5C's Que Pasa

Wasn’t going to do a post tonight….really really tired.  I always have lots to post about and I have a good one coming up, but not always the energy.  Anyway just got a call ( 7:58 PM ) from Colin who is working on a signature shot for the prestigious golf course of the area.  He has waited over 6 weeks for the perfect weather to do this shot.  He had to take a Polaris up a mountain to a certain cross trail.

Similar to the vehicle provided for him.

Then he had to climb a path straight up for 15 minutes carrying over 40 pounds of camera equipment.  Colin is fit and does this often but today he said his muscles were burning.  He did this at 1:00PM and is still up there until the sun goes behind the hill.  Likely the final shot will be a merge of 15 or more images to create that perfect PR shot.  I don’t expect him back till 11PM or later.

What I did not expect was the phone call that he just heard some very loud and strange noises behind him.  It was two very large black bears coming up behind him as he ate a sandwich.  He has been up on the mountain for hours and just clicking a shot every 30 minutes or so.  The bears were a surprise.  Thank goodness he had gone to the RV ( in storage ) and picked up our bear spray and our air horn.  Both of these were purchased with the intention of using them in defense as we traveled south to Mexico.  Or if we needed help while in an RV park,  just hit the air horn, often used at hockey games and someone would come running.

So Colin hit the air horn a few times.  The bears stood up tall and looked around and finally lumbered off.  Colin is still up there for a least 2 hours more before he hikes back down to his Polaris.  Then he has quite the drive in the dark to his car…..hope he gets off the mountain tonite 😯  He said he was going to keep making noise every few minutes to scare the critters away.

I suggested to him that he call me every 30 minutes.  Meanwhile I sit here listening to my Jukebox Oldies like “The Lion Sleeps Tonight ” and “Wake up sleepy Jean”  and “El Paso” and “Love me Tender” and “Dedicated to the One you Love”.  Did I mention that I am also enjoying a premium bottle of vino blanco 😉

Poor Colin…little does he know that he is off at 8:00AM tomorrow driving south to Oliver.  A photo shoot with a major winery in the area.  They travel via helicopter and he by car to meet them and take those perfect shots.  He loves what he does.  Me not so much.  But I do have to be realistic, his being away day after day, all day long is what allows us to be away in Mexico for 5 months plus each year.  The jobs are starting to pour in and we are overwhelmed with work.  Life is good.

Well as long as the bears don’t get him….. 🙄

Hot, hot, hot here today and for the next few days.  Breaking decades old records. 90F at 8:30 PM.  I have had the A/C on since 7:30AM 🙁   The view and all the windows are great except during a heat wave.  Forecast is for temps up to 40C/104F for the next few days.  This too shall pass.

Just spoke with Colin @ 8:40PM and he is still clanging things together to make noise.  He figures another 30 minutes before he can head down off the mountain.  He does love what he does.

…but more than welcome.  Last Sunday afternoon while Colin was out working I heard a roar out on the street.  Sounded like a bike and it was a bike, specifically a Harley.  Duncan, a fellow RVer from Tres Amigos RV Park on Stone Island was passing by and wanted to drop in to say hello.  He and his wife Maureen have been living up in Northern Alberta doing some work this summer.  They plan on volunteering for 3 months in Hawaii this fall before coming back to Mazatlan in January, obviously not in their RV.

Adios Duncan, have a good summer.  Love your new ride.

I got a call yesterday from a friend from my grade 12 graduation class. She and 14 members of her family were having a mini vacation in Peachland and would be passing by this morning.  She wanted to stop for a quick visit as they head back home to Edmonton.  Please drop in I said.  I even arranged for parking for 3 vehicles but only the one car stopped in.  They would meet the rest of the family down the road in Kamloops.  What travelers we have all become!  Life is grand.

