http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0bOH8ABpco
Let's get back to the beginning where it all started.This will be PART #1 in my whole'"How I found out I have Cancer" spiel. I had been complaining of severe shoulder pain for about 2 years, self diagnosing that it was a pinched nerve, occupational hazards if you must. Labor day weekend, Monday night to be exact, my boyfriend and I went out in North Wildwood with his little cousin Dana. Lets get something straight, If I am going out for the night I am wearing heels! Not doubting my Delco friends but once I met my City friends it was a whole "'Miley Cyrus: 'Cause all I see are stiletto's, I guess I never got the memo" kind of thing. To be real, the shoes get better after a couple beverages, you simply begin to glide in your own little smooth buzz, they become apart of you, except if you are my friend Gina then you are taking them off ..rain or shine....in a dirty city ally that she thinks is the yellow brick road. That night J.P. knew the next step was the Emergency Room, I was a mess tripping in flip flops. I hate and love my man for that being the biggest of all the signs of my Cancer, the fact that A. I didn't wear heels at all and B. Was still stumbling home from what I thought was a closing the bar. Which in fact it was more like 11, waaaayyyy early for me, and I only had 2 drinks over a like 3 hour period. So we get to his shore house and I was just so hot! Like the air was on and I woke up drenched in sweat! Sign of Cancer : NIGHT SWEATS. So the next day we left early in the morning I slept the whole car ride. Which was highly unlikely of me. When I was young my Dad would hate that... that being NAPS! His theory was that people don't sleep during all hours of the morning, unless that were out doing bad things the night before. Who did you sneak out with last night? Ass, Gas, or Grass ... Nobody rides for free. I was raised on him waking me up for "Family Cleaning Day" aka 6 hours of Hell every Saturday morning, all Mr. Hannigan style like,"This place better shine like the top of the Chrysler Building!" You know that since he was 9 years old, when my Granny would let each of her 4 kids pick 1 special thing from the supermarket he picked not ice cream, or cake, but as a 9 year old, 9, every week, he picked Lemon Pledge. OCD. Seriously. Moving on, Your first room to clean was obviously your own bedroom that was an automatic, then you got to pick a room ( P.S. I always picked the bathroom dirtiest, but smallest, that's another reason it's great to be the oldest of 4 kids, they are oblivious to the obvious.) Then we would get the great pleasure of a grand finale group project to put the Rainbow Jimmy's on the cupcake of family Labor Day i.e. the basement, garage, etc. Any way there is a reason I got so side tracked in stories because I am coming full circle I promise, stay with me! Since I was cool like that I usually went out Friday nights, Lol make that every night of my late teenage years. Universally I think Friday nights always have a little something special lingering in the air. I recently read a quote that said," I stay up late every night, and realize every morning that it was a bad idea." That is me in a nut shell. So there I was, my Dad mentally tasering to face the day on the worst cleaning jump start ever. Getting back to the fact that that Tuesday morning on the way home from the shore I slept all the way and that was out of my character, because I don't do naps. See full Circle. I got home went to my meat locker of a bedroom and feel in and out of deep sleeps, sweating, watching the oldie but goodie "Auntie Mame"the movie on repeat. Being a pack a day Newport smoker I specifically remember only smoking 1 cig all day! which was odd. The next morning I walked Christopher to school. It was humid but I hadn't felt my arms in months, another "huge Cancer sign" that had become part of my daily life. I didn't know if it was the humidity, the 20 minute walk, or what but I felt so lethargic. When I got back to my house my sister Caroline and brother Mike were both sleeping in the air conditioned living room. Stuck to the leather couches, with dewy necks and upper lips because the air conditioner must have died through out the night. I laugh because I'm the oldest and that is secretly what I think is the karma for all the ,"your older you should know better"'s. I call my Gmom to see if she can drive me to the emergency room in her 8 passenger Caravan, I just knew something was wrong and they were going to have to do a blood test, so I wake up my sister to see if she could accompany me. See my Gmom had been hearing about this shoulder pain for years now and after she confirmed to drive me she finished with, "Fine, I'll just drop you off." Hence why my sister came with me, for fear of the blood test I needed someone there when I passed out. So my Gmom pulls up and is slightly frustrated because her 8 passenger minivan only had room in the 2 front seats due to the wide collection of "shabby to chic, that never become chic" yard sale and trash picking collectables. Believe me she has gotten better over the years, we threatened to call A&E's Hoarders. She gave me the heaviest sigh when I added to the project of ventures with Heather Maloney and asked if we could stop at Dunkin Donuts for a coffee. She gave the sigh as she pulled in though. Coffee in hand, well cup holder because I couldn't feel my hands, we were off to the hospital. And little did I know what I was in for... It's a Hard Knock Life. (To Be Con't....)
