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Monday, June 30, 2003
Caught a little too much sun yesterday as we sat in the back yard enjoying the glorius weather here in Edmonton, which continues today and hopefully for the rest of the week. And as I sat there reading Lord Of The Rings on my new chaise lounger I couldn't help think how great this was to have a couple of months off and be ordered to do nothing but relax and take it easy. The guilt swept over me for all of two seconds and I then went back to my reading. But I am truely grateful that my recovery seems to be progressing so quickly and with having a clean bill of health after the surgery I can really enjoy the time off without having to worry about further treatments. As I mentioned in a previous post, we are planning to head to Saskatchewan this weekend for my niece's wedding. Chris, Nikki and I are going to leave Friday morning and take a liesurely drive down to the Cypress Hills via Drumheller to pick Sandi up from Eagle's Nest Ranch and then proceed to Regina from there. Dianne, Angela and Lee are going to leave Friday afternoon after work, stopping in Saskatoon overnight to meet us in Sedley on Saturday. Then, after the wedding, we will all head back on Sunday making it a real whirlwind tour as some people have to be back at work on Monday. I will be taking the camera, of course, so I hope to have a few shots up on the site early next week.
I have put a link to Loni Well's website to the left for anyone interested in hearing her story. She is the daughter of some friends of ours who is facing some serious health problems and needs an immediate kidney transplant. There was an article about her in the Edmonton Journal last Saturday which included a picture of our Sandi and there has also been other articles on TV as well as in print. I've reproduced the article here.Please take some time to check out the site and add your prayers to the rest of us for Loni's recovery. Saturday, June 28, 2003
Just trying out this link button. Here is a link to the IHS Orchestra page where there is some info on the recent BBC project done in London last month. Check it out.
Well here we are at the July long weekend for 2003, and what a weekend it's shaping up to be. The sun is out and it's fairly warm and even the wind is quite moderate. So hopefully it will remain this way for the next few days. I think this is the first time in a lot of years that I have had the whole long weekend off and with Dianne not having to be back to work till Wednesday it almost seems like a holiday. What shall we do?
I am feeling better with each passing day and have been even doing a few things I shouldn't . I got into trouble yesterday when Dianne came home and found me fixing the lawnmower. She got real upset when I started lifting heavy boxes of a shelf and so I was given a spanking and sent to my room. Well, it needed to be fixed, the lawn is a mess. So today I helped Dianne clean up the yard by doing the edge trimming after she had mowed the grass. It did feel good to get outside. This afternoon we are thinking of heading downtown to catch a little Jazz City action. There is this new button on the tool bar that says link. I guess it's part of the new Blogger front end that allows you to add a link within your post without having to remember the messy HTML code that you had to put in before. I will have to give it a try. Thursday, June 26, 2003
Blogger was down all yesterday while they migrated the page to a new interface program which is supposed to be easier and more stable. We'll see about that. Anyway I was unable to report on my first day being untethered. The catheter came out in the morning yesterday and I immediately felt 100% better. The increased mobility is marvelous. I am moving around quite a bit faster now even though there is still some slight pain. Hopefully now I can get out and do some walking to get the energy level back up. Dealing with the incontinence problem has been interesting. We are experimenting with different types of pads and diapers which in a bizarre sort of way is fascinating as it's amazing what these things will soak up for the size they are. I am finding that I already have a certain amount of control and I'm hoping that it won't take long before everything is back to "normal".
Sandi is now back at Eagles Nest Ranch in the Cypress hils for the summer, so it will be a little bit quieter around the house, but I'm sure Nikki will make up for that. She just finished writing her final exams and is already having all night parties with her friends. We are totally miffed at the Edmonton Jazz City this year as they are not having the same free concerts in the square downtown that we have come to enjoy through the years. The one year that I am not working through Jazz City and there's nothing to see. I'd love to be able to afford to pay for some of the big name concerts on the main stages but that gets a little out of reach. So now I think I'll put on my hat and goggles and go for a walk in the wind. Tuesday, June 24, 2003
Test
I've spent the last couple of days slaving over the last two months of bank statements to get the books up to date and still have a lot to go. All this to tell me how much we are in the hole??
