Category Archives: health & happiness

cancer etiquette

15 Wednesday Oct 2008

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

≈ 45 Comments

I came across the following on the Colon Club discussion forum – a list of seven things you shouldn’t say to people with cancer. I thought it was pretty good, though some don’t really apply to me. And I’ve added a couple more at the end.

Hearing that a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer can cause anyone to be anxious. You begin to think about all the right things to say in your anxiety and oftentimes end up saying the worst. Although the objective is not to cause harm to this person, ultimately you can, with your words, end up doing just that and cause your loved one to plunge further into depression. No doubt hearing that “C” word turns a lot of us into fools, but if you find yourself in a position where a family member or friend has revealed that they have cancer, here are some things you might not want to say. . .

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prognosis & treatment (2)

10 Friday Oct 2008

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

≈ 57 Comments

So this was it – the second prognosis after the aborted liver resection in September. Nog and I left the house early yesterday because we wanted to walk to the hospital through the park  –  the plan was to meet up with Pablo about 15 minutes before my appointment with the oncologist. And that’s basically what happened. Of course the appointment happened about two hours after the appointed time . . .

We finally got in to see the doctor, and there is no way to sugar-coat this, so here we go…

  • my tumours are inoperable
  • chemo might help slow down the inevitable
  • without treatment I maybe have a year

It didn’t happen quite that succinctly. I had previously briefed Pablo on the situation and about all the questions I wanted answered, so he could back me up. In the end I did most of the talking but it was still good having him there. Nog came too because he didn’t want to be left at home waiting to hear the news,  and in the end all three of us squeezed into the consulting room. Here is a pic I took of my two boys in the waiting room, standing in front of a decolourated Matisse print . . .

It was hard. I had to keep poking and prodding … trying to get something REAL out of the doctor. Because she didn’t want to tell me what she ended up telling me. Later she told Pablo she’d never had a patient so … well, so like me.

Afterwards we walked out of the hospital together and, since I hadn’t cried in the doctor’s office (I was soooo close…), I was determined not to cry while we went to find somewhere to have lunch. And when I ventured a self-pitying comment about being dead soon, Pablo quickly nipped that in the bud by saying that I didn’t have to worry because he and Peter weren’t that lucky. Ha! That snapped me out of it long enough to enjoy a wonderful lunch … photos to be supplied later.

But really … this totally sucks.

And I really, really don’t want to die.

Not like this, not so soon …

prognosis & treatment (3)
prognosis & treatment (1)

an exquisite snack

06 Monday Oct 2008

Posted by in food & drink, health & happiness, photos, sevilla, tapas

≈ 11 Comments

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that one of the things I’ve been able to enjoy again are daily walks, and yesterday was no exception. Nog and I headed out late in the morning and I told him he was the ‘tour guide’, so for the next couple of hours he led me through the old Jewish quarter, down near the Alfalfa, and then up to the Ronda, all via little side streets, some of which we’d never been on before.

We ended up near Becerríta and I told Nog I had to get an outside photo of the place because I forgot to do so when Pipocas took me there a few weeks ago. So I tried getting a good shot but there was a guy hanging out in front who seemed to be waiting for someone and not likely to leave very soon, and so we decided to go inside for a cold drink. Well … after having been walking around for the past couple of hours we were actually getting hungry so Nog offered to treat us to a snack. We tried a couple of the special tapas del día on the menu and they were simply divine.

Above is a revuelto – basically scrambled eggs with potatoes and melt-in-your-mouth stewed bull’s tail. And below is grilled sea bass topped with slivered potatoes and served with marinated red peppers, onions and tomatoes. Along with a cold beer and chilled glass of white wine it was a truly exquisite snack. Kind of fed more than our appetites, if you know what I mean.

Boy, I love living in Sevilla!  🙂

zipper woman

05 Sunday Oct 2008

Posted by in cancer, health & happiness

≈ 12 Comments

I finally got the staples taken out on Friday. When I had gone to the health centre on Wednesday it was still too soon and Dr A commented that it looked like I had zippers … and well, the nurse thought this was the funniest thing. She even got me to teach her how to say cremallera in English, and she passed this on to her nurse co-worker on Friday. Ha ha – zipper woman! Nog said that, all things considered, having a zipper put in would actually be a good idea. He has a point.

Anyhow, a part of the wound hadn’t healed quite right so it got taped up and I was told I had to keep it bandaged and dry for another 48 hours and then could resume normal life again … which means I’ve just had my first proper shower in two weeks! Oh, those simple things in life that are so wonderful. Next will be when I can get on a bicycle again … quite looking forward to that.  And possibly starting my yoga classes again (depending on how the new chemo affects me). But for now it’s daily walks, which are also wonderful.

Hope you’re enjoying today as much as I am.  🙂

back to work…

02 Thursday Oct 2008

Posted by in health & happiness, teaching, work

≈ 14 Comments

… well, sorta kinda.

When I thought that after the liver resection last week I would just have five more chemo sessions, I was quite looking forward to getting back to work in January.  Of course, now all that has changed to six months of a different chemo treatment starting around the end of October and then another stab at doing the liver operation after that.  Which will take me up to next May/June. Shit. . .

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