Today is the First Day of the Rest of my Life

User

Posted 31 Jan 2015 at 12:41

Well, at least you have answers now and can relax a bit.
Very pleased for you.
My other half has a small problem in the same area caused by the radiation from Brachy and has some discomfort, so I can appreciate how you feel.

Get on with that writing and/or blogging now - you have run out of excuses!!!!!

We can't control the winds - but we can adjust our sails

User

Posted 31 Jan 2015 at 20:19

Good to now know what he bleeding was caused by, and is nothing more sinister.

This should give you a well deserved boost now Steve.

All the best

Alison

User

Posted 31 Jan 2015 at 20:25

Another bit of understanding and progress in where you are at the moment. Hopefully you can now relax for a while.

Paul

Stay Calm And Carry On.

User

Posted 01 Feb 2015 at 01:42

Great news Steve,
Another piece of the jigsaw in place and it looks like that was a key corner piece.
Deep breath, relax and give the family a hug.

All the best

Kevin

User

Posted 01 Feb 2015 at 02:49

Thanks.

Now onward to have my cardiac rehab assessment on Tuesday morning. Should be given my dates to start my fitness course then.

Looking forward to starting that but I'm a bit concerned that I feel exhausted a lot of the time when I'm not really doing anything. I'm still getting breathless when I thought that would have disappeared following the heart operation.

In theory my heart should be performing better than it's done for years. Perhaps it's the medications I'm on. They have increased the strength of a couple of them following the op. They aim to slow down my heart and make it less likely that I will have another attack. I'm sure my hormone treatment is causing fatigue as well.

Anyway, enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Steve

User

Posted 01 Feb 2015 at 08:09

Glad to have you back on the forum Steve. What an 'adventure' you're on!

All the best Arthur

User

Posted 01 Feb 2015 at 10:49

Steve, research says zoladex causes breathlessness for 5% of men but this rises to 20% at 6-12 months after they started taking it. From 12 months on, it seems to resolve itself. Stay strong x

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 01 Feb 2015 at 11:16

Hi Lyn,

Thanks for that info, that's really reassuring if it's not heart related.

I was expecting to feel much better than I do after the angioplasty, so I've been slightly disappointed that I feel so tired and breathless at times. Perhaps I'm expecting too much, too soon. I just want to put the heart problem behind me.

Thanks.

Steve

Edited by member 01 Feb 2015 at 11:17 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 01 Feb 2015 at 14:56

Everyone reacts differently to HT but fatique is definitely a potential side effect. I wonder though whether you are trying to rush your body back to full health. You have taken such a knocking lately you are bound to feel out of kilter whatever the precise cause. You have to give yourself time. I have learnt after three years on HT that if I am to continue work, which I love, I have to manage periods when I feel fatigued, sometimes out of the blue! I am having a holiday this week and doing some writing and you would think that I would be able to control how I feel. For two days worked really well, then had two days when I could do nothing. I just had to rest. Today I feel great again. I think I am understanding my body better as I go along but it takes time.

Give yourself a break, Steve, we want to see you at Newark and beyond!

User

Posted 02 Feb 2015 at 18:46

Hi,

Spoke to my cardiac rehab nurse this morning about tomorrow's assessment for my fitness course. I warned her that I may get breathless and she told me to behave. I don't know what she's on about. I was just saying that I wasn't used to doing it on a treadmill. I was talking about walking. She said she was too but we had a good laugh about it.

I'm looking forward to the sessions, she has been so supportive during my heart treatment and has always cheered me up with her sense of humour.

I start the twice weekly sessions on Thursday for six weeks.

Steve

User

Posted 03 Feb 2015 at 09:03

I'm sure she won't over exert you Steve, although she may push you towards your limits if she feel you are capable.

It will be good for you. Not only because you will be exercising, but you'll have the confidence to do so because you'll have an expert there if anything causes you concern.

I expect you'll spend as much time laughing (which they say is the best medicine!) as exercising.

Good luck with it - Enjoy yourself.

Best Wishes
Sandra

We can't control the winds - but we can adjust our sails

User

Posted 03 Feb 2015 at 20:05

Hi,

The assessment session went well today. Mainly just giving information and starting properly on Thursday. Had a six minute walking test. Pretty easy, maintained a consistent heart rate throughout.

My cardiac nurse said that I probably ought to consider going back to work after the course is over because I've had to cope with so much in recent months and I'm still breathless at times. She said that others who do the course tend to do that. She thought I would benefit from it. That would be another six weeks. I hadn't prepared for that possibility.

Anyway, the rest of the day I helped to look after our grandson, who we were babysitting today. A real pleasure. He was three months old today so it was a special day. He's so cute.

Well, looking forward to starting the course on Thursday.

