• about azahar (that’s me!)
  • my cancer story
  • azahar’s kitchen
  • azahar’s sevilla
  • sevilla tapas
  • personal trip planning

casa azahar

~ my life in sevilla

casa azahar

Tag Archives: ct scan

la puerta de jerez

29 Tuesday Sep 2020

Posted by azahar in health & happiness, home, hospitals

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

ct scan, health, hospitals, sevilla

So I had my CT scan today at 5 pm, which is a bit of an awkward hour because I always like to “treat” myself after a hospital ordeal, either going out for a tapita or a cold beer. But as I was in and out in fifteen minutes that meant that all the bars (or ones that I would want to go to) were closed.

So I walked home to get my steps in, taking photos along the way to send my friend Julie @woollygee, who was virtually walking home with me via Whatsapp. Anyhow, this photo op caught my eye because of the colourful flowers. I guess despite the pandemic city workers are still keeping Sevilla beautiful. Should have scan results late next week.

ouch!!

05 Thursday Mar 2020

Posted by azahar in health & happiness, hospitals

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

ct scan, health, hospitals, sprains

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.

ct scan results

12 Tuesday Nov 2019

Posted by azahar in cancer, hope, hospitals, sevilla

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

cancer, ct scan, health, hospitals, sevilla

Picked up my CT scan results today. I’m so glad my GP will print out a copy for me once the report has been uploaded onto the hospital database. Then I type it out in Spanish and put it through google translate (with medical terminology it’s pretty accurate). And then I read it. Because I know it will be weeks before I get another appointment with my oncologist and it’s good not to feel in the dark all that time.

Anyhow, remember last year after my November 2018 CT scan when my oncologist told me I was fine now, cancer free for ten years, so I didn’t need any more scans, but you know, I should come back if I’m ever in pain? And I thought, fuck that shit, by the time you are in pain with cancer you are practically dead (as I found out back in 2008).

So I convinced her to at least let me have an ultrasound, which happened late last summer. And guess what? They saw something on my liver that they felt warranted an MRI. Meanwhile, my mystery pain came back (again!), so then my oncologist agreed to another CT scan, instead of an MRI, which she said was a more “complete” test.

All I can say is… damn good thing I am still getting tested! The report from last week’s scan is a mixed bag of inconclusiveness, but there is concern about “this and that”, so it looks like more testing is on the horizon. Not going to go into details now since nothing has been confirmed, but they could not entirely rule out more cancer, along with a few other new “issues” which have kind of left me reeling. On the other hand, it may all be nothing but inflammation from previous operations and illnesses. Me? I’ve gone numb. And am keeping on with my daily walks. There’s nothing else I can do for the moment.

back in the jag!

15 Tuesday Jan 2019

Posted by azahar in cancer, hospitals, sevilla

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

cancer, cars, ct scan, hospitals, jaguar, pet scan, sevilla

So remember last June when I went to get my CT scan results at the hospital only to be told they hadn’t been completed yet? And that the saving grace of that whole debacle was being driven to the hospital in Spain’s ONLY Jaguar taxi??? Well, it happened again today. The Jaguar bit. The test results were all there today.

I mean, what are the odds? I didn’t even notice I was back in the Jag until I slid into the back seat (the driver held the door open for me) and saw THAT LOGO on the dashboard. And then I got all fan girl again, asking Pedro if he was still the only Jaguar taxi in Spain (he is) and also asking if I could get a card from him this time (which is how I know his name now). And then I thought… maybe this is a good sign, that everything is going to be alright.

Well, after waiting over an hour in Oncology I got to see my doctor, and she told me that I appear to be cancer free. Good news, right? Except I am still processing all this.

Since the PET scan a year ago that set off alarm bells, when the “area of inflammation” that has been showing up on my PET scans since 2008 had increased dramatically (previously it had been slowly shrinking), I have undergone a whack of testing: colonoscopy, endoscopy, several blood tests and 3 CT scans (latest CT was in November). And now, apparently, I am fine.

