Tag Archives: sevilla

la muletilla

05 Thursday Oct 2023

Posted by in health, knee saga, knees

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muletilla

Since the most recent knee saga I’ve been using my trusty crutch when out and about, but you know, it’s kind of clunky and not always needed. I mean, I don’t need it at home and, after going out on a couple of tapas tours, I realised that I mostly need “extra support” on inclines and street curbs (don’t even talk to me about stairs) so as to not put extra pressure on the dodgy knee. So I went to look for a more “every day” kind of walking cane and found this at the (very handy) orthopaedic store down the street from me.

This muletilla (little crutch) is lightweight and adjustable as well as being foldable (good for travelling) with an ergonomic handle, which I discovered is actually very comfortable as opposed to the straight handle on my big crutch. AND… it has a wrist strap so when I want to stop in the street and take a photo of something the muletilla can just dangle.

And so it looks like I have officially become AN OLD WOMAN WITH A CANE. Which, for the moment, keeps me from being an old woman who walks like a penguin (it’s actually been tempting to do this because, well, it’s kind of easier, but no). Meanwhile my MRI’d knee seems do be doing okay. Whatever. One day at a time.

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?

it’s f*cking october!

02 Monday Oct 2023

Posted by in culture, seasons, sevilla, tourism, travel

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october

Which means it should not be 35º and I should not have to put on the AC in the late afternoon because it’s 29º in my living room. These past two years have been so fucked up here. Way too hot for far too long and NO RAIN. Or at least not enough to make any difference. I mean, you all know l like sandal weather to last as long as possible, but that doesn’t have to be at these crazy temps.

And (here comes the rant) I’m getting so tired of people commenting on how LUCKY we are because it’s all rainy, cold and miserable where they are. Well guess what? It’s actually miserable for us when our reservoirs are down to less than 25% capacity, our crops are dying (olive oil production is half of what it should be this year… for starters) and it’s actually too hot to comfortably take a walk or sit outside. Water bills are going up by 35% starting next month, electricity is already off the charts, and in some cases basic food costs have almost doubled in the past couple of years. Yet our incomes have not increased.

Of course people coming here on holiday think it’s all a fabulous bargain as things are still cheaper than back at home, but do they even give a thought about us? More and more I feel resentful towards tourists who only think of us as their “cheap sunshine break” and especially when they come here, and if we are very lucky and it rains, then omg they feel hard done by because their holiday has been ruined.

And yes I know some of my work is reliant on tourism, to an extent. But my food tour clients tend to be the kind of travellers who fit into my rather niche offering. Which means they are conscious of what’s going on and, I think, travel with a bit more awareness and respect than the average tourist. Because once Sevilla turns into a desert and daily summer temps hit 50º and there is NO WATER… well, that’ll be it for tourism. I don’t think I’ll live to see that day, which I don’t think is that far off, but it still hurts to watch people being so uncaring and selfish. Same old…