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Cheshire Chris's Treatment Thread

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User

Posted 28 Feb 2019 at 20:38

Cheers, Pete!

Yet again the Spire Cheshire hospital are refusing to do an MRI scan of my shoulder. They have a ridiculous hospital policy of not doing MRI scans of anyone with metal coils inside them, despite the fact that my coils are platinum (definitely non-ferromagnetic!) and both the hospital where I had the coil embolisation procedure done and the vascular consultant at the Spire have said that I’m perfectly OK to have MRI scans. But rules are rules.

So it’ll be a CT scan instead of an MRI, which is not ideal. I would have preferred not to have yet more radiation on top of my RT! But it needs doing, so needs must. Hopefully I’ll get an appointment tomorrow.

Chris

User

Posted 01 Mar 2019 at 18:56

Had a CT scan of my shoulder today. I'm told it'll be assessed over the weekend. I have another appointment with the consultant for next Wed evening, so I should find out the result then.

Chris

User

Posted 01 Mar 2019 at 19:39

Fingers crossed!

User

Posted 04 Mar 2019 at 15:34

Well, the radiology report is back and a clean bill of health as far as bone mets are concerned, thank goodness! "Wear and tear on the joint" is the verdict. I had my weekly meeting with my oncologist today and he was kind enough to phone up and get the report for me, which I was very grateful for. I see the orthopaedic surgeon again on Wednesday evening, but I'm not bothered now I know it's not cancer!

Chris

User

Posted 04 Mar 2019 at 22:17

Great news.x

User

Posted 05 Mar 2019 at 08:04

Thanks. I knew that cancer was unlikely but it was still causing me a certain amount of anxiety. Once you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, there’s a tendency to think that every ache and pain might mean that it’s spread!

Chris

User

Posted 05 Mar 2019 at 13:27

I've reached the half way point in my RT! 16 fractions completed, 16 more to go. To quote Churchill, "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." https://community.prostatecanceruk.org/Scripts/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif. I feel like this is an important milestone.

Cheers,

Chris

Edited by member 05 Mar 2019 at 13:56 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 05 Mar 2019 at 14:19

Or is it the middle of the middle ? 😂😂

User

Posted 09 Mar 2019 at 21:36

Four weeks into my RT now, with another two and a half weeks to go. No drastic side-effects; the only annoying one is a need to urinate at very frequent intervals, typically 4-5 times during the night. I've started keeping a wide-mouthed bottle by my bed -saves having to get up!

I'll be glad when it's over; the daily travel is a real killer, particularly when, as is now the case, I need to make two toilet stops en route.

Cheers,

Chris

User

Posted 09 Mar 2019 at 21:44

Keep your chin up Chris. Just look forward to that last day. At my oncology Centre in Bristol there is a large brass bell by the reception desk which you ring when you leave after your last treatment I don’t know if they do that at your centre.

Just look forward to that last day. At my oncology Centre in Bristol there is a large brass bell by the reception desk which you ring when you leave after your last treatment and everybody turns round and give you a round of applause and you know that they mean it, because they are waiting to get the same position you are in. I don’t know if they do that at your centre.

The Peeing through the night is one of the worst parts of it, you wake up in the morning worn out and then you have to face travelling to the hospital.

I’m guessing you’ve got over the problem if you had early on in the treatment and now it’s just soldiering on mate.

Alan.

Edited by member 09 Mar 2019 at 21:46 | Reason: Grammar

User

Posted 09 Mar 2019 at 22:15

I'm having my treatment at a private clinic, Alan. It's far too posh to go in for such vulgar things as bells https://community.prostatecanceruk.org/Scripts/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif .

Chris

User

Posted 14 Mar 2019 at 08:27

22 fractions now completed, 10 to go. I feel as I'm on the home straight now!

The side-effects remain pretty much unchanged, which I can live with. Frequent need to urinate, particularly during the night. No diarrhoea, thank goodness, although passing quite a lot of mucus.

I think I've got off reasonably lightly thus far! Hopefully that's indicative of the fact that my bowel has been largely avoided by the radiation beam.

