Medical

Another too-hot day, she’s at it again, and saying good bye?

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As expected, today broke 30C/86F. I don’t know what the humidex was. I was outside by 7am, watering the garden and it was starting to get too hot before I finished. It’s past 7:30pm now, and it’s just barely starting to dip below 30C/86F now.

I do have to chuckle a bit about when I do the outside cat feeding these days, both morning and evening now. There are at lest 4 little skunks that come out almost right away. I found myself with an extra tray that I ended up setting under the rail I hang the end of the hose from as an extra kibble and cat soup tray. After feeding the cats and getting ready to water the garden, there was a little skunk under the hose. I used it to rinse off the soup bucket, and it didn’t turn away. It got all foot stompy and chittering, but didn’t run. It was famished and kept eating, clearly struggling between wanting to run away and eating.

Which is the only reason I don’t chase them away. These little ones are famished – and I’m not seeing a mama with them. I suspect something got the mama and, right now, we might be their only reliable source of food. I am not setting out any extra for them, but I can’t begrudge a hungry baby its sustenance. They get along with the cats and, other than leaving poop in the sun room, they don’t make a mess or cause damage. So I let them eat. I only chase them off if the big one comes out and starts bullying the littles. Pretty sure that one is a big male.

Meanwhile…

I got a couple of calls from my mother this afternoon.

*sigh*

I had to hang up on her, the first time.

I saw the call display, so I knew it was her when I answered, but when I said hello, there was nothing. I said hello again. Still nothing. I checked to make sure the line was still open, and it was. I said hello again, and she finally answered.

???

We had barely said our hellos when she started. I’d asked how she was doing, and she started talking about all the commotion outside her window from the “big celebration”. This would be the annual festival that has been happening in this town for more than 100 years, and has been getting bigger and bigger over the past two or three decades. An entire “village” with historical re-enactments gets set up in the park next to the nursing home, and the parking normally used for fishing boats or people parking at the marine across the road gets set up with at least a dozen food trucks – and this isn’t even the main event area! All the carnival rides, stage performances and indoor exhibitions are at another park, across town.

“Across town” being about 4 blocks.

When she mentioned it, I told her I knew it was on – and that it was why I was not going anywhere near town today or tomorrow.

She then started saying she thought the parade was happening tomorrow (it is), and that I should “bring the children”. I needed to “bring the children” and get them around people. Get “the children” doing things.

I finally cut her off and said, “they’re not children. They’re adults.”

She just doubled down. I needed to take “the children” to see the parade.

Never mind that we’ve never really liked parades. Never mind that both daughters have health problems and one of them almost died not that long ago. We’ve only told my mother they have health problems, because we know she doesn’t care, and couldn’t understand it anyhow. So she doesn’t know the details, but she does know that none of us are well. The last time she called was when she wanted me to come visit and I had to tell her I’d just come back from the ER. She didn’t ask anything about it. She just kept hammering at me that I needed to take “the children” to the parade.

As she kept going, I told her to stop.

She didn’t.

I told her to stop again.

She ignored me.

I said good bye and hung up.

The entire call was less than 1 minute.

I had started to update my brother and SIL when the phone rang again. It was my mother, so I answered.

I got a dial tone. She hung up before I had a chance to pick up.

So I finished updating my family on the group chat we have specifically for discussions about our mother, when the phone rang again. It was my mother. I answered and said hello.

Nothing.

Hello?

Nothing.

Hello?

She finally said hello.

She then spoke as if the last call never happens. This time, she launched into how she wanted me to come over so she could give me money. “Lots” of money, so I could buy her some fruit. For some reason, she really felt she needed fruit.

I told her again, I was not going into town today. At the earliest, I could go tomorrow afternoon.

Not today?

No. Not today. Tomorrow afternoon at the earliest – partly because the streets in front of the grocery store will be closed off for the parade.

Oh, as long as the grocery store is open.

…

Then she started listing off the other things she wanted me to bring. One, her oscillating fan, I can do. The other two items would require digging past other stores items blocking the way, and digging through boxes. One of them was an old radio that she is convinced will be magically able to get the radio station she wants, even though it’s not any better than the radio she already has. When I told her no, it was in storage, and I can’t get at it, she wanted to know why. Was it locked? I couldn’t exactly explain to her that I have so many things from her apartment here, we can barely used our own living room. I just said, there are other things in the way and I can’t get at it.

She did, eventually, accept that.

Then she told me she didn’t know how to turn the light off on her phone. The light by the neck strap. As near as I can figure out, it’s the built in flashlight. She somehow turned it on, and now doesn’t know how to turn it off. She keeps pushing buttons, she says, but it won’t turn off.

I told her, don’t button mash!

Then she told me she had tried to phone my sister, then my brother, and tried to phone me, but was only able to reach me.

Which explains the earlier non-call.

She doesn’t know how to use the phone. She needs a “real” phone. I told her, my brother got her the simplest, easiest phone he could. He and I had looked at all kinds of phones, and he picked the easiest one for her. Oh, she leaves the technology to my brother.

*sigh*

Oh, and it’s been a long time since my brother visited, and did I know where he was?

I told her, he’s been busy trying to fix their car – which is true, but he’d come out here to fix his tractor, too. I wasn’t going to tell her that. Especially since the part he got turned out to not work so they went back to the city this morning – I saw them drive by while I was watering the garden. They didn’t get back until this evening.

I told her I would pass on to my brother and my sister about her wanting fruit, so whoever got to her first could bring something. Amazingly, she actually let me go shortly after that.

After messaging my brother and texting my sister, I finished eating my supper then headed outside.

As I was finishing setting out the kibble and the cat soup, I saw Batman, loafed in front of the sun room door. I stepped outside and pet him and he didn’t move so, right away, I knew something was wrong. He normally runs away.

When I came back, he was still there. I picked him up and put him near a tray with cat soup in it. When I came back moments later, he was loafed again, and using the edge of the tray as a pillow, barely breathing. I don’t think he ate.

At this point, I just tried to make him as comfortable as possible, and gave him pets. He’s never allowed pets before, but he seemed to appreciate them. Every now and then, I’d come back and find he’d moved a bit. When I found him next to the water bowl, I found a shallow water bowl and set it beside him with fresh water. I don’t think he drank.

