Day 229 - Supernanny to the Rescue!

As all my mornings start with a BANG (not really) this was no exception. I did have that phone call from the Medical Registry at 0900. It was reassuring to know that I wasn't being ridiculous for inquiring about the number of years a Physician has been practicing. In fact, I discovered that Dr. Lategan graduated in 1988 from Stellenbosch & arrived in fair Canada in 1988. If you ever want to check out your Doctor's credentials, you can go the the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta & look them up! 


I was going to take the car to the mechanics to have an appraisal done on the damage. I phoned & he was going to be around. Duane is a local fellow that Mom uses all the time. He said he would send me down the road to his 'Body Man'. Hmm, think he could work on this 'body' & take out a few bumps & lumps here & there? :o)


It always takes me awhile to get up & running, so by the time I left the house it was 1430. I stopped in at EVIC to say hello to Shauna. I miss working with her & Joe, so I slip in on their working days & catch up on what I've been missing, which is mostly just them! :o) Shauna had a delivery shortly after I arrived & since I was already late, I left for Duane's. 


As my luck would have it, he wasn't there! I gathered he didn't go very far, as he said he was going to be home all day, so I settled in on the lawn with the dogs & my book. Sure enough, just as I got settled, he drove in the yard! He gave me Warren's number & directions to his place. I thanked him & away I went. 


Warren lives on top of a huge hill. I have no clue how they get to & from the house in the winter. Maybe they have a ski-doo they take up & down. The hill is so steep my car was spinning out on the gravel! But what a view from the top of the hill! Wow! I guess that would make the treacherous trip up the hill worth it! He took a look at the bumper & the trunk, license plate backing, latch, etc... He couldn't give me a quote on the spot, but he took my details & said he would fax me a quote after he'd looked up the cost of parts & so forth. For now it's a bungee cord!


I came home & shortly after, Jenn called. She needed a sitter. She wanted to take me up on my offer. Oh boy. She must be desperate! As I mentioned earlier, I haven't looked after a child since I was 14, let alone 2 children! But, I was determined to help her out. I forewarned her that I would have to go to the city for an ultrasound if I was to start my fertility drugs. I hung up the phone & packed my bags for 3 days of diapers, bottles & nursery rhymes... Wish me luck!


Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Waiting on the lawn...

Nice day for a drive in the country

The view from the hill

Note the steep road on the right!

Day 228 - Receptionists.

This morning I continued my quest to find out more & more information. The Oncologist's nurse called me back & was quite friendly. I still hadn't started the fertility drugs, so my start date of 18 June wasn't looking promising. My stressful day yesterday was feeling further & further away! She informed me of my Doxorubicin dosage, which I will need to clarify if I take the same dosage all the way through or if it fluctuates. If it does, that is great news, because if it doesn't, I'll be nearing the lifetime dose! Yikes!


She also told me my WBC last time was 8.9, which is normal. I asked about the Sedimentation Rate (ESR) & it said on the report that my blood didn't clot... Which I call a great big bull poop on, as my blood clots fine. If you recall, that was the day I had the lady who used my hardened vein, couldn't get a good flow into the vial & had to change the vials a bunch of times. She didn't take enough blood to do the test! Grrr! I'll make sure I get someone different next time. 


The Nurse bumped me to the end of the day's appointments, as I had a lot of questions for the Oncologist. She was very understanding & said that it was okay that I wanted to find out as much as possible. She said it was my life & I had to make the best decisions for me. I was impressed that she said this! Of course, it will still be a challenge to convince the Oncologist that I don't need another CT scan & Bleomycin...


My next call was to Dr. Lategan. He is the Oncologist that my friend Andrea went to. He is South African & arranged for Andrea to be treated at Peter Lougheed instead of Tom Baker. She said he was really nice & pleasant to be around. When I had spoken to my Oncologist's nurse, she mentioned that the Oncologist would be gone for the month of July. I thought I would take the initiative to find out if Dr. Lategan was taking patients & perhaps I could ask my Oncologist if I could be seen by Dr. Lategan for the month he was away. Oh my, oh my... did I get an earful. I'll include the conversation at the bottom of this post.


I was completely stunned. I felt like I'd just stepped out of a bad movie scene or experienced something out of the twilight zone. I have NEVER had such a rude interaction with anyone, even the grumpy passengers I used to have to please on the ship were angels compared to this gal! I was so upset! I called the Medical Registry to find out the procedures for filing a complaint. I found out (the next morning) that if I filed a complaint with the Medical Registry, it would be filed against Dr. Lategan. I don't really want to do this, as I've never met him, but I'm sure he's very nice. My other option was to notify Dr. Lategan of his receptionist's attitude & let him deal with it. I will definitely do the latter, but I'm waiting to see if he'll even see me first! I did send him an email telling him of my intentions, with a small comment about his receptionist's 'ill' behaviour. 


When I spoke to Jaco about it later on, he agreed that the behaviour was over the top & very uncalled for. I felt better, hearing that someone else thought the lady was crazy!


