Tag Archives: hospitals

urgencias! what a day

05 Thursday Sep 2024

Posted by in health, home, hospitals, sevilla

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urgencias

Since the abdominal pain was still quite severe and clearly not letting up I headed over to Urgencias with Peter just after noon. As we got through triage almost immediately I was hopeful that it wasn’t going to be a long wait to see a doctor. This was not to be. The waiting rooms were packed with next to no one wearing a mask, not even most of the staff. WTF.

Anyhow, eventually saw the doctor who ordered blood work and unfortunately got a nurse who couldn’t find any arm veins, so the third try was IN MY HAND which I hate, especially as this thing stayed in all afternoon (just in case). While waiting for the blood/urine results they sent me to get an IV of paracetamol for the pain, which ended up doing absolutely nothing. After that MORE waiting.

There was some confusion when I was called back in as there was a different doctor saying I had to redo the blood tests because blah blah blah and then suddenly the original doc came in and said not to worry, the blood was normal and they were going to do a CT scan. Wut. Anyhow, about half an hour later I was having yet another CT scan. Finally… six long hours after arriving, the doctor said I was fine. There was some inflammatory changes in the colon stump (where it had been sealed off during surgery) but no fluid or air in the peritoneal cavity. So that was it. NOT cancer. Phew.

I was sent home and told to take paracetamol for the pain, stay on a soft diet until pain subsides and stay hydrated. Well, not taking paracetamol, and I can barely eat anyhow (bonus! have lost 2 kilos), so I guess I just have to tough it out and hope the pain stops soon. Still hurts like fuck now though which is very draining. I keep having to go lie down which I guess is another “bonus” – I think I’ve slept more this week than I usually do in a month (in 2-3 hour snatches).

Now fingers crossed I didn’t pick up Covid! 

all-clear cava!

21 Thursday Dec 2023

Posted by in cancer, health, hospitals

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all clear cava

After getting booted out of the “cancer club” last week I still had one more hurdle, which was a backup ultrasound after last spring’s mammogram. Which was this afternoon. And the very good news is that I am ALL CLEAR. Phew! So there was a glass of bubbly on the way home and now… well, I just hope that I will be hospital-free at least for a while. There will be the usual GP maintenance check up in a couple of months with a blood test, review of my blood pressure status and – maybe! – some info about my FUCKING KNEES. It’s a bit alarming how they went from being a bit painful to needing a stick in just 3-4 months. But that’s for another day. Today I feel so relieved about this good news that I may even sleep tonight!

cut loose

13 Wednesday Dec 2023

Posted by in cancer, hope, hospitals, sevilla

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cut loose

After 15 1/2 years I have been cut loose, set free, given the old heave ho… and I have such mixed feelings. After my last colonoscopy I also had a blood test done for cancer markers (and other things) and today I finally had my appointment with the oncologist to find out what’s what. And basically… nuthin’. The colonoscopy was normal, blood test relatively normal, cholesterol still a bit high, but lower than last year’s test, sugar also down… and so I asked my onc “what now?”. And so he took another look over my history and said… I think you’re done! In fact it’s been 15 years to the month since my last (third) cancer op, which is how they measure these things, in spite of me going back on chemo for six months the following year. And I was like… done? What? That’s it? Not even like a cancer marker test next year??

You’re probably wondering why I wasn’t immediately delighted. Well the thing is, once you have had cancer, and especially stage 4 colon cancer you weren’t meant to recover from, you always live under its shadow. It might be gone FOR NOW but it never feels like it’s well and truly gone. And my guy totally got this, saying that he understood that it might feel like I was losing a kind of health care “safety net”, but he laid out a couple of ways to still feel taken care of.

In his report to my GP he recommends a colonoscopy every three years (normally it’s 5) and he said if I was ever in serious doubt or experiencing any severe abdominal pain that, given my history, I could ask my GP to set up an oncology appointment. Even though I said that in my experience once you’re in serious pain with cancer it’s already almost too late. He didn’t disagree but, in his opinion, it didn’t make sense to keep testing for cancer 15 years later. In fact, he said they usually stop doing regular follow up scans and testing after five years but, again, given my history, they extended it to ten. Then it all got muddled with covid, etc… but now that’s it. I’ve been booted out of the Oncology Club.

FOR NOW.  I also finally managed to arrange the follow up ultrasound on my “dodgy boob” from the last mammogram in April. It’s next week. Given that my mother died of breast cancer and my sister has it now, you know, it’s not totally unreasonable that I’m (more than) a bit concerned. Why a follow up test? What about this sudden scary blocked nipple? My onc today had a look at said nipple and said it’s probably nothing important, not unusual, he couldn’t feel a mass, etc and that follow up ecos were almost routine.

