxqB1cQbofUu79AZLKdpjAi8OEMJUsRJLu8Knp_dLaKYm3P-qTY4RCVNmGeb16qn8UpguVGEvShwrfX3iH74nYCsSTCMGQMU3hjC6eL4GEG1IM5wLgmXGUYgR-M0XC/s1600-h/Paige+Kevin+and+Chloe+2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356278286786826994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 221px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdMXUN8Z_WADA3NDxqB1cQbofUu79AZLKdpjAi8OEMJUsRJLu8Knp_dLaKYm3P-qTY4RCVNmGeb16qn8UpguVGEvShwrfX3iH74nYCsSTCMGQMU3hjC6eL4GEG1IM5wLgmXGUYgR-M0XC/s320/Paige+Kevin+and+Chloe+2.JPG" border="0" /></a> Okay, bye<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-3896621253855679932009-06-18T15:31:00.010-04:002009-06-24T18:05:10.138-04:00Love to Grandpa Joe(that's me as a kid at Cedar Point with my Grandpa Joe)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNe_GQElo3pscfXmIIoi3aC_4fWUezI_hAcUf99xbQPe8E6m_tts-ZCMhZHgR_7O6p435zAzhiHb3qFe61o8bJ9F4fa61YOWcf2szUUgTq-LiW7DT0vIfX8mLFCM7jr4GDSOWKJtfKpMqB/s1600-h/147_147.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351015852040542498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 222px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNe_GQElo3pscfXmIIoi3aC_4fWUezI_hAcUf99xbQPe8E6m_tts-ZCMhZHgR_7O6p435zAzhiHb3qFe61o8bJ9F4fa61YOWcf2szUUgTq-LiW7DT0vIfX8mLFCM7jr4GDSOWKJtfKpMqB/s320/147_147.jpg" border="0" /></a>No I have not gone missing and no I am not done blogging.<br /><br />My last entry I told you about my grandfather's health problems.<br /><br />My grandpa Joe was about the healthiest 80 year old man anyone's ever known. He had a gall stone blockage about a month ago that we took him into the hospital to have it removed. Unfortunately from there things spiraled out of control and went downhill fast. I have an empty pit in my stomach and it causes me so much heartache to say that he passed two Saturdays ago.<br /><br />Grandpa Joe was always someone I was excited to see. You couldn't help but smile when he talked to you. He could do anything and would do anything for anyone. I always told Kevin he was where I got my strength from. He was also where I got my incredible skin color and tone from. I never had to worry about getting sunburns my whole life because I had his nice olive italian skin color.<br /><br />Look at this guy. I don't think you could have a cooler gramdpa if you tried. He was tan year round.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfurFK9ewIDvGVxOt5y9u8v42w30alCLNx6Gs8NwNnDRUrJEHqX4EBFgz0h7MrO4fzIyNkTakl8cBzMlDNLK0WOm4EviPAd3V5m8y-dqGcKeAJIXq7V-WPV0TXzg4o_WnQObVapjd1Ma1/s1600-h/105_105.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351015847646930626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfurFK9ewIDvGVxOt5y9u8v42w30alCLNx6Gs8NwNnDRUrJEHqX4EBFgz0h7MrO4fzIyNkTakl8cBzMlDNLK0WOm4EviPAd3V5m8y-dqGcKeAJIXq7V-WPV0TXzg4o_WnQObVapjd1Ma1/s320/105_105.jpg" border="0" /></a>One week before he first went to the hospital he was laying cement. Yes, he still worked part time at 80 and he was a cement worker. It wasn't until his funeral that a lot of us realized that the other men he worked with were all in their 30s and 40s. I always thought he was laying cement with a crew of old guys for some reason. When Kevin and I moved into our new house in Michigan, Grandpa Joe along with the help of my dad and my cousin Mark painted my house in under two days. It was amazing. I couldn't pick out colors fast enough to keep up with them. My dad was saying that grandpa Joe was always telling him that he takes too many breaks and paints too slow.<br /><br />I am completely heartbroken and so is my family. I don't think I have cried more about anything in my life honestly. This took my family completely by surprise. We all assumed the first surgery would go so easily and he would be back to work and the racetrack in no time. One surgery turned into another that turned into one complication after another. His liver stopped working, his kidneys failed, his blood pressure dropped, his heart rate spiked, he got a stomach ulcer and on and on it went. I practically lived at the hospital the whole month with the rest of my family.<br /><br />The hardest part was watching him go through it all suffering. He was unconscious for almost a week. We took him off the respirator one day and he started breathing on his own again. Then the next day he became conscious again and would look at us when we talked to him. We were all able to talk to him knowing he could hear us. We all told him how much we loved him. My dad assured him we would take wonderful care of my grandmother. I asked if he felt comfortable and he nodded yes. Not long after that he died with his whole family at his bedside.