Tag Archives: hospitals

too many hobbles

04 Wednesday Jun 2025

Posted by in health, knee saga, knees, Malaga, sevilla, spain, trips

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , ,

I think I really overdid things this past week. I mean, I try to get out for a hobble each day, as well as doing my chair workouts five times a week. But between Málaga-Marbella and Jerez I worry that I may have actually done some extra damage to The Knee. Because now it seriously hurts (even more) like fuck. Today I wanted to go to the market and gave up half-way there. The thing was, once out and about you just kind of have to keep going. Especially if you are in the centre of pedestrianised Málaga (no taxis!) or when your lunch location in Benalmádena ends up being at the bottom of a very steep foot path (ouch!).

But I persevered then took a couple of days off before heading to Jerez. I don’t know if that was a mistake or not, or if all of it was wrong to do, but dammit I’m so tired of not being able to do things. And with NOBODY helping me with info about what I should or should not be doing (other than go to the pool, ride a bike, lose weight). Not one doctor has told to either keep walking or stop walking. And so I keep on, not exactly walking, but hobbling on my trusty crutches. Clocked over 15,000 hobbles in Málaga and another 12,000 in Jerez. And each one hurt so much. I just want my life back.

ecocardiograma

26 Monday May 2025

Posted by in health, hospitals, sevilla

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, ,

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

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , ,

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.

not my week…

23 Wednesday Apr 2025

Posted by in health, hospitals, sevilla

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, ,

After the fear-filled fiasco of yesterday’s aborted MRI, today I headed out for my biannual mammogram. I am in The System as a woman of a certain age so every two years I get a notice for the next appointment. Except today I ended up at the wrong place at the right time. After a chat with the helpful staff at the hospital I was given a number for the new mammogram clinic location. Uffff. Okay, while it did affect my morning and general plans for the day at least there was no prep and, well, no all-day fear. I mean, mammograms hurt like fuckity, but they’re over and done with just before it reaches intolerable. 

Waiting to get the bus back home I called the new number and they acknowledged that I did indeed have an appointment with them today and also said “but we’ve moved!”. No shit. Anyhow, what the hell, I made a new appointment with them for May 16th and saw that my trusty 32 Bus will get me there in 45 hellish minutes (honestly that bus is always so packed, but at least I know I can always get one of the seats reserved for handicapped folks). That’s all really. Just another day. Now I am going to drink wine and cook… still perfecting my “whisky” sauce.

la línea 3

14 Monday Apr 2025

Posted by in casa azahar, health, health & happiness, hospitals, my barrio, sevilla, spain

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , ,

One of the many – out of MANY MANY MANY – reasons I love living where I do is how well connected I am by public transport in my barrio. And especially since getting my old geezer free bus pass, in combination with THE KNEE mobility issues, I can just hop on hop off taking buses for one or two stops… and trust me sometimes that makes all the difference.

Anyhow, today I had an appointment with the cardiologist at the ridiculously beautiful but otherwise not especially efficient Hospital Duque del Infantado. Get this. I saw my GP on March 17th and within a couple of weeks had received dates for two specialists appointments – Cardio and an MRI for my neck and shoulder. In fact, I had to move the MRI forward because I still had that pesky cough from when I was sick a couple of weeks ago. Meanwhile I am STILL WAITING TO HEAR ABOUT THE KNEE SPECIALIST APPT THAT I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR SINCE OCTOBER. Fuck.

In the past, just like when I go to Hospital Virgen del Rocío, I’ve always just grabbed a taxi at the end of my street in front of the posh Gran Meliá Hotel Colón (always lots of taxis there). Six to eight euros well spent, I reckoned. But this week is Semana Santa, which means the Bastard Taxi Pirates are out for anything they can get. Yes, there is an official Semana Santa surcharge, but I just didn’t want to have to go through the hassle of all that. And so I checked the bus routes and saw… OMG… I could catch the updated Línea 3 not far from home and get dropped off about five minutes from the hospital. FOR FREE.

And it’s a good thing I discovered this as I now have an appointment there on April 28th to get a 24-hour Holter, and that is also where I will see the knee surgeon WHENEVER THAT HAPPENS. It’s actually one of the two specialist hospitals I end up at most. The other one, Clínica Fleming, is also accessible by bus. For now. It’s this time of year that I start to worry about whether my landlord is going to renew my contract in the summer, and I will now be on tenterhooks until July. But for now… just loving living here.