Evacuation, Friends & Massage

In case you missed it, we have been evacuated from our community here in Alberta due to all of the wildfires. While the entire event has definitely been traumatic to say the least, the volunteers who are looking after us are absolutely amazing! 

We have been provided with a hotel (courtesy of our town), any incidentals we forgot our couldn't get to - as well as 3 meals a day.

The people in our temporary community have been friendly, welcoming and supportive. Even our mail has been redirected here.

Robbie has his favourite toys

3 incredible meals a day put on by volunteers

Some friends invited us to their RV park for the afternoon yesterday which then became dinner. We visited for several hours before heading back to our hotel. Note the Gazebo, it'll be important later.

Gazebo

Time to chill

The sun was setting on our way home... That is the red dot.

Same sun reflected in the window

Brad had a massage appointment set up for today but as we're evac'd that was out the window. Except yesterdays friends are also friends with our masseuse. She offered her gazebo which offers 4 sided curtains for privacy. 

It couldn't have worked out better. Brad had his massage and I had a massage and then our friend had one, however, her husband was called out to block the highways before he could get his massage... not fair, at all.

We even ordered Chinese take-away for lunch. 

Evacuation Massage Gazebo

After returning to our room another couple invited us to supper with them and we were off again.

We have just returned to our room and will get to relax for the evening.

Word is that it will be a few days at least before we are allowed to return home, hopefully we will still have one!

We hope she's the one

As you know, Brad gets a massage every week because of his injuries. Dealing with the bureaucratic red tape of this while living this lifestyle is frustrating to say the least. Through Veteran's Affairs his massages are paid through Medavie Blue Cross.

Although his Veteran's account shows that he requires these massages, rather than attach the billing authorization to Brad it is attached to the Massage Therapist. Well when you move around and constantly change Therapists you have to contact MBC so they can provide an authorization number to said Therapist. And I'm sure you can imagine what making a change in a Governmental Bureaucracy is like.. it takes forever.

When we first arrived on Salt Spring Island we immediately set about trying to find him a good Massage Therapist. All the RMTs on the island were booked up months in advance so we went further afield and made an appt in Duncan, there was the usual trouble getting the authorization number for the woman and Brad had to get involved and sort that out with MBC.

Thursday, after 5 weeks... 5 very long weeks, the day finally arrived. OMG he was excited to finally get some relief. We had to leave home by 9:15am to get the 10:30am ferry because if we didn't get there early enough we might not get on and the 11:30am ferry (ideal for a 12:30pm appt) was classified DC (Dangerous Cargo) and passengers are not allowed.

Anyway, we got to Duncan and Brad had his massage while I did the laundry.

The woman was terrible. Barely applied any pressure while Brad needs Deep Tissue Massage... (even though this was all explained prior) and she hummed. Yes, hummed in an alternating pitch the entire time. He said it was the worst massage he's ever had.

Yesterday, I set about trying to find someone on SSI. Off I went, drove from one to another and finally got so frustrated and angry at this ridiculous system. There are only 6 MDC authorized Massage Therapists on SSI, all of which are booked and as one woman told me, it takes them so long to get paid by Vets Affairs that they don't want to bother with it.

It's not like this is a warm fuzzy massage, this is medically necessary so that he can move and function. He is a Veteran for Gods sake. Oh man, after that woman I was fit to be tied... still am.

I pulled over and just started calling because I was just too angry to be driving, and I found her. The name on the top of my list. I explained what was happening and she agreed to see Brad. We have to wait until Nov 7th but he's in. Such a relief. I explained the Deep Tissue stuff and the essence of his injuries, so we are hoping that this will be the one.

We have decided to just pay for the massage and if it all works out then we'll get the Authorization number. It will mean waiting upwards of 12-16 weeks to get paid back, but... in the end it's easier. - if you can afford the waiting, that is.

This BS of having to authorize the individual therapist is ridiculous, you go through hell to get it sorted only to find out the service isn't what you need. The Therapists are already pre-approved by Medavie Blue Cross, they have a list to choose from, so as long as Brad has the authorization and the Therapist is on their list..... am I really that Blonde?

We did this down in California, paying for each massage then submitting the bill and waiting to get paid. Most of that didn't get back to our bank until we were in Saskatchewan... and we spent 6 months in the states sending bills back every month or so. This was required because they don't do auto payment to American providers, you can have the service down there but you must submit the bills and await repayment. We asked before we even left our house and we were assured that it wasn't a problem... then we got there....

