Events of the Last Month
I know it’s been awhile since I last posted anything. I was down with the flu for a couple weeks and then my wife and I took a little vacation to Las Vegas. It was the first time either of us has been there and we were able to time it so that we were there for our 20th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, a couple of days before we were scheduled to fly back to Ottawa, I had a trip off a curb while buying some bus tickets on the strip and ended up tearing the miniscus in my right knee. I wasn’t sure I had any real damage until just this past weekend when the swelling became very bad and the pain got much worse as well. My wife insisted that I go to the emergency room and get it checked before it got even worse. So it was off to the Ottawa General Hospital Saturday evening, at which time I was also attending my wife’s bowling banquet. I had to leave the banquet early as I could not take it anymore and my right foot was tingling and going numb. When I got to the hospital, I was transferred from the reception to the Urgent Care waiting room and didn’t even get a chance to sit in the at the front in the normal emergency waiting room. I was in and out of the hospital in less than an hour, which is extremely rare from other visits I’ve had for myself and family members. Once the doctor saw my knee, he knew what the problem was and said he would not send me for x-rays or other diagnostic imaging as he deemed it unnecessary and that the treatment would not be any different. So, I have to cut back on the dog walking and other activities until the swelling goes down and the knee has a chance to begin healing. Unfortunately, with a 10 month old Beagle, walking is a must, but I will make those walks shorter this week until the knee feels a bit better. Right now, the worst activity is driving and going down stairs.
What Happens in Vegas
Other than hurting my knee, the time in Las Vegas was enjoyable. We left Ottawa, which still had snow on the ground and landed in Las Vegas at 10:30pm local time to 25C temperatures. We were both dressed rather heavy for that temperature, but it was a short ride to the MGM Grand from the airport where we were booked to change into more weather suitable clothing. Since we were three hours out of our time zone, it was early morning for us. The weather there was extremely warm for early April and extremely dry. With the arthritis we both have, the dry climate was beneficial for actually relieving some of the pain I normally experience daily here at home. Unfortunately, it’s going to be a few more weeks before my knee will be healed up and if it doesn’t heal up, it looks like surgery may be the only option I have left to get it fixed.
Upcoming Election
So there’s an election coming up here in Ontario on June 7th. Once again we have to choose the lesser of all the evils. Ontario used to be the province that held up the rest of Canada, but now it’s known as the province with the highest government debt of any non-national government in the world. We have electricity rates that make the other provinces look like they are getting their services for next to nothing and we have hospital waiting rooms with some of the longest wait times anywhere. On a good day when there’s no one in the waiting room you’re looking at a minimum of four hours to get in to see a doctor. I really can’t complain on the aspect of wait times since I was out in less than an hour when I went to the emergency room a couple of weeks ago. However, my knee was extremely swollen and I was put into the Urgent Care unit and was seen right away. Had they deemed my injury as something that didn’t need urgent attention, I would have probably been waiting several hours.
I’m planning on getting back to regular posts and also getting some other websites up and running and perhaps make this a full time gig. I am starting to get more time available to myself, so might as well use it to get my own business up and running and perhaps make a few extra bucks on the side.
That’s all for now. There’s lots of crazy stuff going on in the world that merits some discussion, so I look forward to writing some posts on those various topics.
Be Good,
GP Joa