Well, that’s good! Glad to hear it, and all that. But now what? I mean, really, now what? My oncologist told me today that after ten years “cancer free” patients are given the “alta” (not sure what this is called in English) and regular scans and check ups are no longer required. I was told that if I experience pain or other symptoms, that they will check me again. Otherwise… nuthin’?

I don’t know. I mean, I am obviously happy that they have decided I am cancer-free after all this time. But, you know, I had fucking stage-4 colon cancer with metastisis to my liver and peritoneum and, to this day, none of my doctors understand why I am still here. I also know that by the time you feel pain caused by cancer you are already pretty much a goner. It’s the preventative testing that saves lives. So why am I getting kicked out of this option?

Okay, I wasn’t totally being shown the door. Because when I asked the doctor what sort of “control testing” they would be doing with me from this point on… well, she caved and said that they could do an abdominal ultrasound with blood tests in six months. And okay fine… I’ll take it.

I mean, I get it. CT scans are expensive, and PET scans even more so. In comparison an ultrasound is nothing. But once you’ve been through all I have gone through, and have talked with so many doctors, and never feeling like you are getting the whole story… it’s hard to believe you’re being told the whole truth. But for now, this is what I have.

hospital day

17 Tuesday Nov 2009

Posted by azahar in cancer, health & happiness, hospitals

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

cancer, ct scan, doctors, hospitals, pet scan

doctor cat Well, an afternoon really.

I have my check-up with the oncologist later on today and either before or after that I’ll be going to get my port flushed, and then go to emergency to get my eyeballs looked at. That weird flashing prism thing happened again on Sunday evening, though it didn’t last as long as the first time. Agustín had told me to go directly to emergency if it happened again, but since I had to be there today anyhow I decided to wait.

I should find out when my next scan is going to be, and whether it will be a CT or a PET. I don’t have many hospital buddies anymore, so Nog is going to come with me for the oncologist appointment and hopefully won’t have to leave before we get in. The appointment is for 5.00 and he has a class at 6.30, so if I’m lucky there won’t be too much of a wait. But I’ll probably end up doing the port and going to emergency on my own. So watch for me on Twitter!

I really really hate hospitals, especially when I’m alone.

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine

azahar on twitter

  • this helps! azahar.me/2021/03/08/thi… 6 hours ago
  • My god... twitter.com/guardian/statu… 1 day ago

sevilla tapas on twitter

  • @gi_nav Well, I shall wait to see it. Like I say, I think this was done as a kind of insurance, so this was all on… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 3 hours ago
  • @gi_nav She is a performer. 4 hours ago

Donate

patreon (1)

OR

azahar.sevilla@gmail.com

Sevilla Tapas on Trip Advisor

azahar online

  • Azahar Tapas
  • Azahar Travel Blog
  • Sevilla Blog
  • Sevilla Tapas
  • The Kitchen
  • The Photo Blog
  • We Love Tapas

comments

this helps! | casa a… on life changer? let’s hope…
azahar on caturday march 6th 2021
sledpress on caturday march 6th 2021
salvemos la hosteler… on bread baskets of death…
azahar on sherry kits
azahar on el mueble
azahar on the fauci factor
Deb Barnes on el mueble
Anne on sherry kits
Anne on sherry kits

amigos

  • 27th Street
  • Archie
  • Betty Bites
  • collecting tokens
  • Elegant Variations
  • Kim
  • Mudhooks
  • Nag on the Lake
  • raincoaster
  • Scribbler in Seville
  • Sledpress
  • Wandering Coyote

meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

visitations

  • 848,070 peeks

categories

archives

Enter your email address to subscribe to casa az and get email notices of new posts.

Join 2,881 other followers

azahar on Instagram

No Instagram images were found.

links

  • Bill Moyers Journal
  • Cats that look like Hitler
  • I Can Has Cheezburger?
  • John Richardson – Art
  • NASA pic of the day
  • Slow Europe
  • Stephen Fry blog
  • The Bloggess
  • The Onion
  • Worth 1000

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×