After a while, I set up a soft bed for him, instead of the hard concrete, but later found he’d gotten off, then lay on the concrete.

I don’t think he’ll last until morning.

The only external evidence of illness that I can see is on his back end, where he’d clearly had done some messy business, but just as clearly, it was not recent.

I kept checking on him as I got things done. We had high winds today, so I walked around the yard with the wagon to pick up fallen branches, mostly from the willows. It was too hot for some of the jobs I meant to do, and too windy for others, but I did get the folding table out of the garage and set up behind the kibble house. I brought the canopy tent over, too, but it was too windy to set it up. Over the next while, I hope to be able to empty the sun room and give it a proper cleaning, and some things need to stay out of the weather. I also expect to be harvesting the garlic soon, and I’ll be hanging them to cure across the inside of the tent.

With the heat, the garden needed another watering, but it was still too hot. I went inside, planning to rest and hydrate before going out again, but by then, the pain was kicking in and I knew I wouldn’t be able to. My older daughter, sweetheart that she is, went out to do it for me.

As for myself, I’ve taken my tramadol, and it doesn’t seem to be doing a thing. In fact, the pain has been getting worse as I have been writing this.

My daughter just came by to update me. She has seen Batman moving around but, being covered in bug spray, she didn’t want to touch him. I’ve been warned he is now directly under the door between the old kitchen and the sun room, so to watch my step. Also, she had to chase both a skunk and a racoon out of the sun room! She also had a chance to talk to my brother while she was watering the garden, which is nice. Since she works nights, she doesn’t get a chance to see them much.

As soon as I’m done writing this, I’m going to have to take my evening supplements and lie down. Just sitting up at my computer is getting too painful.

I am so looking forward to surgery.

The Re-Farmer

Our 2026 Garden: first tomato, peppers, some cuteness and the status of things

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Well, I’m glad I didn’t head to the city today for our second stock up shop. That will definitely wait until after the long weekend. Not only will I not have to deal with holiday crowds, but Tuesday is supposed to finally be cooler again.

I had an early start to the day, not by choice. It wasn’t pain that woke me up – it was cats going nuts! – though I did immediately get a headache. I don’t normally get headaches, and I don’t know what triggered it.

I topped up the inside cat kibble bowls which calmed them down a little bit, but they’ve been really bonkers lately. Since I was up anyhow, I went out to do the morning feeding and watering of the yard cats.

Look who I spotted!

Sprout’s baby has starting coming to the food bowls in its own, without mom around!

(As an aside, Gouda did show up again. I had a scare with Batman, but he showed up, too. Still no Havarti, no Domino, no Adam and no Flopsy. At this point, it is highly unlikely we will see them again. Others seems to have disappeared, too, among the tabbies we never got to name. All have gone missing in an unusually short time. 😢😢😢)

It was wonderfully cool, heading outside that early in the morning. It helped my headache a bit, at least. I was planning to go straight back to bed, but I found myself not only with the headache, but suddenly famished. As in, feeling nauseous and dizzy and ready to pass out, hungry. Also odd, because I had gone to bed early last night, but got up at around midnight because of the pain my left hip. The painkillers helped with the abdominal pain but did nothing for the wrecked hip. My older daughter was up and working on commissions while it was cooler, and she was kind enough to rub some of the topical painkiller on my hip joint for me. Then she was kind enough to make me some grilled cheese sandwiches. Since I was up anyhow, I turned on the computer and paid the bills. By the time she brought me the food, my hip was no longer hurting, and I could finally sleep. I went back to bed at around two, so it was only about 3-4 hours later that I found myself awake and suddenly famished.

My body is completely out of whack!

My attempt to get more sleep was only half successful. It was disorienting to get up, feeling like it should be coming up on noon, but it was early enough that my alarm to do a wellness check on my husband hadn’t gone off yet.

With having to move the hoses because I knew my SIL was planning to mow the lawn, the garden hadn’t been watered at all for two days. Being slightly cooler today, and the mowing done, I went out to do it early this afternoon. Everything got an extra deep watering today, and I set up the hose into the leaky barrel to do the food forest trees, too. They also got extra water, and the leaking barrel will continue to water the apple, gooseberry and probably the plum, too, slowly as it empties.

When I moved to the south side of the hose to water the garden beds there, I started a little creature and saw a streak of white bolting out from under the water bowl shelter and across the yard.

It was Sprout’s baby! It is starting to come closer to the house for food!!! Progress!!!!

While watering the tomato bed, I spotted a splash of colour.

Orange colour.

Our very first ripe tomato! 😂🤣 This is an Orange Currant tomato which is pretty much an orange version of the Spoon tomatoes we’ve grown before – the one kind of tomato I can eat raw. I didn’t eat this one, though. My daughter had gone to the truck to sew up a split seam on the driver’s seat for me, so I gave it to her.

She said it was very good!

I was getting close to finishing the watering when my brother and SIL arrived. They have their own planned out stuff to do, so I don’t expect to actually see them much while there are here. Especially since I have not been outside anywhere near as much as I normally would be.

Still, by the time I was done watering (which took almost 3 hours), I was feeling pretty good. Good enough that I brought the truck around and my younger daughter helped me load up the garbage and recycling.

Thankfully, she came with me to the dump.

By the time the truck was loaded, I could tell the pain was starting to return. By the time we drove the two miles to the highway, it was getting hard to sit up straight. I was still good to drive, though. When we got to the dump, we stopped at the recycling bins first, and I got out to help my daughter take care of those. By then, I knew I was done. I could get in and out of the truck, but I was not going to be able to throw anything into the pit. So when we drove to the pit, my daughter took care of throwing the garbage bags in while I stayed in the truck.

On the way home, we made a side trip to the general store. The only thing I didn’t get while doing the earlier stock up trip was butter, and I discovered we were almost out. I ended up giving my daughter my debit card so she could run in and get the butter, plus a couple other things, while I stayed in the truck.

When we got home, she asked me to drive into the yard so she could hose down the box of the truck, as one of the kitchen garbage bags had leaked. I was happy to do that, as it meant a shorter walk to the house. While she took care of things, I took some painkillers and hydrated for a while.