<br /><br />My grandmother is always wondering why this happened. How it happened. Was there a way to prevent it from happening by forcing him to go to the doctor sooner and making them test his blood against his will. (like most grandfathers he was very against going to the doctor). I keep telling her this is the way Grandpa Joe would have wanted things. He would never want to get diagnosed with something like liver disease and be on treatments. He never wanted his blood drawn. He never wanted to walk with a cane or need help from anyone. He LIVED FULLY during his 80 years of life, never taking time off to be sick or disabled.<br /><br />If wealth is judged by how deeply people love you, he is one of the wealthiest men in the world.<br /><br />We all love you Grandpa Joe and miss you more than anything.<br /><br />Shannon<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvayhR3ZlYP1w1D5oFBvHoMkcXxzj80BA_uAcAK889Uy1Wdz3rklmuEKWlzslupdfs6e7kB-c8Y_7FjOvcaaQ0at3po4S76pQscnew54liOcsGV6VyhyphenhyphenIpRRw0lk4fnchwhtF6ByFJ-PUO/s1600-h/Dad_4x6_printer_lo-res.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351015846495356466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvayhR3ZlYP1w1D5oFBvHoMkcXxzj80BA_uAcAK889Uy1Wdz3rklmuEKWlzslupdfs6e7kB-c8Y_7FjOvcaaQ0at3po4S76pQscnew54liOcsGV6VyhyphenhyphenIpRRw0lk4fnchwhtF6ByFJ-PUO/s320/Dad_4x6_printer_lo-res.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180996639514420613.post-8577619730038819442009-06-06T11:11:00.008-04:002009-06-11T11:36:35.281-04:00It's been 2 years and I'M STILL ALIVE!!!!!!!<div>June 6th came and went and I'm sure you were all waiting for my blog entry. I had one in the works, but was completely sidetracked by my grandfather's illness. My grandpa Joe who is one of the strongest men I have known in my life is really sick in the hospital. It all started with gall stone blockage in a bile duct that probably went too long for an 80 year old man. After the procedures to remove the stone, things started to go downhill quickly. Blood pressure dropped, liver stopped working, heart rate spiked, he got a bleeding ulcer, and the his kidneys failed. I have been living in heartache at the hospital for quite some time. Please pray or send your good vibes to us (whatever your thing is). This is very difficult for me. I asked Kevin about my blog and what I should do. I has a post ready to publish with pictures and everything, but it felt too positive to post considering how I have been feeling. Then again, June 6th came and I'm sure some of you want to know how it felt to have that day come and go. This post is for all of you. I promise I won't drop off from the blog, but you have to bear with me through these VERY difficult times.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here is the blog I wrote a while ago.....</div><div>Well we've been waiting for it. No one has been waiting for it as much as I have. Kevin is a close runner up though. It's been two years since my re-diagnosis and I am still alive. Two years since I was told I had 12 to 24 months to live and I am up and running (literally). Life is great. I feel great. This morning I went over what I was grateful for and of course I mentioned that I was grateful I was alive, grateful for the fact that my body is functioning on this beautiful June morning.</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>Then I called my dad and wished him a Very Happy Birthday and then I went on to begin the celebration for myself still being alive on the last day I was supposed to have to live if things went well with my prognosis. Guess things have gone really well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Still this day was emotional. Of course I cried. (I seem to cry about everything now. Cancer made me emotional) I cried because I was scared that my next blood test would be bad and I would feel a fool for celebrating. Then I started doubting the fact that I should celebrate this day. What if one month from now I die from cancer??? Is it really that great that I survived the two years and had an extra month??? I was sad that I didn't have this huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I don't know what I expected to have happen. </div><div><br /></div><div>Once I got myself together though and started thinking right. I knew this day wasn't going to erase all my doubt. Really this day passing gave me the opportunity to stop obsessing about a prognosis I got. One less thing to have on the negative side of my brain. I knew it would be an emotional day and it was. Anyway, the rest of the day was great. We had some family and friends over to help celebrate. I got some gifts even and man do they all know me well. Whole Foods gift cards and book gift cards to feed my reading habit.