Day Forty - Still Catching Up!

Wow! Where did the month of November go? I feel like I've turned around & it's gone! My goodness! I hope this finds you well & happy & getting ready for Christmas. Hard to believe it's less than 1 month away! 

I suppose I feel a little like a dog chasing her tail, as I am still trying to catch up on the blog! I'm 3 days behind & not getting any closer! Now, where were we? I think I left off on Friday, shortly before the Doctor's appointment. I can't recall if I have told you the background story as to why I wanted to see this particular Doctor. I have been on the phone so much lately that I forget who I've told what & what I posted on the blog & I'm just generally confused!

Way back in May or June, I took a friend to the ER in Black Diamond when she was have crazy pains in her groin & abdomen. I waited patiently in the waiting room (go figure) & eventually she called me in to sit with her. When he came in to tell her that he couldn't find anything wrong & she was now pain free, I asked him about my lymphoma, trying to be anonymous, which obviously didn't work. He got quite excited & asked if I had lymphoma, what was I doing about it, why wasn't I in treatment, was I in denial... I reassured him that I wasn't in denial, I would be fine, I would treat it holistically, yadda yadda yadda. I went home that night & thought to myself... Crap. I am in denial. The next day I started my juice fast. I lasted 42 days on fresh pressed grapes & lemons only. No solid food. I thought okay, enough is enough, let's kick this once & for all. Well, week after week went by & the lumps in my neck didn't change. July 1st I quit the fast & began my junk food bingeing, but that's a whole other blog. Somewhere in July, I broke my pinkie toe. I ended up back at the Black Diamond ER & yup, you guessed it, same Doctor! When he came in to introduce himself, I just smiled & he said, 'Do I know you? Are you the'... gesturing to his neck... I smiled again & said yes. He then proceeded to ask me how I was doing & that he had thought about me a lot & wondered if I had started 'proper' treatment. I was completely taken aback, as I have never experienced a Doctor who paid that much attention to his patients. Really, I'm a name & not just a number?!? Wow! I had mentioned that if my treatment plan didn't work out & I ended up doing chemo, that I would like him to be my GP. He said he would. 

So, here I am... He came into the room & of course, he already knew that I had been to Mexico, as Dr. Branch from last week had already brought him up to speed. He looked over my medical papers, asked me what I needed from him & we talked about Mexico. He told me he thought I was crazy, especially when I told him about the 10 ml needles! But despite his disbelief in my decision to seek alternative treatments, the best part of the appointment was when I showed him my neck. He felt the lumps & claimed they were much harder in July when I saw him. When I said the treatment was working, his reply was only that he wanted to see me healthy, whatever way it takes. Naturally I was pretty stoked that I could shock the 'Other Side' with my progress! Whoo hoo!!! I don't need to see him now until January after my blood work & CT scan, so I'll keep you posted on that. I told him I had 'another great Doctor' that I would be seeing over the next 5 weeks for blood work & follow ups. And of course, someone to take over my shots for awhile! :o) Did I mention that he's a really handsome, sweet, kind, caring, loving, MARRIED, *ahem, Doctor? :o) 

I checked on Jeff at the hospital for his IV & he was still 20 minutes from finishing. So I decided to venture downtown. Oh, which reminds me... I parked in the back alley by the clinic when I had my appointment. I get out of the truck & had to giggle. You know you're in a small town when there is a quonset 1/2 a block from main street. I love it. So anyhow, I wander into the little pet shop. I thought I would have a glance around. The fellow that owns it was there & bless his heart. It must have been a slow day. He proceeded to tell me about each & every kind of dog food they carried, what the differences were, where they were manufactured, what the brands used to be called before there was a copyright issue, I was in there for at least 20 minutes! Good salesman though, as I bought 3 bags of trial foods. So far Valentina has devoured hers, Adios is still picky. He has the tastebuds of McDonald's only (Whiskas). Trailer Trash Cat & I love him just the same.

I head back to the hospital & pick up Jeff. He is (im)patiently waiting. We head home & I make a few phone calls, check a few emails, pack up the stuff & head into town with Jeff & Mom. I am staying at Madelaine's & the roads have taken a turn for the worse, so I chicken out of driving & hitch a ride! The highways into the city are fine, but once you're in the city, it was fairly treacherous. Safeway parking lot was a skating rink!

