Where are you Christmas?

Well, I would say - Christmas is here!  We are singing songs about Christmas, songs about the birth of Jesus.  All the gifts are wrapped.  Brian and I have finished our secret project.

I am truly looking forward to the holiday.  Cant wait to spend time with my family, the kids, the grandkids, my parents and anyone else who shows up!  Christmas Day here at our house, Boxing Day at Tara and Chris's. 

Brian and I have talked alot this season about the gifts.  Turns out that for Brian it is not the gift receiving ,but the giving.  Not the gift in the box, but the packaging and wrapping.  He was pretty creative in the wrapping.

Brian is in bed right now watching the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.  And negotiating with his Dad.  Apparently he wants Dad to stay and watch the movie. Dad won and Brian is watching on his own.  I expect he will fall asleep before the first gift is stuffed up the chimney!

Merry Christmas to all of my dear friends!

So.. Where do you go for health care if you dont have the flu?

Seriously!  I need an answer to this question.  No one at the Hospital was able to answer that. 

Here is the story as it played out.  As you know Phil is a type 2 diabetic.  Over the last month his medications that he takes to help his body use the produced insulin have stopped working, or his body has stopped producing enough insulin for the medications to use.  Either way, he has been struggling with some pretty high blood sugar levels in the evenings.  To combat that, he has been careful about what he eats, and to help the level drop he has been walking.

He has seen his family doctor about this problem and his dosages have been raised to the max and an appointment made to see the specialist on October 30.  Phil was told that if his blood sugar level got too high he was to go to the hospital and get an insulin shot.  High being 20.  (normal is between 4-7)  This brings us to last night....

Ate dinner, then headed to the mall, Brian needed some new clothes and Phil needed to walk.  While Brian and I shopped, Phil  walked around the mall - at a pretty good clip - he made the circuit 3 times while Brian tried on jeans.  We walked a bit more after that, then headed home. 

Settled in, I got my work done, Phil was happy watching tv, Brian was playing a computer game.  Just after 9:00 pm. Phil takes his blood sugar and it registers at 25.  I said, "ok off we go to the hospital!" 

I got Brian settled, knowing my sister would be home in a very short while, and drove to the hospital.  Checked in at 9:30 --- Left at 2:30 am -- never saw a doctor.  Why you might ask?

Well apparently, there was only on doctor working that evening ( I saw 2 off and on), they were "slammed" with flu cases, and no one , and i mean no one, could explain to me why Phil was not seen.  He had his vitals taken at triage, and his blood sugar and he was sent along the blue line to the emerg waiting room, there another nurse took his vitals, and his blood sugar and ordered a blood and urine test.  At close to 1:00 am we asked if there was any idea when a doctor would see him,  Got a very snitty answer about no one being able to answer that.  Shortly after I asked a nurse to check his blood sugar again -- still very high , but lower than  when we came in.  That nurse said that his chart was not "there", that the doctor must have it and would see Phil soon.

At 2:30 - no doctor, no treatment, no idea of when a doctor may be available - Phil decided to leave.

During our 5 hour visit -  I saw many people walk in with flu symptoms,  they all saw a doctor and left the hospital! 

All I am left with is one of two conclusions -- either Phil's chart was lost --- or FLU PATIENTS ARE FIRST!  That brings me right back to my original question -- if you don't have the flu or flu like symptoms, where go you go for emergency health care in BC? 

Seriously - I really need to know.

Oh the Joy of Renting!

We rent the upper floor of a house. That means that there are people we do not know living downstairs. They change frequently.



We have had the lady who turned the furnace off cause it made noise - causing a cold cold winter for us! She also smoked in the house. We had the mother and son with the dog that barked and barked and barked and barked. Then we had the "non smokers" who smoked everything! They partied! Then one of them moved out and in moved another and then he moved out and in moved some girls.



And then today I came home to find people in the driveway waiting to see the place. And the interested party so far - 2 adults, a 2 year old a 3 year old and a baby due in November.

One thing you need to know about this house -- it is just a regular single family home that has been sectioned off into 2 suites. There is no sound proofing between floors. If you use the bathroom in the master bath you can listen to conversations downstairs.

Can you imagine the noise of 3 kids under 3 in a house like this? Not to mention that we pay 70% of the utilities. That is certainly something that will have to change!!!

Oh give me strength!