Sunday, April 20, 2014

Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Bunny Hike, and Urgent Care

 

P1090038

We’ve been here less than 48 hours but a lot has happened so far. It was a scenic 30 mile drive from Casini Ranch to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds RV Park in Santa Rosa, CA. For a fairgound this isn’t a bad place. Full hookups for $30/night. They accept Passport America for one night only, so our first night was only $15. It’s not very crowded and relatively quiet except for a bit of traffic noise.

After we arrived we met up with another Lazy Daze friend, Lauralee, who lives in Santa Rosa. She and a group of friends do what they call a “Bunny Hike” every Good Friday, followed by happy hour and dinner at one of their houses. It was at her house this year so she invited us to come along. We met them at Foothill Regional Park, just one of the many parks in the Santa Rosa area. We see why she likes living here.

P1090033

DSCN1093

Break time with a view.

DSCN1091

We had a pleasant evening at her house complete with Chinese take-out. Now we know that sweet and sour cashew is battered clumps of cashews in sauce with a few veggies. Not the healthiest Chinese dish, but it was sure good! She has a beautiful house and yard but we forgot to take pictures.

When we got home that evening I used the bathroom and found blood in my urine. What an unpleasant surprise. I had no other symptoms of a urinary tract infection, so I Googled it and of course read that I should get checked out as soon as possible.

So yesterday being a Saturday, the only place open was an Urgent Care Center that luckily accepted our insurance. There were only a couple other people waiting so it didn’t too long to be called back and get a urinalysis. When the doctor came in a while later, he informed me that yes, there were some red blood cells in the urine but there was no sign of infection. I was really hoping it was just a UTI and a round of antibiotics would take care of it but no such luck.

P1090032

He then told us he wanted to send me to the hospital for an ultrasound of the bladder and kidneys to determine if there was a tumor. He said we needed to stay in one place for awhile for me to get evaluated more thoroughly. Boy, that is a sick feeling when faced with the possibility of cancer. At that point thoughts of surgery, chemo, etc. were going through my mind. We decided if something showed up on the ultrasound we would just head back to our favorite Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

The happy ending to this story is that the ultrasound was completely normal, nothing out of the ordinary growing in my bladder or kidneys, and she even checked my aorta to be sure I didn’t have an aortic aneurism. So the doctor still wants me to see a urologist for some further testing, but he said there is no urgency now.

P1090036

By then it was 5 o’clock, so to celebrate the good news we stopped at the Russian River Brewpub. It was so crowded we couldn’t even get to the bar for a drink, but we just happened to park in front of a Supercuts. I was in desperate need of a haircut and the place was empty so I got right in. The stylist said there was another brewpub just a couple blocks away that usually wasn’t as crowded, so off we went to 3rd Street Aleworks. The beer was just what we needed, and by then we were hungry and ended up with a pizza. The nice waitress let us add a couple veggie toppings in place of the two kinds of cheese with no extra charge. Most places won’t do that, which always annoys us.

So it turned out to be not such a bad day after all. Wishing everyone a Happy Easter!

21 comments:

  1. WHEW....my heart just sank when you said it wasn't a UTI. That's sort of what happened to David. right out of the blue. I am SO glad to hear that all the tests show nothing. That is definitely something to celebrate with pizza and beer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, we actually thought about you guys and what a shock it must have been when David got that diagnosis. Things like that make you realize how important it really is to live each day to the fullest and to quit sweating the small stuff.

      Delete
  2. Whew--that's the kind of scare you'd like to avoid. So glad everything's alright!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Next time a waitress won't let you sub veggies, offer to show her your bladder. Glad there's no urgency. My bladder tumor was benign.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That' funny! I never even thought of a benign tumor and I worked in medicine for many years.When the doc said tumor I think my brain just shut down! It's very different when you're the patient.
      Gayle

      Delete
  4. This is the second story I heard today with a fabulous ending. The first...our Lord has risen today. The second, no cancer. So glad for you
    Gayle! You both deserved serval brews.

    ReplyDelete
  5. So glad no cancer showed up. Now....stay healthy!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Holy moly what a scare!! I can just imagine the thoughts going through your mind after the doc ordered those scans. Sure glad it was all clear!
    Nina and Paul (wherlingit)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Last year my cousin had the same exact thing happen to her with the blood in her urine. She had a kidney removed and is good to go now. Keep a eye on it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow, that was a scare. Glad nothing serious was found.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am glad everything is OK with bladder and kidneys, Hope everything turns out AOK with further tests, I have been down that path myself and it was not as good, but all is good now.

    ReplyDelete
  10. So glad to hear good news, Gayle:) Sounds like the doctor was very attentive to your needs...wonderful service.

    It does look like a nicer fairground camping area, even with a tree:)

    Enjoy your visit:)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Scary! I'm glad to hear that everything seems to be all right. Fingers crossed there's nothing hiding inside.

    I sure am loving your green scenery!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our friend said by summer all the green will turn to brown! I'm glad we came in the spring.

      Delete
  12. Wow, glad to know it was good news in the end. You deserved that brewpub beer and cheeseless pizza!
    Keep heading north!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Marti, we're slowly heading north but it may take us all summer! We'll let you know.
      Gayle

      Delete
  13. What a blessing that the news was good, in the end. Even when we live on the road, it is important to find good health care. Hope further tests turn out all right.

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a scare! So glad it turned out out well for you. Being on the road as we all are, it is always good to hear a story about good medical professionals and facilities---and a happy ending.

    ReplyDelete
  15. We're glad everything turned out for the best. Your dental and medical stories may be the blueprint for our future health issues. We admire the way you handle everything and hope we'll be able to do as well.

    As for the pizza, don't get mad about being charged extra for skipping the cheese and adding extra veggies. If you came into my pizza joint and asked to do that I'd kick your ass out. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wait till I get my teeth in and I'll get back to you.

      Jim

      Delete
  16. So glad your medical scare was just a scare. Take care!

    ReplyDelete