Learning and understanding

  I had a follow-up appointment with one of my doctors this week. It's that time of year when doctors have residents meet with patients first, then come in to finalize treatment plans. I have to admit that I'm somewhat spoiled, and I really prefer to see my doctor and not a substitute, no matter how enthusiastic or learned they are. Mostly because I have to review my medical history-and my 23 medications- and they (subconsciously) remind me that I'm actually really sick, no matter how healthy I look or pretend to be! On a hot day like today, breathing is challenging. It's frustrating because I have to stop in the middle of doing things just to catch my breath..Doing what? You ask. Well, my friend and former colleague stopped by and dropped off a baker's dozen of corn! Farm fresh and delicious! So I cooked some last night, and today I shucked the rest and put them on to boil. The corn is lovely, fresh and very sweet. Delicious! We're very happy with them Summer i...

Previous .!-' I had my physiotherapist visit today. she took me for a walk (without the furry dictator!) to assess my mobility and balance_She says that I've improved considerably since she was last here 3 weeks ago, so it's encouraging. I've got another couple of sessions that are covered by the hospital. When that's done I could switch to paying for therapy myself if I think that I need more support. We'll deal with that when we get there, in a month or so. Jerry is sulking on my lap today because I was outside without him. Worse, his house was invaded by 2 lots of people who came in, made him get locked up while they were doing stuff and didn’t give him any treats!  It’s behaviour that’s completely unacceptable to tiny dictators who are in charge of households.   My beliefs have  undergone several revisions over time but many of my core tenets are unchanged. I've often considered that some people are involved in religious groups for the status.  Religion ...

  I attended my first post-lockdown party today. It was a Hawaiian-themed 17th birthday for a young man who I knew before he was a twinkle in his mother's eye. She was my first hairdresser when I moved to Canada all those years ago, and we became friends. I look back at the last 20+ years, and I am again amazed at the passage of time! I remembered when we were told of the impending arrival of this young man, and planned excitedly for his coming. It was also lovely to have a chance to catch up with my friend, her mom, and the rest of the family. We haven't, of course seen anything of each other in the last 18-20 months, and the lifting of restrictions yesterday meant a chance to gather in her back yard and interact at a safe distance. I'm honestly delighted to be able to celebrate with them, and to share in these family moments.  I'm touched that my friends have made it possible for me to share  their family moments over the past 20+ years that I've been in Canada. I...

It’s been a tiring and painful day.   I had a follow-up with my palliative care doctor and the orthopedic surgeon today. Turns out that I have tendinosis . Not tendinitis, of which I've heard. I've managed, yet again, to find the rarer and less usual form of a condition! I also. have (or it may be related) a torn tendon. He thinks that it's a repetitive stress injury daring from before the surgery, caused by my over compensating for the weakness in my legs by using my shoulders /arms to grip and thereby put pressure on my left shoulder. It's amazing how the body manages to compensate for all kinds of conditions.  I must stress that this is not the time for Dr. Google addicts to came to the aid of the party. While l take my energy to recover from this very painful shoulder, I’m going to ask them to focus on keeping my body together.. The doctors joked that I've got a larger team than a formula one race car, since I've got so many specialists..   More details to ...