Blustery day

Windy and dreary all day.  Stayed home and did laundry.

Was really tired all day even though I slept well.  Had an bout with GERD after lunch.  Wasn't as bad as the previous ones and I was able to doze off as it eased.

Another 100

It was cold this morning (1 degree) but I went out for the 2 I needed to get to 100 for the 27th.  The first was at Queen Elizabeth Park.  Glad I had my cane as it was rough in amongst the trees.  The next one was a park and grab at 23rd near Dunbar.

Did some shopping at IGA & Characters on the way home.

Still having mild GERD attacks.  Tea does help.

My teams lost!

The Canucks played at noon and were robbed by the ref just before the end of the 3rd.  They lost in overtime and looked tired.  Then the BC rink finished 2nd in the women's Scottie's.  Taped it and watched when the hockey finished.

Enjoyed most of the Academy Awards.  Some of the humour was just stupid.  Cirque du Soleil stole the show.

Weird weather again.  It was snowing while the sun was shining.

Car insurance

Had to go through Air Care today.  The whole visit was under 15 minutes and my car passed easily.  Regular maintenance pays off.  Then went to BCAA to renew my insurance.  I am a few days early, but it is one less thing to worry about on Monday.

Stopped at Granville Island for groceries on the way home.  Got some tea that is recommended for GERD attacks - has anise, peppermint and lavendar in a mix with a bunch of other stuff.  Drank some after dinner and I think it did help.

Mary Pack

Appointment at 2:30 with my Occupational Therapist at Mary Pack.  My new black leather wrist splints are in and she began fitting the right one and adding the straps.  Should be finished on my next double appointment.

Moved on to my Physical Therapist at 3:30 and she worked on my knees and hands.  Put my hands into hot wax and had them wrapped up for most of the time.  Did a bunch of exercises for my knees and legs and then had ice packs put on top and heated pads below.  After that, she put strips of black tape around the kneecaps.  It should last for about 5 days.

Picked up some dinner at Max's on the way home.  It was a funny day with big snowflakes mixed in with the rain.  Felt out of step in my shorts.

Canucks actually won tonight after last night's big game.  Sure helps having a hot backup goalie.

Had another Gerd attack tonight but it wasn't as severe or as long as the last ones.  Maybe that expensive drug is working.

Choo Choo

Pam and I met at Sun God and headed for Langley.  I found 13 caches and Pam logged 19.  We stopped at Choo Choo for a great hamburger lunch (feta & bacon).  Found a gift I needed a couple of doors away at Ten Thousand Villages.

We found a couple that had eluded me last week but had a couple of DNFs.

Listened to the Canucks on the radio and made it home in time for the start of the 2nd period.  What a game!

Checkup

Just waved hello to Karen in the hallway and was seen by another oncologist, Val Geddes.  Really liked her and know that when I do not see Karen it is because she is not worried (cannot do an apostrophe on my keyboard - it is an accented è).

I have a lot of pain on my lower left abdomen that I did not notice until she started palpating it.  She was satisfied that there was no mass and my organs felt normal.  My lungs also sounded good so hope that means the cancer has not come back into them.  The tumour in my groin is about the same size so we will continue to ignore it.  The one on my shoulder is almost gone.  I complained about the GERD so she wrote a prescription for a strong drug for 6 weeks.  Then I can go back to the over the counter brand if I am not having attacks.  

The good news was my tumour markers.  They dropped from 120 to 96 - the lowest since last May.

Picked up some apples at Granville Island and then remembered to go to the Cancer Agency to drop off my Tamoxifen prescription.  Stopped at Safeway for the GERD medicine.  Cost $100 for 6 weeks!

Found it

Lori picked up Pam & I at Pam's house and drove us to deepest Surrey.  We had all tried finding a cache near King George Blvd & Fraser Hwy a few times.  This time we had hints from others.  A homeless man has been under the trees for weeks and we decided he just wasn't going to leave.  He actually pointed us in the right direction and Lori found it!  I gave the man some money and he didn't seem bothered by us.  We then went to another nearby one I had failed at before and Lori found that one, too.  Enough rain so we headed home.

