Another slow week at the Lodge. I can’t wait to go home. It will happen soon enough.
Last Sunday, July 28 was spent sleeping mostly. Both MA and I slept until after 12:00 PM. I had a really hard time getting out of bed as it was so comfortable and I was really tired. We did finally get out and about as we needed to clean up the condo and head back to the Lodge. We had a very late breakfast and then packed up our stuff and brought it to the car. This took longer than I had anticipated as it was close to 5:00 by the time the car was packed. While I waited in the car, MA did some last minute cleanup as our hosts were on their way home and I may have needed to move the car to allow them to park in their spot. MA met me in the car and we were headed out of the garage when, on the last corner, we saw our hosts, Yvon and Claudine coming in. We parked the car and chatted with them for a little while. We got to see their new bulldog, Jax. He is a pretty cute 6 year old dog who they rescued just a week ago from someone in Ottawa. We got back to the Lodge and ate some of our leftovers from the weekend for dinner.
Most of the week at the lodge was pretty uneventful. Freeze each time we go for a meal and try to warm up for the next few hours. I am getting somewhat better at warming up. Sometimes, I go outside to warm up in the sun, sometimes I go under the covers of my bed with my new hoodie and/or with a tuque. My last day with a fever was on Monday, July 29. After that, though I would still get chills, my temperature would never go higher than 38C. This is good news as it was a bit worrisome up until then since I did not want to need to go back to the hospital for any reason other than appointments.
The highlights on Tuesday, July 30, were the ringing of the gong and the music night. Friends that we met at the lodge, Brian and Sue, were in town again on Tuesday to celebrate Brian’s last radiation therapy. We met them at PMH that morning and watched as Brian went through his last of 35 radiations. Once complete, the receptionist at the main waiting room handed him a baton so that he could ring the gong. Boy, did he ever. I was surprised by the strength he had when he hit it. I think everyone jumped from their seats. It was great to see! I am not one to start a rumor but I think I saw Eugene Melnyk there as well. If you do not know him, he is the owner (and killer) of the Ottawa Senators. I had not heard that he was going through treatments so it was a surprise for me to see him there. Naturally, I did not get a chance to talk to him as he was very shy, especially once we pulled out a camera to take a picture of Brian. Maybe his treatments will force him to sell the team to an owner who wants a quality product on the ice, one can only hope. Later that evening, a couple who stays at the Lodge and plays music on Tuesdays walked into the cafeteria. We saw them in July but, at that time, they said that they would not be coming back for 3 weeks as he did not have any appointments until then. I was not sure if it was going to be the week we were there so I was glad to see them at dinner prior to the music night as it confirmed for us that they would be playing that evening. Once again, MA and I got our couch for the show and they did not disappoint again this week.
It was just another boring day on Wednesday, July 31. We were hoping to maybe do some bingo in the evening but that did not happen. However, on Thursday, Aug 1, we decided to head to the Hockey Hall of Fame for the afternoon. Though I did not have much energy, we were hopeful that we could reserve the only wheelchair they have available. Unfortunately, it was already in use so I went without after some careful reservation. I was not sure I had enough energy to spend the whole afternoon on my feet. We tried to break it up by attending some of the shows where there were seats. We looked at the artifacts and checked out the games they had available. We stayed until about 3:30 PM and by the time I called it, I was really tired and was having issues with my eyes. I suspected that some of the lights in the last exhibit were getting to me. We headed out and hailed an Uber home. My eyes got better on the ride home. Once there, I tried to catch a nap before dinner but could not sleep.
Friday, Aug 2, was appointment day. I needed to give blood for 9:30 AM before visiting with the doctor at 10:30. Because of the shuttle schedules, I decided that we would take the 8:00 AM shuttle to the hospital and was able to give blood right away. MA and I went for breakfast. We had been eyeballing this one place that was near the hospital as it seemed to have a very good breakfast for the price. We arrived at the restaurant and ordered the breakfast special, 3 eggs, 2 toast, bacon and home fries for $8.99. I did not realize that it did not come with coffee so that was extra. Breakfast was good but the bacon was very salty. Not sure I would go back but at least I can say that I went. We went to the doctor’s office to check in and wait. We did not wait long as our clinical nurse saw us almost right away. My vitals were good but my weight was down again so there was some concern with that as they suspect that I may be dehydrated. They keep telling me that I need to drink 2L of water every day to keep hydrated. I drink way more than that so I reminded them how little I am eating lately but they seem not to be concerned with that. My white blood counts were lower so they decided to prescribe me some injections for the next 3 days to help improve them. After our visit with the nurse, we filled the prescription and headed up to the 15th floor to drop off a thank you card to the nurses. I wanted to thank them for all that they did while I was in the hospital. Then, it was off to the shuttle to go back to the Lodge while we waited for the prescription to be filled. It was not going to be ready until 11:30 AM so MA decided she would get some exercise and go pick it up. Well, it was not ready when they said it would be and they were not planning it do be done until 12:30! Luckily I was not there, as I would have been screaming at them. MA was able to get them to “rush” it so she was able to get it by 12:00 PM. I picked up her lunch to ensure that she had one as sometimes they run out quickly. She arrived around 12:20 and we were able to have lunch together. After lunch, we packed up the car to head back to the condo for the long weekend. On our way, we stopped for some groceries and unpacked them at the condo upon our arrival. Once MA made the bed, we both took a nap. We slept well and then she made hamburgers for dinner, which we enjoyed on the deck. After dinner, I stayed home to watch football while MA went out to visit High Park.
Some time this weekend, we plan to visit with my uncle Richard and his fiancé Leslie while we spend the rest of it relaxing at the condo. On Wednesday, a CT and PET scans are scheduled which will provide results on how well the CAR-T cell therapy is going so far. Will be seeing the doctor on Friday with more blood and lumbar fluid to give at the same time. From there, we will see what the upcoming plans will be. Hopefully, they will tell me I can finally go home, a bit early. At this point, it is looking that the earliest I can go home could be Aug 12. Crossing fingers! It would be great as we really miss our kids and our dog and the house, and….
As I mentioned when I started, it has been a very boring week with not much excitement. Next week will hopefully provide a bit more excitement. Until next time.