We're Rich!

Well, maybe not rich, but we did get a cheque for $5,000 from Scott's online gambling. Nice, eh? Interestingly enough, he can't actually have an account in his own name since he's not 21 yet so I have, in my hot little hands, a cheque, made out to me!! for $5,000. Wonder if he'll ever get his hot little hands on it. Now, I'll have to go in and get the rest.

I tell you, this kid is doing very well on poker. This summer he made more playing poker than at his summer job - well since he kept "forgetting" to go to that summer job that wasn't, actually, a huge deal. LOL!! And now, this winter he's made about, what Scott? $10,000? while he's in school? You know, he's making it very difficult to keep telling him that he can't be a professional poker player. We've come to some sort of an agreement, I think. He's agreed to stay in school and graduate college (as long as he doesn't win a $100,000 tournament) and, when he's done college he can do anything he wants.

Health-wise....I had the port put in on Monday. Now I have these two bumps unders my skin. I tell you, I'm just a beauty, here. I have a big scar on my left boob, another under my left armpit and now these two bumps under my skin just below the collarbone on the right side. Really a beauty. And soon? I'll be bald to top it all off. Do I make you Randy, baby?!! (That's an Austin Powers reference, people!)

Anyway, the port? It hurts. They sent me home with no "good drugs" (as Andrew calls them) - just said to take Tylenol if it becomes uncomfortable. Well, that's the understatement of the year. Mom and dad had some tylenol with codeine that they brought over which is my favourite pain killer. It takes the pain away without me getting all loopy and high. So I took one of those and that worked. Then, I didn't want to use all their pills so I decided to take one of mine. Now, mine are the "big pain drugs" that I have left over from previous surgeries. Big ones like percocet. So, I take one of those and, almost immediately? I'm floating. Now, unfortunately, the pain is still there but my mind gets all loopy and crazy. I think my arms are "floating down the street and I can't catch them because there's too much traffic". I think the dog, because he's not on the bed, which I'm calling a raft, is going to drown. I also couldn't seem to find my mouth with my drink and got soaked and, I swear, the beans I had for dinner? They were jumping around in my hand and I couldn't get them into my mouth unless I opened it really wide. How funny is that? Last time I took those pills I sang Partridge Family and Brady Bunch songs - loudly - so I'm going to try to stay away from them from now on. ROFL!!

Today's my last day at work. I'm happy and sad.

I'm sad because I really loved that job and the people (especially Jimmy) I work with. They are not "typical" insurance agents. These people have hearts so big I can feel their love right through the phone. And, I can sexually harass them and it's ok because, if they're receptive to the harassment? It's totally legal! (We had a seminar on sexual harassment and learned that intesting fact. So now? We sexually harass each other as often as we can even though I'm pretty sure the seminar was supposed to have the opposite effect!!) I'm going to make them rub my bald head, soon! (this may have been an inside joke - don't take offense. We are, after all, still insurance salespeople and can be a little crude at times!)

I'm happy because that means I'm starting chemo tomorrow and I just want to get on with it. I'm ready for this cancer fight. I've got my dukes up and I'm going to punch and kick the shit out of it. I want everyone to remember that the chemo is for preventative purposes. I don't have cancer anywhere else but if I don't do chemo I have a 30% chance of it coming back whereas with chemo that goes down to 15 percent. Then, I'll do radiation, which takes it down even more. And, I'll do herceptin, which takes it down even more so, in the end - I have about a 3 - 5% chance of recurrance in the next five years. Those are ok odds. I'm good with that - way better than 30%, that's for sure.

Well, that's all, for now. I'll update more after the chemo (it's at 2:00 Thursday afternoon if anyone wants to send "good thoughts" my way at that time). Now, I gotta go get ready to Kick Cancer's Ass!!