• about azahar (that’s me!)
  • my cancer story
  • azahar’s kitchen
  • azahar’s sevilla
  • sevilla tapas
  • personal trip planning

casa azahar

~ my life in sevilla

casa azahar

Category Archives: health & happiness

vet or no vet?

16 Monday Nov 2009

Posted by azahar in animals & pets, health & happiness

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

cats, health, vets

at the vets

I just spoke to the vet again because Sunny doesn’t seem to be getting any better. He still only has a BM every three days or so, which is not good. His fur is looking all matted and it’s like he’s wasting away before my eyes. Hard to believe that back in July he was so chubby. Anyhow, the vet says that the only other thing they can do is arrange for an ultrasound to see the blockage more clearly, as well as do more blood tests. And I am stuck, not knowing what to do. First of all I don’t have the money (about 200 euros) that an ultrasound, blood tests and a vet consultation will cost. But even if I did, at what point does one keep testing a 16-year-old animal who may simply be “shutting down” due to old age? I mean, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t agree to an operation at this stage. Though if it is feline megacolon, the information I’ve read says that sometimes surgery is needed to remove the blockage and the success rate is very high. It also says that ultrasounds are only done if cancer is suspected. So I don’t know. What should I do? What would you do? This is really breaking my heart.

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

resfriada

12 Thursday Nov 2009

Posted by azahar in health & happiness, home

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

bed, cold, cough, fever

cat cold

… well, I hope that it’s “just a cold”.

I went to bed for a siesta yesterday afternoon, feeling fine, and woke up 40 minutes later with a tightness in my chest and achy arms and legs. Damn. It got progressively worse throughout the evening, but I got through my two evening classes okay and then curled up with some hot tea. I think I mentioned earlier that I only had three classes this week because one of my students – a doctor – is away doing some volunteer work in Nicaragua. And it turned out that all three classes were yesterday (wish every day were like that Monday-Thursday!), which means I can do the stay in bed and drink plenty of fluids thing today.

Ah well, looking on the bright side, I usually get my annual cold around Christmas time, so this way I can get it over with and shouldn’t get another one for the rest of the winter.  I’m planning on getting some reading done but, as I’ll be stuck indoors all day, don’t be surprised if I Skype you…

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

falling apart

10 Tuesday Nov 2009

Posted by azahar in cancer, chemo, diet & nutrition, health & happiness, hospitals, rants, wtf?

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

cancer, chemo, doctors, hospitals, rants

old car Been feeling like I should be put out to pasture…

Seriously, I feel like an old wreck whose parts aren’t working properly anymore and there aren’t any replacements. Every day it’s something else. Well okay, not every day, but it sometimes seems that way. I mean, after getting over the worst effects of the chemo I developed quite painful neuropathy in my feet (less so in my hands) that will only get worse as it gets colder out. And now my right foot has a new problem in the arch and it feels like I am walking on a golfball. Ouch. Oh, and then I found out I had a hernia – remember that? – which erupted a couple of weeks ago and has still not quite healed after being sliced open to drain. What else? Well, there are the regular bouts of tachycardia that nobody can explain, as well as still getting quite winded after even the slightest bit of physical exertion. And then my mammogram results were dodgy and they want me to have another one in six months. Then the other night I was watching TV and suddenly my vision went all distorted and it was like looking through a flashing prism, which scared the hell out of me but luckily only lasted about 15 minutes. And the latest thing was when I was eating a mushroom on Sunday evening and a huge chunk of my back tooth fell out. Just crumbled and fell out, like in one of those anxiety dreams, except I wasn’t dreaming. Upon further inspection I saw that both my upper back teeth are almost totally black. I mean, wtf?

All of which is compounded by averaging only about four hour’s sleep a night. I feel like I’m sleepwalking most of the time and always feel tired and achy inside. And I worry that maybe this means the cancer has come back.

So there. Rant over. It’s just that sometimes I wonder if I’m ever going to feel good again, you know? And at the same time I’m happy to feel even this good after the hell that was chemo. Pretty mixed up, eh?

And today I’m off for blood tests. Heigh ho…

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

 

spoonfed

09 Monday Nov 2009

Posted by azahar in animals & pets, health & happiness, home

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

cats, feline megacolon, vets

spoon

Update on Sunny.
I think I may have created a monster …

To recap. Sunny was diagnosed as having something called feline mega colon in September, and it’s been really hit & miss trying to find the right combination of treatment for him. He still sometimes goes for days without having a bowel movement, but just when I’m ready to go through more vet trauma and take him in, he manages to go, and then we go back to waiting and watching. I know he isn’t functioning as well as he might, but I am loathe to keep bringing him back to the vet’s. I mean, he’s 16 now and the vet said the next step would be to give him an ultrasound to see if there is some sort of obstruction. But it just seems like his digestion has become very sluggish rather than being totally blocked. Meanwhile, I really do think I have created a monster. A fussy and totally spoiled pointy-eared monster who now only wants to eat when I spoon feed him…

Continue reading →

good hair day

04 Wednesday Nov 2009

Posted by azahar in hair, health & happiness, rants

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

curly, hair, rants, straight

straightYour hair – crowning glory or worst nightmare?

Mine has always been the bane of my existence. What is known in Spain as “pelo frito”. Fine and frizzy with a mind of its own and the plaything of even the slightest touch of humidity. All my life I have dreamed of having straight hair and cannot even begin to count the hours spent – nay wasted – with gels & sprays, tape, giant rollers, blowers & straighteners, hairbands & hats. All for nothing. When I was about 12 my father finally gave in to my constant pleas and paid to have my hair professionally straightened at a salon. Within a week my hair was back to its usual disagreeable self.

I longed to be one of those happy souls who could just wash their hair and go outside without further ado, or who could get caught in the rain, secure in the knowledge that they wouldn’t end up looking like they had a demented poodle sitting on their heads. In the 80s I watched in horror as women who had been blessed with the hair of my dreams got hideous perms that made them look, well, like me. Around that time I tried letting my hair dry while gelled back in a ponytail, but after its release from captivity would immediately spring back to its despised life. So in the end I just kept it gelled back and have been mostly wearing it that way for the past 25 years, except on rare days with 0% humidity or those few blessed hours immediately after having my hair cut and blow-dried to smithereens.

Yesterday was such a day. And it was soooo lovely while it lasted, that all too brief and bittersweet glimpse of what might have been…

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

← Older posts
Newer posts →

patreon (1)

OR

comments

iamamro's avatariamamro on caturday june 6th 2026 (luna i…
iamamro's avatariamamro on reggie!
Unknown's avatarreggie! | casa azaha… on wine wine wine
Unknown's avatarvinoble 2026 | casa… on well ffs (knee saga con…
Unknown's avatarvinoble 2026 | casa… on sherry weekend in jerez
earnestlydebra's avatarearnestlydebra on 13k on instagram!
iamamro's avatariamamro on 13k on instagram!
earnestlydebra's avatarearnestlydebra on vinoble 2026
earnestlydebra's avatarearnestlydebra on caturday may 30th 2026
sledpress's avatarsledpress on caturday may 30th 2026

meta

  • Create account
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

visitations

  • 992,314 peeks

categories

archives

Enter your email address to subscribe to casa az and get email notices of new posts.

Join 2,279 other subscribers

azahar on Instagram

No Instagram images were found.

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • casa azahar
    • Join 2,012 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • casa azahar
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar

Loading Comments...