Give, Take, Change, Manipulate

Changed appointment time for the Chemo today so I could get to the surgeon’s office for the possible  removal of the port-a-cath. There was no way I could have been at the Center at 1:30 then her office by 2:00 - even on a good day without beach traffic.  

I gave myself plenty of time. That was a very good thing because it took longer for the pharmacist to mix the Chemo_cocktail today than on previous occasions. There were also thunderstorms in the area making traffic another ordeal to contend with, but I made it to the doctor’s office in good order. Only witnessed 2 fender-benders that (fortunately) didn’t happen in my lane of traffic. 

Not exactly smooth sailing, but better than expected on a July day. Brought reading material for the wait. As it was, it took 40 minutes to drive the 4 miles from one to the other. Then, it took over an hour to drive home. A total of about 6 miles. Hey!  It’s summer at the beach!

Long story short: Doctor didn’t remove the port.  

The site is taking forever to heal over properly.  I guess that’s what a compromised immune system does. Healing that used to take a few days can now take weeks. The doctor asked that I try manipulating the port under the skin to keep it moving and maybe continue to develop a healthy outer surface.  She gave it another 2 weeks. She also took the precaution of scheduling a new date for replacement surgery.  She’ll remove the port on the right, replacing it with another one embedded in more fatty tissue (we hope) on the left.  Hey!  It’s a two-fer!!!

So now, instead of sexual fantasies I get to play with er’ manipulate my port-a-cath a few times daily.  Sounds like a very strange plan, but since I’ve got nothing else to do, it works for me.

As some of you may know, I use cash only when I absolutely have no other choice. I prefer to use cards for everything and anything throughout the month, then pay off the lot when the bill arrives. Why not use their money instead of mine? Plus, all cards in my wallet offer some kind of bonus: Cash back, travel points, shopping credits, you get the idea.

This setup has served me well for years and offers a great way to watch the budget, as well, since all transactions are itemized on each statement. Well, I arrived home this afternoon in the rain to find 3 items in the mailbox; a brochure for an adult hearing seminar (no joke!) a propaganda leaflet for the upcoming election for city mayor, and…a $100.00 gift card announcement with the retailer of my choice. 

Well, that was easy.  None of the suggested retailers are located nearby, so I went with my usual, obvious choice - Amazon.  The truth is that the nearest tacky Mall is about 45 miles away and the nearest chic Mall is almost twice that distance. So, Amazon was a given.  

The thing is, I don’t NEED anything - ok, aside from working bone marrow - but I know a person or two who could probably make use of this windfall gift. If they will choose to accept it.  Always iffy, when pride is involved.  I’ll give it a shot. No one else has to know. 

It takes nothing away from me to give to others. Why is it so difficult to understand this very simple concept?  Dunno.

And so it goes.

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