Steve

Edited by member 03 Feb 2015 at 20:09 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 04 Feb 2015 at 21:09

Hi,

Made a decision last night to try and go "Dairy-Free". I don't know if I have the willpower to cope with it, but I can only see how it goes.

I'm convinced that my fairly high intake of dairy before all my health problems were diagnosed played a big part in the situation I now find myself in.

If this helps me survive, I'll give it a go.

Steve

User

Posted 04 Feb 2015 at 22:37

Hi,

Almost forgot to mention, I heard that I "failed" my recent bowel cancer screening test. There was blood in the samples I sent.

They sent me a letter to say I have to do the test again, twice. I rang them to say that the results probably showed blood due to my radiotherapy side effects and that I had a sigmoidoscopy last Friday. They said that they would still recommend I did the tests again, so I don't have a choice. I'm sure it's just a precaution but who knows.

Steve

User

Posted 04 Feb 2015 at 22:48

There are no quiet days where you're concerned, Steve! I'm sure you're right, but definitely worth checking.

Stay Calm And Carry On.

User

Posted 04 Feb 2015 at 22:50

Steve

dont let that worry you, they say the tiniest trace sets a negative result, even as little as your gums bleeding when you brush your teeth, after your episodes I am surprised there is not stool in your blood!

Anyway Mick had this happen to him as he was going through diagnosis, first time it was marginal so they got him to do it again, he passed that one then they said he had to do a third as they have to have 2 clear in a row ..guess what the third was just after his TURP and biopsy it came back marginal again but the Colonoscopy nurse told him to forget it. He was happy to!

Mandy Mo

User

Posted 05 Feb 2015 at 07:15

Steve

With regards to the dairy free comment.

Have you got the 'Jane Plant' book?

I found it very interesting and gave some good ideas about dairy free alternatives.

My OH cannot/will not go dairy free but he has reduced it a lot.

However after reading her book I have almost gone dairy free too as what she says makes such sense.

I can give you more details on it later, if you need them.

All the best.

Alison

User

Posted 05 Feb 2015 at 08:50

Hi Alison,

You've found me out.

I managed to pick up both Jane's PCa book and "Plant Programme" book on eBay. Interesting reading. I'm not sure I will manage to be totally dairy-free but what I can manage will surely help.

Steve

Edited by member 05 Feb 2015 at 08:51 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 11 Feb 2015 at 02:13

Hi,

I started my cardiac rehab course last Thursday morning. It began with a blood pressure and heart rate check. My cardiac rehab nurse was immediately concerned as my heart rate only registered in the thirties instead of the normal 60 to 70 bpm. She gave me an ECG to check what my heart was doing but decided that I was OK to continue with the morning's fitness course.

It began with warm up exercises followed by circuit training (if anyone's done that you know what I went through) which was not too bad for a first session. It will get harder throughout the course. Anyway, I enjoyed the idea that I was doing something to try and regain my fitness.

I had the second session this morning (Tuesday) and took the opportunity to mention to my rehab nurse that my heart rate was only 39 bpm on Monday evening and has been around that figure several times over the last few weeks. She asked me how I was checking these figures and I told her that it was with my small blood pressure monitor. She said that these machines were not very accurate when it comes to measuring heart rates and not to worry. When she did her own test my blood pressure and heart rate were in normal range.

The session went ok apart from a couple of periods of dizziness when doing certain exercises and ended with the nurses teaching us relaxation technics. Five minutes after the exercise session finished and before the relaxation talk began we all had our heart rate checked to see how we'd recovered from the activities. When it came to having mine checked, it read as 40 bpm. It was double checked and was still the same.

After the session, I was kept behind and my nurse said she thought I should have more investigations into why this was happening. She's going to discuss the situation with my consultant to see if I should be fitted with a portable heart monitor for 24 hours to try and see what's happening with my heart. I do have a problem that I suffer dizziness and breathlessness (still) quite often. I'm hoping that if this monitoring happens, it will provide a few answers as to why things are happening. I just want to get back to being normal.

I slept for three hours this afternoon when I got home, I'm just so tired all the time. I'm sure my Zoladex treatment must add to the effects of my poor heart performance.

I thought my heart problem would disappear after my second op, I have to admit to being a little fed up now.

Steve

Edited by member 11 Feb 2015 at 12:53 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 11 Feb 2015 at 02:44

Well Steve, you don't seem to things by halves!
I'd suggest just go with the flow, let them sort any tests they consider you need and don't worry unduly.
At least they have identified more tests are required rather that ignoring things.

Regarding your breathlessness, I also am suffering from it. Especially in the heat.
Give me a flight of stairs at the moment and I'm panting at the top.
I put it down to the HT personally.

All the best

Kevin

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