A Personal Rant and Missing Trees.
Welcome to Willow’s weekly coffee and tea garden. My name is Paul and I’m happy to be here once again inside Willow’s home where it is nice and toasty, tending to your needs for a cuppa, and sweets. We’ve moved inside to beat the winter cold in the garden. I’d be pleased to bring a pot of whatever beverage you prefer – we have a wide range of teas and coffees to satisfy our world-wide readership. We can relax with a cuppa and calorie free electronic sweets while we discuss the affairs of the week both personal and/or worldwide. How has your week been?
On the news front, it appears to have been a rather slow week in general – a few hotspots in the world to concern locals, but no large issues. I get a lot of my news from Canada’s national newspaper – The Globe and Mail – and two of today’s articles on the first page of the e-edition are: “The cold hard facts about seven winter driving myths” and “Tedium, kids? It’s all in a day’s work.” Mind you, these are two small articles, but still they seem to point to a slow news cycle. Which, I would argue, is a good thing. Anything of interest happening in your part of the world? Local or national news that affects you?
On a personal front Friday night’s dialysis went poorly, very poorly. I upset one of the nurses; numerous attempts at inserting the dialysis needles failed; at which point the hospital RAN OUT of the type of needles I have used for 6 years. I threatened to leave; they scrambled and found two needles of which they only successfully inserted one; they tried to do the dialysis with one needle only partially working. This lead to successively poorer and poorer dialysis until after part way through, it failed completely (line pressures went out of range). They then insisted that they wanted to use a different type of needle. I’ve tried these before and because my fistula (the vein constructed just for needling inside my upper arm) is very mobile, they inevitably fail causing haematoma and a great deal of pain and swelling. I basically told them to stick it where the sun don’t shine (in a nice way) and expressed my disbelief and pissed-offedness (made up word there) that they had run out of the correct needles.
Steel dialysis needle – approx size
There was no real choice at that point but to stop the dialysis and go home. The nurses explained that this was my fault because I refused to use the steel needles (mine are angios which are flexible, once inserted, allowing the tips to move with my fistula). I told them that it was hardly my fault that they ran out of needles that I had used successfully for 6 years. Anyway, they removed me from the machine having completed only about 1.5 hours of a 4.25 hour treatment. And the part we did complete was very, very low quality, leaving me tired and sore. The way the treatment is structured, saline is used for starting and finishing – and there is a break-even point in the treatment such that it is only successful if that point is passed. We did not get past that point, meaning I actually came off worse than I went on. Not a good thing. There will be no more angios available until next week, so I couldn’t go back and re-dialyze over the weekend to make up for Friday’s fiasco. If it was life threatening, I could get treated at another local hospital but it is just painful and annoying, not life threatening. Have hospitals or medical facilities ever pissed you off? Any stories that have left you upset or angry? Or perhaps a funny or cheerful story to cheer us all up?
Well, that was quite a rant – I feel much better now, thank you. Would you like a cuppa refill and a sweet? You’ll need a piece of cake or a biscuit with your coffee in order to make it through the next topic, one of my regulars: The Squirrel Report. For some reason squirrels seem to make it into each post – not sure why.
So, Friday I arrive at the hospital and walk over to sit on one of the outside benches for a minute before heading into the building. On Wednesday I had noticed a construction fence had been erected along the walkway and behind the benches as far as the entrance driveway. I hadn’t thought much of it as there is always construction of some sort going on around the hospital. Friday it was dark when I arrived and I hadn’t noticed much detail. As I approached the benches, I realized that something looked different, not quite sure what yet. And then I stood facing the benches and the woods behind. The woods were GONE. There were a few trees left to shade the benches in good weather, but the forest was missing. From the building to the main street entrance, it was about 1⁄4 mile of woods and green space. That area is now completely lifeless, without a sign of a growing thing. It has been levelled, gravelled, covered with compacted sand and readied for paving. The whole front of the hospital property next to the main building has only a handful of trees left. This is the area where the squirrels had been gamboling all summer long; where they chased each other for our amusement; begged food from passers-by; where they raised their families; where they gathered their nuts and where they hid their nuts for the winter. All gone now. I hope the squirrels got out OK and that they manage to make it through the winter with the food they can find. Has your community lost any green space to development lately? How do you feel about sacrificing trees (and all their inhabitants) for pavement and buildings?