My older daughter had started supper and it was ready before we got back, which was much appreciated.

Thankfully, the painkillers actually kicked in, so I was up to heading outside again. I’d forgotten to change out the memory cards on the trail cams yesterday. I no longer switch them out every day, but every week or so, now that we have fewer security concerns. Sad to think that it took our vandal passing away for that to happen, but it really has been a weight lifted off of all of us.

Of course, I just had to check out the garden beds before going back inside. Which is when I spotted something that I’m amazed I hadn’t seen before, while I was watering.

We have peppers. Surprisingly large ones!

These are the California Wonder bell peppers. The biggest plant has these two big peppers on it – one of them is stuck upside down, between stems. I had need tiny peppers forming on other plants, but somehow missed these ones!

Tomorrow is supposed to get quite hot again, so I plan to go to bed extra early to do an early morning watering, and will likely do an evening watering, too. Tomorrows heat is supposed to last from about noon to 8pm, before it starts cooling down. The overnight temperatures, at least, are much more bearable!

Hopefully, that will help with sleep, too.

We shall see!

The Re-Farmer

Morning harvest, didn’t make it, and I think I’m addicted

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So, today didn’t happen as planned, but it sort of happened as expected.

For all that I felt so well yesterday, I had a mostly sleepless night. I finally just got up, fed the outside cats, and did my morning routine. I made sure to bring a container along, as the bush beans had not been harvested yesterday, so I knew there would be plenty to pick, today.

I pretty much filled the colander I was using. It was mostly yellow beans, as we have more plants of those, and they seem to be more prolific, but there were plenty of purple and green pods to pick, too.

Once back inside, I stayed long enough that knew the lab would be open, then headed out. The plan was still to go to Costco after I got my blood work and EKG done, so I made sure to grab ice packs. By the time I got to the hospital, though, I knew I wasn’t going anywhere else. I was just too tired and sleepy, on top of all my joints aching from tossing and turning all night.

At the lab, I was called in very quickly after dropping off my requisition papers. Blood was drawn first, and then it was straight to gown up for the EKG. The test itself took less time than it took to wire me up!

From there, I just stopped to get a bit more gas before heading home, had a light lunch, took some pain killers and tried to lie down.

It didn’t really work. Neither the painkillers, nor the attempt at a nap.

When I finally gave up, I was soon back outside again. It was a bit early, but I went ahead and did the evening cat feeding, as well as refreshing their water bowls and putting in new frozen water bottles. My brother and SIL had their own plans change a few times, but they will be coming out today; while my brother works on his tractor, my SIL planned to start mowing the lawn. It goes a lot faster with their big zero turn mower, that’s for sure! They’ll be going back to the city for the night, though, and coming back tomorrow.

I decided to do a bit of weed trimming.

One area I wanted to get trimmed is what will be a stone framed flower garden near the gate, around my mother’s angel statue. I had already started to place rocks down but wasn’t happy with it. I moved them all aside, then weed trimmed the area before laying them back out in what I think is a better set up. Eventually, soil will be added to make a slightly raised bed, as that area is low and becomes a pond at times. The plan is to sow varieties of flower seeds in there that do better being planted in the fall and going through a winter’s deep freeze.

After that, I did some trimming around the garage and the baler my brother parked beside it. I’ve got my first two logs meant for the outdoor kitchen in there, too, and it’s hard to get in there with a mower, so it was starting to get pretty overgrown.

By the time I was done that area, plus trimming around some rocks in the yard so no one would accidentally go over them with a mower, I was also just plain done. Even this small amount of physical activity has trigged a return of my abdominal pain. Something I’d hoped wouldn’t happen, after not having any of this pain at all yesterday. Even so, I hoped I could rest and go back outside, but as I sit here typing, I’m realizing that this is not going to happen after all.

*sigh*

I did, however, do something else today, for next year’s garden.

I’m starting to think I’m addicted to seeds. 😂🤣

I’d been going through the MI Gardener site last night and even went so far as to start a shopping cart going, but then headed to bed. I don’t actually need more seeds, but I wanted to try some new varieties, fill some gaps, and there was a modest sale on.

Well, today a 40% off seed sale started, so I went back and added a few more things and placed the order.

I am such a sucker for seeds!

This is what I ordered today.

Yes, I got more tomatoes. These mature in only 42 days, hence the name, 42 Day Tomato, which means they can actually be direct sown in the spring rather than started indoors.

I tried another variety of spinach, Verdil. I still have others, but we like spinach, but have not been able to actually get good results for a while. This variety is less prone to bolting.

I also got yet another variety of pepper, Diamond Bell. We’re still working out what varieties the family enjoys most.

The Honey Rock Melon is a short season variety that could also be potentially direct sowed, rather than starting indoors.

The Tendergreen Cucumber can be harvested small for pickling or long for fresh eating, and the girls have expressed a desire for a slicing variety.

I got yet another variety of corn – Double Red Sweet. Not a lot of seeds in the packages, so I got two. I just like the look of them, and like to try something other than your basic yellow corn.

I got even more carrot seeds. I’m coming to the conclusion that we can’t plant too many carrots. I chose an orange variety called Tendersweet, and…

… I got a yellow variety, just for something different.

Yes, I still have Atomic Red carrots, too. Variety is good.

I have had no luck with the tiny bok choi, as they always seem to bolt, so I’ve decided to try a Pak Choi cabbage that is less prone to bolting.

I was looking at the beets and decided to just get another Assorted Beet Mix – and then got another Sugar Beet packet. I still have some, but I want to try growing enough both to try making my own sugar, and to use as chicken feed, when we finally get our birds.

The Black Sesame seed is something I am curious to try, though it might not be next year.

I already got the plain garbanzo beans, and I figured I may as well try the black version, too.

I also wanted to try a new zucchini variety; Bianco Di Trieste. Because we never manage to have “too much” summer squash!

I have so many different types of melon sees, but I couldn’t resist getting some Tendersweet Orange watermelon – another shorter season variety.

I also have quite a few varieties of peas, but decided to try the Wando pea as well. We have yet to grow grow enough peas to do much more than snack on them, so I hope this variety does better. There aren’t a lot of seeds in the packages, so I got two.

