Appointment #LXIX

📋THE PROCESS OF CANCER TREATMENT💉 Yep, #69. (I had such fun teaching Roman Numerals.) We were off for our quarterly injection. JB has to order it in at the pharmacy, it takes about a week. Then he pops in to pick it up and we take it into the hospital for our appointment. As a senior, he gets a discount and pays a minimum amount, although the injections are around $1500 each.

JB went into town to fetch us a hot substantial breakfast. We were fueled and ready to go on our marathon.

10:25 we left the house

We were in good time for our 12:30 appointment. They like us there 15 minutes early. It's about a 90-minute drive. You never know with traffic, though. I popped into our local store, Coutts, to order our Thanksgiving turkey.

Our drive into the city demonstrates that we are in the middle of ✅ELECTION43📈! It's interesting seeing the various signs. Some really are over the top, like McGuinty's.

12:02 Ottawa Hospital

After an hour and 24 minutes, 92 km, we made it. We passed the eye institute. I would have been grateful to have my right eye done. The cataract is awful. My vision is cloudy, it is irritating and gives me a headache when I drive a long distance. Wait times in the city are longer than out here, though. I was feeling irritable, which doesn't help.


We were early, but they took us in, thankfully, as the guy in the seat across from us was telling an acquaintance about how he gets chemo tomorrow, and it put him out of commission for a day, but then someone else was in the wrong module, and was sent in their wheelchair off to another spot.

They have a new computer system and all of the information we've given them, meds, and the like, dates, etc. are gone, or the nurse couldn't find them. How frustrating. We had new data for them, a recent bone density test. What we are doing (Dr. Jenn, our naturopath) with supplements: calcium, vitamin D, iron, etc., are doing their work. We've gotten more things to assist in the side effects of the supplement (the iron causes constipation) and it isn't simple.

He had it in his left side, they try to change hips.
Ventrogluterally

After the nurse left, she couldn't just give JB the needle yet, as she needed orders on the computer. Also, with the new regulations they needed two nurses to sign off on the meds, even though WE bought it and brought it to the hospital. It's a dual sign off in the new protocols.

In came the intern, Dr. C often has them. They take down details, changes, test results, any symptoms. JB asked about his sore head. He and our GP thinks he's bumped it. It's getting better, although he still has some pain. Our GP didn't want to order any more tests until we determined which tests Dr. C might order.

They figure that brain metastasis is unlikely, as his PSA tests are good. Typically, prostate cancer metastasizes to the lymph nodes (which is the case for JB), then the bones and outer organs. His PSA test of 0.08 indicates that the Lupron is keeping the cancerous cells from growing, and he is stable for now. You can see where the PSA tests rose postsurgery in 2013, until the 2017 Lupron injections began.

The next injection will be in January. We will have that done my our GP's office, and the nurse practitioner in Perth. Then back to Ottawa for April's injection. Dr. C has no intention of ordering any more scans while JB's number is so low. The bone mineral density test altitude was better than the last test! This is good.

13:00 we were done

I remember when they built this building. That's how long we've been going, after surgery in 2013. It seems to be a Bell building. We made appointments for the spring and we were off.


These folks were doing selfies!

13:35 on the road again

We managed to find parking, although earlier in the day they do get full. 

Back through Ottawa, I like this newer home. We drove along through Elizabeth Park, a nice residential area, better than driving on the busier roads.


We saw the signs, and the train tracks. I realized this is the new light rail transit (LRT) in Ottawa. It opened in September.


Elizabeth Park signage.


I got us out of the city. At The Swan JB took over driving. We decided to head for Smiths Falls for lunch.


They are building something in Kars next to the funeral home, where my ex-husband's visitation took place. I used to teach gr. 6 in Kars, at Rideau Valley Middle School.


Look at the pumpkins!!!


And the trees still delight!


More signage.

14:55 Smiths Falls

We went into the Axe and Arrow and had a nice 'lunch', happy our trip was nearly over. I had wine. Seriously.
They play old movies on the TV screen!

16:14 home again

We hunkered down at home with the cats. Annabelle, I think, gave me a tick. JB ran and fetched some tape, and I stuck it to it! They are down this year. See my data here: 🕷️TICKS 2019.

In other news, 🏤LANARK LIFESTYLES was open on October 1st.  I've been photographing it during the build!