Cheers,

Chris

User

Posted 14 Mar 2019 at 08:34

You’re well on the way now Chris.

Hope the remaning treatments go well.

Ido4

User

Posted 14 Mar 2019 at 08:36

Thanks!

Chris

User

Posted 14 Mar 2019 at 12:22

Good news Chris , sounds like its all going to plan. I suspect its partly due to the accuracy of the mapping that helps avoid bits of us that don't need blasting.....

Good luck for the remaining treatment days.

Phil

User

Posted 16 Mar 2019 at 14:33

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Chris

Nobody is too posh for a bit of celebratory bell ringing Chris. Is it wrong though that when I heard the one at the (private) centre where I am being treated a few days ago, whilst joining in giving the lucky person a round of aplause, I was also thinking ”last orders at the bar”?

Edited by member 16 Mar 2019 at 14:37 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 16 Mar 2019 at 16:58

I’m actually entirely on my own in the waiting room at the moment. There was another chap who had the appointment before mine up until a week ago, but he’s now finished his treatment and nobody else has yet started. The machine isn’t idle - there’s another entrance into the treatment area from the NHS part of the hospital and other people are using that - but I’m alone at the moment in the comfy private waiting room.

Only 8 sessions left. Machine breakdowns excepted, I finish a week on Wednesday.

Chris

User

Posted 17 Mar 2019 at 08:02

Chris,

what a year youve been through! It seems such an age ago we talked on the phone for the first time about all the issues you had to face and look at you now just eight sessions to go. I hope everything goes as well for you post radiotherapy as it has for me. I have still got some raging hot flushes and terrible flatulence which bring mucus related problems but in the greater scheme of things considering I was Gleason grade 9 I feel lucky.

I think you will have to wait at least eight weeks for your PSA test like i did, which is to let your body recover from the radiotherapy. My PSA was 8 before I started radiotherapy and was 0.5 two months afterwards at review.

I think it’s amazing how you faced this, I wonder if I could have taken the same approach.

I wonder if I could have taken the same approach.

I will be eternally grateful to my local NHS, and I am now considerably involved as a volunteer on the Patients Council, I also sit as a lay member on the quality and safety board and the cancer board. Our NHS has started a health and well-being series of meetings. This week I attended a meeting of newly diagnosed cancer patients (as a recovering patient) to offer help and advice. There were two gentlemen newly diagnosed with prostate cancer and their lack of knowledge and understanding in their condition was surprising and I was able to dispel the common myths and give them useful general advice from my own experience. I was aware that as every cancer is different to make sure they understood what I was saying was general advice and not specific.

Next month the same organisation is offering a meeting for those six months after radiotherapy which will be useful for me to attend as I am in that bracket now.

Anyway I must stop going on about me and so I wish you all the best in your last eight fractions and keep your patience waiting for the eight weeks to go until you get your review and PSA reading

Edited by member 17 Mar 2019 at 08:03 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 17 Mar 2019 at 11:14

Thanks for the kind words, Alan, and I'm delighted to hear that things are going so well for you. Yes, it has been quite an "eventful" year, hasn't it! A little less excitement in my life wouldn't go amiss https://community.prostatecanceruk.org/Scripts/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif. I'm really looking forward to the end of RT, and am happy that (touch wood) I seem to have escaped pretty lightly as far as side-effects are concerned.

I've decided to retire in August. Everything that's gone on in the last year has made me re-think my priorities, and realise that there are more important things in life than work and money. I've done all the "sums" and I can afford to retire now with a comfortable income, so that seems like the right thing to do.

Very best wishes to you,

Chris

Edited by member 17 Mar 2019 at 11:21 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 17 Mar 2019 at 14:00

A serious illness sharpens your focus onto what is important in life Chris.

you have made the right decision to retire my friend👍 Get yourself on a gentle focussed keep fit regime, be like me, i now know what is important in life and its not the way i used to be.

I have to admit i'm a more considerate and tolerant person than I used to be. not that I was that bad before!

Alan

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