Archive for November, 2009

DAY TWENTY FOUR

November 17, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , ,

Here again! Well, I´ve been visiting the city with Cata. Today we went early to the hospital for all the pre-op labwork and paperwork they have to do before the surgery. After that we went to Union Station, whcih by the way is one of the most beautiful train stations from the U.S., as well as the Grand Central Station in NYC.

The guys from Swatch fixed my watch (its band was broken), and then we headed to the National Mall, and went to some museums, and shopping. After that, we went to the Holocaust Museum, which I think is something one should do to remember and never forget the effects of the war and how the jewish community was threatened to dissapear by the Nazis. It was Catalina´s and mine second time on the museum.

Now, writting some things for college that I have to send before the surgery, which as you already know, is having place tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.; it is very possible that I would have to overnight at the hospital.

As Dr. Verghese told me, this is going to be a grade 1 complexity surgerym comparing the one from 2 years ago, which was a grade 10; although, surgery is surgery, and I´m preparing my soul and mind for it, I can´t do nothing about it,m different that to sit and relax on the hotel´s whirpool spa and wait until tomorrow, praying and wishing a good surgery, and a fast and good recovery.

Again, thanks to all of you who are in South America, U.S., Europe, and Asia following this blog. As soon as I can, I´ll be posting about the surgery and my recovery, meanwhile, pray for me, and for the doctors´wisdom and knowledge, to guide them to a succesful surgery.

May God bless all of you, and hear your prayers,

 

Sergio.

 

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DAY TWENTY ONE

November 14, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , ,

Cata is arriving today, she already arrived at Orlando´s airport.

Weather is getting better, today was a little bit colder than  Bogotá normally is.

OK, I know you want to know how my appointment with Dr. Verghese was. It was great, he is a very kind doctor, from India. His assistant (physician) is from Asia. Very kind both of them.

Dr. Verghese explained to me the WH questions about the surgery. Comparing the complexity of Dr. Sugarbaker´s procedure, if it was a 10, now this one is going to be a 1. Maybe I will habe to overnight at the hospital.

Dr. Verghese is going to make a surgery starting on the groing and going down to the testes. Then he will take out (without disconnedcting it from its “tubes”) the left testicle, and will put on the table. After that, he will open the very famous TUNICA VAGINALIS (which inspired this blog´s name), and will considering if removing of the testicle is needed, which according to what he saw on the doppler test, is very probable. But as you may know, and I already wrote, I simply don´t care if that helps to cure me from this possible mesothelioma.

I also went to Dr. Sugarbaker´s office to say hi to his wife and assistant Ilse, an met with Dr. Zappa, who is second in command on Dr. Sugarbaker´s surgical oncology team. Then came back to the hotel, and had a great nap. After that went walking to Taco Bell for some delicious burritos I can´t enjoy in Bogotá.

On the afternoon walked around, and everything still the same as it was two years ago, also the hotel´s staff and everything stays as if my last visit to D.C. was a week ago, but really it has been two years after my IV and IP ports removal (the ports implanted on chest and belly for chemos).

Today woke up early and called Cata, who was at Bogota´s airport. I miss her, but she´ll be here on a couple of hours, which makes me really happy.

Had a nice walk on the morning and good and healthy breakfast at Au Boin Pain. Then went back to Borders and bought three great “true crime” books from recognized author at discount price. These chronicles are my favourites.

Then went walking around and seated at the smithsonian´s park, where I started reading one of the books, and now I just came back to the hotel, because it´s already dark, and I have to write some papers for college, that I have to send next week to the teachers.

Have a good night dear readers, and a good day for those already waking up on Asia´s sunday.

S.

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DAY TWENTY

November 13, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized

Good morning everyone! Woke up at 7 a.m.  … Heading out to the hospital for my medical appointment with Dr. Verghese. I´ll be visiting also Dr. Sugarbaker to say hello, and also to the nurses and physicians who back in 2007 took care of me as an inpatient.

Medical appointment at 9:30 at the Cancer Institute. First going to “au boin pain” close to the hotel for breakfast. I´ll be posting later all the news from the appointment, and also some funny pictures from yesterday in my battle against this weather. Today we have clear skies, and wind on the Chicago style.

Keep praying, faith is what makes us strong.

S.

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DAY NINETEEN

November 12, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , ,

Washington D.C. -

Hello world! I´m back. I´m sorry I couldn´t write on the last days, but I was very very busy arranging my trip to Washington and organizing all my stuff for college (teachers were very kind with me, altough I have some papers to do and send for the classes).

Yesterday a long day flying. Arrived to Bogota´s airport at 7 a.m., had breakfast and took off at 10 a.m., arrived at Orlando at about 1:40 p.m. and was going to have an overlay for four hours, but could make it to an earlier flight, so I arrived in Washington at 5:30 p.m.