I have seen Gisele a few times over the last 3 – 4 years usually at an impromptu class reunion meal often put together because I was in Edmonton visiting my parents and of late my father.  I actually saw her a few weeks ago when we were in Edmonton.  So it was very special for me to have someone come visit me here in Kelowna.  Not only did Gisele and I attend school together from grade 7 – 12 we also took our nursing training together and graduated from that in 1973.  Gisele still does nursing but more on a part time basis.

Carmeh, myself, Gisele and her grandson Laurier.

They all loved our yard and our home.  Everyone can picture themselves living here.  I mean, really, who couldn’t?  Anyway we had a short but very fun visit.  It was neat for me that everyone was speaking French.  I never asked but I assume that at this point young Laurier only speaks French.   He loved the girls but sadly they were not into playing with him at all.  It took a bit to stop them from barking, they are just not used to kids.

A quick snapshot before they left. Gisele’s husband Paul is holding Laurier and that is Jean hiding in behind. I know he is the brother of Pierre who I think is the wife of one of Gisele’s daughters??

Someone will set me straight 😳    Needless to say, a very large French Canadian family whom I have not kept up to date with.  By the way Jean, I think you left your hat behind 😥   Merci pour la visit.  It was short but special.  Hope to see you here again one day.  Sorry that Colin was unable to be here but business always comes first.

Carmeh is holding her own today.  I think that the meds have kicked in and she is out of pain once again.  The trick is how long to keep giving her the pain meds for.  Oh how I wish she could speak.

Tuesday was a busy day for Carmeh with 3 trips to the vet.  We were all worn out after that and then Colin had to work till 11PM.  I was in bed when he came home last night and never even heard him come in.  He had picked up his own pizza for dinner. Earlier I had a quick Weight Watcher TV dinner and was done.  No muss, no fuss and easy clean up.

Colin and I both went to first vet appointment at 9 AM where Carmeh’s blood was drawn as a baseline. Colin assisted and all went well.  She was then injected with a low dose of dexamethasone.  I was back on my own at 1:00PM for the second draw of blood but did not stay in the room and as assist as Colin does.  I would have fainted.  It was bad enough hearing her scream while I was on the other side of the door.  Colin had a job and had to miss this session.  He was back in time for the third blood draw at 5:00PM.  The blood draws will be sent to a vet pathologist in Vancouver I think to determine the results.  I was under the impression that we would be finding out more that we will be with this test.  This test will simply confirm that Carmeh does or does not have Cushing’s Disease.  The next test, called a high dexamethasone suppression test would determine where the tumor is located.  That test won’t be happening.  No way would I put her through this once again just to get info we don’t need as we won’t be treating it.  It will be enough to know that this is her problem.  We only need to know if she has the disease or not.  If she does not, then we will change her treatment medication for her disc problems.

Meanwhile Dr. Susan had tested Carmeh in the morning and found her to be much weaker that than last week.  I guess the jump out of the stroller and the one jump up onto the low chair re triggered her injury.  Susan says that often the discs will bulge with inflammation and then  recede and back and forth. All part of the healing process.  She encouraged us to not give up.  She says she has had doxies totally paralyzed and they have come back.  It just takes time, lots of time.

Did you know they took a dog’s blood pressure on the tail 😯   Sorry no photos, I was busy holding her trembling body.

Carmeh slept most of yesterday sleeping which was good as Monday she was a bundle of nerves and pain and constantly trembling, and did not rest at all.  It was a big day for Caeli yesterday as she was left alone in the house for the first time ever.  Each time we came back from the vet her first duty was to check Carmeh all over before greeting me.  She did fine on her own.

This morning it was my turn to have a procedure done at the human hospital.  Not a fun test and it was to be uncomfortable and they would not put me out.  So I simply drugged myself up with a few of the drugs I have here.  I still felt it and was uncomfortable but it would have been way worse had I not numbed myself up. I did end up sleeping most of the afternoon off 😳   Bottom line, there are no issues and all is well. Phew!  Definitely no photos this time.

