Hi Terry - I am an “old expat” from Spain - lived on the Costa del Sol, at Campo Mijas, between Fuengirola and Mijas. Been back in England since 1993 when my Crohn’s disease was a real problem, and I got Leishmaniasis (aka Spanish sand-fly disease) from an elderly cocker spaniel that was abandoned outside our villa. Took a year and some 6 flights to the Hammersmith hospital in London to get this properly dx and was eventually treated at the Tropical Disease Hospital in London. With my compromised immune system, we decided to come home.
Well, I did - and hubby followed although he would have preferred to have stayed in Spain. Neither of us regret the decision for a moment, although we lived in Spain for 8 years.
I was dx with bc in 2003, and thankfully still here. I was very ill when undergoing FEC chemo, and virtually lived under the duvet, living on hospital prescribed Frutijuice for some 4 months. Now, I am back on weekly chemo for Crohn’s,(methotrexate) which I self inject, and am doing okay, but got some blood problems in my bone marrow. I get incredibly tired, just have to sit in a chair and fall asleep. I sleep anything from 10-14 hours at night, but I force myself to keep active around the apartment during the day, as I have a disabled husband of 79 yrs.
I don’t know what complementary services are available these days in Spain (I used to have monthly deep massage therapy at a squash/tennis club near us which helped my tiredness tremendously) but you might care to look into them. I have also had acupuncture when going through FEC chemo. None of these complementary therapies can control cancer, but I have found they do make you feel better able to live with a possible terminal condition.
I don’t know where you live in Spain, but I have a friend in Fuengirola who started the first hospice on the Costa del Sol after her husband died of a brain tumour (she got the MBE 3 yrs ago for her efforts), which is in Benalmadena. I can put you in touch with her if you wish. She may know of other hospices in Spain outside of her area.
I do know how isolating it can be in Spain, when if like me, you aren’t fluent in the language. we couldn’t even get a telpehone for some 2 and a half years. When I was in a private clinic in Malaga for a severe rectal haemorrhage, there was no nursing at all, friends and family were expected to do this, and provide my food, not that I could eat any at the time. Hopefully, It is very different now.
You sound a wonderful supportive husband, and I wish you both well.
Liz.