Day 289 - Lake Chaparral Triathlon

GO TEAM ORANGE!


I was up & at it like a house on fire this morning to boogie in to cheer Jenn on & take photos of her first ever triathlon. A bittersweet training path, Jenn was thrown all sorts of curveballs to throw her off track, but she stuck it out & made it to race day. I'm so proud of her determination & dedication. She is unstoppable!


Of course, I was running late & when I arrived, I had about 15 minutes to find Jenn, Mike & the kids. I knew the kids & Mike would be wearing orange, but as it turned out, so were all the volunteer staff! Whoops! And finding Jenn... Hmm... Well, she was wearing a wetsuit with a red swim cap & goggles. Just like everyone else was! Thank Heavens I saw Mike & the kids & he was able to point her out. She was already in the water. I had wanted to give her a hug before she started & to my delight, she came out of the water to see the kids & I snuck in a soggy hug.


And with a blast on the horn, she was off! I would have drowned had I needed to swim that far! I ended up taking photos of chunks of the group, as I lost her in the flurry of water & limbs & figured she can pick herself out of the mass! 


Harrison played in the sand & water while Mike kept him from going into the water too far. I watched Heidi, who quietly smiled at me from time to time. That little girl is SO well behaved! She didn't make a peep the entire 2 hours! Impressive! 


Before we knew it, Jenn was nearing her swim finish. We went over to the exit point to see her come out. I took a few snaps & then it was a rush over to the transition area where she'd be coming out on her bike. YAY MAMA J! Mike, the kids & I then relocated across the street where she would cycle by twice before she started her run. The signs were a hit & Jenn told me later on that some random person hollered 'YAY MAMA J' as she ran past! AWESOME!!! (Thanks again Janis!!!) Even Harrison caught on & would randomly shout, 'GO MAMA!' It was adorable! 


Lastly, we waited for her to run across the finish line. I am so proud of her! What a great challenge & what an amazing accomplishment! Did I mention I'm proud of her!? :o)


Exhausted & starving, she left for home, shower, food, nap - in that particular order! I made my way home & also had a nap. I have had a brutal headache for a few days running now. I woke up to Mom stomping around the house - I guess she's home now! And the rumbling of thunder outside. It wasn't just your average rumbling of thunder, it was the loud crackling type. AWESOME! Yup, soon enough, the hail arrived. It was so cold out from the hail, every time I walked outside, I could see my breath! 


Unka Jer & Roxy have arrived, but I have yet to visit with them, as I went to bed early. My headache was slashing its way through my skull. Mom massaged my back with Tiger Balm, I slathered peppermint oil on my face & off to bed I went. It was 2200. I woke up at 0145 still feeling rubbish, in fact, nauseous, hot & horribly in pain. I put more peppermint oil on & a cold washcloth on my face. Somewhere in there I fell back asleep & didn't wake up until 1000! Thankfully without the headache! 


That's it for Sunday... See you on Monday! (Only 3 more sleeps until Jaco arrives!)
xxxx
Maria & Valentina

Good luck Mama J!

Can you see her? Now you understand my dilemma! 

Harrison finds some new friends

Okay, I'm pretty sure she's in here!

Video crew on the water

Boys will be boys!

Heidi Jo waits patiently. For 2 hours!

Harrison tries to get Daddy's shoes wet.

Good throw!

Watching the men start

Walkin' on the beach

2 Peas in a Pod!

A Whole Lotta Swimmers!

1st third done! Way to go!

Onto the bike!

Jenn's cheering section - we were tiny, but we were loud!

Spin Mama J! Spin!

...And the crowd goes wild!

Well, pretty wild... Note Heidi sound asleep in the stroller.

Video crew at it again!

Second lap nearly done!

Onto the run & we even got a shout out from our favourite Triathlete!

YOU DID IT!!! Across the finish line!!!

Yay Mama J! Congratulatory kisses!

Harrison is happy now that he's got his Mama back!

I've got hail photos too, but the triathlon was more exciting! Maybe another day!

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 199 - Mother's Day... Awhhhhh!

We're not talking a lot of sleep here folks. My mother decided to pull an all-nighter yesterday. Her favourite Uncle sadly passed away & she didn't want to miss the funeral. This meant driving to central Saskatchewan & back in the same day. Yup. 1100+kms. She arrived home at 0430, expecting to leave for Wainwright at 0900. 

I didn't want to wake her, as I knew what a full day & night's drive is like & what you feel like after it's finally over with. But, come 1230, I figured I better wake her up if we were going to go at all. 

