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Category Archives: health & happiness

on travelling (and living) with anxiety

23 Thursday May 2019

Posted by azahar in cancer, friends, getaways, health & happiness

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

anxiety, friends, health, travel

crossing bridges…

As I put together the posts for last week’s London Getaway (done after I got home) I realised I was almost enjoying the visit more in retrospect than when I was actually there. Don’t get me wrong – it was wonderful meeting up with my friends, and going to the Spanish Embassy party was an amazing experience. And Nicola’s apartment was lovely. But when I wasn’t with friends or otherwise occupied I felt quite stressed and anxious most of the time. In fact, this anxiety started about a week before I left, since I am actually terrified of flying. I was lucky that Peter agreed to stay over while I was gone to take care of the cats, as that was one less thing to worry about. But still, I was very nervous about my trip to London, even before I got there.

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sick day

13 Saturday Apr 2019

Posted by azahar in health & happiness, home

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

health, home

So there I was, about 2/3 through a tapas tour, when I started to feel a bit woozy. Then when we got to our final bar my stomach started cramping and I was decidedly not okay. But I soldiered on and, luckily, my group had been up since 3am to catch their flight to Sevilla, so they didn’t linger after finishing their desserts. I walked them most of the way back to their hotel as it was on my way home, feeling worse and worse with each step, but still managing to be chatty. But as soon as I got home… WHAM.

Thus started a long night of violent vomiting, diarhhea, fever, sweating and shivering. This morning I felt totally wrung out and only managed to sit up for a couple of hours before heading back to bed. Finally woke up again around 5.00 thinking I needed to eat something, and for some reason that something had to be boiled potatoes. But even that simple meal rushed right through me and now I need to lie down again. Everything is aching… my eyes, my fingers.

Sad to have missed a lovely day planned with Kalé and her mother, who just got into town, which was going to include a horse carriage ride and lunch. But somehow I don’t think I’ll be eating out again for awhile.

10 year challenge

18 Friday Jan 2019

Posted by azahar in cancer, health & happiness, home, hope

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

10 year challenge, cancer, health, home, hope

Graffiti. #10yearchallenge

floaters and flashes

19 Monday Nov 2018

Posted by azahar in health & happiness, hospitals, sevilla

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

eyes, health, hospitals, sevilla

About a month or so ago I went to see my GP Agustín because I had suddenly developed floaters in my right eye, accompanied by flashing lights in the right hand corner (only noticable when it was dark). So he put in a request for an appointment with the ophthamologist and said they would get in touch. Then I started getting those flashing zig-zaggy prisms right across my eye, though they didn’t last long. But the point was that things weren’t getting any better and I still hadn’t heard from the specialist about my appointment.

The reason I wasn’t super worried about it was because this very same thing happened to me almost exactly 9 years ago. And I got it checked out and it was nothing, and eventually went away. But after having mentioned this here, and also to a couple other friends via email/whatsapp I was suddenly being pressured (in the kindest way possible) to GET IT CHECKED OUT. Because the threat of retina damage and vision loss is actually quite a real one. So I checked again with my GP this morning, and he agreed I should go to Emergency, so I hopped into a taxi and found myself once again at my least favourite place in Sevilla.

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the monitor

17 Saturday Nov 2018

Posted by azahar in friends, health & happiness

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

friends, health

Health, eh? We tend to take it for granted until something goes wrong. Which of course I learned big time back in 2008. These days I am much more cautious about thinking I am HEALTHY. Especially this year, having had 1 PET scan and 3 CT scans so far because they can’t figure out what that mysterious “cloud of inflammation” is and – so far – don’t want to cut me open to get a proper look.

Meanwhile, I have also developed a FLOATER in my right eye, similar to one I had about ten years ago. Same flashing lights, etc. My GP has requested an appointment with the eye specialist, but I am still waiting to have that confirmed. Likewise I am still waiting to hear when my next oncology appointment will be to get the results of the latest CT scan (taken 10 days ago). But one thing I do know! My blood pressure is perfect.

This surprises me, given that I am overweight and have had problems with tachycardia since I was in my mid-twenties. And so it also surprised me when skinny pal Peter’s @SVQconcierge recent medical check showed that his blood pressure was high enough to warrant daily medication and regular BP monitoring. This regular monitoring was getting to be a pain, so when Kate @sledpress recommended a wrist monitor that she uses I placed an order for it on Amazon. And well… immediately the readings were higher than those at the doctor’s (mine included!) but they will have to be taken over time, and in different situations, and then also at the doctor’s again.

My point is…. had I not been going in for various this and that anyhow, and if I hadn’t suggested that Peter get a check-up while I was there, then he wouldn’t have known about the blood pressure issue. And so boys and girls, if you haven’t had a full general check-up in the past couple of years… do it!

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