I just don't believe it!

Glad you're back home. Best of luck in your continued recovery. Listen to the medics and keep us informed of your progress.

Paul

Hi,

Hope this isn't too boring.

Bit more rested now. Living under very strict rules about what I can do.  Sitting in a chair or laying in bed seems to be about the only things I can do that makes everyone happy.  Early days yet but I feel like I'm being treated like an unexploded bomb.

Anyway, to give you the missing details of what happened in hospital while I had no internet connection. I found I was the youngest person in my ward in the Cardiac Care Unit.  Most in there had had previous treatment there. 

As I said before, I was transferred to this unit Saturday lunchtime because they believed my problem was with my heart and wanted me to have closer monitoring and more regular checks.  I was in a better place because if anything dramatic happened, everything was on hand to deal with the crisis and give me the best possible care.

On Saturday night I slept much better, partly because I'd slept so little on Friday night.  One thing I did find is that I seemed to sleep most of the day too.  If I tried to stand (with assistance), I found I was very dizzy and if I had a trip to the bathroom, by the time I returned to my bed I was totally exhausted and usually slept for a couple of hours.  Visiting hours were restricted to 2pm till 4pm and 6pm till 8pm compared to an open door policy in the previous ward.  I had internet connection on Saturday but none from then on, so I felt a bit isolated.  When I could receive messages, they helped me so much.  Thank you.

On Sunday, the consultant decided that on Monday they were going to carry out an angiogram to try and find out what my problem was. 

For those that don't know (which would have included me before this weekend) an angiogram is where they feed a catheter into an artery via a cut in your wrist up into the heart, injecting a radioactive dye so they can see what happening via a scanner.  All this is done under local anaesthetic so your very aware of everything that's going on.  Have to admit, I wasn't looking forward to it, but if that's what was needed to make me better, I was prepared to put up with anything.

Monday came and I was seen by a different consultant who decided that when he carried out the angiogram, he would like to try and fix any problems he found straight away if he could.  Couldn't promise anything but said he would try his best.  The only thing that concerned him greatly was my earlier bleeding issue. Because they would have to give me anti clotting drugs, it would cause me real problems if I started to bleed from the rectum again because they wouldn't be able to stop it easily.  In the end, he decided to give me the drugs early to see how would react and put me on the end of his list.  I was really keen for the op to go ahead because I just wanted to be sorted.  Only problem about being last was that I had to listen to the graphic details from the three others who were having the same thing, it made you feel a bit nervous.

Anyway, fortunately, I reacted well to the drugs and I was wheeled into the treatment area for my big moment.  First thing that happened was that I was injected with anaesthetic in my wrist, then cut and the catheter inserted into my artery and feed up into my heart.  A weird feeling but slightly worst was to follow as the radioactive dye was injected into my heart.  It was the only painful moment of the whole operation but only lasted for a few seconds. At every stage I was told what was happening or about to happen. They examined the picture on the scanner and after the team had had a couple of minutes discussion, the consultant explained what they'd found.  He said that it was slightly more complicated than he suspected beforehand.  He said my problem was that my right coronary artery was completely blocked, which he thought was very recent but he found my left coronary artery was almost completely blocked too.  He told me that my choices were that they could stop the procedure now and keep me in hospital until they could do a double bypass operation or he could expand the blocked arteries and insert a stent which would kept them open.  He said that I may have to wait until next week before the bypass could be done but said that the other way would be the simpler solution. I agreed to the stent option but then he said that he could do the right one now but because of my past bleeding incident, it would be far riskier to do the left one at the same time.  He said he would do it but it was my decision.  Decided to have the right side done and ten minutes later it was all done.  The consultant said everything had gone well and showed me "before" and "after" pictures on the screen. I was amazed the difference they had made to my blood flow.

I was soon back on the ward, the whole process had taken just over 45 minutes and I felt fine. They checked my blood pressure every thirty minutes and I was amazed, it was almost perfect.  What a change.  As soon as I was allowed after about two hours, I walked to the bathroom, unaided and no dizziness but slightly weak.  I think, feeling weak was to be expected after being in bed for four days.  Others in the ward said they were amazed by my transformation.

During the night I found I only slept for about 4 hours, I just didn't feel tired anymore.  I worked out that I probably had been sleeping about 20 hours a day, now I was back to normal, felt I had so much more energy.

Tuesday morning, I saw the consultant, he was very pleased with the result and thought I was well enough to go home.  The nurses came and talked to me about everything I should know about how I should live my life now.  They questioned me about diet and were pleased with how I'd changed that since my cancer diagnosis.  I was given complete details of everything that had happened to me including the pictures I'd been shown after the op. I was impressed with the amount of info they gave me.

Late afternoon, I was picked up by my wife along with my eldest daughter and my wonderful grandson.

In summary, I have to say that my hospital experience was a very pleasant one.  All the staff were very friendly, caring and did a superb job.  I was so impressed.  I couldn't have expected better.  I was really surprised by the food, it was really first class and plenty of choice.  I would recommend the hospital to anyone.

I will be seeing the consultant in about four weeks time, if I've had no problem with bleeding, he will correct the other artery, early in the new year.