I’ve been interesting in growing leeks for some time, and today I finally picked up Carentan Leek; a variety that has a shorter growing season.

And finally, I picked up some Copenhagen cabbage which, if I remember correctly, is the variety of cabbage I bought transplants for when I didn’t think the Purple Savoy cabbage would grow at all. So we will have both varieties again, next year.

Once of the things I’ll be doing closer to fall is going through my entire seed inventory and organizing it into things I can plant in the fall for winter sowing, things that need to be started indoors, and things for direct sowing.

Hopefully, after I’ve had my surgery, I’ll be better able, physically, to build and prepare beds. This forced inactivity is driving me nuts.

If I’m not careful, I might end up buying more seeds again…

I’m not addicted. I can quit at any time! 😂

The Re-Farmer

A Garden Friend, and an update

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I have been out for much of the day, between my medical appointment and the stock up shopping. The stock up shopping will get its own post, later.

This morning, I did the outside cat feeding and my morning rounds, as usual.

Gouda was missing this morning. I do hope I see him when I go out later to water the garden!

I didn’t water this morning, but I did check everything out. While adjusting the melon vines, something moved.

A long, skinny something.

An adorable garden friend!

I just saw the tail at first, and I thought it was going under the mulch but, when I went around the other side to check on the other melon vines, I spotted the head. I was very happy to see the garter snake.

Eat up those slugs and bugs, my slithery friend! Just leave the frogs alone, please!

My appointment with the doctor was at 11:30, and it takes about an hour to get there. I left almost 2 hours early, knowing there was construction along the way. It also gave me enough time to stop at a gas station to pick up an energy drink for the road.

Not gas, though. The price has gone up to $1.819

Ouch.

In the end, I got to the clinic barely 10 minutes early. Once I got there, I realized I’d been there before. Several years ago, my brother and I had taken my mother to see a specialist in this clinic. Not the same doctor, though. I don’t think this one was even there at that time.

Once there, I had three pages of forms to fill out, on top of the medical history form they had emailed me that I’d submitted. Some of the info I’d sent them was already inputted into these forms. It’s always strange filling these out. Too many questions have answers of … no, not in my medical history, but yes, and that’s why I’m here!

I barely finished those when I got called in, first to get my vitals. My height and weight, anyhow. The BP machine failed, so they just skipped it.

When the doctor came in, things went very quickly and efficiently. She had some odd information on the file, just as a date for when all this started – which was my birthday. So I explained how the first symptoms were there quite a while ago, but not something that stood out enough for me to remember exactly when they started, the progression until I found myself with a reversal of menopause, then catching on to this being a rare side effect of the anti-inflammatories I was taking, and how it all subsided as soon as I stopped taking them, but haven’t gone away completely. She was wondering why I hadn’t gone to a doctor earlier, and I had to explain that we live in the boonies, it was winter, we got snowed in, and I had to cancel a couple of appointments because our truck broke down.

Then we went through what tests I’ve already had done, the referral to a specialist in the city and a biopsy that I no longer need, since I’m seeing her now, instead.

She confirmed that all the tests except that one ultrasound, have come back normal.

She then said she wanted go get me into the OR as soon as possible, because I’m coming up on 60, and this should not be happening. Normal test results notwithstanding.

She knew of an opening in mid August – another doctor got a cancellation or something – and she wanted to book me for that. Otherwise, the earliest would be the end of October.

I took the August date.

She walked through the procedure with me – basically, she needs to get a camera in there to actually see what’s going on – what procedures she will be doing, and what she might be doing, depending on what she sees at the time. I got some instructions, signed the consent form, and will get more details when the hospital calls me. I’ll find out then if I’ll be overnight, or if it’ll be a day surgery. I’ve got strict instructions on an 8 hour water only fast, with the water being cut off 3 hours before surgery.

I also got requisitions for blood work and EKG, to be done today or tomorrow. Since I was doing the stock up shop after my appointment, it wasn’t going to be today, so I’ll do it tomorrow. I’m expecting to do the Costco shop tomorrow, and the town I drive through on my way to the city to get to the new Costco has a hospital and lab. I can stop there in the morning, then keep going to the city when it’s all done.

As for today’s stock up shop, it was rather different doing it in this area rather than in the city, but it worked out. It’s starting to cool down, though, so I’m going to head out and water the garden while it’s still light out.

The irony of all this?

I’ve had zero pains today. Not even mild pains.

So very weird.

But then, all of this has been very weird from the start!

The story of my life, really!

😄😄

The Re-Farmer

Our 2026 Garden: July garden tour video

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So… I ended up not going anywhere today, which would normally have been our first trip to the city for stock up shopping.

I took the above screen cap well before we were to reach the hottest part of the day, which was around 3 -5pm. As I write this, we’ve finally started to cool down. While the high was around 32C/90F, the humidex reached heights of 38C/100F

I decided to stay home. Today’s city trip would have been the Canadian Tire, Walmart and international grocery store run. I have my doctor’s appointment tomorrow in the smaller, nearer city. I can do the Canadian Tire and Walmart stuff after my appointment, and anything we wanted to get at the international grocery store can wait.

I ended up spending most of the day lying down. I did manage to get outside to feed the cats (I counted 18, including the kitten that showed up for cat soup), and a morning walkabout, but not much beyond that. The new painkillers are doing nothing. I eventually tried the T3s again, and they did nothing. It wasn’t the worst pain day I’ve had, but it was enough to make doing anything very uncomfortable – and “doing anything” included sitting, standing or lying down.

I really hope the doctor can figure out what’s going on when I see her tomorrow.

In the end, I did finally put together the clips I took and made the July garden tour video.

I hope you enjoy it!

The Re-Farmer

Frustrating, but that’s good? Maybe?

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Today was a rather long day. Thankfully, my daughter was with me to do most of the driving and help me get around.

I had started my fast last night, and we were planning to leave early for my CT scan appointment. We ended up leaving even earlier than originally planned, which turned out to be a good thing. The drive to the hospital itself is just under an hour, normally, because it’s right at the edge of the smaller, closer city.

