Category Archives: health & happiness

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?

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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summer solstice christmas

22 Monday Jun 2009

Posted by in culture, food & drink, friends, health & happiness, hope, restaurants, sevilla

≈ 9 Comments

manolo leon lunch

Yesterday was Susan’s last Sunday in Sevilla and she treated me to this fabulously decadent lunch at Manolo León. Some of you may remember that after the erroneous second prognosis last October, when I was told that I maybe had a year to live, we (Nog, Pablo & I) went to Manolo León for a “post-prognosis party” in order to, well, eat like there was no tomorrow and get shit-faced. And so it was nice to go back there under more pleasant circumstances.

Yesterday was also the summer solstice, which ended up feeling a bit like Christmas…

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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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celebration

14 Sunday Jun 2009

Posted by in cancer, change, food & drink, friends, health & happiness, home, hope, life stuff, love, philosophy, photos, tapas

≈ 4 Comments

becerrita(click on pic to enlarge)

On this week’s A Day at the Hospital post I told you that something wonderful had happened and that Nog and I went out to celebrate. Later I told you the reason for celebrating, but I never told you what we did. By the time we left the hospital that day it was almost 2 o’clock and, since I knew I had some extra cash, I decided it was high time I treated Nog to a tapa snack as he has been treating me since I got sick and haven’t been able to work.

And so we took the bus over to Becerrita and had a lovely tapa lunch. Calamares, lamb in honey sauce, potato croquettes and pork tenderloin with wild mushrooms. Then a nice walk home while I thought about the email I was going to send “Bob” that evening.

To be honest, every day has been a celebration since I was given the amazingly fabulous gift of a month to heal. It’s really changed my life and I am suddenly appreciating all the “little things” so much more. I guess I’d been feeling kind of hopeless and at the end of my rope, and so being given this chance to do things the way I feel I need to in order to get better ended up starting a whole series of positive changes. Still taking baby steps, but doing a little every day.

Having hope again is a wonderful thing.