I had a phone call this morning from a member of the cardiac rehabilitation team to say she is visiting me next Monday.  They will guide me through my recovery and get me fit again. 

Thinking about the whole experience, I think I've been very lucky.  What happened, would have happened anyway in the future.  It could have happened somewhere where help wasn't available as quickly and the outcome may not have been so good.

I'm now going to have to buy another folder to keep all the heart attack info alongside the cancer one.  Do I need to buy two, just in case? Knowing my luck recently, who knows what will come along next?

Thanks for reading.

Steve 

Edited by member 27 Nov 2014 at 08:14  | Reason: Not specified

Oh WoW.....what an experience ,

but take heart (sorry no pun intended) youre young enough to bounce back from this, I spent some time in a cardio ward a few years ago, thankfully mine was minor stuff (Atrial fibrulation) didnt enjoy the experience being in there, I to was the youngest on the ward,

dont try and figure out why me....youll only load yourself up with guilt, in many cases there is no reason why, along with getting cancer I might add,  you have enough to deal with, rest up and you will get better, wish you well, regards, john

You are certainly going through the mill Steve, life can be tough at times. The good thing is that you got yourself to the hospital (or rather Mrs Steve did) and things are now being sorted.

Trevor is an expert on blocked arteries not sure if you have read his bio but we are on heart attack number 4 and 8 stents and all for the same reason as yourself . If you need any help or advice in this area just ask away. Trevor is at rehab this morning after the last event at Easter. He goes every Thur. He was 55 when he had the first attack, so again a similar age to yourself. If there is a positive from Trevor's story then the fact that he is at the gym this morning 10yrs on from the first attack riding a bike (or so he says)http://community.prostatecanceruk.org/editors/tiny_mce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif then you can overcome this.

Take some time to rest and recuperate then come back fighting, your Cardiac rehab nurse will help immensely of course no parachuting or boxing for a few weeks.http://community.prostatecanceruk.org/editors/tiny_mce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif

Stay strong.

BFN

Julie X

PS the folder issue, we have done just about every system and have now gone down the plastic coloured route.

Red - Cardiac

Blue- Cancer

Yellow- stroke http://community.prostatecanceruk.org/editors/tiny_mce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif

Just been reading all of your posts Steve.....

You've certainly had an eventful few weeks or so to put it mildly!

I sincerely hope things are now under control for you and you will be able to concentrate on your recovery...

Wishing you all the very best

Luther 

Well you are the new bionic man...prostate sorted..check...arteries sorted ...check

I agree in a way very lucky...you have been dx with two potentially lethal conditions but dx early enough to sort.
Somehow I reckon you have a long and healthy life ahead of you

Enjoy the recuperation

Bri

Amazing post, Steve.  Glad you're on the mend.  Keep it up!

Paul

I don't think the small amount of time you have been on hormones would have caused it,, as it seems you had blockage of the arteries, do you have high cholesterol?

Keep resting

Roy

That's a good figure, are you on statins or is that your normal reading?

Roy

Good to see  prompt action was taken. You are on way up again.

Casodex 150 mg ( not 50mg ) has been linked to such problems & if I recall correctly was stopped from being used in Canada as a result. Not specifically heard of Zoladex causing similar but they all lower testosterone levels & affect muscle. The heart is a muscle of course.

With your diet attention, modern meds & due care there's no reason this can't be put behind you.

Get well soon

that old saying is available on a sign, I have it I bought it shortly after Mick died and I now have it hanging in his little tribute corner. I Posted a photo on facebook sometime ago wish I could post it on here for you to see too.

Sorry I will not meet you tomorrow, I had been looking forward to chatting with you and I know everyone else was too. Do try and come to Leicester in June.

xx

Mo

Hi,

Still resting, not much else to do when you're not really allowed to do much. 

Have had a couple of trips out to the supermarket with my daughter and grandson in her car, but once there I'm still restricted to using a wheelchair at the moment.  My cardiac rehab nurse told me not to take any chances, though I should be ok to increase what I do this week.  I might even get to walk around the supermarket!  Wow, I'm not sure I can handle the excitement.  I did have a fifteen minute walk today and felt no ill effects.  I know I have to put up with this at the moment but it's hard to accept when I'm used to dashing around everywhere.

I can't remember ever having so much time to think.  Any remaining paperwork connected with my business was sorted in the first couple of days and since then, contemplating my own situation has dominated my thoughts.  Usually, I'm so busy I don't have time to do this.  I have to say it's not been easy.  The reality of my situation is hard to accept.  I have been incredibly lucky in the past, never really having great amounts of money but being happy with what I was doing. 

Since the recession, I've found it much harder to earn a living but at the same time found it so enjoyable working for local media again.  I have made so many friends in the local community, met so many wonderful people, many of whom deserve a medal for coping with the difficulties in their lives.  My present situation is nothing compared with what many people have to deal with.  I will be sorry to lose all of that if my work disappears with the closure of the paper I mainly work for.  Makes me feel really sad.

