Hiya

Just spent a week in the city getting to see my super doc, Dr. Yacyshyn, and planning the next phase of attack. So unless I'm one of the unlucky ones who doesn't posses the enzyme to metabolize imuran, that will be my new companion for a long time to come. I'm interested in trying out a drug free remission, but we'll take that in baby steps as we do everything else with this goofy disease. Dr. Y isn't into it (the drug free thing) but I'll try and convince her again once things are stabilized and all looks good. Are you reading this Dr. Y?

Also went and saw my ENT and got tubes put in again so my hearing is not perfect but man has it increased exponentially. I have to say that he (my ENT) has totally redeemed himself after the initial experience. He is kind, and gives me the time to explain myself, and is almost a different person (I know he must have been frustrated seeing me every few days after he put in the tubes the first time when things kept deteriorating and nobody had an answer - but it was a yuckier time for me when nobody took me seriously and I was in the worst shape in my life). He is very good now though, we've had a couple of good discussions in the last few visits. I also have to say that Tyra, his assistant is the best medical assistant I have seen in my newly very active doctor visiting life. She is not only nice and kind but also very compassionate and professional and totally on the ball. If everyone in the medical field was like her, people would have a completely different view of going to see the doctor.

Brian's got a week off and the forecast is for rain rain rain... but he managed to sneak off today and get a good ride in - it's broken cloud right now so he's going for a long one before he goes to the GranFondo in Penticton next month. While there I get to see the hairdresser that makes miracles happen out of bad hair, and now I have the worst hair ever - in the history of time, so hopefully he can pull off a miracle. Hopefully he's still working.

Last but not least, the survey results might actually get used for something useful instead of just settling my own curiosity. Dr. C Pagnoux and Dr. E Yacyshyn are putting the results together and will try and get them published in a medical/rheumatology journal. COOL! wait... SUPER COOL!!!

Just thinking about old friends and new ones

Just found out that there are more people than my immediate family reading this blog lately, so I wanted to send out props to all my old friends and all my new friends. Anna, Mike, hope you're doing well, haven't heard from you in a while, Cole and Georgia, hiya, welcome to the vortex - ha ha. Geoff, thanks for the email, I'll respond when I get back on my actual computer - I'm glad things are going well, and I'll be thinking about you when you're getting infused full of the good stuff. I loved the power point - awesome way of looking at life, and all the snowy pictures got me all excited. I loooove the snow. Brian's ruined me for life with the snow thing - ha ha. I love sun too, but now in my new 'beached whale' body, I'm more into the winter games.

I hope you're all doing well and things are moving in the right direction for all of you. Someone just told me something today that kinda stuck. "If things are bad remember that they can always get worse." So no matter how bad things are dance in your head, tap your toes, and smile knowing that you're alive and have an opportunity to beat this thing and get back some semblance of normalcy - I will anyway.

In the jaws of life



Inside the largest dinosaur in Canada
(it's always good to be safe and wear a helmet :))

 Hi friends and family. Sorry for the time away. I went with Hana and mom and dad to Dinosaur land for a few days away from the everyday stuff. It was rainy the ENTIRE time we were there, but it still was fun. Saw the Tyrell Museum of Paleontology and Hana totally dug all the dino stuff everywhere in the town. We even found a dino bone - I think it's a femoral head of a smaller creature (it looks just a bit bigger than a human femoral head - this is Physical Anthropology Marta speaking). We got to go up in the biggest dinosaur in Canada and look out of it's mouth at the surrounding geology. Pretty cool place.

I also had a cold that I've been dealing with since the beginning of the month, but just before we took off to Drumheller it went into my chest and aside from a little anxiety on my part it seems to have gone by without any collateral damage. I did go to the doc however and got some antibiotics to ensure it doesn't turn into a lung infection.... can't handle one of those right now. The funny thing is that the antibiotic I got has an interaction warning for people on prednisone - the combo can make your tendons and ligaments rupture. Sweeet! So I've been taking it real easy to ensure no ruptures. I did have my eardrum rupture while we were away though, and that was kinda cool. Not really. But the good thing is my doc looked at the ear that ruptured and said it looks better behind my eardrum now than it has in months and months. I can barely hear out of that ear, but she figures it's because the eardrum is healing and is a little stiff so not functioning the way it's supposed to. This too shall pass. I'm excited that summer is coming - or so the calendar says - Brian said it was snowing today all the way down to the lower chalet. Crazy weather. I'm spending some time in my garden and went for my first bike ride since the flare - that felt good... real good... just to be out there and using my own strength to propel fast enough to feel a little wind in my face. Oh the little things that you forget to appreciate when things are going well. I will strive to continue to do that every day - appreciate the little things.

Live long and prosper my friends.