There was construction on the highway, which delayed our arrival a bit. We still got there early. I had forgotten to bring a 1L bottle of water from home, but we had some 500ml water bottles in the truck, which was good. I borrowed my husband’s disabled parking placard when we parked at the hospital, and my daughter manhandled my walker out of the truck for me. I had been fine this morning, but during the drive in, the pain started to kick in again. By the time we got to the hospital, I was really appreciating that walker!

We made our way to the CT waiting area, where I had a form I needed to fill out first, which gave me time to chug a bottle and a half of water. Someone came by and asked me if I was the one from the ER in the town nearest us, and I confirmed. She thought I was supposed to come in with an IV port, and I said I had been told that would be done here.

I was called in soon after and they set me up in the scanner and the IV. I was forewarned about what I would be feeling with the dye that was normal – and what I should let them know about immediately if I felt them, as they were NOT normal!

The scan itself went very quickly. They ran me through a few times, with the robot voice telling me when to take a breath, hold it, then “BREATHE” again. My daughter could actually hear that last “BREATHE” from the waiting room!

Then they warned me that the dye was being released and… yeah, I was glad they warned me about the sensations in advance! I’ve had a CT scan before, but it was so long ago, things were a bit different, and I hadn’t needed a dye, so this was quite new. Once the dye had time to do its thing, they ran me through the scanner a few more times.

When it was done and they returned to help me get up and leave, the guy that inserted the IV port asked if I wanted it left in.

???

Which is when I was told that I would have to go back to the ER in town to get the results of the scan, and if I were to be getting surgery, they’d be needing to put an IV in, so did I want to leave the port?

After asking a few questions and him leaving to check something, I decided to leave it in. We had expected that I’d see the gyno for a curettage, presumably after the results were viewed, but if the results were being sent to the ER from yesterday, that obviously wasn’t going to happen there. As far as I know, the hospital I went to last night does no surgeries at all, might possibly do biopsies, but that’s it. I told him we were planning to go to the Walmart nearby after this scan, and that I’d intended to break my fast. If I were going for surgery, though, I needed to keep fasting. For the length of time it would take for the results to get to the ER in town, we did have time to hit the Walmart, first.

While my daughter was putting the walker back into the truck, I updated the family and noticed the time. It had just turned to the time of my appointment! Talking about it to my daughter, we were extra glad of that. While she was in the waiting room, she started chatting with woman that had joined us just as I was called in. She asked what time her appointment was, and she told her she was there for me, and what time my appointment was at… which was the same time as her appointment! So it seems the ER managed to squeeze me in. We were extra glad to have left so early!

I would have been okay to drive to the Walmart, but the pain was getting worse, and I now had an IV port in my elbow, protected by a “sock”. So my daughter did the driving from then on.

Usually, when shopping, I use the cart as a walker. This time, I relied on the walker and my daughter did all the lifting and loading. We had just ran out of kibble for the outside cats this morning, so we got a couple of their largest bags – we only need to last a couple of days before our first city shop – and some more canned cat food for the inside cats. Given that we now had to go back to the ER in town, we made sure to pick up some quick and easy ingredients for supper, just in case. We made sure not to get anything that was frozen; I remembered to grab some freezer bags, but there’s only so much they can do – especially in the heat of the truck box! We figured, if necessary, we could stop by a local grocery story, if we wanted.

That didn’t happen.

From there, it was back to town and the ER. I wasn’t expecting to go back, so I’d already cut off my wrist band. I got a new one while explaining why I was there, and then sent to the waiting room. Someone came by not long after to take my vitals, and then it was back to the waiting room.

By then, I was really starting to hurt, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. As time went on, it was the fasting that became more of an issue. I finally went back to the admissions person and talked to her, explaining that we didn’t know if I’d be going for surgery and still needing to fast or not, but I was starting to feel dizzy and faint from not eating. After asking a few more questions, she got on the phone and I went back to the waiting room.

Then the doctor came by, calling my name. When he saw me, he did a double take and I just had to laugh.

He recognized me. I’ve seen him several times in the past, about my mother!

By the time, my daughter had gone to the truck and brought back a bag of beef jerky from our stash. She’d gone back to get another water bottle when I was called in, so I asked for the door to be left open, so she saw us and joined us part way through.

The first frustrating thing was finding out that I was supposed to see the gyno after getting the CT scan. The staff there obviously didn’t know this when they sent me back to this ER.

The other frustrating thing was that my CT scan showed nothing. No problem at all. There is just that one ultrasound that showed a problem.

Meanwhile, I was in enough pain that I was having difficulty sitting up straight.

So, nothing was going to happen today. I could eat. I could get rid of the IV port. I could go home. I will get a phone call with an appointment, soon, for a consultation regarding our next steps.

As he left, he told me to go back to the waiting room and someone would come by to remove the IV port. Then I could leave.

I was already tearing open the package of beef jerky. It wasn’t a large package, but it was enough to keep me from feeling sick and ready to pass out!

Then we waited.

And waited.

Finally, my daughter went to the admissions person. I just needed the port removed, and we could leave – and I was ready to take the thing out myself, except I had no gause and medical tape, and the port needed to have proper disposal.

The admissions person sent my daughter to the nursing station. She soon came back to tell me someone would be coming over soon. About a minute later, someone did.

Half a minute, and it was done. I was freeeeeeeee!!!!!

From there, my daughter wanted to make sure I ate, but I also had the new prescription for tramadol to pick up. A Subway shares a parking lot with our pharmacy, so that’s where we went. Once parked, my daughter went in to drop off my prescription while I made my way to a picnic table in the shade by the Subway, skipping the walker this time. When she got back, she told me they needed half an hour to fill the prescription, which was plenty of time to eat.

One of the things I expressed my frustration over as we talked was how – once again – I’m having issues, but tests are coming back “normal”. According to most tests I have done, I’m really healthy overall. At least my osteoarthritis shows up on X rays. This has been a “problem” for years, to the point that I’ve stopped going to doctors for some things completely, like my chronic cough that I’ve had for about 25+ years now. That, thankfully, has gotten better on its own, though it’s still there. I just ignore it now.

When it came to the pain itself, what the one ultrasound shows doesn’t really explain the pain. My daughter suggested that, if the gyno starts talking curettage with me, I might want to request just having everything removed. Which is exactly what I’d been thinging myself. I don’t need those lady parts anymore. I’m done with them, and they’re trying to kill me.