In true Mom fashion, she freaked out at the time & quickly got ready. I, on the other hand, was not so speedy. Hey, I was up half the night worrying about her! We left at nearly 1500, just as the snow began to fall. We had hail, rain, sun & snow within the first 20 minutes of driving. She wanted to turn around & go another time, I insisted we go. 

Where were we going? What's so special about Wainwright? Isn't today Mother's Day? Precisely! We were going to get a sister for Valentina! This one would be Mom's dog! Double the trouble, double the fun! 

Roxie, the lady I bought Valentina from, has had severe health issues for the past while & didn't have the energy to get rid of the pups, which were a whoopsie in any case. She had a female pup that she wanted to give to Mom awhile back, but Mom wasn't sure. Apparently she knew how bad I wanted her to have the pup, so she said yes. She decided to surprise me & tell me the news when I arrived home.

I was excited to meet the little pooch! She was going to be a lot of work, as she is nearly 6 months old & hasn't had any obedience training. Adding to the fact that she would soon be leaving her 'nest' & joining a home with a new dog, a giant cat & 2 women! She was in for a real culture shock! 

Thankfully the weather improved shortly after we left. The clouds were threatening, but we drove out of anything wet! The #2 hwy was a zoo! It was packed! I was happy to pull off at Wetaskiwin & head east. The traffic was much gentler - to say the least! 

Previously Mom had chosen Annie as a name for the dog. I talked to hear about it & we decided that Annie wasn't such a suitable name. Her niece had a dog by the same name, as does my friend, Roxy, who visits often. I could see the ensuing confusion. So we discussed name after name after name. I went through the Spanish & Italian words on my iTouch. Sadly they were mostly words for eating out & shopping, so that didn't help much! I forgot the Afrikaans dictionary at home, but even if I had brought it with, I wouldn't have known how to pronounce it in any case! We scanned the Atlas on the iPod... nothing. Finally I said, 'How about Ocean?' Mom said, in an unconvincing, 'Yeah'. Then I thought of a ship I once knew, 'How about Oceana?' Then Mom has her 'Anna' namesake & it's a funky name to boot! 'Yeah!' Mom liked it! 

Okay. Done! Oceana it is. We were about 3 kms out of Wainwright at this point! Uh-oh! She needs a middle name! Quick! Come up with something! Well, it's May, Mother's Day, how about 'Oceana May'? I can hear your eyes rolling... But it suits her! Just put on your best southern drawl & you've got the name down pat! :o)

We didn't get to Roxie's until 2000. Cohby answered the door & I could hear heaps of barking going on. Their GIANT Retriever, Lucky, was barking away. Cohby put Lucky into his kennel, but Lucky's head was sticking out the top! As Lucky barked away, I thought I'll just take Valentina over & he can meet her. I've never seen a Retriever tap dance! His feet were going a million miles a minute, clicking away on the kennel floor - it was priceless! Cohby then decided to put Lucky outside, but that was no small task! Lucky pretty much dragged Cohby out the door! He is a big dog! I think both Mom & I couldn't have handled him as well as Cohby did! Well done!

And then there was Oceana. Roxie brought her out & she wanted nothing to do with us. She played with Valentina & ran to Cohby & Roxie, but not Mom, nor I. We were there for an hour or so, visiting & just spending time with Oceana. Pretty soon it was time to go, so Mom scooped up Oceana & she clung to Mom like she'd known her all her life. And that was it. They were bonded!

I'm pretty sure Cohby was sad to see the puppy go, as I don't think the mother is having any more, but I told him to be sure & visit this summer. The dogs will be waiting for him! I'll be waiting for him & Roxie! :o) I know they'll remember him!

We stopped at Boston Pizza for a quick take away bite & then it was back on the road again. Traffic was much lighter this hour of the day & we took a new trail across the north end of Calgary - Stony Trail. It was super quick & easy to get from North Deerfoot to Hwy #1. Perfect! We got home about 0300. I was beat. A headache was settling in as we arrived home, so here's hoping it's gone tomorrow... I'm about done with headaches!

Sleep well! Valentina is snoring as I type! xxxx

Maria, Valentina, Nonna & Introducing... Oceana May

Good afternoon, this is your 1230 wake up...

Okay, I'm actually speechless at what to write for this one. Insert what you will...

Roxie, Cohby, Valentina & Oceana. She's much friendlier than she looks in this photo! :o) Valentina still has her pretty face!