Category Archives: hospitals

don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that sling

27 Monday Jul 2020

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sling
So after more than three weeks suffering with REALLY BAD shoulder and arm pain (lately lots of pins and needles in arm) I called my doctor, who said if it was serious pain I should go to emergency, in case they wanted to take an x-ray. So I did. And at emergency they kept asking why I hadn’t gone to see my doctor. Whatever.

I got seen to and after a perfunctory examination was told I had “omalgia” (no attempt to discover the source), was given a sling and a jab in my bum (anti-inflammatory) and sent on my way with prescriptions for paracetamol, ibuprofen, omeprazol and diazepam.

Well fuck that shit. If I just wanted to be given a whack of drugs I would’ve gone to my doctor three weeks ago. Seriously… painkillers, anti-inflammatories, fucking valium and oh, a stomach protector?? Because my shoulder hurts. A lot. And no attempt to find out WHY it’s hurting so much? Fuck.

This first happened to me about two and a half years ago and my lovely friend Kate @sledpress sent me THE CANE which I’ve been using but, unlike last time, it’s just not doing the trick. Have also been using SPIKE, which Kate sent as a part of a birthday package ten years ago. My gosh, that girl has been looking after me for quite some time now! I don’t know why what worked before isn’t working now.

On the plus side I got in 10,000 steps by walking home from the hospital (luckily today it was a balmy 36º, tomorrow it goes back up to 42º). I lasted with the fucking sling for about 20 minutes before ripping it off my neck. And now I am back at home looking for ways to get better on my own. Emergency doc also told me not to do any exercise. This sucks.

 

oncology update!

19 Friday Jun 2020

Posted by in cancer, coronavirus, friends, hope, hospitals, sevilla, spain, tapas, tapas bars, welcome

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plaza espanaJust look how fucking gorgeous this is! That is the Plaza de España WITHOUT ANY TOURISTS. My goodness, what a beautiful sight. I snapped this pic while walking home from the hospital today. Finally got my oncology checkup to review all the tests I’ve had done (Feb-March). This got postponed, like most things, by the VIRUS. But today was the day. Luckily I had already been given copies of the test results from my GP so there were no big surprises.

Basically, after another colonoscopy, an upper abdomenal barium x-ray, another CT scan of my thorax and abdomen, and more blood tests, they still don’t know what THE THING is next to my stomach. But it appears to be behaving and they think they can rule out cancer. But short of cutting me open again they can’t know for sure. And they really don’t want to cut me open again. So there will be another CT scan and blood test in September to see if there have been any changes.

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ouch!!

05 Thursday Mar 2020

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So THIS happened yesterday. At the second winery in Ronda I was being led down a pebbly slopey path and …. whoosh! …. suddenly I was down. And dammit, I knew something was wrong right away, but what was I going to do? I still had another bodega to visit and wasn’t going to get home any quicker because my bus didn’t leave until 6 pm. But by the time I got home last night my foot and ankle were all swollen and hurt like a mofo.

Once home I applied a large bag of frozen peas and considered cancelling my CT scan that was scheduled for 8.30 the next morning. But in a way it was “lucky” that I had the scan because I may not have gone to get my foot looked at otherwise. So after the scan I hobbled over to emergency to have it x-rayed. Turns out nothing is broken, and I was given a tension bandage, so that’s all good. Except for the hurting like a mofo bit.

Also looks like tomorrow I’ll be doing a sherry tour on crutches! I know I should be staying home but I also have to pay my rent.

one down, two to go…

13 Thursday Feb 2020

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

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So there I was, up at 6.00 am in order to prepare for the prep… which began at 6.30. Four fucking litres of this vile solution, downed in 250ml doses every 15 minutes over 4 hours. After the first hour is when the fun starts. I was amazed that I was actually able to down all 16 doses, but after awhile nothing mattered anymore, so what the fuck, what was one more disgusting oral and anal experience? After that I had to spend 4 hours not drinking even one drop of water. You’d think that by this point I’d have had enough liquid to last me, but as I’d also lost a lot of liquid I was actually quite thirsty, and I’m not used to going that long without water.

Anyhow… got a taxi over to the hospital with my friend Paz. These days I go to as many hospital visits on my own as possible, but this one required that I be accompanied because they administer a mild sedative. In this case it wasn’t that mild! A dolantin-valium cocktail totally knocked me out and I woke up again an hour later going – wut? By then it was all over and they were wheeling me into the recovery room. Seriously I don’t ever remember being knocked out so completely during any previous colonoscopy/endoscopy procedures. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation? Whatever, it was done and – YAY! – I was told that there were no signs of cancer and I was good to go.

And so I went, with Paz, for a long walk over to the Huerta de Rey Moro, a community garden where some of her family were having a birthday party for one of her many nephews. Grabbed a cold beer, hung out with the family for awhile and then decided – fuck I’m hungry! I mean, it had been over 36 hours since my last bite. So I wandered over to Eslava for a snack and also to just feel normal again. These hospital things really take it out of me, so I got back into my element, chatting with the barmen, doing a bit of Instagramming… and after that I was ready to go home. It was such a relief to open my door to three hungry cats, feed them, put on my PJs and get ready for a cosy evening at home. BUT THEN THIS HAPPENED… (stay tuned)…

ufff…

12 Wednesday Feb 2020

Posted by in cancer, health & happiness, hospitals

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So for the second time in two weeks I am going through the hideous colonoscopy prep, which is usually something people only have to endure once every few years. My last colonoscopy was two years ago but recent findings (looking for leaks!) have led to me having another one sooner than usual. Unfortunately that barium xray a couple of weeks ago also required this same prep so here I am again. But with a difference.

Previous tests were either in the morning or at midday, so the “clear liquids only” day was the day before the procedure, starting the dread EVACUANTE the evening before, dividing the 16 doses (10 in the evening, 6 the next morning). This time my appointment is at 4 pm, so I  have to start the liquid diet after lunch today and then GET UP AT 7 AM AND TAKE ALL 16 DOSES before 11 o’clock. I dunno… have never managed to get more than 10 down in a row, and am always – literally – gagging on the last two. Six more (one every 15 minutes) means an extra hour and a half of this liquid hell. Uffff….

The “good” news is that (well, so my onc says) they aren’t checking for cancer this time, even though all my test reports since November (CT, ultrasound, endoscopy, barium xray) mention a suspicious area of inflammation and state that they cannot completely rule out neoplastic pathology. Whatevs. More news as it happens…