The world according to IdRatherBeSkiing
- Thread starter IdRatherBeSkiing
- Start date
This post lied. At that time we were only 3 weeks post-radiation. Now it is 5. Not much has changed. However, we have gotten into a routine. When she has to go out (as we had to yesterday) my son and I are able to get her from bed to office chair and from office chair to electric scooter. Yesterday, we had a covid test which is required to get back into Canada. Must be 72 hours prior to arrival which will be Sunday morning. She also had an MRI to see if the radiation did anything. It was a holiday for me (Remembrance Day) so didn't cost me any vacation time. We were able to manage without much issue. We had more issues with the football game and movie 2 weeks ago but we got through it and enjoyed both.
We are heading to Buffalo tomorrow to watch the Leafs play the Sabres. This will be the first time we are travelling with the electric scooter. Means we have no space for luggage aside from one half of back seat as scooter takes up whole trunk. If this continues, I may have to buy my dad's van (he had it for my mom and has not been able to sell it). Would cost more for insurance and plates and parking. And I would have to drive it from Saskatchewan.
It's really heartwarming to hear that you're not only there for her but also do these things to get her out and experiencing fun stuff. I can relate somewhat in a small way with my father-in-law's spinal cord injury. I'm not there full-time, I'm out there a few times each month helping get him in and out of bed/wheelchair, emptying bags, feeding him, etc. I've heard stories about others at the VA hospital with spinal cord injuries who have spouses who refuse to do a lot things, and those people have to rely on outside help, which is limited and has got to make the person feel bad knowing their spouse has an attitude of "I'm not doing that!"
Taking those apart and reassembling them sucks. We did that for a while with my mom's before we got that crane looking thing in the back of the minivan. But hopefully the Mrs. won't be using it for very long so you won't have to get one of those.
Ours was basically this but for a 3 wheeled electric scooter:
We are back home. We had a great trip.
We were a bit late getting under way. But we factored in a 1-2 hour delay at the border. There was none. They asked if we were immunized but never asked to see the paperwork. Until we arrived in Buffalo the skys had been partially cloudy. But there was a nice big streamer of lake effect clouds coming off Lake Erie and we hit rain (some of the drops were thick and white) about 5 minutes before the hotel. There was about 1/4 inch of snow on the ground on the grass. That was the extent of the snow we saw as most of what we saw after that was rain.
The hotel had issues. WiFi did not work in our room. The room they gave us initially was not cleaned. So we got another. It had a trash bag left in it and was short of towels but other than that was ok. By the time that was sorted out, we went to try to get into several restaurants but there was too much wait at each of them (it was 5pm) so we decided to just eat at the game.
We got to the connected parking garage to the arena and asked the attendant collecting the $$ about options for wheelchair access. He told us to go to level 3. Should be empty at that time and take the walkway across to 200 level. We were on 300 level. We did that and then got my wife onto the chair and into the stadium. The attendants at the door checking for vaccination passports, the security guys and the ticket takers were all very friendly as were all the staff who were directing us to the appropriate elevators and to our seats. My wife had a wheelchair ticket but we were not able to get companion tickets. It looked like our seats were right behind hers but it was above her as well. The attendant let us stay with her. Again very friendly. While the Toronto staff at various games are nice and courteous these guys were a step above that. A shout out to the staff of the Sabres.
The game was good. Neither team was sharp but I thought Buffalo played better. The Leafs were playing a goalie making his NHL debut. The Sabres were playing a goalie making his Sabres debut. The Leafs goalie was drafted by Buffalo. Both played well. The Leafs lead 1-0, 3-1, 4-2 before Buffalo coming back and tieing the game mid-3rd period. At that point the crowd was back into it and Buffalo was pressing. I was concerned that they would lose (it was a back to back game for them having played in Toronto on Friday -- winning 2-1 in OT). But they withstood that storm and it was back and forth for the duration of the period. I was thinking we were heading for OT but with 11 seconds left the puck hit the Buffalo crossbar came down in the crease and bounced into the net. The Leafs emerged victorious.
The game was not a sellout. There were a lot of Leaf fans at the game. But a lot of Sabre fans too. Everybody was very polite and we never felt uncomfortable in our Leafs jerseys (my son and I wore -- my wife is holding out for a Winnipeg Jets jersey. She has decided Winnipeg is her team). I know there are stadiums you can go where this is not the case.
