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Author Topic: My retirement blog.  (Read 420310 times)

Moneypenny

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #270 on: March 13, 2017, 11:32:00 am »
I've come to know you as a strong person O, you'll help her and you kids through this - all of the best to all of you.
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Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #271 on: March 23, 2017, 10:22:39 pm »
I am very impressed with the gov oncology hospital here in Porto. This is a massive hospital that has to cater to 3 million people.
They have a kiosk at the main entrance where you put your state health card into and it spits out a detailed info of where you have to go and there are volunteers that are on hand to help.

They helped my wife by holding her arm and led her through the maze of passages to get to the correct place. How sweet of them I thought. Strangely the locals were not offered this assistance.

We had 6 different departments to go through for blood tests, x-rays, ecg scans etc in this maze of passages and I never thought I would ever find my way out ever.

In every dept there is a TV and on the side is the number of the next patient to enter. We were lucky and somewhat embarrassed as each dept nurse insisted to show my wife to the next location consultation dept and she was immediately called in ahead of the locals.
I can only assume that the Dr or nurse wanted to practice English.
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Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #272 on: April 13, 2017, 07:53:58 pm »
Had to go back on Monday for a PET Scan. The machine that rotates around the body to look for cancer but also makes you radioactive for a week.

I had to twiddle my thumbs for 9 hours waiting for all her appointments and the scan. This is a schlep but we decided to book a hotel for 3 days for the results instead of travelling back to Viana and back again for the results.

The results were good as she has no cancer outside of her throat soft palate. So it has not spread and we were elated. Thank God.

This is getting very expensive with all the travelling and hotel costs and we have now decided to rent a holiday home for 5 weeks in Porto near the hospital. So we will be paying our normal rent for our home plus the extravagant holiday home. But I have to do it to be near my wife during her treatment.

Just a tip to those travelling. Next to our hotel was a MASSIVE mall with a food court that skriks for niks. Must be about 30 food stalls with a common seating area. We ordered fried fish chips and a salad for €4.5 and were given a single portion of fish with a few chips and some salad.

I then noticed a man next to me at the table with 2 portions of fish and double my chips so I asked him what price he paid for it. He paid the same as we did and told us that he is a regular as most are and tourists are ripped off as they only visit once.

This also happens when you go to a pub for a beer. If you are local, you pay less. 




 
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gcr

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #273 on: April 13, 2017, 09:45:33 pm »
Quote from: Orca on April 13, 2017, 07:53:58 pm
Had to go back on Monday for a PET Scan. The machine that rotates around the body to look for cancer but also makes you radioactive for a week.

I had to twiddle my thumbs for 9 hours waiting for all her appointments and the scan. This is a schlep but we decided to book a hotel for 3 days for the results instead of travelling back to Viana and back again for the results.

The results were good as she has no cancer outside of her throat soft palate. So it has not spread and we were elated. Thank God.

This is getting very expensive with all the travelling and hotel costs and we have now decided to rent a holiday home for 5 weeks in Porto near the hospital. So we will be paying our normal rent for our home plus the extravagant holiday home. But I have to do it to be near my wife during her treatment.

Just a tip to those travelling. Next to our hotel was a MASSIVE mall with a food court that skriks for niks. Must be about 30 food stalls with a common seating area. We ordered fried fish chips and a salad for €4.5 and were given a single portion of fish with a few chips and some salad.

I then noticed a man next to me at the table with 2 portions of fish and double my chips so I asked him what price he paid for it. He paid the same as we did and told us that he is a regular as most are and tourists are ripped off as they only visit once.

This also happens when you go to a pub for a beer. If you are local, you pay less.
So the reality is "Local is lekker"
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gcr

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #274 on: April 13, 2017, 10:04:26 pm »
On a more personal note - I am pleased to hear that your wife's cancer issues are under control and being treated - seems encouraging that the medical assistance you are getting is of a high quality especially in the country you are residing in as it has a history of quality delivery.
God speed with the recovery process, and, as I say to my kids, getting old and the concomitant medical expenses are not for sissies
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Fawkes85

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #275 on: April 15, 2017, 03:13:18 pm »
Glad to hear it hasn't spread. I very much know what it is like to have a close family member that gets diagnosed with cancer. Not easy to deal with, so glad your wife's is treatable and not too bad. Very relieved.
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Patrick

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #276 on: May 04, 2017, 08:06:04 am »
Hope the last couple of weeks has gone well with your wife Orca. Any updates?
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Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #277 on: May 04, 2017, 10:35:46 am »
Almost halfway. Done 13 radio therapies and 1 chemo. Doctors are surprised that she has no after effects from the treatment other than not being able to eat solid foods. No nausea, weakness, diarrhea, or hair loss that she should be having. She actually seems stronger now than she was before treatment started.

Next week she will have a stomach feeding tube installed. There is an option of having one via the nose or installed directly through the belly into the stomach. Of the ~ 200 head and neck cancer patients currently undergoing treatment, all the men opted for the nose one and all the women chose the belly one. Men have less tolerance for pain. As my wife said to the Doc...."If men get pregnant then families would only have 1 child".

We are renting this apartment from an Oncology Gastroenterologist who happens to work at the same hospital. Coincidence? The hospital is just across the road and our hospital in Viana also happens to be just across the road from our flat there. He is from Canada and our "family" Doc in Viana is also from Canada.
We had no idea of where this flat was other than in the same parish as the hospital.

 
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Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #278 on: June 03, 2017, 10:06:51 pm »
My stocks have been flat for 2,5 years and this has not been good as I have to withdraw R30k every 3 months for living expenses.
The upside is that the FX has increased by 32%. So not bad at all and I expect it to increase. Perhaps the Zar to 12 or even 10 as it is undervalued. Politics may change this as we all know.

As to my wife... I still have to pay for my apartment in Viana that I have not lived in for 2 months as I had to live in 3 hotels and 2 holiday apartments at a huge expense.
This is about €40 per day for 2 months plus €740 for my vacant flat.

My wife had a cardiac arrest and recovered after 8 days in ICU but pneumonia has set in and she is in a critical condition. She was doing so well until today. Sadly, I'm expecting a midnight phone call. 



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conradl

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #279 on: June 04, 2017, 08:01:53 am »
Dear Orca, I'm so sorry to hear that it's not going well with your wife. All the best.
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Yman

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #280 on: June 04, 2017, 08:19:29 am »

Orca, I am very sorry too about the bad news. Let’s hope for a miracle.

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Patrick

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #281 on: June 04, 2017, 09:37:51 am »
So sorry Orca. I'm hoping for a recovery again.
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jaDEB

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #282 on: June 05, 2017, 09:19:59 am »
Hope and Prayers . . . . . with you.
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ash_wz

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #283 on: June 05, 2017, 10:24:41 am »
Dear Orca
I came across your blog this weekend and read it from the beginning about your Portugal adventure. I am so sorry to hear this news about your wife. Sending prayers. All the best Ashley
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Mr_Dividend

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #284 on: June 06, 2017, 06:55:42 pm »
Thoughts are with you Orca.
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