Category Archives: chemo

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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summer holidays

01 Wednesday Jul 2009

Posted by in cancer, change, chemo, fitness, friends, health & happiness, holidays, home, hope, life stuff, naps, tapas, yoga

≈ 18 Comments

SummerSun

I proclaim today as the beginning of my summer holidays!

Back when I mentioned my need to take some Time Out there were still several matters to attend to and get organised before I felt I could really relax and focus on taking some quality healing time. So most of June was spent “taking care of business” and getting through some pretty rough chemo. To wit, I have also decided that I’m done with the infusions and won’t be taking the sixth one. If they let me I’ll still do the sixth round of chemo mid-July, but only taking the dreaded Xeloda, which has a slightly less toxic effect on me. After the last infusion I got a very clear message from my body that it was DONE with that shit and really couldn’t take any more. And since my last PET scan was clear, I think I can take my body’s advice on that.

So for the next two months it’s going to be all about healing, yoga, long walks, healthy diet, cats, friends and – most importantly – taking time to breathe. I also have a few projects to work on, but just poco á poco when I feel up to it. And Nog & I want to get casa az de-cluttered and set up so we can both work here in comfort come September.

What will you be doing this summer?

napping for spain…

28 Sunday Jun 2009

Posted by in animals & pets, cancer, chemo, home, hope, naps

≈ 4 Comments

venus cupid

Came across this gorgeous image over at Zeus’s and knew I had to use it for my next nap post. It’s that time of the chemo cycle when I turn into a cat and don’t do much other than eat and sleep for a few days. Of course that should be Azar fanning me with asparagus while Sunny hides somewhere under the blanky.

My favourite naps theses days are the ones when I awake feeling totally refreshed and having no idea what day – let alone what time of day – it is. Those make me smile.

for now…

24 Wednesday Jun 2009

Posted by in cancer, chemo, health & happiness, hope, hospitals, rants

≈ 26 Comments

time

… I seem to be on the mend.

After I got my pre-chemo bloodwork done yesterday morning I stopped by to see Ricardo (of The Team, and head of nuclear medicine). He told me that my latest PET scan had come back normal, that there was no sign of the two tumours they had seen in March. I’ll find out today when I talk to Dr Ana what they have in mind for further treatment, but it will probably mean completing the last two rounds of chemo, and after that …

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another month!

21 Sunday Jun 2009

Posted by in cancer, chemo, friends, health & happiness, home, hope, hospitals, yoga

≈ 10 Comments

july 2009
Two down, one to go (well okay, one & a half …)

So okay, remember last week when I told you the wonderful news about my friend “Bob” very generously sending me a donation that was enough to see me through a whole month, so I could spend that time focusing on healing and getting through the chemo? Well, guess what? I have just been given another month!

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