Category Archives: hospitals

más trauma

18 Wednesday Jun 2025

Posted by in health, hospitals, knee saga, knees, markets, sevilla

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Hot on the heels of yesterday’s visit to the Cardiologist, today it was a trip back to Fleming to see a different traumatologist (in the aparato locomotor dept) about my shoulder. You may recall that when I stopped by Fleming back in May to ask why I’ve been waiting since October to see the knee surgeon I was told that they were presently seeing people whose doctors had requested appointments LAST JULY. So while I was there today I thought I’d ask this doctor about the long wait and she just rolled her eyes and very sympathetically said to me that a year’s wait was normal so I shouldn’t be surprised if I don’t see anyone until next October. Fuck.

But, back to the shoulder. An old problem I’ve had for years, comes and goes, and the reason for the aborted MRI in April (I lasted maybe 10 seconds in there). When I reported that to today’s doctor she nodded her head and said a lot of people have the same problem. Then  she gave me an examination, had me try various movements, strength testing, etc. and said I had ____________ (a long techy description I can’t remember – short version: fucked up shoulder). Then she put in an appointment request to get an ultrasound done and said she’d see me again after that. Fine.

Then it was back to my knee. She seemed actually concerned about how I was doing and concurred with the previous doctors that physiotherapy wasn’t helpful for a torn meniscus, but said cycling would be good for me (thinking about looking for a stationary bike during the summer sales, or I might be able to rent one from the hospital). I appreciated that she didn’t tell me I need to lose weight; I got the feeling she knew I knew that already. She also said I could try this stuff, which I found out my pharmacy stocks, but I need to do some research first. Her recommendation was to take it for three months, then take two months off, and then another three months. We’ll see. Not sure if this isn’t just more woo woo whatever, like all those useless creams I’ve tried over the past couple of years.

So what does any of this have to do with that fabulous breakfast up there? Well, Fleming is just around the corner from Mercado Las Palmeritas, which I went to for the first time while researching my Sevilla Food Markets article on Substack (and decided it’s now my new favourite market), and so it seemed like a great opportunity to drop in again. I actually shared that massive tostada with Peter, then did a little shopping and, yep, it’s still my favourite market. Pico de gallo coming up…

meds update

17 Tuesday Jun 2025

Posted by in health, hospitals, sevilla

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After that whole crazy runaround a couple of weeks ago trying to get my meds sorted I suddenly had not one but two appointments with the cardiologist! The first one (today) came via my visit to the Duques del Infantado hospital and the second (July 9th) from my GP. Whatever. I went to this morning’s and have decided to hold onto the other appointment just in case.

They did an ECG (normal) and I explained to the cardiologist that I haven’t been taking the bisoprolol (beta blocker) and that I am not feeling well on the flecainide (heartbeat regulator). He said not to worry about taking the beta blocker with Losartán, the other bp med I’ve been on for ages. Then he said he’d cut down the flecainide to half a pill twice a day, and start the beta blocker at half dosage as well. And he even gave me a schedule…

Treatment
Apocard 100 mg (flecainide) – half tablet every 12 hours, breakfast and dinner
Lixiana 60 mg (anticoagulant) – 1 tablet every 24 hours, at breakfast
Bisoprolol 2.5 mg (beta blocker) – half tablet every 24 hours, at dinner
Losartán/HCTZ (bp med) – 1 tablet at night

Revision in 6 months.

I think I can live with this adjustment for now. To be honest, the tachycardia has pretty much stopped so maybe this is working and I just need less of the scary Apocard drug? I told him that when I saw my GP she said she couldn’t change my prescription he said… well, now she can, it’s all in the new report. Which he then printed out and gave to me. Meanwhile, I have this other appointment set up for three weeks from now in case I need it, and if not I’ll cancel it. Ufff…

prescription roulette

05 Thursday Jun 2025

Posted by in hospitals, sevilla

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In my ongoing quest to sort out my various prescriptions I decided to return to the scene of the crime this week because trying to call, as suggested by the ecocardiagrama doc, was not doing anything for my blood pressure. After trying several numbers, over and over and over, someone finally picked up and insisted they couldn’t understand a word I was saying. Aaaaargh. So yesterday I went to the Duques del Infantado hospital to see if I could speak to the Cardiologist. And… nope. I would have to make an appointment via my GP. I told them I was having problems with my meds, not feeling well with the Flecainide (the scary drug) and they said to go to emergency at the general hospital or go see my GP to have the prescription modified. Aaaargh again. I mean, it takes two weeks to even get a phone appointment with the GP. Finally I convinced them to leave a note for the Cardiologist to call me asap and it turned out he’s away until Monday.

