Well nothing exciting happening. Basically just doing the annual maintenance on myself 🙄 I am trying to get it all done as well as the taxes so that I can have a do nothing May, well except for planting our garden.
Just found this photo on my camera. Last Friday when we went to get out hair cut we saw this family snacking away in someones yard in the Upper Mission area.
Way too cold to even think about planting anything yet. We woke up today to white roofs all around us. Not snow but frost. It was -2C/28F. Tonight we are expecting 2C/35F, yes a bit warmer but still a risk of frost. The weather guessers have promised us sunshine tomorrow with a high of 55F.
At the dermatologist today, when I saw this photo, my mind immediately flashed to my Mom. I can’t believe that I thought this was her and not me.
We continue to be busy but its all mostly centred on me. This past Monday was day one of my four annual vein treatments. One session in each leg in April and the final session end of September before we head south. I have been doing this for just over 8 years now and it does help keep my veins in check. Sclerotherapy is a medical procedure used to eliminate varicose veins and spider veins. My legs are much better but this past Monday ( right let ) and likely next Monday on the left leg there are a few troublesome areas. Many of you have seen photos over the years. I look like a human pin cushion. Yesterday we have a longish meeting with our financial advisor. It does look like things will be getting better mid year and into 2024. About time 🙂
My chest sprayed with cryotherapy treatment. So much sun damage over the years.
Today was the most difficult maintenance of them all. My dermatologist had retired and moved to Victoria. She was pretty much the only on here in Kelowna. Now we have three new ones but I still had to wait ten months to see Dr. B. I have read mostly negative reviews. You can’t always believe those. She is a delightful young lady ( makes me feel old ) who has a great personality and cares about her patient/me and is willing to give. We have the talk about the Que Pasa of the spots on my face and chest. The chest ones are precancerous plus I have two different ‘spots’ happening on my face. About five years ago I had electrocautery done to my face spots.The wonderful thing is that it lasted almost 4 years. The past two springs the dermatologist just used cryotherapy on my spots and that did not last long. However new spots are always forming in my face. One should use a minimum of SPF35 on your face, I have been using SPF 25 followed by SPF 50 or 70 daily for several days. What I have not been doing is reapplying the face lotion every two hours. Today I was told that it really only lasts two years. So despite wearing my hat all the time and I really do, the sun has still been reflecting off the sand etc. has contributed to my blemishes. I have pre cancerous spots as well as sun spots but the worst is the Seborrheic Keratosis which I mostly have. Bottom line, start applying lotion every two hours.
Dr. B would not let Colin take a photo of her doing the treatment. Not sure the I really wanted to see it anyway.
In about 2-3 weeks these scabs will fall off and then another 6 – 8 weeks for the pink skin to heal.
So today we agreed to try the electrocautery. Despite the superficial anaesthetic it really did hurt. The worst part was smelling my flesh burning. So tonight I have a prickly sore face. I was told today that the key is to keep everything moist. Do not let the scabs dry out. Dr. B suggested doing the procedure on May 4th. Colin piped up and asked if it could be done today as I was having a special birthday in May and he did not want me looking horrible. We were both surprised today that she said if we could wait twenty minutes that she would do it then 😀 I really am pleased with my new dermatologist. She told me to get my GP to do a referral for next year. She also asked me to come back in two weeks as a follow up visit. I have never been offered that before.
Last night.
Fortunately my afternoon kinesiology appointment tomorrow was cancelled by my therapist. I will be honest, I am in a world of a pain tonight. Hope that part will be gone by tomorrow.I am hopeful that this will remove the worst of my spots and that I might not have to do anything for two years. Colin thinks that I am crazy to voluntarily have these things done to me. However he was there for me and didn’t say anything as I squeezed his hand so hard when Dr. B worked some parts of my face that had not taken to the topical anesthetic. She offered to stop and inject me all over with a different anesthetic but I just gritted my teeth and said keep going. I wanted it to be over.
The girls have been left alone for 2.5 hours on each of my maintenance days. They have not barked ( love our nanny cam ) but they do miss us and don’t relax. May 1st is not too far away 😎
Mother Nature is being very good to us even though we are not on the Isla.
I’m caught up now. Wow you folks have some serious things to accomplish upon arriving each year. I hear your frustration at the medical appointments, some days it seems as if there is no human content, just an appearance. It is getting more and more difficult to find resolution to some problems. Good luck.
I wonder if we have to be so intense on arrival. Unlike you who continue to live in your home on wheels year round, we only have so many hours to leave the TV outside of our hame and the unloading must be done quickly. Of course then all that stuff must be put away inside our tiny home. The other thing is that with us going to Mexico I feel the need to take many more things for us that we can’t get in Mexico ( like 5 months of dog food and all of our vegetarian foods, medical fist aid items and so on. ). If we were in the USA for the winter my RV would not be so loaded as there are many stores and choices in the US. Sometimes I wish the we lived fulltime in our RV. Life would be less complicated.
Nice that you found a Dr. you like and listens to you. I have never had that procedure done and certainly do not look forward to it! Sounds like the girls are getting more accustomed to being left alone. Even though they are restless, at least they are not barking.
I used sun beds for a few years. I have sun spots, precancerous spots and https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seborrheic-keratosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20353878.. I once saw someone on the Isla and her spots like this looked like HUGE warts. They were everywhere. That is why I get these treated at least every two years if not annually.
We are happy they aren’t barking.
So glad you have found a dermatolgist that works with you and hopefully you will be out of pain soon! Love the sunset pictures.
I had to wait a full year to see her so I am happy that it worked out. Starting to feel more normal By Sunday I hope to go for a walk.
Getting off the subject of your doctor’s visit and as we say down south, that is a “good-looking frock” you have on with the matching headband. I guess I have shopping on my mind as I need to shop for a new dress (sort of like the one you have on) for my 22-year old granddaughter’s college graduation this coming May. She majored in journalism and communications, summa cum laude, and on the Deans List. Grandmas have to brag on their grandchildren once in a while. It seemed only yesterday Megan at age 6 wrote a letter to the White House to stop killing turkeys for Thanksgiving and prepare and eat vegetable soup as traditional for the holiday. She did get a return letter from the White House saying that the President would “pardon” the two White House turkeys and have vegetable soup at the table that year. I wonder if he really did!!
Funny you should mention the headband, it was put on me by the doctor to protect may hair and to keep it off my face. I think the headband is what reminded me of my mother. Good luck with shopping for that perfect dress. Your granddaughter sounds like she just might make a huge impression on the world.
We eventually pay for all those hours/days of sun worshiping back in our youth. Norma and I spent many weekends baking in the sun with our friends on Stanley Park’s 3rd Beach. I am lucky that almost all of my “spots” are remaining “spots” but have had a few trips under the knife for a few on my back.
I used sun beds for a few years. I have sun spots, precancerous spots and https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seborrheic-keratosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20353878.. I once saw someone on the Isla and her spots like this looked like HUGE warts. They were everywhere. That is why I get these treated at least every two years if not annually.