And here's where the next set of drama begins. We pull up to Mom2's truck (Madelaine is my adopted Mom - she couldn't have kids, so I adopted her) & I see her & her little dog, Finnegan. Oh dear. Valentina is still in heat & I forgot her little doggy diaper. Madelaine has always reckoned that Finnegan was gay, adding to that - he only has one nugget. Well, let's see how it goes. We get to the house & I put a little bandana on her back end. Finny tries his best - he certainly is NOT gay. About an hour later, I check Valentina's diaper & lo & behold, she's done her business in it. Ugh. She's so good at home, I can't figure out why she does this when we go out... Anyhow, I put her outside while I clean up the mess. About 10 minutes later, I go to the patio door to let her in. A look of horror washes over me, as I see Finnegan outside with her! How did he get out! Ahh! The doggy door! I completely forgot about it. (Roxie if you are reading this, I am still sick) I am completely panicked. I have no idea how to check if, well, you know. But I do anyways. I can't tell. 

The diaper goes back on & we are safe & observed for the rest of the stay. I call the Vet as soon as we leave... 'Is there a morning after pill for dogs???' Well, yes, but it's fairly toxic & since Valentina is still young & small to begin with, it's not an option. Spaying her, well, one day, maybe one batch. I take her to the clinic & Dr. John does a swab. He can't see any 'evidence', but that's not a guarantee. She'll be back in three weeks to see him to make certain there are no little ones inside the Little One. If she is in fact pregnant, I will most likely be forced to spay her, as she is too young & too small to have puppies. Finnegan is a 16 lb Pomeranian. Poor little girl. I feel like such an unfit mother. My child was violated when I wasn't paying attention. Please don't report me to Social Services!!! Adding to all of this, she's been in heat for over 1 month, not normal! I am praying that it will end soon!!! 

Saturday afternoon, Mom, Jeff & I all catch a few zzz's. We are all shy on sleep & needing to catch up. Jeff drives himself to BD for his IV. I was set to go with him, until he drove out of the yard without me. I was putting on my boots & away he goes. Ahhh, brotherly love. Fine, I'll just work on my stuff at home! I ended up going with him at 2300 for his last IV. It was quite nice to visit & learn some more about my brother. While his IV was dripping, he proceeded to tell me the history of all of his scars... 'This one I got in Grade 1 while chasing Nicky Swallow around the schoolyard. This one I got when I had my finger caught between the panels. This one I got while chasing cows through some thick brush. The branch went right into his shoulder blade. He could stick his finger in almost all the way. He told me of the crazy Doctor in BC who was ridiculously hyper & had a Harley, Rover & some other fast car & worked WAY too much. He told me of the day he chipped the bone in his ankle, but proceeded to walk on it & rope cattle, the fencing pliers that ripped into his arm & something 'purple' showed through the wound, the list goes on & on... Needless to say, I was very entertained by his 'Battle Scars'. Him & the nurse enjoyed a fair bit of banter, he manages to charm his way into the hearts of many. Probably why I hear his cell phone beeping in the wee hours of the night, too! 

We drove home about 0140 & listened to some of his favourite tunes & he told me about his crazy colleagues & the trouble they would get into. And of course, we solved the world's problems. Once home, we started YouTubing & sharing funny videos. I showed him Valentina's smiling video & couldn't talk I was laughing so hard. He didn't see it quite as funny as I did, but I am certain he is warming up to her. :o)

Today (Sunday) has been a very lazy day. I pretty much unpacked & reorganized a bunch of stuff. I completed my receipts for October & November - for those of you who didn't know, I declared bankruptcy this past July. Think of it what you will, but it feels good to me & I am a LOT less stressed about where the money is going to come from... Although, now that I'm out of a job, it's creeping up again!!! :o) I called a few friends that I haven't spoken with in ages & a few managed to track me down too! I walked down to the Visitor Information Centre, where I worked this summer, & had a visit with Joe. He just came back from his honeymoon in the Mayan Riviera & we had a good chat. He is quite likely one of the most humourous people I have ever met. Not much slips past Joe. He's got a line for everything! No really, he does! Just try him! "Have you had your dose of Vitamin Joe today?" He is heavy into politics & for a wedding present, a friend of his arranged for a letter from US President, Barack Obama - composed especially for Joe & signed by the President himself! Pretty sweet! Btw, Canada's healthcare is far better than what the opposition makes it out to be. Is it perfect? No. Do we die waiting for treatment? No. Anyhow, I leave the politicking to Joe. :o)

I wandered home & did a little training with Lil' Miss V. She's coming along really well! We worked on 'Vieni - Come', 'Seduti - sit', & 'Ferma - stay' - all off leash. I am already having withdrawals, as I will miss her terribly when I am on the ship. But if all goes to plan, she will be able to sail with me next time as a Service Dog! I have a prescription from the Doctor, her Service Dog tags & now it's just a little more socialization & she's ready! 

