Category Archives: hospitals

here we go again…

22 Wednesday Jan 2020

Posted by in health & happiness, home, hospitals

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Actually, this will be the first time (I think) that I’ve had the Opaque Enema procedure, using a barium contrast. But apparently the prep is the same as for a colonoscopy. Oh joy. So have spent the past couple of days on a low-fibre diet and today it’s clear liquids only, until I start taking the SOLUCIÓN EVACUANTE around 6 pm. Bleh.

The worst part of liquid diet day is how boring it is. Sure I’m a bit hungry, but it’s more that I’m not preparing a snack or going out to meet someone for a tapa. Just feels weird. At first I thought that, today being a cold rainy day, it would be easier as I’d have an excuse to just stay in and be cosy. But now I’m thinking that doing my 10,000 steps in the sunshine would’ve been a better diversion. Oh well. It’ll all be over by this time tomorrow and this evening I plan to binge watch The New Pope.

UPDATE: Went to start the “Evacuation Process” this evening only to discover that there were only 9 envelopes in the box I picked up at the hospital yesterday. There should be 16. So I am taking the 9 and hope that does the trick. Sure don’t want to have to go through all this again!

honestly, what are the odds??

21 Tuesday Jan 2020

Posted by in friends, health & happiness, hospitals, sevilla

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People always say that things happen for a reason, but I don’t actually believe that. I think that things just happen, but that sometimes they happen with such incredible serendipity that it’s hard not to wonder if there is some “reason” out there. My favourite Spanish word for this is “azar” (“happenstance” in English). Anyhow, YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE what happened today.

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fed up

10 Friday Jan 2020

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

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Let’s recap here, shall we? About a year ago my new oncologist told me I was cancer free and no longer required further tests. She said to me – and I quote – “If that pain comes back then go to emergency”. But I was no longer on the watch list for possible cancer recurrence. WTF? As most people know, by the time you are in any kind of serious pain because of cancer, you are pretty much already dead.

Meanwhile, to this date nobody can explain why I’m even fucking alive, and apparently my case flummoxed pretty much everyone who was involved with it. This is why I had regular PET scans, twice a year for five years after my last chemo in 2009, then once a year for the following five. And then in January 2018 suddenly there was some issue about an inflammatory area that had increased from one PET to the next, and suddenly I was seeing a new onc who gave me a whack of other tests: CTs, colonoscopy, endoscopy… and then pronounced me cancer-free. As in, you can go away now.
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my second endoscopy

19 Thursday Dec 2019

Posted by in cancer, hospitals, sevilla

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My first endoscopy was in March 2018 and this past Monday my oncologist decided to do another one to compare with the results from almost two years ago. I was shocked when I got a call yesterday saying that my endoscopy would be today! Was it so fast because someone had cancelled or because my situation was deemed so serious that a test was required ASAP? Anyhow, they’ve also taken samples for a biopsy, so now it’s wait and see again.

The last one seemed to go more smoothly than today’s. For some reason I was really gaggy and it was very unpleasant – I don’t remember this happening last time. The nurse said that next time I should ask for a stronger anaesthetic.

My friends Claudia and Paul met me at the hospital because it was recommended that I have someone with me in case I was groggy after the procedure. Mostly I was thirsty because I wasn’t allowed to have even a drop of water for six hours before the procedure. I also hadn’t eaten since about 8 pm yesterday, so after finishing up at the hospital at 5.00 pm, we ended up finding a tapas bar with an open-all-day kitchen. And now I am home again, planning on an early night.

Apparently nothing now will happen until mid-to-late January, which is when they expect the biopsy results back. So as long as nothing was perforated and I don’t die of sepsis in my sleep things should be fine… for now.

anatomy lesson

16 Monday Dec 2019

Posted by in cancer, hospitals, sevilla

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So there I was, at the hospital, armed with a copy of my CT scan report (in both English and Spanish) and my list of questions, which mostly pertained to everything mentioned in the “conclusions” part of the report. I felt nervous but prepared. Unfortunately, none of my (3) bilingual friends were able to come with me, so I was there on my own (not the best situation for me), nonetheless I was determined not to lose focus and forget to ask my questions.

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