🛠️BALA HYDRO DAM is being tested, finally!

Tree frogs

It's that time of year.

I've been bringing plants indoors. We have a frost warning this week.
Traditionally, the tree frog hitches a ride. I found him last year. We'll see what happens this year. I heard him singing last night.

The plant was a gift from JB's aunt who was downsizing.

They are adorable as wee ones!

I didn't need to make another video this year.  This was four years ago. (Daisy's since been rehomed for attacking Hooper.) She was curious.


I looked everywhere that year! This is Dorah a few years ago (2012?). You can see the new pond pump on the deck. It's on its way, the new one. I hope it arrives Friday.

And in February, two years ago! I fed him meal worms that year. He was indoors from October, and then began moving around in April. I THINK he went up the fireplace chimney that year. I'm not certain.

Rainy fall...

Wow. We've been having quite a bit of rain: yesterday 14 mm, and it is raining today. There were thunderboomers, again, and power outages across the province. We escaped. We had power, although we did have to reset the clocks.


I'm glad I was out and about the previous day. The goldfish pond is full, which is a shame, because once my new aquarium filter pump arrives (Friday?), I'll have to bring fishies in. That means draining it a bit at a time, as there is always one stubborn fish. Eleven fish, I have to remember...

I found that the bugs are still on the milkweed, despite the leaves being stripped by monarch caterpillars and milkweed bugs. It was quite a meeting!


I wanted to liberate a stump from the forest. It's a tree that grew on a 'nanny tree,' and the curve in the trunk reflected that. The birch tree is still standing, but as the stump rots the support for the other trees is gone. The photos are from March, 2019.
 
I found meself on the trailcam bringing it back.

The trick was to chop off the rest of the tree branches with the reciprocal saw, which I did. Then I could lift it. I popped it in a garden, it looks rather cool.

While I was at it, I took the wagon down to lot #3 to liberate some rocks from the forest. Whilst there, I found a total of three red efts.
 

In case you are wondering, I did not pick them up. (My hands were clean.) I covered them back up carefully. However, an archive photo, a red eft:

The eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) is a common newt of eastern North America. The red eft (juvenile) stage is a bright orangish-red in color, with darker red spots outlined in black.

a red eft

I brought this triangular-shaped rock back to the garden. The rocks shift as trees grow around it. 

Yay, fall.

Fall chores

My back has been iffy in the mornings. Oh, the aches and creaks of old age! I'm happy gardening season is over, as I shut down the property. I judiciously choose what I chop down, or leave standing. There are beautiful photos from fellow gardeners who leave plants standing, to be dusted with snow.

My major chore is to bring in the goldfish. This is a challenge. I've been watching the two-week forecast, as it is miserable working in the pond in the damp and cold. The first prediction was from Sept. 24, the next Sept. 26, and Sept. 30th.
Finally, Sept. 29th, I filled the fish tank with cold well water. It did not go well.

I have 11 fish to bring in. My process was halted as the aquarium pump began leaking Sunday night. Checking it every half hour, I thought I had fixed it. I can't bring the fish in without a pump going. (Goldfish are quite the poopers!)
We ordered a new pump. It ought to arrive Friday. Deep breath. I was up late Sunday drying up water. The basement ceiling did not fare well. I took some meds to sleep...

In the meantime...



Annabelle has had her fall shearing. There was a bit of growlies, but I've been forgiven.

There are lots of mushrooms and fungi all over the forest.


Speaking of the forest...
Sadly, Hooper brought us another rabbit. I rescued the carcass and put it out at the farthest trailcam.
The raccoon had a good feed. The porcupine just ambled on past.
While Butch has been at the carcass for two days, the coyote finished it off. It's the cycle of life.  The red fox has been around in the meadow.

The buck is still around, digging scrapes to mark his territory. He could smell what was here.



Here is a bit of a view of the snow out west. Waterton, Alberta were the winners with 95 cm of snow.

At least one area of Alberta has received 80 cm of snow, with the chance for higher elevations to see over 100 cm by Monday.

📸: @nicole_penton #ShareYourWeather #ABstorm #SKstorm

— The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) September 29, 2019

We had major thunderstorms this morning at 5:30. It woke us up. The power flickered, but we're good.  I'm happy it's not snow! Although, there are warnings as the storm from out west moves on here.


And the election process continues.