Category Archives: health & happiness

what a day!

13 Wednesday Aug 2008

Posted by in cancer, health & happiness, hospitals

≈ 22 Comments

And such a long one. Left home yesterday at 9.00 am and got back at 7.30 pm … all for a ten-minute chat with the oncologist and a two-and-a-half hour chemo session. Do the math – that’s a helluva lot of waiting. I’d gone prepared with a book and a Hello magazine, and Nog & I tried staying entertained by playing Fashion Police (not nearly as fun as it had been in the emergency waiting room) as well as playing Hangman and watching some Olympic events on the big tv there, but it was pretty damned tedious nonetheless. On the bright side, I didn’t have to subject myself to cafeteria food . . .

Continue reading →

chemo prep (2)

11 Monday Aug 2008

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

≈ 14 Comments

Getting ready for round three. This time will be very different than the first two sessions because Nog is here. He wants to come with me tomorrow for the FULL DAY just so he can see exactly what I’ve been going through. For future sessions I will probably still do two ‘shifts’. One person to come with me for the oncologist appointment and another for the chemo session…

Continue reading →

sunday snack

10 Sunday Aug 2008

Posted by in food & drink, friends, health & happiness, photos, spain, tapas

≈ 13 Comments

Across the street from the rental bike station.

It was another scorcher today. The original plan had been to get up early and go out in the morning while it was still coolish. And well, although I was up early to feed the cats at 7, after checking blogs, email and twitter, I went back to bed around 8.45. To my surprise I actually fell asleep again until about 10.30, which felt great. So after having coffee and catching up on my Scrabble games it was well after noon before Nog and I went out for a bike ride.

Needing a destination – and since Nog wanted to take me out for my weekly tapa treat – we decided to go on a hunt for a curious little restaurant/bar we had come across on one of our Sunday walks a few months ago. The only thing we remembered about it was that it was near the Alameda and it was called Cruji Pollo (Crispy Chicken). After parking the rental bikes in the general area and walking down several little side streets we finally found it. . .

Continue reading →

discovering the cosmos

09 Saturday Aug 2008

Posted by in cancer, food & drink, health & happiness, life stuff

≈ 9 Comments

I’m coming to the end of my chemo-free week off the meds. My plan had been to do something special every day and make the most of it. And now here it is Saturday and it’s hard to remember anything I’ve done that was special in itself. But today while I was walking around with Peter drinking an icy cold granizado de limón I realised that just being able to do that was the special thing, just like how last night we went out for a scoop of Häagan Dazs ice cream (at the new HD shop that has recently opened just five minutes from my house). When I think about how next week it’ll be back to drinking 40º room temperature water I am sooooo enjoying every icy cold minute I can.

And so tonight I’m making frozen cosmopolitans . . . 🙂

progress report (2)

27 Sunday Jul 2008

Posted by in cancer, friends, health & happiness, hospitals, progress

≈ 17 Comments

Wow, this is way worse than the first time.

I’ve just been feeling so sick and weak. Have been mostly lying on the sofa bed since I woke up Thursday morning, pathetically moaning and groaning and feeling sorry for myself. I seem to remember getting up more last time, being able to do more, not feeling quite so awful. Anyhow, this will explain why I’ve dropped off the radar these past few days.

Even with the ondansetran for the first three days (and now primperan) the nausea has been almost unbearable. That really is the worst part for me. I hate to think about having to go through this six more times, including having major surgery done in the middle of it all.

On a more positive note, Nog got home late last night – a day earlier than expected. It’s good having company at home again. And today he’s going to check under the bed to confirm that last week’s incident was a random one-off and that there’s nothing nesting there. Cat allegiance showed itself again last night when Nog went to sleep on the Alpha Cat’s big comfy bed and the boys loyally stayed with me in the living room. 🙂

Well, as I’ve now managed to stay upright for almost an hour this morning, I think I’ll take a stab at answering a few emails. They were very nice to receive, as were the phone calls. Thanks guys!