Stopped at IHOP for pancakes since it is Pancake Tuesday.  Went to Winter Tonic at John Oliver Secondary's new Learning Commons.  The room really looked good and I liked the sessions I attended - Learning Commons at Livingstone & Adult Reads.  Came away with a reading list.  Nice to visit so many old friends.

Cancer Group

Spent the day sorting bills and reading.  Caught up on some shows on PVR.

Met Louise at the Cactus Club for dinner and we then met Gwen at the Cancer Agency for our meeting.  Not sure what is going to happen to the actual group as we don't have a leader but enjoy the monthly meeting with the 3 others who still go most times.

My knee has been almost painfree today.  Finally realized the GURD is a side effect of Tamoxifen.  Will talk to oncologist on Wednesday.

Luncheon

Met with several members of the old VESTA Status of Women Committee at the Cafe Deux Soleils on Commercial Drive.  Our lunch took 2 hours and we could have stayed longer to catch up.

Came home after shopping at Safeway.  Headed out again a while later when I got a Tweet announcing a new cache at 57th & West Boulevard.  I actually made it to be First to Find.  Only my 3rd of these.

After I got home I was sick like I was earlier in the week.  Assume it is my Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) from a hernia.  I am taking the daily pills and it subsided after I took one.  Didn't last as long as the last one and I was able to eat some chicken soup for dinner.

Quiet Saturday

Spent the day reading the newspapers & my Kobo.  Enjoyed the Canucks whipping Toronto.  Liked the new version of Midsomer Murder.

My knee was really good today so hope this is it.

Beating the rain

Headed East this morning to find some caches before the big storm came in off the ocean.  Found a couple of puzzles along King George Blvd and then went to the Campbell Valley Park area and Langley.  Logged 8 before stopping for a late lunch.  

The rain was quite hard for the drive home.

Surrey puzzles

Raining this morning but we found a dozen or so caches in Surrey.  Most were puzzles solutions.  We got every one on our list.  I parked illegally for the last 2 while Pam and Lori made a dash for them.

Stopped at the mall by Scott & 72nd for cash, Cobbs & London Drugs.

My knee is still sore but I think it is getting better.

Funny day

Went to my metastatic group this morning.  I am sure a lot better off that some of the others.  I don't feel guilty about that since I know that my disease is slowly progressing.  

Grabbed a couple of quick caches and had lunch at the Sunshine Diner.  My GERD struck and I needed to head home, with a quick stop at a gas station bathroom.  Took a pill and it settled down quickly.

My knee still hurts.  It is worse than yesterday but a lot better than the weekend.  Ice and Tylenol!

Matt's 40th

Picked up a birthday cake at the Bon Ton and had a scrumptious lunch - croissant with ham & cheese, loose tea & pastries.

Bought a Kobo Touch on sale at Chapters.  My OT says I should avoid holding books for too long. Picked Kobo as you can load books for free from the library and you can't in Canada with the Kindle.  Already reading a book on it - Half-Blood Blues.  Haven't been reading much lately and think maybe it was because it hurt my hands.

Stopped at London Drugs for a knee brace.  Got a smaller type than the one the OT lent me and it is much easier to put on.  My knee is almost better today.  Don't know how it could change so quickly - ice, Tylenol for Arthritis, rest, elevation...

Found some caches including one using a CHIRP.  Love driving over the Golden Ears Bridge.

Great dinner at Matt & Andrea's to celebrate their birthdays.  Have some in the fridge for tomorrow's dinner.  Found a cache in a busy parking lot on the way home.  No one around at 8:45 to see me in the tree.

OT

Had blood drawn at the Cancer Agency this morning.  So easy with the port!  Went to the cafeteria for a scone & tea and read the paper someone had left.

My OT at Mary Pak had forgotten to record my appointment at 11 but was free so took me in.  I now have a splint on my middle right finger.  Also have some bandage for wrapping sore finger joints.  She lent me a big brace for my knee but I think it is too big and I can't keep it in place.  I am still icing it and it is quite a bit better tonight.