Took a shuttle to the wrong hotel (I thought I was going to stay on a Doubletree) but when I arrived to the hotel, my name didn´t show up on the front desk´s screen…So, I had to review on the internet which was the hotel I booked in. I found it, and wasn´t far away, but had to take a cab. Was raining, and still raining.

Met with one of my best friends Lucas, who is VP for a colombian tv channel, and had to come to the U.S. for work for  a few days, so we went for dinner nearby, because of the pouring rain, and the coldness we are having in D.C.

Today woke up at 7 a.m. to go for breakfast again with Lucas at 8 a.m. at his hotel. Delicious brunch, but still raining and I wanted to walk, so I tried for a few blocks, but it´s messy with this rain. So, I took a cab, and here I am writing to you. On a few hours I´ll be checking out, and moving to a hotel near Dupont Circle, which is an area that I know better, because here, I´m a little bit lost, and don´t really know in which direction I should walk to find something, just something.

My plans for today are museum plans. I think I want to go to the Newseum (is a great journalism museum, chek it out at www.newseum.org), and to the FBI Museum, which they were remodeling one and a half year ago, last time I was in D.C. Hope it stops raining.

I miss Cata, a lot. But she´s coming on saturday, which makes me really happy.

Write to you later, and thanks to the followers all around the globe!

 

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DAY EIGHT – SOUNDS

November 1, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , ,

I´m an audio lover. My dream is to work on a radio station, and broadcast to the world. So, as you may notice, I´m well aware that everything in life is more comfortable with nice sounds. I want to share with you a link from a website, where you can just sit, close your eyes, relax and fall to sleep with seducting sleeping sounds.

From crickets with rainfall, to drums and flute songs with a bonfire behind….just try it for a while…setup the sounds you like at the most, and play with the nature´s magic. Relax, and let it flow. That´s the best prevention for cancer, and maybe, one of the best cures for body and soul.

Follow the link: http://www.soundsleeping.com/

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DAY EIGHT – SOME THINGS FROM YESTERDAY

November 1, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , ,

Long weekend in Colombia. Monday will be a holiday, one of the 17 colombian holidays every year. Some catholics (which where moved to mondays because of a law, excluding the ones from the holy week, of course), and the others are the civic ones, conmemorating our independence, and things like the labor day (may 1, the day after my birthday!). Even so, our constitution states that our country is a lay country. Who can undesrstan this with all those catholic holidays? This weekend´s holiday is the “all saints day” holiday.

So, yesterday didn´t have to work, so tried to sleep till´late, but the guys from the construction right in front our apartment started working early, so we couldn´t sleep that much. The whole morning trying to get my wife´s Iphone working, because we had to buy one oon ebay from Canada, have it sent to Dallas to my brother in law, then he sent it to Charlotte, and then Catalina´s uncle brought it to Bogotá, what a trip for the Iphone! Well, the carrier said it works here, but that we need to unlock its bands, so we went to one of those low profile stores, and they tried to unlock the bands, but couldn´t because they said it has the newest apple software, and that they haven´t developed the software to unlock. I will try to look on the internet for the software, and will try on other place, but if we can´t, we´ll sell it on ebay, and ship it to the buyer from Washington.

On the afternoon, after having a great lunch on WOK (Asian food chain, very good), some chicken laab tacos (the taco made out of crispy lettuce), and mandarin rice with calamari, came home and had a great 3 hours nap. Deserved.

Then went shopping with my wife, because the fridge ran out of food. And that´s the reason from the picture above. I bought some delicious “Knackwurst”, whiche makes me remember the time I lived in Berlin, back in 2004, working as a bellboy for the Marriott Hotel from Potsdamer Platz. Almost everyday after work, I walked behind the hotel, right where a big balloon is (still) located and flyes some feet up in the air for a nice view from the city, and right on the top from Hitler´s or someone´s bunker. Well, the Nazis from the 40´s were replaced by a nice guy selling all kind of german sausages, with a huge variety of mustards. It was so amazing delicious, beef sausages, knackwursts, all kind of them! of course…with some bread, a perfect german style hot dog! So, I bought this sausages, and I´ll tell how they taste!

Late night, avoiding all the halloween stuff, went with Catalina, and Jeronimo & girlfriend, Tomas (another best budy), and my brother in law, downtown, escaping from the halloween´s crowd, to an area called “La Macarena” where one can find great restaurants, with very moderated prices. This time we went to an italian restaurant. I had gnoccies with four cheese sauce, of course after having a shared garlic squid and octopus dish. And for going with some sweetnes on the heart to bed, we ordered a delicious chocolate mousse. Tasty night.

8:00 a.m. just woke up. My wife has flu, and she´s still sleeping. Good morning everybody, and good afternoon in Europe, and a great night for my buddies in Asia.

S.

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