It was the first time we had left the girls alone together since this all began last May 25th.  It appears that they simply slept while we were gone.  Carmeh really wanted attention and to be held once we got back but was happy to lay down beside me for a few hours while I slept off my drugs 😕   The rest of the evening will be quiet for all of us.  Colin was supposed to be on a job but once he got there the client postponed it 👿   Lack of organization but it will get done another day.

So all is well in our little family.  Carmeh’s meds have kicked in and she is more comfortable.  She still wobbles and falls from time to time but is stronger by the hour.  Well see what tomorrow brings.

Thanks for all of your support.  It means so much.

Carmeh had her back incident four weeks ago today.  One of us has been with her since then other than a few hours in Winnipeg.  We have done all we can from giving her the various meds, to icing her back and to finally turning our home into a huge dog pen.  Slowly she has regained movement or her hind quarters although still shaky and she can’t walk totally straight, more of a slight sideways walk.  She still falters and loses her balance.  More good then bad.

Last Tuesday was took her to our vet for acupuncture.

She was very good and did not squirm at all. Of course she has decreased sensation in her back half.

It wasn’t too long before she just had to lay on her side. Her legs even with Colin’s support could not hold her up.  The needles stayed in for a good 15-20 minutes. She even had needles in her paws but they are a light blue color and don’t show up.  Cost per session is $95.00 and it is suggested it be done every 7 – 10 days.

Once we got back home, Carmeh slept all day and evening and seemed even weaker.  However by late afternoon the next day she was much more active and even tried to chase her tail.  So it seems that the acupuncture helped.  She was steadier on her feet and had some good playing sessions with her toys.

While at the vet’s last Monday we also had her blood checked.  I have noticed her increased drinking of water and always wanting more food just after she ate. I was concerned.  The blood work came back late last Wednesday.  Not such great news.  She has strong signs of Cushing’s Disease with her ALP sky high at 667.  Her last blood work 14 months ago showed her ALP at 296 which was an elevation back then but not off the charts like it is now!  Her blood work also showed slightly elevated liver enzymes as well as a severely decreased white blood count which doesn’t fit the picture at all.  Needless to say we were crushed.  The vet told us that she would not treat Carmeh for Cushing’s as the side effects of the meds would not be good for her with her back issues.  By the way this is also a human disease.

She did however suggest that we do one more test for Cushing’s called dexamethasone suppression.  Carmeh would be injected with a cortisone type hormone and then a series of three blood tests would be done every 4 hours.  The results will first confirm the disease and then more specifically if the tumor is in her brain or in her adrenals.  The only benefit of the test is in how to treat her for her back issues.  For instance the use of Prednisone which is common in the treatment of these type of back issues would be contraindicated.  Thank goodness we are using Metacam.  We finally decided that we would test her, only to know what type of tumor she has and just to know.  That test is going to be done tomorrow.

Caeli has been so good just hanging with Carmeh.

That was supposed to be my “the end” shot but sadly more has happened.  I took Saturday afternoon off and Colin offered to walk/stroller the girls on his own before dinner while I just sat with my very good book and a glass of Pinot Grigio.  As I was reading I heard thunder and realized a storm had suddenly blown in.  Big fat drops of rain were falling with increasing speed.  Boom, boom, boom!  My regular readers know that Carmeh is terrified of thunder.  I quickly jumped in the car and tried to find Colin and the girls.  I had a pretty good idea of where they would be walking but the route was not car friendly.  Finally on my 3rd attempt I saw them.  Just as another loud clap of thunder erupted, Carmeh simply jumped out of the stroller.  She had to get away.  I pulled up and picked her up in my arms.  Colin threw Caeli into the car who is now picking up on Carmeh’s phobia and becoming frightened when she hears thunder.  In went the stroller and in came Colin.  Home we went and within 5 minutes the storm had passed.  Once she stopped shaking Carmeh seemed fine.  She was able to stand and walk and ate her dinner with no problem.  She seemed just fine yesterday.