This morning, we had breakfast at Denny's and filled out the ArriveCan info required to re-enter Canada while eating breakfast. Then we got gas and cigarettes (my wife is a smoker and you can't get menthol cigarettes in Canada) and back across the border. The crossing was uneventful and we were not randomly selected for test at the border.
We are now home and unpacking. A very good trip. My wife is finding herself a bit more mobile this weekend and this improvement is a good sign. I think the road trip also boosted her spirits.
We were a bit late getting under way. But we factored in a 1-2 hour delay at the border. There was none. They asked if we were immunized but never asked to see the paperwork. Until we arrived in Buffalo the skys had been partially cloudy. But there was a nice big streamer of lake effect clouds coming off Lake Erie and we hit rain (some of the drops were thick and white) about 5 minutes before the hotel. There was about 1/4 inch of snow on the ground on the grass. That was the extent of the snow we saw as most of what we saw after that was rain.
The hotel had issues. WiFi did not work in our room. The room they gave us initially was not cleaned. So we got another. It had a trash bag left in it and was short of towels but other than that was ok. By the time that was sorted out, we went to try to get into several restaurants but there was too much wait at each of them (it was 5pm) so we decided to just eat at the game.
We got to the connected parking garage to the arena and asked the attendant collecting the $$ about options for wheelchair access. He told us to go to level 3. Should be empty at that time and take the walkway across to 200 level. We were on 300 level. We did that and then got my wife onto the chair and into the stadium. The attendants at the door checking for vaccination passports, the security guys and the ticket takers were all very friendly as were all the staff who were directing us to the appropriate elevators and to our seats. My wife had a wheelchair ticket but we were not able to get companion tickets. It looked like our seats were right behind hers but it was above her as well. The attendant let us stay with her. Again very friendly. While the Toronto staff at various games are nice and courteous these guys were a step above that. A shout out to the staff of the Sabres.
The game was good. Neither team was sharp but I thought Buffalo played better. The Leafs were playing a goalie making his NHL debut. The Sabres were playing a goalie making his Sabres debut. The Leafs goalie was drafted by Buffalo. Both played well. The Leafs lead 1-0, 3-1, 4-2 before Buffalo coming back and tieing the game mid-3rd period. At that point the crowd was back into it and Buffalo was pressing. I was concerned that they would lose (it was a back to back game for them having played in Toronto on Friday -- winning 2-1 in OT). But they withstood that storm and it was back and forth for the duration of the period. I was thinking we were heading for OT but with 11 seconds left the puck hit the Buffalo crossbar came down in the crease and bounced into the net. The Leafs emerged victorious.
The game was not a sellout. There were a lot of Leaf fans at the game. But a lot of Sabre fans too. Everybody was very polite and we never felt uncomfortable in our Leafs jerseys (my son and I wore -- my wife is holding out for a Winnipeg Jets jersey. She has decided Winnipeg is her team). I know there are stadiums you can go where this is not the case.
This morning, we had breakfast at Denny's and filled out the ArriveCan info required to re-enter Canada while eating breakfast. Then we got gas and cigarettes (my wife is a smoker and you can't get menthol cigarettes in Canada) and back across the border. The crossing was uneventful and we were not randomly selected for test at the border.
We are now home and unpacking. A very good trip. My wife is finding herself a bit more mobile this weekend and this improvement is a good sign. I think the road trip also boosted her spirits.
My dad's van has something like that coming out of the back. I think it is like a lift if I recall.
So in 1 week if all goes well we will be in Antigua. This is the delayed trip from 2021. I am still not convinced this will happen. We have PCR tests booked on Thursday for entry to Antigua. If the tests are not available or we do not get results in time, we are screwed. Also with case numbers going through the roof, anything is possible like last year when the government outright cancelled our flights.
When I'm in the Carribean IP a lot too, because I drink so much. Cheers!
We had our tests done yesterday morning. I get a call this morning that the lab has messed up my test. I need to do it again (no charge). So I did that. A couple hours later my wife's test comes back negative. Got the printout for that. Just got a call from the pharmacy .. I am negative. They were nice enough to put a rush on it. Just waiting for the e-mail copy now.
Of course my wife has scheduled me for a whole bunch of stuff tommorow. And we leave for the airport @ 3:30AM on Sunday morning. I see sleep on the plane in my future.
We made it. This resort is lovely. Nice and warm.