So I've made it to Tuesday night. I'm scheduled for surgery sometime on Thursday at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital. I will get a call sometime on Wednesday with the exact time that I'll need to get to the hospital. I had my pre-admission work last Friday, and it included a chest xray. (I mention this now, but keep reading to the next session.) I meet with my family doctor on Wednesday after lunch for my pre-op physical to make sure that there is nothing that the anesthesiologist needs to know. If all goes well, surgery take about an hour, then an hour in the recovery room, then into my room for the night. Dr. Black (my surgeon) plans for me to spend part of Friday and be home by dinner time. I have a picnic scheduled for Saturday with my SCA/reenacting group, and I really, really want to be able to make it. After surgery, it's 2 weeks of no driving, then another week of "quiet", then I should be back in form. Unless something unusual happens, this will be the end of my experience with cancer!
Fort Erie - continued
In the meantime, we got unpacked and the canvas tried out from Fort Erie. We got the dishes and cooking pots cleaned and could find the living room again.
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| Tents drying in the back yard - Our tent, Jeff's tent, the company dining awning. |
Our Immigration update!
We finally have something to report on our continuing work to become permanent residents of Canada.
The quick version - in August 2010, we submitted our forms and tons of documents to Immigration Canada (ImC) to become permanent residents. This would allow us to stay and work for as long as we want. Right now, John has to reapply every 3 years to stay and work, Robby and I cannot work, and Katie can only work on campus on her student visa. With PR, we have all the rights and responsibilities of all Canadians except being able to vote. (we can still vote in the U.S. as American citizens)
Mid October - Our packet was return. We forgot to put our names on the money order, forgot to check the box that stated that Katie had never served in the armed forces, and required that John take an English Literacy exam. He took the next available test in November, we got the test results back in January 2011, and shipped the packet out.
Then we waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. With no way to contact anyone.
Last Tuesday, we got a package form ImC with the forms for our physicals. After some manoeuvring, we got our physicals at the government approved physician in London.We all had blood texts for HIV and syphilis and John and Katie got there chest xrays because of her working all week (long story) Then on Monday Robby and I got our xrays, and John and I got creatine tests because of our hypertension. If all goes as the doctor plans, she'll have all the results back by the end of this week. She can then send them to the Ministry of Health in Ottawa; they will review the tests and agree/disagree with her findings, then send everything on the ImC.
Then we wait again. The next step will be a request that we send out passports in for the visa to be put into them, then the final crossing of the border for reentry as landed immigrants. What a neat Christmas gift that would be for us. (we initially came to Canada on December 13, 2007.)
Our Family Staycation
John's vacation ends today. He, Robby and I went to Kitchener on Monday for lunch with Joe and Wendy and a trip to J&J game store. Robby got a great deal on a Warhammer Wood Elf army, and John got some neat figures for D&D. We also got some neat things for Katie that she'll get on Friday.
John and I got in a tabletop game of Napoleonic era Italians (mine) vs Austrians (his). We'll finish it tomorrow evening.
Next update - Post surgery.
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