However today she is not normal.  Colin worked 11 hours Sunday and again today he was gone early.  Carmeh is Colin’s girl and she misses him so much when he is away.  Plus this morning Caeli went out for a ‘play date’ with neighbors.  She is being neglected and indicated she wanted to go visiting which was fine by me.  It was after a visit from UPS late morning that Carmeh started to act strange.  She came to me at my desk with her tail tucked right under her belly and was shaking like a leaf, even more so.  She wanted to be held which I did for a long while but every time I put her down she just stood and shook with that tail tucked under and up.  Finally I gave her Tramadol as I suspected she was in pain.

After an hour of holding her I had to put her down to go to the bathroom. I came back to find her up on this chair. It used to be part of my Victorian sitting room when we had our 5000 sq ft home way back when.

We kept this chair for sentimental reasons, it is a low chair that the ladies would sit on to button up their shoes in the days of past.  Carmeh never goes to this back corner of the house and has never ever jumped up on this chair.  Why did she today?  Is was obvious to me that she is upset about something.  That poor tail of her’s just kept being tucked in.  She seemed able to walk slowly but would just go a few steps and then stop and stare and not move.  She just wanted to be held.  Colin finally came home and spent some time with her but he did have to work at his computer.  Carmeh would not settle nor sleep.

I felt a definite hot spot on her spine which I didn’t feel yesterday.  She was suffering.  I did call the vet but like me it is a guessing game.  She did jump down on Saturday from the stroller and up today to the chair.  We are doing the best we can.  The vet said to just give her more Tramadol if I felt she needed it.  Now she is able to go down the ramps but chooses not to go up the ramp.   My back is already sore from all the lifting I have been doing.  So far Colin has been able to carry her up the steps from the grass when she does her business.  I fear I won’t be able to when he is at work, plus I am frightened to try as I don’t want to fall and injure either Carmeh or myself.

So there you have it, lots of ups and now lots of downs.  Fortunately we will be at vet 3 times tomorrow so we will have some support.  I have no idea when we will get the results of the blood work but does it even really matter 😥

The rainbow after the storm last Saturday when she jumped out of the stroller.

A bit of good news, she just used the ramp up to the bed…….

We slept in till 8:30AM, all four of us.  Amazing and especially cuz the girls insist on being fed no later than 8:01AM.  What’s even more amazing is that I had a 2 hour nap later in the afternoon.  Methinks I am just a tad tired 😐

It was garage sale day here in Holiday Park, they have one about four times per year.  It was wet and miserable for the May one and just fine today so we all went out for a tour.  I actually really like seeing what various changes have happened in the park.  There are several new people who have moved in and two have the Rushmore 5th wheel.  Fabulous interiors.

I also like to see some new and improved landscaping in the park.

The fish and the water lilies above make for a very pretty water feature.

In addition to the individual sites participating in the garage sale someone had arranged for various individuals to come into the rec centre to sell their wares. There were kids books & toys, jewellery, special bed sheets, essential oil, art, glass work and tons of other displays.

While I went in for a very quick tour the gang waited for me outside.

This tree certainly produces lots of pine cones.

Sometimes I would get out and check things out, other stops,  Colin would get out while I stayed in the cart with the girls.  This time we all got out.  The girls were so good and really enjoyed just being with us.

The owner of this site had tons of neat things for sale. He had built these wooden homes.

He must have done a lot of traveling over the years. He even had a blow dart device for sale.

Sadly it didn’t look like he was getting many sales.  Those of us who live here in an RV Park don’t have much room to display things. Mind you many folks come here from town to check out the sale as there are so many individual sales in the one large area.  We spent a grand total of $6.50 of which $5.00 was for a small electric fan to help cool Colin’s very hot computer.  He really puts it through it’s paces and the fan did help dispel the heat.

I will post about Carmeh tomorrow, I have been procrastinating 🙁   I am now committed to doing the post 😎

Happy Father’s Day to all you fathers out there…..hope your day was just perfect.