Is it Over Yet?

 The following is NOT to be shared with my mother.

A year or two ago, my shaking hands started to concern me.  I went to my GP who said maybe Parkinsons but I'll send you to a neurologist.

The neurologist said definitely not Parkinsons, probably essential tremors but I'll send you for an MRI just to be sure, not expecting to find anything.

The "anything" turned out to be a meningioma, a benign tumor in the tissue between the skull and the brain.  My meningioma was about 2.5 cm and 3 cm is the size where it may start pressing on the brain.  Treatment advised: radiation.

A subsequent MRI showed no change in the size but after much thought, I decided to go for the radiation because I wasn't sure I wanted to wait until surgery was necessary and I figured 74 is a better age to do it than older.

They recommended 5 radiation treatments, every other day, and the duration is approximately 25 minutes.

The treatments themselves were fine.  They make a mask which fits over your face and is attached to the treatment table.  A little claustrophobic considering you can't move your head and have no concept of how long you've been lying there.

While I was lying there, I tried to distract myself by thinking about quilting/needlework projects.  And I kept time by counting songs of the 50s and 60s playing in the background.

I don't know the result of the treatments - I will have a followup MRI and doctor's appointment in July.

Before the treatment, I asked what they do with the mask when the treatments are over.  Trash unless I wanted to keep it.

And so was born "Is it over yet?" - a mask made from the treatment mask.

I failed to take a photo of the "naked" mask but this is what it looked like, sort or, lying down as on the treatment table.

 And this is the finished mask:

 The top part is 2" squares of different needlework techniques - applique, quilting, mosaic quilting, needlepoint, thread bits joined by Solvy, using leftover bits and pieces from previous projects.

The curly grey hair is from an unravelled sweater from Faigie's estate.

The nose/mouth opening on the mask was not pretty so I covered it with a mask I made from Faigie's felt, covered with eight flowers to represent the approximately 8 songs which played during each 25ish minute treatment.  And I couldn't resist a few beads and seed embroidery stitching.

I am still debating whether to put 5 (for the number of treatments) and 25 (for the length of each treatment) on the sunglass lenses.

I will probably gift it to the radiation doctor when I have my followup.