Whew...wonderful news!

Whew! What a week of wonderful news! The Hematologist told us that there was no sign of cancer in John's bone marrow biopsy and the protein in his blood (that triggered her alarm) had disappeared! She feels that the respiratory virus he contracted at the end of June probably caused his episode of ITP. So...he will continue to decrease the dosages of prednisone over the next weeks and/or months and she will continue to monitor his health.

His strength has not returned to normal but the relief of receiving this news has had a very positive effect. Prednisone continues to interrupt our sleep patterns...but CBD oil before bedtime is helping.
John is optimistic about returning to his gym visits. Let's see what happens next week!

Biopsy, new iPad, street art and a Greek visitor

It was a busy few days this week. The bone marrow biopsy went smoothly enough on a rainy day. I was able to sit with John through the procedure and watch the contortions on the Hematopathologist's face as he put a hole in John's hip.

The next day, on Thursday morning, John discovered that his iPad would not work so we drove over to the Apple store at Guildford Mall to see if they could resolve the problem. After meeting with a "genius" ...she told us that the one year warranty had expired 13 days earlier and she was going to contact Apple about extending the warranty. Then she disappeared! Forty five minutes later, when she had not re-appeared, we had to leave because I had a doctor's appointment. Enroute to the doctor she called to say that we could pick up a new iPad...at no expense. So...after the doctor we returned to the Apple store to receive a new iPad!

Most mornings we enjoy a walk through town, stopping to chat with several locals including Mike, Langley's street artist. He is found in the same location every morning...always working on a new masterpiece.

This is one of his larger pieces.

On Friday morning we drove into Vancouver to meet with Niovi, 

a dear friend from Athens who was visiting with her aunt.

It was wonderful to visit with her and catch up on details of her life in Athens.

Good news!

We received good news this morning! John's platelet count has continued to improve and the Hematologist is recommending a gradual decrease in his prednisone dosage. Tomorrow's bone marrow biopsy results should give us more information about what is happening in his body and the doctor will meet with us to discuss a plan for the future.

During our discussion this morning we wondered about how much of our time has been consumed with John's health issues since the beginning of March. I consulted with the calendar and the myehealth website to come up with the following figures: 17 doctor appointments, 23 lab visits, 5 surgical procedures, 1 overnight transfusion in hospital and 12 additional nights in hospitals. Needless to say this has been exhausting for both of us! John has been amazing!...this was a lot to endure at 82 years.

Hoping for a steady flow of good news!

Arts Alive Festival

Today my sister and I toured the Arts Alive festival in Langley. The main street was closed and lined with artists and vendors selling everything from baked goods to paintings to handcrafted jewelry in interesting displays. Food trucks were collected at the end of the street to offer delicious foods. Music was ongoing at McBurney Plaza where we had the pleasure of hearing "Cross Parallel".

We decided to visit "Food by Fanta" for lunch...a new restaurant that is operated by the owner of Ban Chok Dee Thai Restaurant.

We shared two of the lunch items...chicken rolls and avocado/shrimp toast. They were both delicious!

The owner, Fanta, spent time with us...explaining about the cooking classes that she is offering in September and October...we are definitely booking for one of her classes!

prednisone and life

Well...Monday’s platelet count was elevated which is reassuring...but sleep is definitely the most concerning side effect of prednisone. We are trying different remedies including an attempt to take the medication between 2-4 am. This isn’t usually a problem because we are both awake due to restless sleep. Another side effect is increased blood sugar levels which now require insulin injections three times each day before meals. Life has become a constant challenge...trying to increase his physical activity, decrease his blood sugar and include naps...for both of us!

Although the Hematologist diagnosed ITP...we are still uncertain about the cause and about the future treatment plan. John was contacted by two pharmaceutical companies which offer very expensive drug plans that are not covered by our extended health plan. More blood tests were done on Monday and we are waiting for the bone marrow biopsy to be scheduled.

Meanwhile we are entertaining ourselves with short walks and endless backgammon competitions!

What a day!

What a day we had yesterday. The Hematologist was concerned about John's platelet count(15) and wanted to ensure that the count was boosted before he is scheduled for a bone marrow biopsy. She directed him to Langley Memorial hospital for a transfusion of IVIg and suggested that he take along a book because he could be there for 3-4 hours.

