Category Archives: health & happiness

eep! broken tooth!

10 Tuesday Mar 2020

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The other day I was eating THIS AMAZING SANDWICH when it suddenly became “crunchier” than it should have been. Eep! Not to mentione Ick! Yep, a huge chunk of molar had broken off. Actually, I’d lost a smaller bit of the same molar a couple of weeks ago, off the other side, but as it was small I put off going to the dentist. Maybe a good thing if the other side was also ready to fall out? Or maybe it would have been prevented? Anyhoodle, it was off to the dentist today because the sharp shardy broken edge is ripping the side of my tongue to shreds.

My dentist – AKA the BEST dentist in Sevilla – always chides me for just coming in for emergency service, not for regular checkups. And he’s right. But it’s mostly because, well, dentists are expensive! And really, who wants to go to them anyhow? And frankly, while I’m waiting on results to see if I’m healthy, why spend money on teeth?

Anyhow, back home now with the left side of my face still frozen up to my eyeball. Tongue and lips also still feeling thick and numb. And it cost me 140 euros for two fillings (actually, this is a good price, just bad timing in terms of no work no money). Especially as the fillings were kind of major reconstructions… my guy always tries the cheaper route before saying “YOU NEED A 500€ CROWN”. So now we will see if these fillings stick. Apparently the teeth are pretty much destroyed but we live in hope.

So how’s your Tuesday going?

ouch!!

05 Thursday Mar 2020

Posted by in health & happiness, hospitals

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So THIS happened yesterday. At the second winery in Ronda I was being led down a pebbly slopey path and …. whoosh! …. suddenly I was down. And dammit, I knew something was wrong right away, but what was I going to do? I still had another bodega to visit and wasn’t going to get home any quicker because my bus didn’t leave until 6 pm. But by the time I got home last night my foot and ankle were all swollen and hurt like a mofo.

Once home I applied a large bag of frozen peas and considered cancelling my CT scan that was scheduled for 8.30 the next morning. But in a way it was “lucky” that I had the scan because I may not have gone to get my foot looked at otherwise. So after the scan I hobbled over to emergency to have it x-rayed. Turns out nothing is broken, and I was given a tension bandage, so that’s all good. Except for the hurting like a mofo bit.

Also looks like tomorrow I’ll be doing a sherry tour on crutches! I know I should be staying home but I also have to pay my rent.

anxiety alert

18 Tuesday Feb 2020

Posted by in health & happiness, home, hope

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Part of the many issues surrounding “invisible” medical conditions such as depression and anxiety is that they are, well, invisible. This means not only are most people unaware that someone they know might be suffering from this, but even after they are told, they somehow don’t quite believe it. I think it’s a bit like “the stupid things people say” when they find out someone has a nasty illness like cancer. And while I’ve talked at length here and elsewhere about my cancer story, I have not often mentioned the anxiety thing. But today it seems relevant because of a couple of recent experiences.

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one down, two to go…

13 Thursday Feb 2020

Posted by in cancer, friends, health & happiness, hospitals

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So there I was, up at 6.00 am in order to prepare for the prep… which began at 6.30. Four fucking litres of this vile solution, downed in 250ml doses every 15 minutes over 4 hours. After the first hour is when the fun starts. I was amazed that I was actually able to down all 16 doses, but after awhile nothing mattered anymore, so what the fuck, what was one more disgusting oral and anal experience? After that I had to spend 4 hours not drinking even one drop of water. You’d think that by this point I’d have had enough liquid to last me, but as I’d also lost a lot of liquid I was actually quite thirsty, and I’m not used to going that long without water.

Anyhow… got a taxi over to the hospital with my friend Paz. These days I go to as many hospital visits on my own as possible, but this one required that I be accompanied because they administer a mild sedative. In this case it wasn’t that mild! A dolantin-valium cocktail totally knocked me out and I woke up again an hour later going – wut? By then it was all over and they were wheeling me into the recovery room. Seriously I don’t ever remember being knocked out so completely during any previous colonoscopy/endoscopy procedures. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation? Whatever, it was done and – YAY! – I was told that there were no signs of cancer and I was good to go.

And so I went, with Paz, for a long walk over to the Huerta de Rey Moro, a community garden where some of her family were having a birthday party for one of her many nephews. Grabbed a cold beer, hung out with the family for awhile and then decided – fuck I’m hungry! I mean, it had been over 36 hours since my last bite. So I wandered over to Eslava for a snack and also to just feel normal again. These hospital things really take it out of me, so I got back into my element, chatting with the barmen, doing a bit of Instagramming… and after that I was ready to go home. It was such a relief to open my door to three hungry cats, feed them, put on my PJs and get ready for a cosy evening at home. BUT THEN THIS HAPPENED… (stay tuned)…

ufff…

12 Wednesday Feb 2020

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So for the second time in two weeks I am going through the hideous colonoscopy prep, which is usually something people only have to endure once every few years. My last colonoscopy was two years ago but recent findings (looking for leaks!) have led to me having another one sooner than usual. Unfortunately that barium xray a couple of weeks ago also required this same prep so here I am again. But with a difference.

Previous tests were either in the morning or at midday, so the “clear liquids only” day was the day before the procedure, starting the dread EVACUANTE the evening before, dividing the 16 doses (10 in the evening, 6 the next morning). This time my appointment is at 4 pm, so I  have to start the liquid diet after lunch today and then GET UP AT 7 AM AND TAKE ALL 16 DOSES before 11 o’clock. I dunno… have never managed to get more than 10 down in a row, and am always – literally – gagging on the last two. Six more (one every 15 minutes) means an extra hour and a half of this liquid hell. Uffff….

The “good” news is that (well, so my onc says) they aren’t checking for cancer this time, even though all my test reports since November (CT, ultrasound, endoscopy, barium xray) mention a suspicious area of inflammation and state that they cannot completely rule out neoplastic pathology. Whatevs. More news as it happens…