I hadn't thought to be blogging here for a little while but I am just ending a week in bed with a heavy cold and mild bronchitis. Bronchitis can sometimes lead to pneumonia so my doctor has me on antibiotics and today is my first proper day 'up' since last Sunday.
We had a happy but busy weekend which included going to hear my 16 year old grand-daughter preaching at her church in nearby Bracknell. I was very blessed and impressed but very weary by the time we got home. I think my cold was already 'on the way' and my general weakness and the tiredness lowered my resistance even more... hence... a bit of a wipe out!
I am feeling much brighter today but am going to have to be more circumspect in my use of energy for a while I think. As ever the saints have rallied around providing lifts for my wife and daughter. We are blessed to be part of the family of God.
I have my first meeting with the radio-therapist this coming Wednesday. I think this is to talk through the procedures and formally pass me into the care of the radio-therapists. I am not expecting the treatment to begin for a few months but I should know a bit more on Wednesday. Again thank you for all your prayer.
Saturday 17 April 2010
Tuesday 6 April 2010
Back from the appointment with my surgeon
The visit went well and I have a four page print out of Pathology and Radiology Reports which is a mass of terms I don't understand. It must be like this sometimes for my hearers when I am preaching! ;-)
I will send copies to some of my doctor friends together with this blog and if I have misunderstood some of the implications I will correct that later.
The radical surgery went well and my 20 inch scar is healing well. The surgeon removed the entire prostate and stripped some of the lymph nodes. It seems to me that the tumour was confined to the prostate (pT2 for those who understand these things). There was no vascular invasion and the lymph nodes did not contain tumour.
A super sensitive PSA gave a figure of 0.021 ug/L which is good. So they were very satisfied with that figure.
The cancer was confirmed as extremely aggressive which is why they have more plans for me. As far as I understand it the cancer reached to within 0.1mm of the margin of the prostate and although there is no sign of cancer outside the prostate this comes so close to the margins that they want to be sure that nothing is left. So my surgeon is recommending a course of radio-therapy to clean up anything that might be in that area! He refers to it as multi-modular treatment or 'belt and braces'. The radio-therapist will make the final recommendation but he general agrees with the surgeon.
The radio-therapist, whom I have not seen yet, thinks it will be best to leave 3-6 months while the continence issues are settling and will then probably do a 6.5 week course of radiotherapy for 5 days out of each 7. That could be anywhere from July to October.
The surgeon has recommended fresh liver and black pudding to beef up my blood counts which I am looking forward to although it seems I can't get them on prescription. (my surgeon originates in Bury Lancashire, which just happens to be the place that black-pudding originates. There may be a connection between those two facts!;-))
We went for a long walk along the Thames at Henley in the afternoon and though I was very tired when we got back that was a very pleasant outing.
So unless I have to correct any of the above there is likely to be little to report for the next few weeks. Again my thanks for everyone's love and prayer.
I will send copies to some of my doctor friends together with this blog and if I have misunderstood some of the implications I will correct that later.
The radical surgery went well and my 20 inch scar is healing well. The surgeon removed the entire prostate and stripped some of the lymph nodes. It seems to me that the tumour was confined to the prostate (pT2 for those who understand these things). There was no vascular invasion and the lymph nodes did not contain tumour.
A super sensitive PSA gave a figure of 0.021 ug/L which is good. So they were very satisfied with that figure.
The cancer was confirmed as extremely aggressive which is why they have more plans for me. As far as I understand it the cancer reached to within 0.1mm of the margin of the prostate and although there is no sign of cancer outside the prostate this comes so close to the margins that they want to be sure that nothing is left. So my surgeon is recommending a course of radio-therapy to clean up anything that might be in that area! He refers to it as multi-modular treatment or 'belt and braces'. The radio-therapist will make the final recommendation but he general agrees with the surgeon.
The radio-therapist, whom I have not seen yet, thinks it will be best to leave 3-6 months while the continence issues are settling and will then probably do a 6.5 week course of radiotherapy for 5 days out of each 7. That could be anywhere from July to October.
The surgeon has recommended fresh liver and black pudding to beef up my blood counts which I am looking forward to although it seems I can't get them on prescription. (my surgeon originates in Bury Lancashire, which just happens to be the place that black-pudding originates. There may be a connection between those two facts!;-))
We went for a long walk along the Thames at Henley in the afternoon and though I was very tired when we got back that was a very pleasant outing.
So unless I have to correct any of the above there is likely to be little to report for the next few weeks. Again my thanks for everyone's love and prayer.
Thursday 1 April 2010
6 weeks post op appointment due Tuesday 6th April.
I went to our local GP’s blood clinic yesterday. They needed a sample of my blood to do a super-sensitive PSA test. ( a test useful after radical prostatectomy to detect early recurrences. ) PSAs stay in the blood for about 6 weeks so the idea is that by this time PSA from my prostate should have all passed through my system. If there are PSA’s is may indicate that further treatment is necessary. The data from this blood test will be in the hands of my surgeon for my 6 weeks post op appointment on Tuesday 6th. He will also have the results of the prostate and lymph nodes histology from the op itself. These two, the current PSA values and the histology from the op will the data he uses to advise on any further treatment. I will let you know the results when I have them. Thank you all again for all your prayers and good wishes and cards and emails. I am grateful for and very humbled by all your love.
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