I'm not sure having this time to think is good for me.  It allows me too much time to contemplate the mistakes I've made in my life.  I've been happily married for over 31 years, have always been faithful, have four wonderful children and now a beautiful grandson but now face letting them down in a big way.  I should have had myself checked out when I was first aware of my prostate symptoms.  If I'd have done that, my PCa could have been detected two years ago and much easier to treat.  I should have eaten a healthier diet and looked after myself much earlier in life perhaps I wouldn't have the heart problems I have now.  I made the mistake of thinking it couldn't never happen to me because somehow I would be different from everyone else.  I think this belief was there because I never did have anything happen to me.  It was always happening to someone else.  I know I can't do anything about it now but it doesn't stop me having regrets.

I'm sad that it looks like I won't be able to run the Reading Half Marathon in March as I'd planned to.  I wanted to do this to raise money for PCUK because it would have made me feel as if I was doing something to help fight this dreadful disease but I'm sure I won't be allowed to compete now because of my second heart op I have to have in January.  I may see if I'm allowed to walk it, but I expect the answer will be no.  If it's not the medics who say no, I'm sure my wife probably would.

As much as I'm feeling sorry for myself at this time, I know I should be grateful that at least I'm alive when you consider what could have happened two weeks ago.  I know I should be happy that I have been given a second chance.  Deep down, I am. Perhaps I shouldn't write late night posts when I'm feeling tired but maybe that's the time when you feel you can express your feelings.

Steve

Edited by member 08 Dec 2014 at 08:00  | Reason: Not specified

Hi Steve

Sorry to hear about your further bleeding.

As you may know, RT can cause proctitis in the area of treatment and for some men this leads to rectal bleeding. I cannot recall anyone saying that they had a bleed as heavy as you have described. Also, as George has already said, I think it is very unusual to have such a heavy bleed so soon after your RT ended.

Your next heart appointment is in a few weeks and your heart consultant plans to insert the second stent in the New Year, provided you have no further problems with rectal bleeding. However, I have not seen any mention in your postings about your Urologist having been involved with your bleeding episode. Do you know if your heart consultant has spoken to your Urologist about finding out what caused such heavy bleeding so soon after RT? Have you spoken to your Urologist?

In view of your heavy bleeding, and the recent bleed, if I were you I would contact your Urologist now, even though you have an appointment with your GP, and ask for a sigmoidoscopy procedure - a camera up the rear end – to be arranged asap to find out exactly what is going on down there. Perhaps, your Urologist may wish speak to your heart consultant about this option. Sometimes a colonoscopy is arranged in these circumstances instead of a sigmoidoscopy.

When rectal bleeding is not too severe it can sort itself out without the need for a sigmoidoscopy. However, sometimes the area of proctitis may need to be cauterised to stop further bleeding. Clearly, only your Urologist can say whether or not a sigmoidoscopy is appropriate for you but I think it is now worth putting that question to your Uro. If cauterisation is necessary this may, and I emphasise may, go some way to stabilise the bleeding to make sure your heart consultant can go ahead with the second stent in the New Year.

I would say that if you did not have the heart condition the extent of your bleeding would probably justify having a sigmoidoscopy to find out what is going on.

You will see from my profile that our numbers at diagnosis, and our subsequent early treatment, are much the same. When your heart problem is sorted out let us hope that you have a very long future ahead of you!

This is a bit rushed but I hope it is helpful for you.

All the best.

Alan

Edited by member 08 Dec 2014 at 13:32  | Reason: Not specified

Hi,

Went to see my GP about this morning's bleeding incident.  Half an hour before going to the surgery, I tried to empty my bowels and had no problem, no blood at all. 

When I went in to see my Dr, I showed him a picture of the blood I'd had on the toilet tissue (I know that seems a bit odd that I should take a pic of it but I was told that it was really useful for the medics to see what type of bleeding I'd had) and he said it was all fresh blood.  He did an internal examination and determined that I may have damage to my rectum at the six o'clock position (the side closest to my spine).  He said that my prostate still seemed to be quite swollen and generally the rectum seemed inflamed. 

Anyway, he decided he would prescribe me some suppositories which would reduce the inflammation and give the damaged area chance to heal.  He was very careful about giving me anything that would interfere with the blood thinning drugs I was taking for my heart condition.

My ten minute appointment turned into an half hour one because he then sat down to answer my questions about aspects about my heart attack which I didn't quite understand.  He's a fantastic doctor, he's always got time for you and he's been such a tremendous help during my cancer treatment.  Unfortunately, he retires in February and I will be really sorry to see him go.  Whenever I want to see him, I can usually ring up and he will always slot me in his list somewhere.  I can't remember anytime when he's not seen me.

Anyway, he hopes that I won't have too many more bleeding issues so that I can have my angioplasty as planned.  I want to avoid the bypass op if I can possibly can.  Fingers crossed I will, I think I deserve a break.

Steve 

Hi,

Just went to empty my bowels and I'm bleeding again.

I'll see how things go in the morning.

I'm tired and fed up.

Steve

Did you take a picture of the blood, think you did this before? Is the colour the same as before?

See the GP and let them see what you are dealing with.

And keep resting. Don't overdo things.

Dave