Tomorrow I go in to get the "biffy buddy" removed. It will be nice to have freedom finally from the assorted plumbing that has been attached to me for the last week and a half. The pampers are piled up on the dresser ready to go and I'm looking for a large sized bib and soother to complete the ensemble. I've been getting around the house pretty good lately without too much pain and hopefully should be able to get back behind the wheel of the car soon. We are looking forward to a trip to Saskatchewan for a wedding in early July so I am just wondering how a long trip like that will be for me. Hopefully we can split it up over a couple of days. Well, the sun dared to come out today, of course everyone's at work, but it's still pretty chilly so I don't think I'll venture out to the lounger just yet. I'll maybe wait until the icicles have had a chance to melt off. Sunday, June 22, 2003
What is it with living in Edmonton that saya we have to put up with crappy weather? After one or two relatively hot days last week, we have been plunged under the shadow of cloudy, rainy skies with cool temperatures and lots of wind. I know, I'm complaining about the weather again, but just once I would like to go through the seasons of the year and not have to have a blanket on the bed for each one of them. July, my favourite summer month, is just around the corner. Let's hope we have a chance to get out of doors during it.
This morning I ventured off the property for the first time since coming home with a trek to church. It was good to see lots of friends who have been praying for me and to rejoice with them in the good news of my surgery. Tomorrow I have sort of set aside as the day I get caught up on my banking bookwork as I have let it slide for a couple of months. I do not look forward to this as I am sure we are greatly overdrawn with all the reno expenses and after just paying our yearly property tax portion to Ceasar Smith, the coffers are looking a tad empty. Perhaps the sun will shine tomorrow and give me excuses to take long breaks to enjoy it. Friday, June 20, 2003
I have a couple of good reports to pass on to the faithful Chronicle readers. #1. Regularity Rules! The plumbing seems to be working again! Nuff' said about that as #2 is way more important. #2. Moments ago our family doctor called to see how I was doing and said that she had received a copy of the pathology report of the biopsies taken during my surgery. There is no sign of any cancer outside the capsule of the prostate! This is the news we have been waiting for and I can assure you there are some moist eyeballs in the Chronicle household tonight. I will be seeing the urologist on Wednesday and expect to get confirmation on this at that time. We will have to follow up with monthly PSA tests for a while to make sure everything remains clear but in the meantime we are all rejoicing. Thursday, June 19, 2003
It amazes me what a person will go through by way of image degradation in the name of comfort. In order to be comfortable with my present body modifaction and assorted attachments, I have taken to wearing extra large baggy shorts and ugly plaid lounging pants. Dianne has been combing the racks at Zellers for this stuff which the normal self appreciating fellow would not be caught dead in. I look forward to making a run to the Salvation Army drop off box with a large garbage bag in the near future.
I have delightfully plunged back into the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, something I had promised myself while I have some time on my hands. Inasmuch as my hat goes off to Peter Jackson for a superb interpretation of the story, the movies do not hold a candle to the books. While I am reading I am constantly reminded of the brilliant pictorial way Tolkien paints his way through the adventures and even on the sixth or seventh reading (I can't remember which) I'm continually blown away at how fresh and richly detailed the story is. Of course I'll probably drag out the Fellowship of the Ring DVD along the way for a little dessert. My ambulatory ability seems to be improving with each passing day and now I am able to climb the basement stairs with ease, albiet without much speed, and getting around the house and in and out of bed does not pose much of a problem at least not one where I require someone to spot me. There is one niggly little issue I am having, however. Since having a fairly good movement after coming home Tuesday, there hasn't been much activity in the plumbing department since and I'm a tad concerned. I'm starting to eat a little more so there should be something. I'm taking Telenol 3's which have a tendency to cause constipation so I'm trying to drink lots of fluids to keep the system lubricated, but so far I have spent lots of time in the throne room with not much to show for it. I was contemplating posting a few shots of my incision but in the interests of human decency I thought better of it. Instead I'll show you some of the marvelous flower arrangements and gift baskets that have come our way with much appreciation.  .Wednesday, June 18, 2003
Sorry about that test post, I was having more trouble with blogger.