That’s a conversation to have when I get a call from the gyno.

Speaking of calls…

While in the waiting room at the ER, my daughter got a call from the clinic in the city she had an appointment at this morning. She’d left a message last night, and they were following up. She explained about me going to the ER yesterday, and that she was driving me around for tests today. Usually, when people don’t show up for appointments without letting them know at least 24 hours in advance, they’ve started to charge for the time. Too many people just don’t show up for appointments, and that really messes with their scheduling (and often results in other people stuck in waiting rooms longer). When there is a legitimate reason like this, though, those charges get waived! The earliest they could reschedule her for, though, is in October!

Once my daughter and I were done eating – and I was feeling SO much better, even though I was still in pain – we went in to get my prescription. There was someone at the pick up counter, so I quickly went through the supplements as I was out of zinc. Which resulted in someone else getting served ahead of me, and she ended up taking a really long time, talking about her insurance loud enough for all to hear. I couldn’t stay standing anymore. Thankfully, they have chairs right by the pick up counter. While I was there, the pharmacist that owns the place, who knows all of us quite well by now! – saw me and told me my meds were ready. So she took care of me before the other person was even done.

I only have a week’s worth of the tramadol, if I take them 3 times a day, though they are “as needed”. Which means I should be hearing from the gyno within that time.

Here’s hoping.

Once we got what we needed, I took one as soon as we were back in the truck!

Then we could finally go home, with my daughter driving. When we got to the gate, I was banned from getting out to open it. She backed the truck up to the house so I wouldn’t have far to walk, then she and her sister took care of unloading. By this time, it was time to feed the outside cats, so they stayed out to do that, too – now that we had more kibble for them!

I stayed up long enough to get on my computer and update my brother and SIL, planning to lie down and let the tramadol kick in.

Then the phone rang.

It was my mother.

Actually, it was a very frustrated sounding nurse who had made the call for her, let me know my mother wanted to talk to me, and handed the phone over.

The last time I talked to my mother was when I visited her and walked out because she was being so nasty to me again.

After exchanging greetings, I asked how she was doing. I was pretty sure I knew what she was about to tell me.

I was write.

She immediately launched into how she was sick. She was feeling soooooo sick.

She wanted me to come visit her.

*sigh*

I had not intended to tell my mother about any of what’s been going on, because she is always really terrible about it when we mention any health issues we have, but when she told me to come visit her (told, not asked), my response was “I just got back from the hospital.”

She said she didn’t understand.

So I said again, I just got back from the hospital. Less than half an hour ago.

What was I telling her? she wanted to know.

I told her, I went to the ER yesterday. Today I went to the city for tests, then back to the ER for the results. They’re trying to figure out what’s wrong, and I’ve been home for less than an hour.

Oh, I didn’t understand at first, she tells me.

She then told me to tell my brother and sister to visit her.

She would have kept me on the phone, but I told her I would pass on her message, right now, and was able to get her to let me off the phone.

*sigh*

Shortly after I hung up, my daughter came by saying “that sounded like a Babcia call.”

Yes. Yes it was.

I’d just finished messaging my brother and SIL about getting home and updating things easier on a keyboard rather than tapping on a phone, so I updated them about my mother’s call, too. Then texted my sister, who doesn’t use Messenger anymore. I hadn’t planned to tell her about what was going on, either, as she tends to tell things to my mother without our consent, sometimes. Not out of malice or gossip. It just doesn’t occur to her not to do it. Since I’d had to tell my mother about it anyhow, it didn’t matter anymore. She tends to turn off her phone when she’s at home, though, so who know when she’ll get the message.

Once that was all done, I finally was able to lie down for a while.

Thankfully, the tramadol did kick in after a while, and I felt well enough to go outside for a walkabout, using my walker.

I ended up watering the garden for the evening, even though I’d asked my daughters to do it later, when things cooled down a bit more.

I just couldn’t help myself.

Things are going to get hotter over the next few days, so the garden is going to need watering in the morning and evening to help cope with the heat. It won’t get as extreme as it got not long about, but still hot enough to be an issue.

My problem is, I keep thinking of all the things that I should be doing, while there is no rain in the forecast. Work to do in the yard and garden. Physical labour I probably shouldn’t be doing at all.

Which is driving me bonkers.

Ah, well. It is what it is, and I do what I can, and my daughters try to help as much as they are able.

We are such a gimpy family right now. All four of us!

*sigh*

The Re-Farmer

Home for now, plus a harvest

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So… today actually started out pretty good.

We were getting predictions of rain and thunderstorms. At one point, my weather app told me it was raining right that moment.

It wasn’t.

So I went out to water the garden in the morning. In the process, I gathered what I would call our first real harvest of the year, with everything weeks behind.

I picked a few of the Rainbow Mix carrots. They’re still small, and it was more of a thinning by harvesting action. The baby carrots will taste just fine!

I was very happy when I started checking the bush beans. The yellow ones seem to be ripening the fastest, and I picked a decent amount of those, plus a few green and purple ones. Then I grabbed a few of the turnips that were left and a bunch of Golden Boy celery. I’ve been picking a bunch of celery every now and then, along with harvesting some turnips, but nothing that I would really consider what would be a typical harvest I would normally get from the garden, until today.

After watering the main garden area, I left the harvest on the chest freezer in the old kitchen and went back to watering the garden beds around the east and south yards, and the old kitchen garden. The Arikara squash is looking amazing, and I can see more Blueberry tomatoes starting to form.

About half way through, I was starting to feel pain starting to kick in, but it wasn’t too bad yet. I messaged my daughters asking them to put away the harvest, and if they could make me a breakfast. By the time I was inside and finished eating, it was definitely time to take some pain killers and try lying down.

It didn’t work.

It just kept getting worse. Quickly. Bad enough that I finally started talking to the family about driving myself to the ER.

They agreed.

My brother and SIL were still here and I was updating them, but it turned out they had their Messenger off. Which is fine. I was just keeping them informed.