I didn’t see any point in going to the hospital so decided to try the emergency dept at my health centre today in the slight hope that my GP would see me. In a moment of desperate hope I also tried to make a phone appointment via the online app but there were no available dates. I mean… none. So I sent the request in anyhow, saying I was having trouble with my meds. And what do you know? Got a call early this morning saying the GP would call me at 6.30 this afternoon. I asked if there was any way I could come in instead and they said “oh yeah, sure”. What the hell! So I showed up with my notes, etc, to make sure I wasn’t being “misunderstood” and almost lost it when the GP said she couldn’t change my prescription, that I would have to see the Cardiologist. I think she must’ve spotted my look of desperation (even though all she could see were my eyes above the mask) and she wrote up a “preferential” request for an appointment. Which I had to book downstairs (good thing I went in!) and then that was that.

I really don’t know what to do but as everyone (nurses, eco-doc, GP) has told me not to stop any meds without consulting the specialist I guess I’ll hang on. Even though I’m still not taking the Bisoprolol (beta blocker) because, yep, couldn’t get a straight answer on that one either. Meanwhile, with the Flecainide I am feeling light headed, my pulse has dropped (~65), I feel pressure in my chest (off and on), some difficulty breathing and my head hurts. To clarify, it’s not a headache, but it’s like I have pressure, esp around my eyes, and if I touch my head it feels like it’s bruised. And all this is scaring the fuck out of me. Well, hopefully the Cardiologist will call me when he gets back on Monday (he’s probably off doing the Rocío). Meanwhile, if there’s a doctor in the house, please help?

ecocardiograma

26 Monday May 2025

Posted by in health, hospitals, sevilla

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I had my echocardiogram this morning and the doc said she didn’t see anything serious, so that’s good. Nothing blocked or whatever… I’d had visions of being kept in for emergency stent insertion. Now I wait to hear back from the Cardiologist. I guess! Meanwhile I still can’t get a straight answer on whether I should be taking ALL THOSE DRUGS.

I checked with my GP who said “well if that’s what he said” except he didn’t SAY to take the Bisoprolol during that phone call. Then I asked my pharmacist and she said that it’s good to check back with the Cardiologist because he might not have noticed that I was already taking Lozartán, saying “it happens”. I thought I could ask at the hospital today, so I did. And the doc said, “but you’re taking the Bisoprolol?” and I said I wasn’t sure if I should be taking it, so she said to call the cardiology dept at Duques del Infantado and they can check with the Cardiologist on the spot. Yeah right. And so this afternoon I secured the direct number for the cardiology department and tomorrow I will see if they actually answer the phone.

relatively speaking…

19 Monday May 2025

Posted by in casa azahar, health, hope, hospitals, knee saga, knees, sevilla, spain

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Okay, so maybe not the best image since I AM GOING BALD and would never tear my hair out on purpose… but I mean fuck. No wonder it’s falling out on its own. Remember when I had it all worked out to finally take care of business and find out – in person – why I have been waiting SEVEN MONTHS to see the knee surgeon? And so on my way to my mammogram on Friday, at a new place way out in the middle of nowhere (sorry El Juncal, but you kind of are), I got off the bus and stopped in at the scene of the crime – Fleming Clinic – which was sorta kinda of on the way.

I was directed to the department I should be taking this up, and so that’s what I did. But after a few minutes of looking stuff up on the computer screen the woman at the desk told me… “all I can say is that the appointments being seen to now in the department are from requests made LAST JULY”.

My request was made in October.

And when the woman saw the look on my face she said… “well you know, relatively speaking, it shouldn’t be that far off now”.

I didn’t even know what to say. I asked if this meant I would have to wait another three months and she said “not necessarily”, which could mean anything. Maybe not three months, maybe longer. Remember, this is just to see the surgeon. Who will have to sign off on the surgery. And then I will go on ANOTHER WAITING LIST. Unless the surgeon doesn’t sign off on it and then I am completely fucked. So far I have been finding it very difficult to have doctors take me seriously about this and so it’s hard to hope.