Gotta say that after all this time and with a long history of inept and/or uncaring oncologists (I only got through my cancer ordeal thanks to my fab nuclear medicine team) it’s a bit ironic that the first time I meet a genuinely nice onc it’s also time to say goodbye. Well, this was actually our second appointment. First time a year or so ago and he was all… what the heck? why are you still getting all these scans? you’re going to die from radiation before you get cancer again!… which made sense. And he actually talked to me. Just like he did today. So I mostly feel okay about being cut loose because I know there are a few clear avenues I can pursue if I need to, but it’s going to take a few days to actually process. And of course there’s still next week’s boob ultrasound… 🤞

f*kn knees man

03 Tuesday Oct 2023

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

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traumatologia

And it goes on and on. This is the traumatology hospital at Virgen del Rocío, part of their massive university hospital complex (the one that saved my life back in 2008). I didn’t really expect to end up here today (last visit was – I think – when Peter almost put his eye out on Christmas Day). BUT the right knee that had been giving me problems since a few days before the MRI on the left knee last week suddenly went GAAAAH and the pain was just awful. Scary awful. And checking possible reasons on google was not helping.

So a couple of hours and two taxi rides later I was back home again after a jab of anti-inflammatory, a bandage around my knee and a prescription for paracetamol and metamizole. Treatment – stay off my leg and put ice on it. Cause of pain – I overburdened my knee (by being fat). Almost a waste of time (I’m not taking either of the drugs prescribed or wearing that shitty bandage) other than Dr Grumpy said I don’t have any fluid build up around the knee so if there is a Baker’s Cyst there it’s very small, plus he ruled out a DVT.

I also found out that I have osteoarthritis in both knees, not just the left one that had been MRI’d. When I expressed surprise/concern Dr Grumpy snapped (while looking at my xray taken in July) “Well of course you do, if you have it in one you have it in both, but the left one is worse”. Yet it’s my right knee that hurts like fuckity. Apparently because I’m “overloading” it. So fine. I am at home with an ice pack and without the shitty bandage that bunches up and cuts off my circulation. How was your day?

what a day!

10 Monday Jul 2023

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

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what a day

It started with an early taxi ride to the Ronda Health Centre in the north end of Sevilla for a 9 am appointment to get my knees x-rayed. That done I stopped in at the mammogram department to ask about my results because I didn’t receive a report and could only find the images online (not helpful). That was when I found out they want to do a follow-up test, most likely an ultrasound… but why? They couldn’t say as it could be for many reasons, but I was told there would probably be a long wait as the Women’s Hospital is totally backed up these days. Though I was also told that if they considered it urgent I wouldn’t have been waiting this long. The nice woman there gave me a phone number to call at the Women’s Hospital but as I was going straight to Virgen del Rocío Hospital I said I’d go there in person.

The Virgen del Rocío Hospital is a sprawling university hospital, one of the best in the country. And I know my way around there like I wish I didn’t. What can I say? Anyhow, I was still trying to track down the elusive second colonoscopy appointment after the last botched one in March (don’t ask). My new oncologist (no idea who he is) called me a couple of weeks ago and said he would arrange another one and send me the papers by mail but I would have to hand in the papers in person myself at the Digestivo Department. Trust me, I know the drill by now. So I thought that since I was already out and about doing hospital stuff today, what’s another taxi ride?

And so, after my knee x-ray I crossed Sevilla from the north end of the city to the far southern edge. Went straight to Digestivo, handed in papers, was told they’d call me with the appointment date, picked up my next batch of the dread SOLUCIÓN EVACUANTE and headed over to the Women’s Hospital behind the main buildings. Sneaky. The Outpatients entrance was being hidden by a bunch of what looked like garden improvements, but I found it and got in line at the mamografía secretary’s office. Only to be told that I had to go down the hall, turn left past the elevators and then right where I would find the radiografia secretary’s office. No problem. You cannot imagine how many times I’ve had to do these things.

Found the secretary who ended up telling me the same thing the nice woman at the health centre had… that I’d have to wait. Thing is, until I asked this morning I had NO IDEA they wanted to test me again. It would have just come out of the blue. So I am glad I asked “nice woman” because she did her best to put me at ease and said this isn’t unusual and could be down to many reasons. And now I know I have to wait for another boob test.

MEANWHILE… omg I was sick at heart to see almost nobody wearing masks today. Not at the health centre or at the two hospitals I visited later. I mean, I passed through the waiting room FOR FUCKING ONCOLOGY and hardly anyone had masks on. Oddly in Digestivo at least half the people waiting were masked. BUT NOT THE STAFF. Honestly I despair.

After two taxi rides it seemed like a good idea to get some walking in as it was still earlyish and not yet blisteringly hot, so Peter and I shambled back to the centre, staying mostly in the shade, and not really enjoying it but dammit STEPS, right? Finally decided to stop off for a much needed cold drink and popped into the first place that looked nice and omg… check the photo. A small mineral water and a lemony soft drink cost fucking 7.20€. It was like we’d been transported to Madrid.

Then a stop at the post office and then the supermarket for some omega-rich fish for lunch (more on that later) and I am so done. Over 12,000 steps before it got up to 37º (it’ll be over 41º today).

How was your Monday?