Winter has finally arrived to stay here – early this year. It has snowed and then turned to ice on the ground and stayed for a full week. Walking is a nightmare because of the ice. Next week appears to have only one relatively warm day and then more cold. Would you like another cuppa? Willow and I are honored that you dropped by today to visit. I hope you’ve enjoyed yourself and the conversation and please feel free to look around at Willow’s other posts while you’re here. Have a great week. We look forward to seeing you here for tea again next week.
Slightly Stronger Coffee After a Hard Week
IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE: I would ask you if you would like another cuppa, or another cake . ! If we were having Coffee Original idea from http://parttimemonster.wordpress.com/
willowdot21 
Hi Willow! Thanks so much for the opportunity to guest post and have a chat with your readers. It is great to be here sipping a cuppa (with some “stiffening” Ha!) and having a piece of your tasty chocolate cake between serving my guests. I hope your week comng gets better.
Hi Paul as always you and your guests are very welcome . I was appalled to hear about your hospital treatment on Friday,very uncaring. Don’t let me get started on hospitals please !
What a shock all the trees gone from the wooded area at the hospital, what a shock and as you say no fun for the wild life. Like you I hope the squirrels and their like survive the winter. While I am here Paul I could with a strong Cognac and coffee to help me on my way. My guests will be wandering where I am I am not ready yet!! Again I shall say what a pleasure it is to have you here. x xxxxxxx
Sounds painful and unfair to you.
Hi Tess yes it does sound awful!! Paul will be along Asap for now can I fix you anything. Xxxx
Thank you. No. I’m good. 😀
XXXX
Hi LCTC! Thanks for fdropping by for a cuppa and a chat. Yes it is unfair and it has never happened before, thankfully. They blamed it on their logistics dept, but it seems clear to me that there was a failure within their own dept as well to let supplies get so low. I suspect that the fact that there is a new manager likely was a part of the problem. They called the new manager at home Friday night and she was going to make a run between the other hospitals Saturday early am so they could gather up enough supplies to start the week. This is not typical of our hospital, just a one of problem because someone wasn’t paying attention. Unfortunately I was the one who suffered, but that happens sometimes. Gives me good ammunition the next time I want something from them.
I hope your week goes well LCTC – great to hear from you.
xxxx
Still, in a hospital, we expect safety and that would include supplies.
Nope your next session is much, much better. Have a good week, Paul.
HERE HERE!!
😀
Oh Paul, as I read your account of the dreadful treatment you had this week at Dialysis I had to walk away from my computer. I am a real wimp when it comes to needles and blood and go weak at the knees at the thought.
bad enough that you need the dialysis but for it to go wrong is dreadful. I hope the
coming week sees an improvement
.Irish coffee would seem a really good idea.
Destruction of woodland seems rather drastic..are there no rules or bye laws to protect them and the wild life they sustain?
A friend who lives in Washington posted a report in the Manitoba herald about American citizens crossing the border into Canada illegally! do you know anything about this?
I have been searching Facebook this week for pictures of my youngest son. He is lead guitar in several bands and has a 50th birthday coming up. I need the photos for a special scrapbook of memories. I am making it Guitar shaped. of course I have also been looking through my photo albums and reliving memories of him as a small boy with his brothers and sister.
Time for a cuppa I think…..Mine’s a cappuccino if you recall.
This afternoon I am going to the Cinema to see a film about Effie Grey who was married to John Ruskin, sponsor of the pre Raphaelite painters in Victorian times.
Thanks for the invitation . i look forward to calling in again next week.
Hi Tess Paul has had very rough treatment at hospital this week.Like you I had to walk away too I am also a blood whimp. Real blood, give me a Vampire or a hospital drama and I can cope but real blood that is different!! xxxxxx
Welcome Tess! It is a pleasure to serve you here at Willow’s. One cappuccino coming up! Well, it sounds like you’ve had a busy week. Sorry about the needly thing – i kept the mention of blood to a minimum for the reason you cited –many (inculding me) find it unsettling. The dialysis doesn’t let much if any blood escape – i just look the other way. ha!
