Radium 223 - the highs and the lows

I hope you get on top of things soon David. Sadly too many of us have had meetings like the one you describe where the doctor isn't up to speed. I realise they are very busy but it doesn't half knock you when you feel they haven't read your notes thoroughly and had a proper think about what to do next. Hope all of this sorted soon. As others have said you have been an inspiration and posting your experiences of the various treatments to help others has been very useful I'm sure. Best wishes, Ian.

Hi David

Tony was prescribed Longtec (3 per day) which was excellent. He also had slow-release morphine in the house which the district nurses would pop round to give him if there was a spike in pain - invariably at 3.00am on a Saturday night! That combination of a regular dose plus an emergency option kept the pain under control and lessened anxiety levels too. The palliative care team sorted it all out for us. So glad that you are connected up to them, they really seem to know their stuff.

Rx

Pleased to hear that support is there for your pain and hope it really helps. Best wishes.

Good luck David with continued pain relief. Not looking forward to that stage at all. Ask for some Zopicline too. Not a sedative but helps get off to sleep

As always, it's one step forward (pain under control) then one step back (system lockdown despite Laxido etc). So we went to see the GP (not David's usual GP at such short notice) to see what could be done to deal with the constipation. We agreed a way forward with that (up the Laxido doses) but he then took some obs (temp, BP, Sats, etc) and found that the Sats were very low - mid 80s. So he consulted with David's usual GP and they decided that this was sufficiently concerning to warrant investigation in hospital.

So we pack a bag and drive over to Exeter to the AMU (Ambulatory Medical Unit). And that's where he is at the moment. He may be out tomorrow. Or he may not.

I've been worried for some days that, despite completing the course of antibiotics he was given for the pneumonia, the weakness and breathlessness after any effort at all was getting no better - in fact it seemed to me to be getting worse. But various medicos have listened to his chest and heard nothing untoward apart from the slight pneumonia crackle. And various medicos have looked at scans and x-rays and can't see any clots or lesions. So I can only hope that they find a cause that can be dealt with.

Fingers and toes crossed.
Linda

Hi Lyn

David was supposed to be having a telephone conversation with his onco today, but then ended up in the AMU which is less than 100 yards from the Oncology department. I went round there to talk to the onco's secretary and explain the situation. I'll update her tomorrow. Knowing David, he won't let them forget about that side of things. I don't know about lymphodema - no-one's mentioned it. But they have done an ECG and blood tests. The hospital rang to tell me he's been moved from the AMU to a ward. Hopefully I'll find out more tomorrow.

So sorry to hear this Linda. Will be thinking of you and keeping all my bits crossed that they find out what's wrong and get it sorted. Please send David a hug, and one for you too!

Rxxx

So sorry to hear this.

Please send on my warmest regards and best wishes to David.

Dave