clarere audere gaudere

I slept very well last night, thanks in part to some pills. I'm not crazy about them, but they help. I remember when they were first proposed I objected to them and was refusing to take them. But my friend Valerie talked sense and got me to understand that taking the meds when I needed them was better than sticking to my idea of avoiding extra pills and not taking them- Since then, I take the extras when I need them and I can often stop them after a few days. Much better than suffering for days and being a nuisance to others because I'm tired and cranky!

I'm again a dog bed today. This morning, Jerry climbed into my lap over my protests and curled up to be petted. Then I had my radiation planning appointment at the hospital, and since we got home he's been snoring in my lap and snuggling affectionately on me. If I get up to go to the bathroom, he shadows me! He's apparently decided that I need lots of extra affection and attention . If he spots another dog, he banks loudly, as if to be everyone know that he's there and he's powerful. Silly boy.

My appointment was a lot faster than I expected. I arrived at noon, and by 12:35 I was on the way back home. That was great, as my next appointment is a phone call at 2:45. I was a bit worried that I might have been late for that- my appointments have often been of unpredictable lengths! I explained to the tech that since the pandemic began, I've become claustrophobic in MRI scans. I hope ther I will get past that, but I was concerned that I might be assigned to the Tomo machine, which is almost as coffin-like as the MRI machine.. I was reassured that I'm not on Tomo, but on one where the machine revolves around me, so it's more open. That was a huge relief! I feel silly about the claustrophobia, because it's so unusual for me. But the staff at TO HCC are so good with patients that they help me overcome the reactions. In the almost-10 years that I've been in their care, I've only met 2 unpleasant receptionists, and no difficult or rude nurses, orderlies, or other staff. They are great!

Woo! This was a busy day. I had the planning scan, then I was scheduled to have a phone consultation with the orthopaedic surgeon at 2:30-his resident never called until 4:00! And he didn't apologize, either-so I'll have to retract my blanket praise just after I wrote it! And my third, but most important, session was an interview with my niece, who had a class assignment to discuss topics with her role model. I'm blushing, proud and humble-it means that I'll have to remember to set good examples and not be a warning! We chatted for almost 2 hours! I learned quite a lot about how she thinks, and I continue to be amazed by her_ It's utterly brilliant! In some ways, she's a lot like me, and it's astonishing, given that I don't see her as often as I'd like! In other ways she's so very different. I'm so happy about the fact that she wants to spend time with me. An entire season of "How to make Auntie Sonja's day" would be me, spending time with my goalkids, nieces and nephews! It's absolutely wonderful!

I'm having another early night. I'm loving the sleep that's becoming slightly more regular. It would be marvellous to be. less tired during the day. I hope that you get good rest and have a great weekend!