Ouch

My knee is still pretty sore so I had a quiet day with an ice pack.  Solved a bunch of geocaching puzzles.

Sun @ 100

Had to go out to buy the Vancouver Sun today to get the 100th birthday edition.  Also bought Chuck Davis's Vancouver Book with a gift certificate from John.  Have been looking forward to it for ages.  Good thing I had my grocery cart for it and some groceries to get back upstairs.

Solved a few puzzles, watched hockey and caught up on Scrabble games.

My left knee is really painful tonight.  New exercise, stairs...?

Arthritis day

Spent the afternoon at Mary Pack.  The first hour was a physiotherapist, who evaluated every joint and my balance.  I did pretty good, except for the knees and wrists.  The next hour was with an occupational therapist and she made molds of both hands to make leather braces.  

Did some shopping at Granville Island and came home just as the rain started. 

Keep falling asleep so it is time to stop playing games and go to bed.

Heart of the Valley

Drove to Chilliwack with Pam and Lori to find the 14 caches in the Heart of the Valley series.  Took us on a beautiful drive in the hills southeast of town.  The final was one of cleverest we've seen.  Drove about 300 km.

Came home to find 2 police officers trying to knock on a patio door.  I offered to let them in the building and they were quite relieved.  I'm guessing that apartment will be empty again soon.

Quiet day

Rainy day, so a good one to just stay in and watch TV & read.

Better day

Found 5 caches today in Queensborough & Surrey.  Only had one DNF - Whalley.  Still can't look for one tricky one because a homeless person and their shopping cart have set up permanent residence under the tree with the cache.

Good lunch at Swiss Chalet and did some shopping on the way home.

I am one of the 200 whose records with the genetic testing at the Cancer Agency were incomplete.  I've already had a call and the deficiencies are being fixed.

DNFs

Exchanged the moccasin's I got for Christmas for a bigger size at Hill's in Gastown.  Headed to West Vancouver for some geocaching.  Only found 2 and didn't find about 5.  Not one of my better days.

Finally gave up when I spotted a new Thrifty's in North Van.  Bought some groceries and then went to the Apple Store in Oakridge.  Needed to take back iPad stand present that I already had and exchanged it for a mophie juice pack.

Super Bowl

Stayed in to watch the Super Bowl.  It didn't disappoint.  Was able to see all the U.S. commercials on YouTube since most are blocked in Canada.

Best laid plans

Was going out in the sunshine today but changed my mind when the phone woke me after 11.  Took it as a sign to take it easy.  

Watched hockey and played Scrabble.

A day of Mary's

Spent a couple of hours with an OT at the Mary Pack Arthritis Centre.  She did an evaluation and figured what kind of help I'll need.  Next appointment in a week.

Stopped at Staples for a name stamp for geocaching but they got it wrong.  Some people just can't read.  Found a new cache near where Dad & I used to work at the foot of Boundary.  He was in Plywood & I was in White Pine - for the CNIB.

Mary McDermott's memorial was at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club.  Might be the first time a choir has sung The Internationale there.  Family and friends spoke well.  Her sisters do look and talk just like her.  Always good to see old friends.  A very emotional night.

Vancouver caching

Pam and I spent the day downtown and in Stanley Park.  I found 11 and she logged 17.  I had to tweet a teacher at J.O. for a hint on one.  We stopped at Hamburger Mary's for a great burger lunch.  

Black bean soup

Just made it for the metastatic support group.  Cut it too close and the women with the drinks cart ran out of hot water for my tea so had a coffee.  Not the same.  Interesting group today.   Only knew one of the other six.

Picked up some socks at MEC and then decided to head home.  Bought some soup at Liberty on Main St.  Perfect comfort food.

5,000th cache

Picked up Pam at her sisters and we met Lori near the Lynden Road & the outlet mall.  We headed off to fill in our map between there and Lynden.  There were a few we couldn't find but think they aren't there any more.  Maybe the owners will replace them so we can return.  My count is now 5,029 and I got my 100 for the 31st.  

We were really lucky with the weather.  It drizzled once in a while but the real rain didn't start until I came back over the border.  Had another good lunch in Lynden.