Battle Plan 2.0

Hello everyone!

Well I will start with the good news! After some more “exploration” regarding how this blogging stuff works I discovered that I was unintentionally making everyone who was trying to comment's life more difficult due to our settings. So I have adjusted the settings and hopefully it should be really easy to comment. You can just comment as Anonymous.

The other good news is that I had an echo cardiogram done and my ejection fraction is 61. The average EF is 58. So my ticker is still strong! Not really a big surprise but it counts as good news J

Unfortunately not all news is good news. I went in for a bone scan on Wednesday to check the spot on my third thoracic vertebrae. Sounds like it lit up the screen. Which isn’t good news, but it is not conclusive news either. So the next step is to get a bone biopsy on my spine. Youch! We all know that’s going to hurt! I’m not particularly fond of getting the test but I do look forward to having it behind me and having definitive answers.

A care package from the Gerstmars in Calgary! Loved it all!!!

If it wasn’t for Steve we probably wouldn’t have any answers at this point but he is so incredibly on top of things we are getting our results faster than my oncologist is reading them.  We called to get a preliminary report (the first radiologist’s opinion). We were told that the test was done but a doctor needed to access them and deliver them. Cue my awesome GP Dr. M.

We got this news as I was literally stepping out of the shower and I was on Alyssa time, which is “last possible minute time”. So I had my mom call the doctor’s office while I dressed and painted my face J.

It’s not very often my mom uses her “mom” voice but when she does I would recommend just doing what she says. It would seem that the admin assist agreed with my conclusion. I don’t blame the lady either. She was just doing her job. You see, my doctor was all booked up for the day and was leaving in the afternoon. So the first thing she said was “Dr. M--- was not in this afternoon”. Well the problem with us Gerstmars is we are everywhere at once (safety in #’s) and my sister who was standing beside my mom had just happened to have seen Dr M--- an hour ago for an appointment. So, my mom clarified that Dr M was still in her office. The lady confirmed but said we couldn’t speak with her as she was in appointments and the soonest we could see her was the 29^th. Well, let’s just say “Cue mom voice” where my mom politely(truly it was very nice, but its still MOM voice) informed her that that was not going to work and Dr M--- personally delivered me into this world and that if she would be so kind as to deliver the message to the kind doctor , Dr M could decide for herself if she had time.  Of course Dr. M pulled through and made the call and delivered my results to me! Basically just because she is the best GP!

Now, as you all know I always have the most awkward timing. For example I once quit a job in the middle of a jump lesson (and I never answer my phone while in a lesson but they called 3 times so I thought I should answer it). Another time I accepted a job while at the barn and simultaneously the horse I was grooming spooked and started pulling back so I just randomly started saying “easy... easy...whoaa... easy” into the phone much to the confusion of my new boss. I’ve been knocked out cold while on the phone.... bit by a dog while on the phone, now that I think of it I could probably write a short story about all the stupid stuff that’s happened to me while on the phone. So all in all this story isn’t nearly as awkward as those situations. That said, I was at city hall renewing our residential parking permits. I’m standing in line with Ashley trying to decide which lady looks less scary and who we hope to have to go deal with. Let’s be honest it’s not that I’m particularly scared of people but more because it was Ashley and I, and we just do these sorts of things. We are in luck and my “pick” opens up. I take one step forward towards her kiosk and my obnoxious ring tone goes off and is ridiculously loud. I look and see that its Dr M--- and do this wierd “I’m really sorry I have to take this call” face and hand gesture and scurry off to take the call. So Dr. M--- drops the bomb(In what I believe is the most warm and kind way possible), I get off the phone and mom and Ashley are hovering around trying to get results and I’m damned if I’m going to lose my spot with the “nicer” lady. SO I gave some signal the news wasn’t ideal and march off to get our parking passes. The poor lady at this point can tell something not great is going on. I’m texting Steve the news. My cell goes off again, I pass it off to Ashley, Ashley is walking around talking to Steve, and then mom is walking around talking to Steve.  I then realize I don’t have my wallet and am now trying to wave my mom down and then had to have my mother pay for my parking passes. All in all it was a very weird situation. After which I decided to go for a “chicken sammich”.  Ashley’s work was amazing enough to put together a really sweet basket which included a gift certificate for BP’s. So off to BP’s we went.  Dad and Shannon joined us and we had a late lunch. I happened to crush 2 bellini’s (the only drinks I’ve had since chemo) so was feeling jovial. We had a great meal and then went to the Gap where in less than 10 minutes I’d selected 3 shirts and 2 pairs of pants and promptly decided I should leave the store immediately before I spent a lot of money.

As I’ve stated in earlier posts, one of my big hang ups has been having this picc line in my arm. It’s not very decorative and it’s really annoying for showering and worst of all the combination of Picc Line and horses makes me a little queasy. But the picc line and myself are now friends. When I went for a bone scan they used it to inject the dye and I didn’t need to have an IV put in! Win! I didn’t think I cared about having IV’s put in, until I didn’t need one put in.  I have also finally found a relatively easy and sort of fun way to keep it dry. Step one, find the cutest doggy disposal bag (unused) in the dog closet. Cut the end off the bad and then tape the bag around my upper arm. Then get some vet wrap... in any fun color you choose and voila! Water tight arm protection that doesn’t make you feel like a total door knob!  Further more my Grandma and Aunt have knit me what I have dubbed “arm cozies” to hold/hide my picc line. And they are awesome, and I match them with my knit scarves, and toques, and I love them.

Lastly I want to share that we booked tickets to go see Cavalia-Oddesseo in Calgary and I’m pretty much over the moon about it. It was a bit of a gong show booking the tickets, complete with me in full blown distress, and Steve and Kate saving the day and we have great tickets!

my phone is more discombobulated that I am

This post is extremely scattered and harried. But it’s a pretty clear depiction of the way my day and brain have been thus far. We will keep you posted as soon as we get more information, even if it’s just a short line or two to update everyone.

Happy Easter,

Left Foot, Right Foot

Steve & Alyssa