Yes Irish coffee is definitely called for. Love it – yum, yum. Years ago I used to have a drink prior to dialysis to give me the courage, but the problem is that dialysis removes the alcohol from your blood very quickly – so i’d be hung over within an hour. Ha! Dialysis actually removes many medications as well, but the nurses keep track of who is on what and they replace the meds after the treatment. i teased tem that I wanted my alcohol back too but theywouldn’t budge – seemed a waste of a good shot. Ha! have another cappuccino Tess.
Yes, we have very, very strict laws about trees and such – to the point where the city actually keeps track of individual trees on private property. The trouble is that so many complain so loudly about the lack of parking at the hospital that I’d be willing to bet the hospital would be given the road for parking if they asked. it takes a majority vote in council to allow tree removal, but i doubt the hospital was given any flack at all. The issue is that they keep adding to the hospital and never add enough parking to compensate. The hospital is huge – a few square miles of buildings on this campus alone that serves not only eastern Ontario (millions) but also all Canada’s eastern North as well. Patients are flown thousands of miles from our Arctic settlements to this hospital. Canada went through a period of health care centralization some years ago such that smaller hospitals in rural areas were either downsized or closed. Anyway, there would have been no one argue on the trees side except a few like myslef who don’t own cars – a lone voice in the night.
That is a really great gift you are working on for your son Tess. It sounds wonderful and I am sure he will cherish it. A lot of work but worth evey minute it takes.
Well, on the border crossing thing – Canada/US have the longest non-miltarized boder in the world. It is mind bogglingly long. We have oodles of space here and socialized health care and it is not unusual for Americans to sneek in when their economy or gov’t are giving them a hard time. Every time they have a war, we get a shit load of American objectors. Honestly, though, many also sneak across the border into the States as well. We use electronic monitoring for many empty border aeas, but there are still ways to get in. It is a complex border and in some places it actually goes through towns and occassionally even through buildings such that your bathroom could be in another country – Ha! That’s rare and we like to make funny about it, but it is true. Our biggest concern is keeping out weapons and drugs – a full time job. However – ha! – our west coast has perfect weather for growing marijuana and “we” export a huge amount into the States. It is one of the largest crops on our west coast and the Americans hate us for it – Bwahahaha! Oh, it is illegal but kind of a standing joke. We hate that their guns and hard drugs come into our country so we get even by exporting soft drugs.
Anyway, i ramble Tess. I hope you have a great week and enjoy your visit to the Cinema. It is wonderful to have you here for a chat and I look forward to your visits. Have another capp to go and keep warm.
🙂
I think we can all agree that a slow week isn’t such a bad thing. And next week is a major holiday here so I’m looking forward to lots more slow, thank you very much.
I’m sorry to hear of your dialysis “adventure.” What do they think you are? A pin cushion? You assume that people in the medical profession know what they’re doing because of what’s at stake but that’s not always the case, as you’ve been made painfully aware. Go ahead and vent. It feels nice. I do it all the time.
I hate that paragraph about the lost foliage. Real estate developers have the same moral compass as child molesters. That might sound a bit reactionary but it’s how I feel.
Hi Mark! Thanks for dropping by. I tend to agree with you all the way, slow news weeks are good, incompetence in hospitals is less acceptable than anywhere else, and paving over trees is not a friendly thing to do. Thanks so much for dropping by for a cuppa and we look forward to seeing you again next week.
Xxx
I am pissed off at the hospital people with you and for you, Paul. That is outrageous. The supply chief, or whoever it is in charge of keeping stock full, failed miserably. And to then suggest it is your fault for not accepting treatment you know from experience hurts your body … I am furious!
Back now. I hope you are OK/
Are any of the seven myths of winter driving worth my looking up here in Syracuse?
And I’m sure your squirrels found a bountiful place to move, though the pillage is a shame.
Paul will be with you in five. Here have a warming drink and some cake
🙂 xx
Thank you, my friend Willow. 🙂
😀
Hi Mark! Yep, I was pretty pissed of at the hospital, you can bet. This is the firt time this has happened in 8 yeras so i suppose they deserve a break, but even so it isn’t apples or bread theyare selling – it is health care, a much more critical service.
I actually didn’t read the article on winter driving Mark. I don’t have a car any more so I don’t worry about it too much.
Yes, I am sure the squirrels moved on – I hear the condo market is pretty hot right how, Ha!
Thanks so much for dropping by for a cuppa and a visit.
xxxx