Lawrence stopped by & boosted my car, so I'll see about a quote tomorrow to have the repair work done from the accident. Poor Contemplate! She's no bumper car! 


I spoke with Jenn, finally! She's a busy girl! Sadly, their financial support has fallen through & even though she is working, it's still not enough for them to make ends meet. Mike's paperwork to work in Canada most likely won't be finalized for another 3-5 months, so if you know of any odd jobs & handyman work, leave her a note on the blog. I feel terrible for them, as I can't imagine what it's like to finally have some stability in your life, only to have it pulled away as quickly as it came! 


Her husband, Mike, is traveling to Texas this week to collect the rest of their belongings & bring them back to Canada. Jenn will meet him on the weekend in Montana & then back to Cochrane. She is on her own this week, so I told her if she needs any help, let me know! I haven't babysat since I was 14, but I'll do my best! :o) 


Today was another rainy day, with a nice dump of hail. It did stop raining by the end of the day & the clouds were pretty amazing. I'm still waiting for the heat of summer to come. I love the sunshine! What can I say?


Enjoy your evening... I am!
Love & hugs,
Maria & Valentina
xxxxxx

At least it's not snow!

Little pea-sized hail

Mr. Bull is taking a pelting!

Pretty clouds!

Tucked in bed

Also tucked in bed!

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Here's a recap of the conversation & tail end of my letter to the Doctor:

The receptionist didn’t identify herself & seemed reluctant to talk to me from the moment she answered the phone. It wasn’t until she informed me that I had dialed her direct line that I understood her reservations. I told her I’d found the number online. When I asked to speak with you, she inquired about who I was & what I wanted. I explained my situation and she was immediately defensive.

I asked if you were accepting patients. Her reply was laced with exceptional sarcasm & rudeness:

“Well, you can’t just make an appointment. Your Oncologist would have to discuss it with Dr. Lategan & they would decide what would happen.”

I explained that I was aware of that &, as I had been informed before, I wanted to know if you were accepting ANY patients at all.

Rather than typing impatient, sarcastic, rude, harsh, aggressive & nasty over & over again, just keep in mind those tones for the duration of the conversation.

“Yes, he is taking patients.”

My next question was an inquiry as to how long you’ve been practicing medicine.

“Well, I don’t really see how that is relevant.”

I explained that I certainly did & obviously you are qualified, but I would also like to know how long you’ve been practicing for.

“Long enough”, was her reply.

Okay, is long enough 1 year, 5 years, 10, 20?

“I really don’t see where this is going”, she said. She eventually said she thought you had been in Canada since 2001.

I explained that I have taken the initiative to research & find out as much information as I can about my treatment & that included the Doctors. When she didn’t want to share any information, I asked where I could go to find out.

“The Medical Registry.”

“Okay. Do you have a number?”

“No, I don’t.” Nor could she offer anywhere to find a number.

I then chose to inform her that some of the receptionists I’ve encountered have sure made things difficult. She took this very personally. She made sure I wasn’t indicating just her. I told her, no there were several receptionists that were difficult to deal with.

“I’m NOT a receptionist. I’m a Medical Secretary.”

She went on to explain that there was a difference & she has been doing this job for 28 years, at which point I brought to her attention that it was a bit odd that she could tell me the number of years that she has been working, but could not elude to the number of years that you have been practicing!

After that statement she told me, “You know, I really don’t like where this conversation is going.”

“I really don’t like where it’s come from!” I replied, in complete & utter shock!

At this point she terminated the conversation abruptly.

Additionally, at some point, she asked for my name. I gave her my first name. She asked for my last name. I gave her my married name, which is not on any Canadian paperwork. She inquired about the number I was called from & why it was a different last name. I didn’t bother to tell her I wasn’t calling from my regular phone. When I asked her name, she refused to even share her first name, citing that it was for ‘Privacy reasons’.

I understand that everyone has bad days. However, considering the job she does, she should be accustomed to dealing with people in a FAR GREATER compassionate way than what she did with me. I am fairly tough skinned, but I don’t appreciate being disrespected for asking a few simple & completely relevant questions. There is no reason why I should be treated by a complete stranger. I have every right to inquire about someone’s experience, especially when my health & future are at stake.

If I were a Stage IV cancer patient with a few months to live, that stressful phone call would have cut out a month for certain! That is one of the reasons why I wanted you to be aware of her unacceptable conduct. I would hate to have anyone else go through the same experience that I did.


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What do you think? Was I out of line or was she just plain rude & crazy?

Day 217 - Running Around In The Snow

Okay, so last night I fell asleep to the sound of rain. I love to hear the rain & have a nice cool room while I'm snuggled deep under the covers. I have a window right next to the bed, so I opened it up a little bit & listened to the drops come splashing down. 


I woke up to the sound of rain & admired at how green everything looked. I love the miracle of Spring & how quickly things transform. Sadly, my admiration turned to disbelief as I looked out the window a few hours later & saw the rain transforming to SNOW! Ugh! Seriously? Yup.


