A rollercoaster day for sure.  Got up with the intent of waiting "patiently" for a call from the surgeons' office.  I lasted until 9 AM and decided I would call them.  The receptionist asked me to spell my name and then said she had no recollection of my name being referred but she would check the doctors' inbox.  She came back a few minutes later and said there was a referral there but the doctor was at the Rockyview all week.  She would forward the email to him and I "might" hear from him....it would be hit and miss.  I got off the phone feeling more than a little frustrated and decided to call my oncologist.  Of course I could not get through to him.  They have several lines of defence.  First you call triage and then they pass the message on and hopefully someone will return your call.  I told the triage nurse my story and said I would really like to speak to my doctor if possible.  She agreed that I should talk to him and forwarded me on to his office.  Again, no person answers the phone, just an messaging system so I left a message asking for someone, preferably my doctor,  to return my call.  Waited a few hours.  No call.  Finally I talked to Kelli and she said she would page Dr. Essaw.  She got a hold of him and told him I have an opportunity to go to Edmonton where the surgery would be performed quickly.  He knows the doc in Edmonton and has in fact worked with him and thinks highly of him so recommended I go with this option as Calgary is looking slow at best.  So I had pretty much made up my mind this was what I would do.  Headed out to the off leash park with Boomer and then went up to the Winter Club for a bit.  When I got home had a message on my voicemail that I had an appointment with our first choice doctor here in Calgary this Wednesday.  I had been told that this doctor was away until the end of January so am now thoroughly confused.  It was to late to call his office but will call first thing tomorrow morning.  I'm thinking that he's going to see me for a consult but is probably going away shortly and won't be able to do the surgery until January but will see what they say.  He would be my first pick if he's available.  So at this point I'm really not sure what is happening.  I am off of all chemo starting today.  No IV chemo tomorrow....Yahoo!  No pills!  Yahoo!  I have been on chemo for the past five months so this will be a welcome break although there is that nagging worry that things will come back if I stop.  My nurse called today and said they may want to wait a month for me to be off all chemo before the surgery but much will depend on my blood work.  Usually it is pretty good after three weeks but it is up to the Doctor to decide.  I will do whatever the doctors recommend but I am really hoping to get this all over before Christmas!   May not have to write that final photography course exam after all!  Some people will do anything to get out of a test!