We arrived at 11:20am and registered at the ER as instructed. The nurse said that a request had come in for a platelet transfusion and I told her that it was an IVIg transfusion. "Oh...well there is a fax from the doctor that will explain it". So...we sat...and waited. A lab tech took blood samples...and we sat...and waited. At 3:00pm we were escorted, along with four other people to an airless, unlit space with a dozen chairs and told that we would be called. At 5:00pm a Doctor called us into an empty room and explained that there was some confusion. Apparently the original request mentioned "platelets" and the fax stated "IVIg". I informed him that the transfusion was for IVIg and asked if it had been ordered yet!...Apparently not...and they didn't have a space for John to sit during the transfusion because he required monitoring during the process. When I told him that we had already been there for 5 1/2 hours...he disappeared and returned with a request to follow him. It only took him 10 minutes to find an appropriate spot for John.

At that point I left...phoned the Hematologist and left a concerned message regarding the length of time that this process was taking in comparison to her suggested 3-4 hours!

When I returned at 8:30pm John had just finished receiving the first of four bottles of IVIg (the first one didn't start until 7:00pm) and the expectation was that he would not be finished until between 3-4am!!!!!!!

I went home and tried to sleep...waiting for the phone call to pick him up. At 3:20am the hospital called to say that he was finished!...16 hours later! We fell into bed at 4:00am and are trying to recover today!

Campbell Valley Regional Park

Yesterday was a special opportunity to enjoy a "Forest walk" 

with my sisters at Campbell Valley Regional Park. 

My youngest sister has three more radiation treatments this week before she returns to Campbell River to reunite with her spouse and their two critters. She has been staying with our sister in Surrey since the end of June while undergoing both chemo and radiation treatments.

The quiet trails and canopies of trees provide a cool, relaxing option on hot days and the area is alive with chipmunks, squirrels and birds rushing around in search of delicacies.

There was a secret stash of treasures in this rotting trunk.

Visit with seeds and nuts

Sit on a bench

They will come to you

On four small feet

Or a flutter of wings

Just sit and breathe!

A visitor from Salmon Arm

Yesterday I had the pleasure...and fun...of sharing the afternoon with my friend Diana from Salmon Arm. She arrived with fresh local strawberries for John and pastries for the two of us. After coffee and a visit with John we did a walking tour of downtown Langley City and visited Food by Fanta...a new culinary experience offered by the owner and chef of Ban Choc Dee. This new facility offers a unique breakfast and lunch menu and is also home to the BCD Culinary Academy. Cooking classes are offered and take place on a long table that is positioned under chandeliers created with hanging cutlery. We decided to add this to our bucket list!

From there we stopped at Penny Pincher Thrift store where Diana decided to buy a painting for John. It cost $3.50 and featured a brightly painted frog in yoga position, wearing headphones and grasping a martini in one hand.

The easiest route to Ban Chok Dee for our lunch of Thai food was through the back door of the local launderette. Our lunch was delicious...as usual! I chose Pad Thai and Diana had a dish that included fresh green beans, beef and tons of other veggies.

Following lunch we returned to the main street (ie) Fraser Highway and continued our adventures at Crazy Bob's Music Emporium. We followed the request to place our bags and other items in a bin before browsing...depositing the "frog" painting and a bag of purchased books in the bin. Within two minutes we heard Crazy Bob (and he is crazy) yelling "Is this your painting?" Diana nodded and he yelled "I'll give you $10 for it!" We looked at each other and the next thing we knew ...Krazy Bob gave her a $10 bill and the gift that was intended for John... ended up on Crazy Bob's wall! Diana is the only person that I have shopped with who ends up with more money in her wallet than she started with!! What a hoot! If you are ever in Langley City...look for the frog on Crazy Bob's wall. He must have 500,000 LP's and 100,000 cd's...amazing!!!...and fun place!!!

We did a quick tour of the community centre before crossing over to Opus Art Supplies where our encounters with interesting people continued. A young clerk...newly hired at Opus... joined us for a philosophical discussion of art and the never ending challenges for artists.

It was a great day! I have missed my friends in Salmon Arm very much and I am very grateful that Diana included us in her plans.