Showing posts with label bone mass density scan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bone mass density scan. Show all posts

Tuesday, 12 December 2023

PART CXI – Bone density scan #8

🛀 BATHROOM RENO

We were ready to leave for Ottawa by 8 a.m., when we had a contractor show up. He was checking to see if he could replace our vanity. We booked him for the job, to be done Wednesday morn! YIPPEE!!!

Process of cancer treatment: Surgery, regular monitoring, quarterly PSA tests, it has been a journey. Hooray for Canadian healthcare. Our only ticket in was a health card. It costs us for parking, meals whilst on route, and gas.  

2013 <= this is when it all began.

PART I: Preparing for Consultation (Oct. 21)

It was time for another medical trip into Ottawa. Most of our treatments and tests have been in our health unit lately. Apparently, Smiths Falls hospital, much nearer to us, has a 1-year wait for bone scan density appointments. It is crucial to keep track of Joseph Brian's bone density. As once prostate cancer progresses, prostate cancer tends to go to the bones. This is one tool to let us know what is or isn't happening. 

We tried to relax as the snow began to fall. We headed out around 10:30, arriving by 12:00. Still snowing.  The ground is still quite warm, and the snow isn't sticking. We drove through blizzards, but we made it. 
I dropped Joseph off and went to find a parking spot. I had to park at the end of this row, into a snowbank. I took a photo to remind me where I parked!



Indoors we went. Almost everyone was wearing a mask. There was a form to fill in. They have to ensure that people having the test aren't pregnant, etc.!




There are plexiglass dividers between each of the chairs.

He wears sweatpants and running shoes, as you cannot have any metal on you. This is a photo from Wiki.


We were in and out by 12:15, and back on the road. Ottawa Post Office:

The 'new' bridge! 

This was an interesting spot. When we drove along here last they were tearing down trees to build. I know I wrote about it, with photos, but cannot find them. 


Across the highway from the development... Good fences make good neighbours!


The pub in North Gower was packed at 1:20. On a Monday. 

It had stopped snowing, but most of it melted on the ground.

By 2:00 we'd made it to Smiths Falls. On the road since 10:30, my stomach was growling. This contractor truck cheered us up! It was covered in lights. 

We picked up pizza (me) and chicken nuggets (him), wine (me), and headed home to eat. My tummy was grumbling. It was so good to be home. By 4, the sunset was solace. We were rather tired.



Our feet up, we watched parts 3 and 4 of our newest series: Agathe Koltès. Set in Brittany, it is the best way to travel. It is in French, with English subtitles. My French vocabulary is coming back some. 

Wednesday, 18 April 2018

Bone Mass Density Scan #5

Tuesday, April 17th, 6:00 a.m. we began medical appointment #57

We were headed into Ottawa Riverside Hospital for another bone mass density scan. After 15 cm snow, then 18 mm rain on Sunday/Monday, we were worried. Many of our friends in the region were without power, including our kids, who were without power for most of the day yesterday (Monday). I checked Twitter, and the hydro websites.


Power outages continued Tuesday morning in Ottawa.
The hospital is on Riverside, just below the red outage!

8:00 a.m.

Traffic was dense. Here I spotted two fire engines. Immediately, I was wondering what happened. These were coming out of Manotick, where the school was closed due to a power outage.


9:30 a.m., we arrived

After an hour and 34 minutes, 91 km. we were there. Whew. We arrived at the parking lot, and it didn't look good. Happily, it wasn't full, although they were close.


I wondered the efficacy of stopping in the lane. This is an access road to Riverside Dr.! (People can be so dumb!)


The machine dispensing the parking receipts were broken, he had to write out the time we entered. We'd had snow, rain, sleet, then rain!

We made it in the building!

They are doing closed bids for these pieces of art.


Apparently we didn't have to register, as we had an appointment. The signage was interesting, though. "5 ways to create a positive workplace". It caught my attention.

9:47 we were seated!

Of course, paperwork! Is he pregnant? No... This is for those being tested for osteoporosis.

This is different than the other 4 full body scans JB has had. Those were looking for signs of metastasized cancer. Those tests showed it is in his lymph nodes.
This one was to measure the density in his hip, and another spot. I forget which one, as treatment progresses.


We took our traditional selfie.


9:50 JB was called into the room for a 10:00 a.m. appointment!

When we sign in, they review JB's address and phone number. Ontario has OHIP, so it is all free. All we have to do is produce our health card. The clerk checked JB's primary physician's name, and his urologist's name, he who called for this bone density scan as a baseline during treatment.
Erica has known our urologist for twenty years, she told us when we signed in, when he was a skinny resident, and not married. He is a respected surgeon, now, and training students. He used robotic surgery to remove the cancerous prostate in 2013. We continue with treatment.



I sat with the beautiful bag my dear friend Jean made me, took out my pencil and sketchpad, and began a sketch. You see I wore my runners, despite the weather. There wasn't too much of a mess. No soakers!


The procedure took 7 minutes. I barely started my sketch. I'll have to finish another time.
Off we went, out the door to view the vista.


On the way home, lots of trees were broken from the ice and wind storm on Sunday.


Work was being done on the bridge.


Someone had an incident, someone was was in an ambulance.


Hubby, doing the photography, started having fun, I think. We drive by large homes.

The newer bridge.


One hour and 14 minutes plus 75 km later,  we made it early for lunch at Chuckles Jack in Smiths Falls. They didn't open until 11:30, we were there for 11:20. Chef Ram is a peach.

Home again, I fed the birds, put out cat litter, fetched some wood, made JB a fire, and processed by photos.
I couldn't capture the female cardinal, but the male was co-operative.