It's a game of frustration. Ridiculous red tape bureaucracy.

Here's hoping she's the one!

At Peace

So my Wonderful Husband was in some pain this morning after washing the RV yesterday. He was so bad he was going to go back to the place he went to the other day but after remembering her sandpaper hands figured he'd rather suffer through it than go there again. Fortunately he is feeling much better after his medication reduction but today he was dealing with his neck/back pain again but for a different reason.

I googled to see what else I could find. I always prefer place with websites simply because it gives you a better idea what your walking into.

I found one called At Peace Massage which had a 5* rating from 30 people on Google and he called to see about getting in today... she was booked but unsure if her 9:40am would show. He gave her his number just in case and we decided to wait and see what happened. About 10 minutes later the phone rang and Heather said she could fit him in at 10am. Done and he was showered and out the door before I knew it.

It is worth noting that because she hasn't paid $500 to be on a Google Search Engine her website will only show on Yelp! and Google Maps. There is also plenty of room for RV parking he tells me.

At Peace Massage Building

Heather

Heather can be reached at (775) 513-5916. One of her Massage Contracts is providing massage services to Poker tournaments in Las Vegas, NV she clearly knows what she's doing. Heather is very polite, friendly, welcoming and accommodating, she truly wants to help people who are in pain. A huge thank you to her for helping Brad today, although I have to chuckle because when he came home he was like this:

No further comment required

While Brad was away... I got to work.

I tore all the stuff out of the basement and reorganized to accommodate the Jeep windows as I have mentioned I needed to do. Our basement is now completely organized (finally, I know) and the doors are safely tucked in down there. I was able to move some memorabilia (we failed to leave at Brad's Mum's when we were there), the fishing tackle box, Xmas ornaments and life jackets to the under bed area. I also managed to create a more suitable spot to keep the towbar when we are not towing.

Remember me mentioning that the antennae pole was too big to fit below and we had to travel with it inside the RV? I went to the office to inquire if anyone might have a hacksaw and sure enough... when Bill realized Brad was not around he was either being chivalrous or he didn't want me breaking his hacksaw so he cut the pole for me in 2 places. 4 ft each. Perfect. That also fits snuggly into the basement now.

I took Robbie to the Dog Park for awhile this afternoon and then when Brad returned and was having a nap I walked over to the ClubHouse and updated my iPhone on the wifi since its been plaguing me for days to update it.

I have to get better at the picture thing I know. When we're out I mostly remember to take pictures but when I'm just hanging at home doing stuff I often forget. We had a quiet afternoon at home getting ready to head out in the morning and catch up with Vicky and Bruce. Vicky is making dinner tomorrow night - Bonus! We hear she's a great cook, so quite looking forward to that.

Confessions and Pools

So I should confess, I suppose. Things have been difficult around here the last few days. Brad has been on a medication the result of which has become worse than the problem so under doctor supervision he is reducing in an attempt to completely stop them. He has been reducing now for several months, it is an extremely slow process under doctor's orders. A few days ago he reduced to the next increment and has been having great difficulty for the last coupl.e of days. So yesterday we pretty much hung around the RV, today he is feeling much better.

He called around and managed to schedule a massage for noon today. It wasn't quite what he was expecting (no, nothing like that!), but it made a huge difference.

Waiting for Daddy at the Masseuse

On the way back to the RV we stopped at Home Depot and I ran in to get 2 Nite Ize dash mount cell phone holders but they didn't have them. I shall just have to order them online. They are a must for the Jeep. We also stopped Albertson's to grab a few groceries and it wasn't until we got home that I realized I didn't have the bread and buns I bought. I'll drop by there tomorrow to get them.
We also ordered a mesh cover today for the Jeep so I don't have to worry about the dog falling out the window. It will be delivered on or before Wednesday. Picture to follow then.

After a supper of homemade soup, no buns except the 1 remaining in the cupboard. Then we went to the Clubhouse and shot a few games of pool.

Ready for some butt whoopin'.

Clearly, I'm not 20 anymore.

 Brad one 2 of 3 games ( I sunk the White with the Black on the 3rd game)

He is definitely feeling better but it will be a few days yet while his body adjusts. Tomorrow we are hoping to go to Tecopa Hot Springs, hoping that will give him some more relief.