Category Archives: hospitals

up and about

01 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by in change, health & happiness, hospitals

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Finally got my little office set up here at the hospital and have been getting some work done. I’m really recovering fast from this operation, even though I was slit open from sternum to pubes again. Considering it’s been less than 48 hours since the op I think I’m doing very well.

The doctor said this morning that I should try to be up and about as much as possible and so as soon as they got me off the morphine and removed the catheter I was able to move around. I just have a saline/antibiotic drip to move around with me on a wheelie pole and the icky drainage bag hanging off my belly, but compared to all the tubes I had me when I woke up from the op, this is nothing.

I just caught up on emails and have had more tapas tour requests. Also had to get in touch with the tours I have booked for Saturday, Monday and Tuesday to see if the clients would mind going out with Peter, and they are fine with that so at least they still get a tour and I don’t lose any money. I might actually be well enough to go out on the Tuesday one – hope so!

Feeling okay, but a bit depressed by all of this. Out of the blue I am back in hospital and hating it, worrying about Azar at home (he’s blocked up again) and generally wondering how I’m going to keep things together, including myself. But I’m very grateful for all the company online here at casa az and on Twitter.

Well, think I’ll take a wee siesta now. Not much else to do…

observation

30 Tuesday Aug 2011

Posted by in hospitals

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How ironic that a couple of hours after writing about how happy l was yesterday enjoying having time to myself at home l suddenly doubled over in pain and took to my bed. But the pain just got worse and worse and at 10pm l found myself in a taxi heading for Emergency. After several tests they put me in the observation room and ran more tests.

Have just found out that they want to operate this afternoon to drain the liquid they found in my lower abdomen. They also think l may have a fistula which may result with me ending up with a (temporary they say) colon bag thingy – aaargh. But it seems there’s nothing for it. I shall be going under the knife around 6pm.

Terrified? You betcha. Watch my Twitter (not Facebook) feed for updates.

 

scanxiety!

22 Wednesday Jun 2011

Posted by in cancer, chemo, hope, hospitals

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It’s that time again … got a call from the hospital yesterday (while I was fretting about having to make this terrible decision) and was told my next PET scan would be on Monday at 8am. And then the scanxiety set in. I haven’t had it this bad since last year at this time. In fact it will be almost exactly a year, just one day off. Though of course I had my last PET in January.

I was nervous last time but, as I only had a couple of day’s notice, I didn’t have so much time to worry. This time it came as a surprise because I thought it wasn’t going to be until the end of July, and so now I suddenly have almost a whole week of sleepless nights ahead of me.

The other thing that makes it scarier this time is that since my last “all-clear” two very dear friends have had inoperable recurrences and have been given chemo as a last resort, and I worry that I’m next. As usual I am kicking myself for not having made all the healthy lifestyle changes I should have, as if daring the cancer to come back – how stupid was that? But of course there’s nothing I can do about that now to change Monday’s outcome.

I have so much planned for the summer now that work is finally picking up, and I so want to be able to do it all. In fact, I have a tapas tour on Monday evening. Wonder how I’ll manage to do that if I end up getting bad news. BUT… all of this is scariest in the wee hours as I lie awake and turn it all over and over again in my mind. Right now the sun is shining and there’s lots to do.

it’s a conspiracy!

31 Tuesday May 2011

Posted by in cancer, cats, holidays, hospitals, Malaga, summer, travel, trips

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At first I thought it was a simple game of “where’s Loki?” that the two boys were enjoying when I took this photo. But recent events have led me to believe that the cats – who are gods, as we all know – are conspiring against me.

I’d thought that having Jessica here at the beginning of July to look after the boys – and especially Azar – was a sign that I should plan a few days away in Málaga before the next PET scan. And if Nog could get away for the weekend this would also provide Jessica & Thomas with a nice possibility for a romantic few days at casa az, enjoying the space and the terraza…

The first problemita occurred when Manolo said he wouldn’t know if his apartment would be available until about two weeks before that weekend. But I remained hopeful that it would work out. So I planned to leave just after my next oncology appointment, the day after Jessica got back (July 6th), which would have given me a few fab days in Málaga on my own before Nog came to join me. And all the while I would know that the cats were in very good hands.

Well THEN I got a booking request for a Sevilla Tapas Tour for July 7th – for five people! – and just couldn’t turn down that kind of money. But then I thought – hey – depending on Jessica’s schedule I could go for the weekend with Nog, then he could come back the following Monday (July 11th) to look after the cats, while I stayed on to enjoy my pre-scan holiday for a few more days.

Nope. Today I got a notice in the mail saying my appointment to go over all the heart tests that I had done after the scary four-hour tachycardia incident which ended up with me wearing a holter was booked for Monday, July 11th. Well Hell!

I just wonder how he does it. Is it the ears? In any case, it seems clear to me that Azar is moving heaven and earth to make sure I don’t go away this summer, and that Loki is in cahoots…