Bajan Kate. A week with my #1

I left snowy Orangeville Monday night and arrived back in beautiful Barbados on Tuesday accompanied by my Kate.  She is our eldest and one of my favourite people in the world.

Some of you know Kate.  Some of you knew her when she was tiny or even before she was born.  Many of you supported me as I waded cautiously into the waters of motherhood. You listened to me when   I proclaimed that she was the most beautiful baby in the nursery.  You smiled because every parent feels this way, but come on, she really was!!!

 Kate was born by C-section as she persisted to be breach.  She had decided early on that there was just no other way out.  I can just hear her "Um, I just won't be doing that".  She had a little mind of her own.

Well, Kate has "grown up".  She studied media, communication and graphic design.  She has a full-time job in Toronto, with a digital advertising firm.  She wears stylish clothes, packs a healthy lunch and drinks beer at work on Fridays. Some might say she is "living the life".  What I say is that I am "living the life".  She is independent, both financially and in all other ways.  She still asks advice on occasion, which she
always considers and from time to time takes.

Mostly now we get to banter and laugh and exchange life stories.  I live vicariously through her at times, when I remember being 24 in Toronto.

So here we sit and enjoy the sun.  She has never been to our house here and was thrilled to have her own room and bathroom, all to herself.  A true step up from the 1 shower home at 26 Elm Ave.  I try to determine all the touristy and the true Barbados experiences she might enjoy.  I quickly realized that she is just happy to be here, relaxing.  That's not to say we are not going to experience Barbados, just not at a frantic pace running for the 6 days we are here.   My true feeling is that I have the opportunity to have Kate "all to myself" here.  I love my other children.  I enjoy Kate's friends and I adore Kate's boyfriend Jon and I look forward to entertaining these people on another occasion.  For now I am just enjoying my #1.

Well our flight was uneventful.  We were whisked to our house and immediately I put Kate to work, marinating and breading flying fish.  Kate is a vegetarian but she does enjoy her fish.  Up until this week I did not.  I am having my eyes opened.  I have had flying fish twice as well as swordfish.  We will have salmon tonight and go to the fish market tomorrow.  This is a very good experience for me and fortunately Kate likes to cook.  Some things never change.  She still wants my grilled cheese.  It made me feel nostalgic as I considered the grilled cheese sandwiches I have made for her.  Kate has always been a compliant person.  She understood that grilled cheese left unattended while baby brother Kevin was being fed could often be "dark".  She would scrape off the charred toast without saying a word.  Isn't that what ketchup is for.  She doesn't know that another meal here must be Kraft Dinner, for old times sake.

Oddest Place Ever - but good Fish and Chips

We spent some of day 1 in the city of Bridgetown.  We ended up on the beach at Carlisle Bay, where I had gone scuba diving.  We had a very strange lunch of flying fish and chips and Banks Beers.  It was a people watching day

Spa Day

Yesterday was a spa day at Indulgence Spa, just near the house in St. Peter. I had a gift certificate from Christmas burning a hole in my suitcase.  Kate was all for it.  It was absolutely lovely.




Today was Barbados Segway Adventure. I will try not to drift off topic.  Kate was very enthusiastic given our love of Arrested Development.

It is pretty easy to learn to ride and we were guided to some remote parts of the east side of Barbados where it is cliffs and crashing waves.

Atlantic Side of Barbados

This is part of the island that some tourist do not realize exists here.

You have to admit, I rock the fanny pack

Derek is also enjoying some father/daughter time.
As "they" say:  Like Father Like Daughter

Nice Hat Dad

Beach Snooze

Breath by Breath in an Empty Nest

I dropped off my beloved at Pearson for his return to Barbados as the project draws very close to something Derek refers to as "kick off". This means for us, as a couple, more distance and more time apart. This is not new to us. The difference now is that the nest, without the 3 sticky kids and without a spouse, is really quite empty.

I zipped back up to The Big Smoke (Orangeville) and actually got to work early. The hospital is a whole different place at 0715. Pie-eyed nurses are changing shifts, praying their car is not covered in snow. The emergency dept is unusually quiet. The parking lot is being cleared for another day of wobbly patients. The best thing though was the fact that I had time for breakfast. Headwaters is an amazing community hospital with it's true claim to fame, beyond state of the art medical care is the cafeteria. The food is well known. The ladies are gems. People come here just to eat. So I had breakfast. It was egg McShirley and could not be beat.  

The next 3 days were what I would consider challenging days. I saw many very sick patients. The routine I put my patients through to assess their lung function, is rigorous when someone is already exhausted. I ask them to blow hard and fast and long, much like a labour coach. I make them hold their breath. I make them breathe "normally" with a snorkel mouthpiece and nose clips on. It is a compromise between getting the best test results while still respecting this persons limitations. This week has been one of patience and understanding for an unusually large number of very sick people. Basically the rule of thumb is "how would I like my parents to be treated" and I try to go with this.  

My role in lung health is to attempt to identify lung disease and intervene and educate where I can to help slow or control the process. My role is not one of a Respiratory Therapist. These are the young keen kids I work with and for whom I have the greatest respect. RTs can do what I do. I cannot do what they do. These are the people you want there in an emergency. You don't want someone people refer to as "pokey". My fear is to be mistaken for an RT so when there is a "code blue" I hide in the closet. 

 I spent a morning this week with a team of people who work to make us aware of the campaigns and resources available to guide our patients in the process of quitting smoking. This is a role I take very seriously. There are so many factors in the decision to smoke and the decision to quit. I do not stand in judgement as a nonsmoker when I speak with my patients. Vices are vices. I have taken a 3 day course on smoking cessation counselling. I wish there was a 3 day course to help people break me of my addiction to Ben and Jerry's. Who am I to judge. As one of the team very wisely commented "if health were easy we would all be healthy" 

Another thing I encountered this week was a profound sadness in 2 of my patients. They recounted the loss of their husbands like it was yesterday. This attachment in later years is something of which I am becoming more aware. I will remind myself of this the next time I have the opportunity to spend another 6 weeks in Barbados.