This morning I awoke and was feeling much better. I spent a very restful day just reading, listening to music and going for walks around the house. The only problem I have now is not being able to "fix" things as I make my rounds and getting used to hauling my "biffy buddy" along wherever I go. Fortunately the catheter will be coming out next Wednesday but that will open up a new can of worms in the form of bladder control issues. I never thought I would pay so much attention to a "Depends" commercial. On Wednesday we hope we will get the results of the pathology report on whether the cancer had spread beyond the prostrate. The doctor removed some lymph nodes and the indication was that they were clear, which is a good sign. He is being cautiously optomistic. The report next week will indicate whether further treatment is required. But for now my main goal is to recover from the surgery and get back on my feet.
Testing
This is my second attempt at this posting tonight as the first one got eaten by Blogger, so I hope I remember what I wrote. Anyway, I am now back home after my stay in the hospital and I thought I'd better dust off the keyboard and get the Chronicle back online.
First of all I would just like to extend a deep heartfelt thank you to all who sent the many calls, cards, gifts, flowers and well wishes for my speedy recovery. It really helped keep my spirit up at the level it needed to be to go through this. For those who were not kept up to speed by Dianne's e-mail bulletins here is a brief review: I went into the hospital on Friday for the removal of the prostate and after a two hour operation which I was told went very well, I was back in my room high on morphine. Things went pretty smoothly for the next couple of days as I attempted to get my sea legs. I was finally able to get out of bed and sit for a while and was even able to take a liesurely stroll to the door. They removed the morphine drip and I kind of nose dived for a while until we got the pain under control with the Tylenol 3's. The next big challenge was getting my bowels working and once that happened there was great rejoicing. I progressed well and was able to take long walks down the hall. They let me out on good behaviour on Tuesday morning after removing the railroad track from the front of my stomach. The trip home was tiring after having to walk to the car and after driving home I took a much needed shower which really wiped me out. I then spent the rest of the afternoon in bed and was able to get up for the evening and even entertain some visitors before heading to bed for a hopefully restful sleep. Saturday, June 07, 2003
The bedroom is finished, the new furniture is in place and once again the world is revolving in greased grooves. We are just waiting for the dresser mirror and one of the night tables, which are on back order, to be delivered and then I will take a few photos and post them here. We are also looking into getting some snazzy new form of window covering instead of the old time worn venetians. We are very pleased with the results and are glad we are finally finished. However, it still feels like we are staying in a bed and breakfast when waking up every morning to the new surroundings.
I am now a week away from surgery and last week went for the pre admission briefing to get the lowdown on what to expect. It appears I have to stop eating for about four days. Won't that be fun! Nonetheless, it will be good to get it all over with and then get home to rest up. I have two midnight shifts to pull starting tomorrow night and then I am done at work for a couple of months. Angela had some wisdom teeth pulled last week and spent the next couple of days in bed recovering. She resembled a huge squirrel with a winter's supply of nuts in her cheeks while the swelling subsided. I am hoping within the nest few weeks to get some more picture galleries up on the site. With the new camera, it is a breeze to shoot and post and most people enjoy a good picture of something rather than me blathering on trying to describe it. Sunday, June 01, 2003
As you may know from reading this page, we have been up to our eyballs in renovations for the past couple of weeks. The bedroom is all but done with just a few minor touch ups here and there. The piece de resistance will be arriving on Wednesday in the form of a brand new bedroom suite that has been 25 years in the waiting. After ditching our trusty old waterbed last year we have been pondering what to get to replace it. We got a new mattress and now we will have a super new bed with matching dresser, mirror, chest and two night stands. Not that I'm all that fussy about where I lay my sleepy head, but my heart is starting to go pitter pat with anticipation.
We are also going to get our yard work completed professionally for a reasonable price. However, work won't start until sometime in August so the yard will continue to look like ground zero and the neighbours will think...well, to heck with what the neighbours think. With two weeks and counting to surgery day, you can look forward to some meaningful and thought provoking posts on this site as I will have all the time in the world to come up with all kinds of earth shattering revelations, or I could just tell you every day how totally bored I am. Stay tuned. For an absolutely incredible example of patience streched to the limit check out "cog." This is a two minute commercial for Honda that took four days and 606 takes to get right. And no, there is no trick photography or computer generated animation here. What you see actually happened. And read some of the articles to find out how this was done.
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