The girls got the truck to the house and unloaded of market inventory, loaded my walker for me, put my prescriptions and a charger cable for my phone into a bag for me to bring along, and took care of the gate so I didn’t have to go in and out of the truck as I left. The only time I started having issues with the drive in was when I found myself stuck behind someone doing 65kph in a 100kph zone and couldn’t pass.

When I parked at the hospital, I was so incredibly glad for that walker. Sitting while driving wasn’t too bad, but once I was walking, I found I couldn’t straighten up.

Once by the admissions window, I started getting my health care card and the woman at the desk waved me over right away. When I handed her the card through the slot under the window, my hands were shaking violently. I couldn’t stay standing, and my face must have been a sight, based on how quickly she got me processed.

From there, it was a brief time in the waiting room and then I was in the triage room. A nurse got my vitals and asked me all sorts of questions. My BP was, understandably, a bit high, but not too bad. Considering the pain I was quite obviously in, it was not a concern.

Then it was back to the waiting from for a bit longer before they took some blood, and then it was a wait until the results were in. That’s when I got to talk to the ER doctor.

We went over the details again, including the whole background about how this started with those anti-inflammatories I had started taking, a while back. They had worked so well for what I was taking them for, too!

The doctor then found herself with a bit of a conundrum. The things she normally would have done – the tests, the referrals, etc. – were things that were already done, or in progress. There was that one ultrasound that showed abnormal, and it’s why I was being referred to a specialist in the city for a biopsy.

So what, she asked me, did I want her to do, in context of being in the ER?

We talked about the pain levels some more. I couldn’t sit, I couldn’t stand, I couldn’t even lie down, to get any relief. She did prescribe tramadol and she wanted me to fill the prescription right away, to use in stead of the T3s. She even made sure that it was not anti-inflammatory, and that it wasn’t contraindicated with anything else I was taking. The pharmacy was still open for a couple more hours, and she was ready to send me home with the prescription.

As we talked more about how bad the pain was, and she looked at the ultrasound results some more, she realized that my doctor’s referral was something that could take months to be fulfilled. I needed to be seen right away.

She knew of a specialist at the hospital in the smaller, nearer city. She told me to stay until she had a chance to get through to the specialist and see if I could see her right away.

The pharmacy closed while I was waiting.

When she came back later, she told me the specialist wanted me to have a CT scan, and that I should get a curretage.

*sigh*

She wanted me in either tonight or tomorrow. Which I was actually quite happy to hear.

The next while in the waiting room was for the appointment for the CT scan. I was there long enough that I was starting to become hungry to the point of getting light headed. Of course, I kept the family up to date on all this (my brother and SIL had seen my messages by this time). My husband and daughters were suggesting that, if I was going home, to make sure I grabbed food somewhere first, even before I mentioned getting so hungry. Frankly, I would have just gone to the truck for the beef jerky in our road food stash, but I didn’t want to miss someone coming back with information for me.

One of the nurses came by as soon as they had the appointment made. It’s for tomorrow morning, and my daughter and I will have to be on the road by 9am. I’ll need to fast, plus make sure to have a liter of water to drink before the CT scan.

My daughter, meanwhile, has called the clinic for her own appointment in the city tomorrow and left a message about rescheduling. I can’t say I feel too badly about that, since this is the clinic I found so creepy and actually felt was unsafe, while in the waiting room during her last appointment, which was essentially a meet and greet. This is something we disagree on.

So that’s where we’re at now. I’ve just finished having something to eat with my evening meds and supplements and will now start my fast. I’ll be going to bed pretty much as soon as I’m done this post.

Tomorrow should be… interesting.

Hopefully, this will finally bring an end so the issues I’ve been having! Or at least tell us what’s going on, so long after I stopped taking the anti-inflammatories.

Meanwhile, all my brain can do is list off the things I want to, or should be, doing that I physically can’t right now. The pain did eventually recede, but just getting up and walking around it enough for me to feel it threatening to come back.

I need to lie down before I start doing tasks I really should not be doing.

The Re-Farmer

Bad pain day

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Well, so much for being productive…

One of my daughters took care of feeding the outside cats for me this morning, so I could get a bit more sleep after doing a wellness check on my husband.

My first attempt at lying down got interrupted by a phone call. It was the pharmacy. They noticed I was to get prescriptions delivered today, but my husband’s were listed as a pick up. Did I want his delivered, too? After confirming that an in person pick up was not required (which sometimes happens, due to regulations around some of his meds), I absolutely said yes! That made things more flexible for me when it came to getting the mail and going to town.

Then my daughter was a sweetheart and kept a handset with her upstairs, so she could answer the phone if it rang again.

After I got a couple more hours of attempted sleep, I eventually made it outside and started with the watering. The rain barrel was finally full again, so I used watering cans to do all the south garden beds and the old kitchen until the barrel was empty, finishing by using the hose to water the grape vines.

By then, I was really struggling and having difficulty standing up straight, so I went inside. I let the family know that the front was watered, but not the main garden area, but that I was going to take some pain killers and try lying down. Not to sleep, but because it was sitting was just as painful as standing. Granted, lying down wasn’t any less painful, but at least I didn’t have to try to keep myself upright.

I had meant to finish the watering after I felt better, but my younger daughter went out to finish the watering for me, leaving the phone with my husband. Over time, however, the pain increased rather than decreased. When my daughter came in to check on me, I was wanting to sit up so I could take another painkiller, but needed her to help me. My prescription says to take two or three at a time, but I was only taking one. I’m going to have to change that.

Getting up was not an option, though. So when the prescription delivery came, my daughter went out to meet him.

For my own meds, I got a refill on my topical painkiller, more T3s, as I was running low, and my new prescription. My older daughter just came down while I was working on this to take a look, because she’s on the same medication, but my dose is 5 times higher than hers. It turns out to be a different type of the same thing – and a lot less expensive. It is covered 100% by our provincial pharmacare system, though, so it’s not even billed to my husband’s insurance. It is also the only medication I’m on where the time between doses makes a difference. It says to take one before bed, and I never get to bed at the same time, so I’ve set a daily alarm for myself.

