Day 174 - A Shipping We Will Go.

Happy to be back at the clinic this morning! It's seriously a little bubble where everyone is happy & laughing & loving life. Today Donna & Eleanor took me shopping on Revolucion. It is the main touristy area in TJ.


Sadly, the media in the States have really hyped up the crime & drama there. It's not nearly as bad as they say. It's like the crime in LA. If you go to the ghetto & hang out with the drug dealers, you're bound to experience some troubles. It was nothing like the media claims. We took a taxi, walked up & down the street, had some lunch, bargained & bartered & took a cab back. No problemo! 


I was quite proud of my bargaining skills! I picked out 3 bracelets & the crazy fool wanted $280! He came down to $250. I told him I wanted to spend about $100. I got them for $135! Not bad if I do say so myself! 


I also bought a straw hat for the beach, but decided that it would be too tough to pack, so it would get shipped home! Whoopsie! Donna & Eleanor were picking up things left, right & center. We had a lot of fun! They are really great gals!


Once I was back to the hotel, I beelined it for the Post Office. I wanted to find out how much it would cost to ship some of my things home, rather than paying 2x for an extra suitcase on the plane. I bought a box & headed home. While I was packing up my things, I had a skype chat with Roxy. Valentina modeled her new sombrero for Roxy & Kevin. Awh, how cute. 10 minutes later, Valentina comes trotting around the corner of the bed with a shredded sombrero in her mouth. Hmpf. Guess she'd rather be Italiano than Mexicano! :o)


It didn't take long to fill up the box with unnecessary items. Seeing as I would be visiting Jaco for 3 weeks instead of 6, I was able to send a lot of things home. Much to my dismay, my new (used once) luggage scale was broken! Argh! Rip off!!! Unfortunately I had 9 bottles of DMSO to travel with, which was about 12 lbs alone! Not to mention the other 15 lbs of pills & supplements! Goodness me! Glad I was headed to the Caribbean & I would really need is a bikini! :o)


Exhausted again, I fell into bed & slept fast. It was another short night! Tomorrow it was back to the Post Office to ship the box(es).
xxxxx
Maria & Valentina

Revolucion

Donna & Eleanor

Mexicano talent!

Ole! Yarriba! Andale! Vamanos!

One day we'll sip lemonade on our front porch. (from glasses like these!)

Mayan statue

Ol' Mexicano peddling his wares.

Valentina & the soon-to-be-shredded Sombrero!

Day 103 - Red Devil. Want Some?

Hey Everyone! 


I hope this finds you well & enjoying life! Valentina & I are having a ball over here! She has been very clingy as of late... Not sure why. Perhaps she thinks I'm going to leave her behind again soon! She enjoyed her day shredding everything I gave her. Including a disposable camera. I really didn't imagine she could put it into that many little pieces!


Well, you're probably wondering where the title 'Red Devil' comes from. Last night, shortly before I went to bed, I had the brainwave to look up the CHOP method of chemotherapy. This is the method the Doctor in Tijuana is wanting to use on me. Without boring you too much with the 'minor' details, one of the drugs is nicknamed 'Red Devil' or 'Red Death'. Sounds great, eh? Not quite something I'm ready to sign up for! It also causes cardiac toxicity. Even better! Render my heart weak for the rest of my life! FYI, it was discovered in Italy. I stand corrected. Not everything in Italy is wonderful!


But wait! It gets better! I read on... Next up is bleomycin. (ABVD Chemo protocol) Take this little baby & it leaves you with oxygen toxicity. Meaning? Well, if I ever choose to scuba dive again... BAM. Dead as a door nail. General anaesthesia applies as well, although I think if the Anaesthetist knows of your bleomycin past, you can survive this one. No heart, no lungs, no hair, no taste buds, what's left?


So the 'C' in CHOP stands for cyclophosphamide. That's the same drug I was supposed to take & didn't. I read about it... It is a known carcinogen & can cause secondary cancers, especially of the bladder. Great! Wikipedia says to drink 3.5 liters of water per day to help. At least I would be keeping Purex Pillowy Soft in business a little longer!


The 'P' in CHOP stands for, ugh, Prednisone. The dreaded drug I feel made my condition worse than it was. I was reading & counting the side effects. 13. THIRTEEN!!!! That is ridiculous! Clearly something is not right with this picture. Why on earth should I ever have that many side effects from one little pill?!?!? That gives me thirteen more reasons to go back to the Doctor & get more pills!!!! Argh! My frustration is near the breaking point! Luckily I'm no longer on the drug & do not EVER plan to take it again. If I must do the CHOP, it will be the 'HO' protocol! :o) Hello Santa! 


I also discovered a location in Toronto where I can arrange to have a tumor sample sent to NY. Why? They can culture the tumor & then expose it to the potential chemotherapy my Oncologist wants me to use. They determine the cell death time & how well each chemo works. They compile a report & then I know which chemotherapy will be best suited for my body (is there one? at all?) & which will be ineffective. I'll find out tomorrow!


Okay, so while I'm typing this, I'm not paying much attention to what's happening around me. It's late, so the house is quiet. All of a sudden I hear a gentle thud behind me. It was the cat, Adios, jumping off the island behind me. He is busily licking his lips. Hmm... I study the countertop. There isn't anything scrumptious on the counter... Then I realize he's been licking the butter! Yuck! No wonder he's not losing weight! Gross!


Today I also reconnected with a ship mate I haven't spoken to in years! Five to be exact! Jenny & I worked together on the Grand Princess in 2005-2006. She is from Scotland, but last year she moved to Australia. Lo & behold, she fell in love & is now playing the visa game to get back to her beloved. We enjoyed a fantastic visit - it was just like I saw her last week! Of course she gave a big push for Jaco & I to pick Australia! Gladly! Over this weather any day!


Anyhow, I suppose I should hit the hay for the night... I have to head to Cochrane for blood work tomorrow. Apparently I'm doing an INR test tomorrow. They want to make sure my blood will clot & I won't die on them. Gravy. And there is a possibility that I will be doing a photo shoot in the afternoon! My dearest friend, Cody & his fiance, Kelsy, are making their way around this neck of the woods & they want some engagement photos done, as well as some optics shots for one of their sponsors. Cody has his own hunting show, http://www.live2hunt.com. I'm very proud of him for following his passion in life & achieving his goals & dreams. And I'm even more excited he's found someone who shares his passion & wants to spend the rest of her life with him! 


Thanks for checking in! 18 days until Mexico! Sadly, I realized tonight that I will most likely be flying back from Mexico on the day Jaco is joining his next ship. On our 1st anniversary! Pooh. Good thing we got married three times, so we can just pick the next date! :o) You see, I was thinking! There was a method to my madness! :o)


Lekker slaap,
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox


Sorry, no exciting photos for today... here's a glimpse at what Mom's Photo Booth has captured in the past year-ish...

Chatting with Jaco

Chatting with Jaco while brushing my teeth while taking my picture. Multi-Task!

Apparently the sun does shine in Canada!

Bad day at the office!

My lap cat, Adios

Mom's sexxy new do!

My personal neck warmer

3 cool cats. Mom2, Adios & Moi

Talking to Jaco while being mauled by Valentina. Perhaps Jaco was telepathically sending me kisses & Valentina interrupted the transfer?