Category Archives: sevilla

colonoscopy prep

06 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by in food & drink, health & happiness, hospitals, sevilla

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Since Sunday I have been on the pre-colonoscopy low residue diet. It’s really not that hard to stick to, though I’ve noticed that the food list I was given at the hospital last week varies a bit from other lists I’ve found online. But in general they are similar.

Today I am on the day-before liquid diet, which is obviously more extreme (and way more boring). But that’s nothing compared to when I have to start taking the SOLUCIÓN EVACUANTE this evening. All I remember from last time was that I was gagging after the first glass of this stuff, and I’ll have to drink 10 of them – one every 15 minutes – until finished, and then 6 more the next morning. Wish me luck!

après oncology

01 Thursday Feb 2018

Posted by in cancer, friends, hope, hospitals, sevilla, sherry

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This morning I had an appointment with my new oncologist. After last week’s “good news bad news” situation following the PET scan I have to say I’ve been pretty stressed, with some days better than others. Say what you will, but after all my cancer history, the idea of a looming recurrence threat just became a lot more real to me. I try hard not to think about this too much, but sometimes it’s just too much.

Anyhow, today my lovely friend and colleague Cinta came with me to my appointment to act as “interpreter”, because when I get really nervous somehow my knowledge of Spanish totally flies out the window, and I wanted to be sure I didn’t miss anything important.

The good news is that both Cinta and I like the new oncologist. She was patient and had a gentle touch whilst poking around my belly. She was also patient as I tried to explain my situation in a more elaborate manner than she possibly required. Then she said that she was going to ask for both a colonoscopy and abdomen-thorax CAT scan, in order to find out what was causing the increase of inflammation seen in the PET scan, and also the extreme abdominal pain I’ve been having since November.

EXCEPT the weirdest thing has happened. After having had “travelling” abdominal pain for almost three months, sometimes so intense I couldn’t sleep and could barely walk… the day after the PET scan ALL THE PAIN DISAPPEARED. What?? I mean, seriously, it’s gone. Well okay, there are a few “tugs” here and there. But I no longer want to scream in agony when I roll over in bed or bend over to put on my shoes. The new onc is taking this as a positive sign, but the tests still need to be done. And I’m still scared.

Anyhow, after Cinta and I left the hospital and got a taxi back to the centre, it seemed like a good time to relax with a nicely chilled manzanilla, even though it wasn’t quite noon yet. Luckily this isn’t anything unusual in Sevilla.

rats!

29 Monday Jan 2018

Posted by in art, sevilla, television

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A plague of golden rats has invaded Sevilla! This unusual street art is part of the promotion for a MoviStar television series set in Sevilla during the second half of the 16th century, when the city was in the grips of the Black Plague.

La Ruta Dorada de la Peste (the Golden Route of the Plague) is an interactive tour that takes you to eleven locations throughout Sevilla that have some relationship with the series and its characters, a mix of fact and fiction. The places to find the rats are the Royal Prison (shown here), Calle Pureza in Triana, Plaza Molviedro, the Cathedral, the Cromberger printing house in Calle Pajaritos, La Casa de la Moneda, the Alameda de Hércules, the Hospital of the Five Wounds, Castillo de San Jorge, Plaza del Cabildo and Casa Monardes in Calle Sierpes. Next to the sculptures you can find a QR code that you can scan with your mobile phone that will take you to an audio guide and a brief explanation about the history of each location.

La Ruta will continue until the end of February and I intend on visiting all the locations. Watch this space…

saturday cervezas

27 Saturday Jan 2018

Posted by in sevilla

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I swear I will never be “Sevillana” enough to understand this. THIS being the popularity of the Plaza del Salvador, a pretty square that features the second largest church in Sevilla (after the Cathedral). Across from the Salvador church are two hole-in-the-wall bars that basically just sell beer. And they sell A LOT of beer. To massive crowds of people who don’t seem to mind that it takes forever to get your beer, and then you stand outside jostling shoulder to shoulder with everyone else until you want another beer… and then repeat.

This isn’t an age thing, because I did try when I first came here 25 years ago. I would join friends in the square for a beer, struggle to get into one of the bars to place an order, then pick up the beers and struggle again to find my way back to my friends. Before long I decided that this scene was, frankly, no fun at all. I mean seriously… all that hassle just for a beer? No thanks. Still, it remains one of THE places to be in Sevilla. Go figure.