Tag Archives: health

back in the saddle

20 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by in gym, health & happiness, tapas tours

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bikeSo to speak. Yesterday I found out that my physiotherapy appointment wasn’t going to be until July 9th, so I decided – FUCK IT – and went to the gym. It was also my first time out and about without using at least one crutch in almost five weeks. Checking back on my last sprain (which was actually a fracture, though I didn’t know it at the time) it took just over a month for me to get back to the gym, so I guess I’m healing at about the same rate as last time. The main difference, of course, is that it’s both of them.

I had been worried about my Málaga getaway last weekend, especially when on my first night there my right foot was in terrible pain. The next day was a bit better, though. And on Saturday I even went out on my friend Victor’s walking tour. Since then the pain level seems to have dropped a bit, with my right foot still hurting more than my left ankle. It’s still very tiring but it’s good to see and feel some improvement.

Anyhow, the gym was fine. I took down my biking level a notch (only going up two “hills” in 40 minutes instead of the usual four) and that didn’t seem to stress anything. I also got a chance to do some work with the hand-held weights and a couple of the upper-body machines. And it felt good to actually break a sweat and feel like I was getting some proper exercise. My gym was also kind enough to give me a free month so that I didn’t have to pay for the time I hadn’t been there.

Tonight I have a Sevilla Tapas Tour and I reckon I will no longer need Peter’s help with “tag team” tours anymore. But I really appreciate that he was there for me and could help out as much as he did. Onwards…

lean on me

23 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by in friends, health & happiness, home

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lean on me.pngMy best friends are my new crutches! Well, only one is new. I bought one last year during a BACK PAIN incident, not thinking I’d ever need a pair again. Looking back at my old blog posts from February 2011 it seems I was out and about a lot more and much sooner after spraining (actually fracturing, as I found out last week) my left ankle. On the other hand, I had one good foot back then, which made getting around easier.

I went out on a tapas tour yesterday afternoon, finishing up at La Azotea where I had planned to meet my friends Claire & Kyran who are in town this week. Talk about bad timing! I had wanted to take them out for sherry & tapas, but they seem to be doing well enough on their own.

Anyhow, it felt really weird going out yesterday – the first time in almost a week – and it took me awhile to get over feeling “vulnerable” out there. But on my way to pick up my clients I passed a woman with one crutch who waved at me and said “looks like I’ve got some competition!”. So we stopped and chatted for a bit. She had a hip problem and was sporting the same style and colour of crutch as mine (like those on the right, but black and silver). And somehow that encounter made me feel better.

So yeah. Pretty painful walking still. Curiously my right foot hurts more than the left ankle, though perhaps that’s from the bruising? The whole top of that foot is still black and blue. And of course I’m now getting all kinds of secondary pain from walking funny. Cramps in feet and calves and – the worst! – my back almost giving out yesterday. You know, as much as my feet and ankles hurt I can deal with that way better than serious BACK PAIN. So today I’ve been slapping on the BioFreeze (thank you Sled!) and am back to being housebound. Basically because tomorrow I’ve got a press conference to attend, and then will meet Claire and Kyran for lunch. There will be less walking involved this time, but who knows, it might actually be easier mañana. As long as my back holds out!

What are you guys up to?

day five

21 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by in cats, health & happiness, home

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day five

This morning with Morcilla in bed. I have to say it’s been Very Difficult staying at home and being an invalid, especially because other than painful feet and ankles I don’t actually feel bad. And lack of exercise has also made for sleepless nights (tomorrow I’m getting out my small hand weights). But as you can see, I am on the mend. Swelling has almost disappeared (other than the left ankle) and, although my entire right foot is still black and blue, the pain is just about bearable now. Aside from that first hour in the morning when everything feels like it seized up overnight, I can get around the house quite easily and I was even going to try a short walk on crutches today to meet up with Kyran & Claire, who are back in town. But then it started RAINING so I think I’ll leave going out until my lunchtime tapas tour tomorrow. Not only would I need a third hand to hold an umbrella but it’s probably not a good idea to take my first steps out on slippery pavement.

These past few days would have been a great opportunity to catch up on, well, all the things I need to catch up on. But I just couldn’t concentrate. And as silly as it sounds, it took a whole two days for me to stop feeling annoyed and sorry for myself that THIS HAD HAPPENED and that it had totally messed up my plans. On the other hand, these have mostly been “days off”, so while I didn’t get to do the stuff I wanted to, I also didn’t have to cancel any tapas tours. Peter took out yesterday’s clients, and I think I’ll be okay for tomorrow’s tour, so that was a blessing.

How was your weekend?

h is for happy

09 Wednesday Apr 2014

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

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h for happy
I don’t know why yesterday’s PET scan felt more – what? – meaningful, stressful, TERRIFYING. I mean, since I was first diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer in May 2008 I’ve had more than a dozen of the fuckers, so why did this one feel so important? Maybe it’s because I’m nearing the all-important 5-YEAR mark, when I will “graduate” to having the scans less frequently and may also get the pesky chemo port removed. Or perhaps it’s because I’ve not actually been feeling very well lately, especially with abdominal issues. In any case, I was really feeling like this time I was about to get Bad News.

And then I didn’t.

I had arrived at the hospital bright and early yesterday, having opted to go on my own mostly because I don’t know anyone here who would really be of help if the worst thing happened. The best people I know for this are the friends who are actually working at the hospital. And with my trusty iPhone I can be in touch with all of you guys via Twitter. Believe me when I say that this is the biggest comfort I have when going through these tests. Knowing you’re all there. It means everything to me.

In a way it’s become quite routine, though things have changed a bit since Ricardo retired and Pilar has only been working part time. But at least Isabel is still there and, as always, she took care of me very well. This also means that I get my test results before leaving the hospital and don’t have to wait until whenever my next appointment with oncology happens. Anyhow, the routine is that I get injected with the radioactive isotope and have to wait awhile for it to be circulating before I get put into the machine. Then I have to lie still for about half an hour (which is ALWAYS the time I get an itchy nose or something similar). After that I am sent off to have some much needed coffee and some brekky while they have a look at the images. When I get back I either have to go through the machine a second time or else am told I can go. But not before I get my results.

After Isabel gave me the good news yesterday (all clear but I still have inflammation around the scar tissue) I walked home in the sunshine with happy tears streaming down my cheeks. Why on earth have I been so lucky? And why do I feel like this time is so different? Why do I still feel different since yesterday (and in a good way)? I really don’t know why or even how to explain this difference. All I know is that I’m Happy. With a capital H.