Category Archives: health & happiness

ow ow owww!!!

22 Sunday Mar 2009

Posted by in fitness, health & happiness, rants

≈ 20 Comments

back-pain

Oh my fuck but it hurts!!!

I had spent yesterday morning lazily hanging out and then around noon decided to shower and get dressed to go out, as it was such a beautiful looking day out there. So I got into the shower and somewhere between then and drying myself my lower back went aaacck! Note that it wasn’t any specific movement – or even a specific moment – but over the next few minutes I went from having a painful twinge in my back to almost screaming in agony and not being able to walk or even stand up straight.  And that’s pretty much how it was for the rest of the day. . .

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latest pet scan

19 Thursday Mar 2009

Posted by in cancer, food & drink, friends, health & happiness, hospitals, photos, sevilla

≈ 21 Comments

pilarThat’s Pilar, aka “mi Pili”, and one third of The Team.

Yesterday I had my third PET scan, which had been recommended by my new oncologist last Friday.  Susan (Pip) couldn’t come with me for this one as she has a friend from the US visiting, and so I was very lucky that my friend Carmen was available. Based on the last two PETs, I told her we would probably be out of there in about three hours. Wrong!  We ended up there for six hours, so I definitely owe her one. Though she said she didn’t mind at all as she had nothing planned that afternoon and had brought books and some stuff from work, plus when we were both waiting together we talked, played Hangman on my iPhone,  went for a snack, and had quite a good time…

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ya es primavera

17 Tuesday Mar 2009

Posted by in health & happiness, plants, sevilla, spain

≈ 10 Comments

blossom

This weekend the first orange blossom (azahar) was spotted in the centre of Sevilla. This is always the first sign of spring for me, though it never becomes “official” until you see the ya es primavera banners across the windows of El Corte Inglés.

For the next three weeks or so the streets of Seville will smell like heaven. I used to wonder why I found the fragrance of orange blossom so soothing until I found out that azahar has many therapeutic qualities, including its use as a natural sedative. Other therapeutic properties of orange blossom oil (aka Neroli) are antidepressant, antiseptic, anti-infectious, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, bactericidal, carminative, cicatrisant, cytophylactic, cordial, deodorant, digestive, emollient, and tonic. It takes about 1000 lbs. of orange blossoms to make 1 lb. of Neroli oil, which no doubt accounts for its rather hefty price tag.

But as lovely as Neroli is, it is no comparison for the delicate scent of orange blossom in the fresh spring air. Wish you could be here…

[ from azahar’s Sevilla ]

here comes the sun…

16 Monday Mar 2009

Posted by in cancer, friends, health & happiness, life stuff

≈ 11 Comments

sunny-weather

I’m afraid the black clouds were back this weekend.

I think the oncologist visit on Friday kind of threw me, as well as some other info I’ve been reading elsewhere. It suddenly hit home that I am in a remission state at the moment that I’ve been taking way too much for granted. Which at first felt like a bit of a wake up call, and I set about making sure that I didn’t waste any more days. Then I totally collapsed about half-way through my “wonderful day” and I realised that I need to do things differently.  It seems that even taking things one day at a time is still more than I can handle, so I dunno … take things by the hour? Seriously, I think making lists and then just focusing on the job at hand is probably going to be the best way of coping for now. A little therapeutic tunnel vision. Hour by hour. Because trying to deal with a whole day is sometimes just too overwhelming.

So I’ll be starting today off with an hour of coffee & reading in bed, then an hour of yoga, and then … well then we’ll see if I can get the sun to come out. One hour at a time. . .

so now what?

13 Friday Mar 2009

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

≈ 22 Comments

confused

Met with my new oncologist this morning.

First of all I have to say that Ana is fabulous. Very patient, very straightforward, very clear … in fact, I spent over an hour talking things over with her. Given that she is the “sub-directora” (what’s that in English?) of the oncology department at my hospital, part of me felt a bit guilty about taking up so much of her time. But if I hadn’t kept asking questions we would never have got to the place we are now with my treatment. Which is still very confusing but, as Ana said, at least I will feel like I am doing everything possible…

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