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UJYfisP11G5099gHRh2prOHZfLq8aZw-9BO-sgBilIZ0Q2wAHOQ2srzwslcqlFOfxWy1xW1Zc1T3r9uykkMOu4xEP23o_hnGqqa8HqAJIM_4ECEy42Y8gAs72VTIcWHwTgW9fPxW74n3/s1600-h/skydive+011.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344233800054951666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UJYfisP11G5099gHRh2prOHZfLq8aZw-9BO-sgBilIZ0Q2wAHOQ2srzwslcqlFOfxWy1xW1Zc1T3r9uykkMOu4xEP23o_hnGqqa8HqAJIM_4ECEy42Y8gAs72VTIcWHwTgW9fPxW74n3/s320/skydive+011.jpg" border="0" /></a> As you can see from these pictures I went skydiving this past weekend. It was amazing. Nothing like the feeling when you're about to jump looking out the plane. If you look closely you can see my friend Todd in the plane getting ready to jump next. We went as a birthday present to ourselves with Kevin and my cousin Luc.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXz9GJRFIttpTPYUkmVlpRzeRGAHlQDBfJ9BRSm_77EJJbDAXh53vu0lCWS6YPDQIWdKlwE2WFovnCwx2KLJSbHmG0N-h90pZsbm0P6ekdGYlYphM85d5hs7GxQ2UMXrw-aVPQc5fojuQ/s1600-h/skydive+028.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344233531236531826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXz9GJRFIttpTPYUkmVlpRzeRGAHlQDBfJ9BRSm_77EJJbDAXh53vu0lCWS6YPDQIWdKlwE2WFovnCwx2KLJSbHmG0N-h90pZsbm0P6ekdGYlYphM85d5hs7GxQ2UMXrw-aVPQc5fojuQ/s320/skydive+028.jpg" border="0" /></a> We did a front flip out of the plane. I liked free falling upside down.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jLA9EITGk9tI20cVHPoopZn9SBrgJLCb0yFqhVeg2V3NC8Xz7ocMcVpy36wphXanL1ilOY_N6hOU_TqpiMQU_gCxD8pVANIfeCsFbDU6o6K_9qX2S3LZ4NBhdwzflYKFp7AsgI1D2-G_/s1600-h/skydive+034.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344233522528805394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jLA9EITGk9tI20cVHPoopZn9SBrgJLCb0yFqhVeg2V3NC8Xz7ocMcVpy36wphXanL1ilOY_N6hOU_TqpiMQU_gCxD8pVANIfeCsFbDU6o6K_9qX2S3LZ4NBhdwzflYKFp7AsgI1D2-G_/s320/skydive+034.jpg" border="0" /></a> It is so cold up there. We jumped from 14,000 feet. The air was ice cold, but it didn't really matter. The free fall lasted a long 60 seconds.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXveAvEE7Qdcn4gbjkq5E-cM-TQRYT4znCjnqsVXwehyphenhyphen8SxOG6IRaRuKqE8Ikpmmidj7amKha1jbWcLZTkyDGFWg1OOemnbqNU72zfmV7K69QVtUfwk69FClmpWQ28aZ9Tj6zwLhO9Qg71/s1600-h/skydive+127.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344233522165580738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXveAvEE7Qdcn4gbjkq5E-cM-TQRYT4znCjnqsVXwehyphenhyphen8SxOG6IRaRuKqE8Ikpmmidj7amKha1jbWcLZTkyDGFWg1OOemnbqNU72zfmV7K69QVtUfwk69FClmpWQ28aZ9Tj6zwLhO9Qg71/s320/skydive+127.jpg" border="0" /></a> We came in for a perfect landing (Kevin, not so much). My ears were popping, but I had so much fun and want to go again. I am such an adrenaline junkie.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0RI7lDdKjO5AQj8BhkASeVhcfuX8wRQP5WCY1pSDBOcDgGMs1piCzYf66gbkjo3weLN3oltrlGm9kF3Enb2Rcj9eJHnv40SHtgUnBy8J1m1xcnGyUltHvyBDlET-_8FNKwTMpyl-s8bl/s1600-h/skydive+145.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344233516322864322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0RI7lDdKjO5AQj8BhkASeVhcfuX8wRQP5WCY1pSDBOcDgGMs1piCzYf66gbkjo3weLN3oltrlGm9kF3Enb2Rcj9eJHnv40SHtgUnBy8J1m1xcnGyUltHvyBDlET-_8FNKwTMpyl-s8bl/s320/skydive+145.jpg" border="0" /></a> I recommend skydiving to anyone who loves a thrill. </div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVQ97J9bfBjY73PP3O8MyxoQVA1BzSKlAHADVXzJoyeJGrFxEIm8M-bOh0DUnPcwJ6CrTWadaQVRPng9OGzKXHAKvu_JNfi4P_nDbjyO9frB_73Gzrdb0BI9zheni2TYs3QIzNTFi0UYs/s1600-h/skydive+153.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344233514140932882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVQ97J9bfBjY73PP3O8MyxoQVA1BzSKlAHADVXzJoyeJGrFxEIm8M-bOh0DUnPcwJ6CrTWadaQVRPng9OGzKXHAKvu_JNfi4P_nDbjyO9frB_73Gzrdb0BI9zheni2TYs3QIzNTFi0UYs/s320/skydive+153.jpg" border="0" /></a><div>Right after that we went to Cedar Point with my brother Taylor and my sister Marina for another action packed day of rollercoasters. Man did I have a great weekend.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since I wrote this blog obviously things have gone bad with my grandpa Joe. I did get my blood tested for the tumor markers and I am in fact doing good. It went down over 30 points. That was great news and what I am doing combined with hormone therapy seems to be working. Life sure has its ups and downs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Shannon</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Shannon Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00898875817243389909noreply@blogger.com5