For today, though, I took my first dose right away, after getting a daughter to help me sit up again. Then it was back to lying down. My SIL messaged me around this time, and we talked about the bill for the bin for trash that was hauled away already, and asking about the bill for tree removal that my brother hasn’t received yet. They’ll be coming out for the weekend again and my brother plans to check the roof and the window where it’s leaking. A major concern would be mold. I know the roofers put an extra layer of underlay on that section of the roof, because it’s such a low slope, and it has held out fine until this year, and even before the new roof was put on, it had never leaked with rain. Just from the ice dam that forms during spring melt. So something has gone very wrong up there, but we can’t see it from the ground, and none of us are able bodied enough to climb onto roof to see.

I’m really hoping the new meds help, because what I was dealing with today was some of the worst pain yet. The T3s, at least, seemed to finally kick in, and was was feeling much better later. Well enough that I could feed the outside cats – and got to see Sprout bringing her little white and grey kitten to the food bowls under the shrine! That’s a first that we’ve seen.

I even felt well enough to finally rake up some grass clippings that were thick enough to start killing the lawn under them, and even do a walkabout. As I was doing that, spotting the kitten and then the skunks coming in, too, I realized something. I haven’t seen Domino for a while. We let her out of the isolation shelter just before Sweetie came back, and Sweetie broke out during the storm her first night here. I think Domino disappeared soon after that. I haven’t seen Adam for about a week now, and today I realized that I haven’t seen Havarti for several days. That’s three cats disappearing in a relatively short time, for long enough that I wouldn’t expect them to come back at all. Domino is the missing one that bothers me most. She was at the rescue for a couple of months, could not adapt to the indoor life, so we took her back. She seemed so happy to be back and let me pet her far more often than she ever did, before she’d gone to the rescue. Now, she’s just gone.

*sigh*

Anyhow.

In the end, it was a pretty rough day. Even my family later commented on how much better I was looking this evening, and how terrible I’d looked earlier!

Tomorrow will be my first test on how the new meds are working, but the real big test will be on Saturday, when I plan to have my table at the market open from 10am to 8pm. Those last four hours should be the busiest, as the large animal rescue has a big event planned.

Personally, I’ll be happy if I can just stay upright all day tomorrow, and not end up back in bed, curled up in pain, for hours again.

The Re-Farmer

Recovery day

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I’m happy with how much I was able to get done outside yesterday, but I know myself well enough by now, not to try and do that two days in a row.

I was pre-emptive about things, which seems to have made a difference. Before going to bed, my daughter was a sweetheart and did my lower back with the diclofenac cream, as I could feel it starting to give out. While I was outside yesterday, taking a break to hydrate, sitting on the storage house steps, I could feel a Charlie horse threatening, so I made sure to treat both my legs with Tei Fu lotion, and took some extra magnesium with my evening meds/supplements. I still have some T3s left, so I took one as well. It seemed to work out, as I was actually able to sleep with zero muscle cramps, and my left hip giving me only relatively minor grief. When I had to get up during the night, all my joints were very stiff, but not painfully so.

Still, I was exhausted. In the morning, I got up before my alarm went off to do a wellness check on my husband. He was stable and doing all right.

My younger daughter has been going to bed very early, then getting up very early. By the time I’d gotten up to check in my husband, she had already mopped the floors and was starting to work in the kitchen. She was a sweetheart and took care of feeding the outside cats so I could go back to bed. I was still awake when she came in, so she regaled me with how the cats were for her. Sweetie seems to have mostly moved into the sun room now. She’ll run off when we come out, but quickly goes back. All the cats were eagerly awaiting the cat soup! I don’t know what we’re going to do when we run out of the donated freeze dried mix we’re using for this. They’re not going to understand why there’s no more cat soup! We don’t even give them a lot of it, considering how many cats are eating it. It’s more like a supplement but, gosh, they love that stuff. Which makes it very strange that the inside cats don’t like it at all!

Anyhow. Thanks to my daughter, I got a couple more hours of sleep, but I’ve still been tired all day. I did go out and do a deep watering of the garden beds. I had intended to work on some other larger jobs; either getting the push mower out at its highest setting to cut back that last overgrown section by the food forest area, now that’s it clear or poplar saplings, or get the electric chain saw out and cut that last big fallen section of maple that’s still in the west yard, into firewood for the fire pit. By the time I was done the watering, it was getting quite hot and, in the end, I wasn’t up to doing either.

I did get a chance to grab a pry bar to see what I could see around the elm tree’s stump that’s surrounded by a tire. After prying around the inside edge of the tire, it seems to be completely filled with soil. The edges I worked the pry bar under were flexible, but there is steel cable in there, so it could be moved only so far. If we can find a way to get that tire off, though, it will make things a lot easier for the tree guys when they come back with the stump grinder.

I must say, though, the yard feels completely different now that the elm tree is gone. I hadn’t realized just how… oppressive it had felt. Now that it’s gone, walking through the area feels so light and open and airy. Yes, we’ve lost a shade tree, and we’ll be feeling the heat through the kitchen window, but that’s nothing a curtain can’t fix. Meanwhile, I can now look out the kitchen window and see so much more! Of course, the “light” feeling has a lot to do with no longer having that one huge branch hanging over the roof, and the constant concern during high winds that it would finally break and fall.

One thing I made a point of doing was to go out and take some garden tour videos, being completely attacked by mosquitoes while I was out there. After uploading the files and watching them, I wasn’t very happy with them, so I went out and did it again. I’m still not happy with them. My head space just isn’t there for it. I plan to go to bed early and, hopefully, when I look at them again tomorrow, I’ll be able to judge them better.

It’s getting a bit cooler now, so I might try going for a walkabout before going to bed. Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit hotter. I’ll be going in to town before we reach the high of the day. My husband has a prescription refill that needs to be picked up, not delivered, so I’ll be getting my new prescription at the same time. I should remember to pick up some more bug spray, too. I’ve run out. There are two containers in the truck, and I can’t find either of them! The mosquitoes are just insane. While trying to take video, I’d find my hand holding my phone suddenly covered with half a dozen mosquitoes. Worse is when I’d accidentally inhale one. Did that several times! Ew.

Anyhow.

I did get a few little things done, but mostly today was a day of recovery. I’m at an age where I know I can’t push myself like I used to!

Getting old and broken really sucks at times. Still better than the alternative, though. 😉😉

The Re-Farmer