Category Archives: cancer

scarred for life

20 Monday Jul 2009

Posted by in cancer, change, health & happiness

≈ 19 Comments

my scars

Meant to post a follow up to the original scar post ages ago. I forgot to take a photo after the second op, so this one includes both second and third op scars, as well as the one for my port (the little one just there above my bra). Once again modesty prevents me from showing you the entire extent of the scars, but the vertical one goes right down to the pubes and the side one is a big J-shape that extends just past where the side seam on a shirt would be. The two horizontal scars are kind of on top of each other, but the second one also continues past the centre line for about three inches (bit hard to see in this pic).

The area where the horizontal and vertical scars meet is still causing me problems. Apparently I still have a lot of inflammation there, as well as where the original join was made in the colon after the emergency resection (first op). So there you have it. I’m not really bothered about having scars. I just hope I won’t need to get any more…

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do-it-yourself doctor

16 Thursday Jul 2009

Posted by in cancer, chemo, food & drink, friends, health & happiness, hospitals, tapas

≈ 10 Comments

diy doctor

Just call me Dr az.

I went to see the oncologist yesterday. Dr Ana is on holiday so I saw one of my original colon cancer oncs. As I mentioned in my summer holidays post, I’ve had very bad reactions to the last three infusions of Oxyplatin and so I decided that for the sixth and final round of chemo I’d just take the Xeloda chemo pills and forgo the infusion. When I told my friend/student/GP Agustín this the other day he went all doctory on me and said this wasn’t a decision I should make without the advice of my oncologist. So I gave that a shot and I’m not surprised at all how things went…

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breathe!

07 Tuesday Jul 2009

Posted by in cancer, fitness, health & happiness, life stuff, philosophy, yoga

≈ 5 Comments

yoga_stretch
It’s a conspiracy I tell ya.

Ever since I made the decision to take time out to heal so many positive things have happened to me that I feel sure that I made the right decision. And the main recurrent theme has been remembering to breathe. First “Bob” sent me some good advice about yoga breathing and described a good one for me to practice that would help me focus on the present.  And of course we do various breathing exercises in yoga class. Then the other day I read this lovely quote…

Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

I’ve been doing that one a lot since then and it really feels good. And then today someone on Twitter linked to a blog called Zen Habits and this wonderful post called (you guessed it) Breathe. It’s as though all of a sudden the universe is intent on getting me to breathe properly. And also to work on personal growth stuff. I had a quick look at the archives on Zen Habits and think I will do quite a bit more reading there. I really like the simplicity of the posts.

food porn

06 Monday Jul 2009

Posted by in cancer, food & drink, health & happiness, photos, restaurants, sevilla, spain, tapas

≈ 15 Comments

romero prawn nests

I don’t know how many calories these babies have and I don’t care.

After doing some Saturday morning errands and a bit of grocery shopping the other day, Nog & I stopped in for a tapa at one of our favourite bars, Bodeguita Romero. Everyone there knows about the cancer so, as I hadn’t been there in a few months, a full health update was required by the bar staff and Pedro Romero, the owner. After that was taken care of we tried something new on the menu – these really fabulous prawns wrapped in crispy fried potato threads. Then Pedro gave us a free sample of another new tapa they are trying out (see below). Little brie-filled pastries, kind of like spring rolls. The one on the left has spinach and the other one leeks. Also very nice.

All of this reminded me that I have been neglecting my Sevilla Tapas site, which still needs a lot of work done on it. So that is going to be one of my projects this week. In between yoga and breathing and walking and healing…

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pink

04 Saturday Jul 2009

Posted by in cancer, fitness, friends, photohunt

≈ 18 Comments

race for life

Today’s Photohunter theme is “pink”.

Am bending the rules a bit as this photo was taken for me not by me (I also posted it here last month, but what the heck). My friend Sara and her mum – both cancer survivors – took part in the central London Race For Life at the end of May. Sara’s husband Steve took this photo and sent it to me. It made me cry happy tears and feel very loved indeed.

I’m Shawn.

photohunter