Doctors, doctors, doctors

This teaching stuff is really getting in the way of my freelance writing career... I am loving being back at work. The students have been awesome. I've been brutally honest with them, which is of course all I know how to do, and they've handled it marvelously. Even the freshman, at least day one and day two, they were good. They could totally be a ticking time bomb, but I'll take what I can get. I have one student who is laughing about her teacher telling the class that she can't shave one armpit because of lack of feeling. These are the things that students tell their parents that they're learning at school. They never tell them that I actually teach them math concepts, just that I have a hairy armpit. Gotta love teenagers.
Thank you for all your insights into my 76%. I'm good now, doesn't bother me, doesn't consume my thoughts anymore, much less desire to scream from the rooftops. Although I would like to hang out with the homeless guy that Lisa commented on. I think I have a lot to learn from him.
I seem to have joined a cancer club now, and some of you may have as well just in talking about it with others. I've had three other staff members come talk to me about lumps they've found, husbands with cancer, etc. Its pretty amazing how widespread it is. I'm hoping at some point I learn how to say things to people to make them feel better. I empathize (probably spelled wrong) with them, but I don't know what to say other than "that sucks." It does make me feel better to hear all the other stories. Its comforting to know you're not alone, and that there are tons of people that made it through as much as I have, and more.
Next week I have some sort of doctor thing everyday. Wheee!! Monday is a bone scan and a CT scan. I think these are both to look and make sure cancer hasn't spread as well as to give baseline info to compare to as I go through chemo. I will probably call the doctor to find out exactly why these are recommended, but I'm really tired of talking to the doctors on the phone at this point. Tuesday is acupuncture, excited about this, Wednesday is the plastic surgeon to start enlarging my chest (and hopefully to remove ace bandage!!??). Thursday, port goes in my chest at 9AM. I have to be knocked out for this again, I'm totally afraid of puking from anesthetic, but I guess we'll see. And finally Friday, the big CHEMO followed by acupuncture again. The good news is that I think I'll be so busy running around trying to figure out where I'm going that I won't have too much time to develop severe anxiety over chemo. Maybe...
Totally non cancer related, this morning as I'm trying to get Max & Cannon ready to go so I'm not late for a meeting, Cannon coats the carpet in poo. I'm thrilled, obviously. Stupidly I did not put a diaper on him after this, thinking it was done, so after I got it cleaned up, I got poo #2. I finally got him and carpet cleaned up, and realized I had some urin on the bottom of my skirt. Ok, I have freaking cancer, shouldn't there be some sort of universal karmic thing that prevents me from having to clean poo off my carpet and pee off of me!!!?? Apparently not. Those little dudes are always a good reality check. Oh, in the middle of this, Max stopped watching cartoons long enough to yell, "Mommy!!!! Cannon pooped!!!" Thanks Max.
I also found out yesterday that I will be doing radiation after chemo is done. I don't know yet if that means we're radiating chest & armpit, or just one of them. Apparently four weeks after chemo, we start this one. In an ideal world, chemo will always happen on schedule, my body will always be ready for it, and I'll be done December 19th. Four weeks after this I start radiation everyday for 35ish days. I have coworkers that live in Corvallis, so I think I'll hitch a ride over with them, and ride back home with Brent. I think all of this scheduling is just preparing me for my future when Max & Cannon are older, and involved in 9 activities at a time, and I have to figure out which one happens where and when and keep track of it all. If I can balance doctors, I can balance little league. That's all the info I have for now. Thanks again for the cards and gift cards, and one "Chuck D. Duck" figurine. Randy & Nell are either really funny, or something is seriously wrong with them. ha ha!!