The day was nearly complete when my brother decided to break his smoke free streak. He went to town for a pack of cigarettes & puffed away on the deck. Mom left the door open & the smoke wafted in. For those of you who know me well, you will know how much tolerance I have for cigarette smoke. (-1,000,984%) I had pneumonia when I was in infant & have scar tissue on my lungs. Cigarette smoke is not good for anyone, myself included. Sorry for those of you who smoke, it sucks to be addicted to something you feel helpless over controlling. Anyhow, I was very upset, as Jeff is staying in my room & I do not like my things to smell like smoke. It is tough to get out of the bedding & clothing, etc, etc. So, I pipe up about it. My brother pipes back. Louder. It escalates. Pretty soon, the nice salmon supper Mom had cooked was ruined. Apparently it is all my fault. Apparently I am to be ashamed for living with my Mother when I am 30. And I don't have a say as to what happens in her house - even though they are my personal belongings (bedding included). (Don't get me wrong I am looking very forward to the day I am out of the 'closet' (& I don't mean in a lesbian way - it's a small room!) - after tonight I might be knocking on doors shortly!) It was really quite awful. I felt my neck swell & I couldn't breath properly, my chest ached & I felt dizzy. Great. Now I've just undone the past 5 weeks of hard work & efforts to heal. Ahhh, gotta love a little more 'dys' in a dysfunctional family. Oh where oh where is the Best Western Americana when I need it? Send me back to Mexico! 

On a happier note, I received a call from a very dear friend who has recently relocated back to Canada. She is due with Baby #2 in a few weeks & just a few weeks ago she found out that her medical insurance in the US wasn't going to cover her delivery! (Socialized healthcare much?) So, the family packed everything up & drove all the way from Texas to Alberta, where she can have the baby safely & not end up $20,000 in debt! Poor girl! My goodness! I was so thrilled to hear her voice! It was like a ray of sunshine on a very grim night! We shared a lot of laughs & I am hoping to see her before I go. I can't wait to come home in January & meet her newest family member! And to make the evening just a little bit better, I decided to make Peanut Butter cookies. What?!?! You say. Yes, I found premixed batter at the health food store that has ingredients I can eat! I must say, they are darn good cookies! Nothing beats a warm cookie, fresh out of the oven! 2 cups of tea later & I am ready for bed!

I think that might actually have me caught up! For being bored at home, there sure is a lot of drama. I am excited to be heading to Tahiti in a week's time. Then I can create my own drama & it will still be beautiful. (Jaco & I had a fight on a white sand beach... and then we kissed & made up & watched the sunset in Bora Bora) (I saw a scary fish while I was scuba diving & thought it was going to eat my leg off) (They ran out of little umbrellas to put in my 'virgin cocktails') Ha ha... Speaking of scuba diving, remind me to tell you my most embarrassing story someday... :o)

So, with that, I'll hit the hay. Sorry if it's a little too graphic, too intimate, too harsh, too real, too whatever. I am sharing my story & it's all part of it. I know I am not the only one to ever have a family feud & although I'm sure not many of you have had doggy whoopsies, I am pretty sure I'm not alone on that avenue either! Enjoy your Monday & thank you for the comments... I hope the world is treating you well wherever you are & I wish you laughter, happiness & peace. Lord let there be peace in the world & if not there, at least in our house!! :o) Sweet dreams (lekker slaap)

Maria & Valentina

xxxxx

The back alley of the Medical Clinic - gotta love a small town downtown!

On our way home we saw 4 Moose - 2 Mamas & 2 babies - both within 2 or 3 kms!

Ewwww. The ouchy knee. Forgot to post the warning regarding gory & graphic images!

The last IV.

You know it's a small town when the hospital gets Christmas lights!

Okay, sorry for the really bad photo, but that's the hospital.

The Photobooth photos I forgot to post last night.

Trisha & I having WAY too much fun!