THIS is what we've been up to

I saw my doctors in Houston the week of June 2-6. On the docket this time were several blood sucker appointments, chemo refill, and a consult with a doctor in the clinical trial department. She explained that they are looking into "precision medicine" for me- if I qualify. She explained that people use the term "precision medicine" to mean many different things, but she is using it to mean customized for each patient's situation. They are using a small piece of tumor from the September surgery to see if I have (or more accurately, if the tumor has) some specific epigenetic mutation that they can target. I really liked this doctor. She's Greek, she has an MD as well as a Ph.D. in research, and she realized immediately that she could talk to us on a pretty high level- I always appreciate that. The neuro-opthamologist also modified my glasses so that I can begin getting accustomed to the Peli glasses. I'm not sure if I've adjusted to them, but I'm trying.

When we were all done in Houston, we took off on a family vacation/road trip across the country (Jason, Aidan, Nana, and I with all of our luggage so it was a bit crowded in the Subaru). First we drove to Montgomery, where we stayed over with and visited our friend, Amanda. The next day we drove to Aurora, KY near Kentucky Lake to drop Nana off and spent the night there. The following day the three of us drove to Lexington to stay with the Barlow/Winfield clan and visit with as many folks in Lex as we could. We didn't get to see everyone we wanted to see, but that just means we saved some for later.

We were able to visit the UK campus, which was a lot of fun for us and not so much fun for Aidan. He was forced to meet our favorite faculty/friends, see the room where we met, as well as the room where we got engaged. Yep, we met in the psychology building where I was working as an administrative assistant. Jason had to come in to do paperwork when he showed up to start the Ph.D. program, so that's how we met. Four years later, in the room directly above the office where we met, I was taking a statistics course with Dr. Don Lynam (now at Purdue) when Jason came in to propose in front of everyone. Toward the end of class, Don kept going over and looking out the door and I was wondering what he was doing. Turns out Don knew what was going to happen and a few minutes later Jason walked in with most of the department following closely behind. So, there were the other students in the room, Don, me, Jason, and everyone else who could fit in the room. Those who didn't fit watched and listened from the hallway. Jason walked in, got down on one knee, and put the open ring box in front of me while asking the appropriate question. I put my head down on folded arms and I heard, "Shannon? You have to answer!" So, of course, I said yes (hence, we got married). It was the most beautiful piece of jewelry I'd ever seen. In that moment, in that statistics classroom, our nerd cred was sealed forever.  

When we left Lex, we were supposed to go to Louisville but the timing didn't work out. We went to Owensboro, my hometown, where we spent time with family and friends and Jason had his first experience with Chiggers. We had a family and friends picnic at the park. Lots of people came out to visit and we had a great time, even with the high temps and humidity. I got to see lots of cousins (first, second, and third cousins), some of which I have only seen on Facebook for the last decade. Some of our Louisville and Nashville friends surprised us by coming to Owensboro as well, so that was awesome!

When it was time to leave Owensboro, I was feeling the love and a bit homesick, but we went straight to the Smokies and that was the best medicine ever! We rented a cabin next door to a former colleague who lives in Townsend. We hiked a bit, we drank coffee on the porch with a great view, and I was introduced to the healing powers of essential oils by my new friend, Ami. I was taking my 5 days of chemo and got very nauseous, so she first introduced me to peppermint oil. It worked! So, anyway, I'm exploring more in that area. I've known for a while that Frankincense is good for cancer, but I didn't know or appreciate that essential oils are good for some of my primary issues as well as side effects. She even had something for chiggers! I also have learned that you can mix oils to use in place of chemicals for cleaning, exterminating, etc. I mean, isn't that a no brainer (pun intended)? After many nights in the Smokies, we headed home with an overnight stop near Dallas to break up the drive. This morning I woke up in my own bed in Lubbock, which was wonderful! I know many people were concerned that I'd never make it on this crazy road trip, especially with the chemo days, but I did it! I will admit that my family car time was tough and I had a hard time keeping up with my online course because the students were having lots of technical issues, but I've been catching back up on that today and I hope to have that all resolved tonight.

My next appointments with the docs in Houston are July 2. I don't have a scan or see the neuro-oncologist, but I do see the clinical trial doctor again to find out if she has anything to try. I also have a cognitive exam, lots of blood donations, and the obligatory pregnancy test, I'm sure. Until I leave for Houston in a week or less, I plan to get as much work done as possible in my course, in the lab, with my researchers, etc. I miss being in the office, the lab, and the classroom. I'm guessing that's probably not normal, but I've never claimed to be normal. I really, really miss working with students the most. In about a week or so, I will post an update about what happened at my upcoming appointments. Until then, I'm in Lubbock enjoying being at home. When we were in the mountains, I saw a sign in a store that said, "Home is not a place, it's a feeling." No truer words have ever been painted on old and distressed wood.