It snowed all afternoon & through the night. Blah. So not excited about that! Mom & I went to town for the late afternoon & luckily it was only raining in the city. I managed to tick all the things off my list (on my handy iPod!). I picked up my engagement ring, as the stone was loose & luckily it was just a prong & not a chipped stone! Gasp! They polished it up & it looks brand spankin' new! Feels like I'm newly engaged again!! :o) 


I stopped at the bank & the teller was so sweet! We visited about wigs & weaves & she's going to include me in her prayers. How thoughtful! I told her I'm going to come back & show off some of my wigs... :o) I haven't been banking at the TD very long, but they are so friendly! I have yet to have a negative experience there! And they're open late & on Saturdays!!! Is there any question I've found a good bank? Especially after the CIBC omitted a digit on my cheque! Ha ha... That will keep my chuckling for a long time!


Next stop - Chinook. (For those of you reading from overseas, it's actually pronounced 'Shin-ook' (ook as in hook)) (It's a warm dry wind that blows down the east side of the Rocky Mountains during winter months.) If you're lucky, it melts MOST of the snow & then refreezes as slippery ice & then it snows again, leaving parking lots & streets a disaster to navigate! One of Calgary's bigger malls is called Chinook Centre. I popped into SportChek to see what kind of stuff they had for the World Cup. It's in South Africa this year & I thought I could find Jaco something with the South African flag on it. All they had was a t-shirt in a hideous shade of yellow. Never mind. Their flag is really pretty...

I was returning a luggage weigh scale that I used once in Mexico & then it broke. The lady wouldn't give me a refund & offered me a credit. I told her I had great luggage & enough handbags & wallets to last a lifetime. (Don't tell Jaco the handbag thing - a gal can NEVER have too many!) :o)  Mom had went to a restaurant to order some supper to go. I left the shop without my refund or credit & also forgot my keys there! I found Mom sitting at Starbucks. The restaurant was closed for renovations! Doh! I realized the keys were missing about now. We walked all the way to the other end of the mall & sure enough, there they were. As we left the shop, Mom pointed out the kiosk outside. They sold wigs. I told Mom, 'Nah, they're not my style & they are fake & they are expensive.' She said, 'No, come here. Look.' She pointed to the name of the kiosk - Oceana. Hah! Imagine that! We made our way back to the car & left the city.


We headed towards Longview. Tonight was Fawna's evening with some spiritual speakers from Australia. Of course we arrived late. I wasn't sure where exactly it was & I phoned Fawna's house to see if her husband was home & could tell us where to go. Her daughter answered the phone & I nearly bust a gut from laughing. Here's a recap of the conversation:
'Hello?'
'Hi, Fawna?'
'No, she's not here.'
'Oh, is your Dad there?'
'No, he's with my Mom.'
'Oh. We're supposed to be going to the event your Mom has arranged this evening, but I'm not sure of the location. Do you know where it is?'
Okay, this is the one that got me. In a totally posh British accent, she says:
'I'm not sure of the specific location of the exact event you are referring to.'
Are you kidding me?? I'm sure she's only about 8 or 10 years old!!! Too funny!


Anyhow, we found the place & of course, we were only 40 minutes late. The couple that were speaking were most talking about the Course In Miracles & how it had changed their life. The wife had just wrote a book & the husband did most of the talking. He was quite entertaining! We finished up about 2230 (!) & then headed home.


Before we left, we let the dogs out for a wee. While they were sniffing around, I hear this REALLY LOUD 'CRACK'! behind me. I turn around to see that someone has just SMASHED into my car!!! Oh no!!!! Poor Contemplate!!! I go over to inspect the damage & sure enough there is a big dent in the back bumper & there were bits of shattered plastic lying on top of the bumper from the license plate area. The trunk was also open. I tried to close it. Nope. Again. Nope. Again. Repeat 60 times. Nope. Oh dear. I know it gives me hassle from time to time, but NEVER this much!!! Finally it closes. The lady gives me her address & phone number & I am to call her with the cost of repairing the damages.


We drive home. It's a freaking blizzard. The slush is lying on the road & splashes up over the car, pulling it all over the road & making visibility zero. Add in the falling snow & the visibility is less than zero. (Negative visibility?) We drove about 60km/h the whole way home. I chatted with Jaco for a large chunk of it.


I just don't think he gets it. I tell him it's snowing (on the 27th of May) & he says, 'Oh, cool. That must be beautiful. You must enjoy it!' Are you kidding me? Does he have any idea how stressful driving in this 'stuff' is?!? Pretty? It's dark out & you can't see a bloody thing!!! And this is why I don't want to live in Canada!!!! I'll take an Australian dust storm any day!!!! And the debate goes on...


We arrived home about midnight, with a fair bit of organizing to do before the 0530 wake up call for tomorrow... Wish me luck, it's going to be a short sleep! xxxxx


Maria & Valentina

Oh so pretty.

Blah.

Not cool for the end of May!