Those with cancer and anything else associated with it , who are worried especially about C19....
A little piece of my story .
I write this as a very private person, not used to doing such things.
However, I hope it will help bring light and a smile to anyone else with Cancer - especially late stage prostate cancer and, as we know, it’s various associated pysical and mental ‘attributes’ π
My PC was discovered 11 long years ago.
Sadly, they tried but failed to remove the capsule intact, so the PC was free to ‘ to do its own thing’ .
Moving forward , it was important to me that it fitted in with my life - not the other way round.
Life continued as normal, under heavy hormone pills for a few years.
Sadly, a side ‘ benefit’ of these was to be the ‘conversion’ of my liver, from fatty, to non alcoholic ( pity really, because non alcoholic has no cachet π³) chirossis ....
In essence this meant I had to manage a dying liver together with the PC.
Oh - and NO alcohol !
Roll on a few years. The hormone treatment had been ‘figured’ out by my aggressive nemesis, which was once again hard at work attacking the marrow.
It was recommended I send myself to Germany for a brand new treatment.
It’s a great treatment with a high success rate.
It didn’t work so well on me however, and I was quickly instructed to have Chemo.
A new Oncologist ( Oncol S) appeared in my life.
One of life’s βοΈ.
He prescribed doxetaxel, and at first was able to work the chemo treatment in with my work and some travel I wanted to do with family. After this initial period , the rest of the year wasn’t so great.
A year later ( time flies when you are having fun ) Oncol S had knocked the PSA down to a much lower level.
Oncol S, however recognised I needed a holiday from Chemo ( I am sure anyone reading will understand ) and put me on a new hormone regime, which hopefully would hold the Cancer for a few months . He said it should at least hold things until the next new type of new chemo sessions in three months or so.
Given the chemo holiday, my wife and I decided to visit our house in Spain, we had had a hard time of late, and not least we wanted to get some sunshine and give ourselves a break.
At this point , the Chinese saw fit to eat whatever it was they ate ,and the world ‘kicked off’ accordingly.
Sadly, it was the same day as I had a blood test (in a great hospital in Spain), and discovered the Cancer had not taken a holiday, but was busy rebuilding .
I called Oncol S who patiently explained that I needed to ‘lock down ‘ and that no chemo would be taking place in the foreseeable future in the UK, anyway . I was to ‘forget’ the PSA and just crack on with the meds.
Aah....
At this point I ought to tell you about some side effects of my chemo hormone treatment.
However, you will be relived to know I won’t π , except to say that after the first two months of relatively plain sailing, I developed really bad gastric issues which ultimately meant I couldn’t take the hormone tabs without vomiting ( something not good to do when you have had 3 bleeding varices in the oesophagus only twelves months prior ) .
Even worse was the water retention. Everywhere was swollen ( had I been 19 again I would have been quite proud of some of the swellings π)
I felt hugely tired, it was an effort even to eat a few mouthfuls - and decent exercise was out of the question. Low platelets ( as you probably know, often comes with the territory ) did their thing, so nose bleeds , skin blotches etc we’re thrown in for free.
Typical symptoms of what we brave souls are used to.
My wife, it has to be said, really stepped up, and did a super-heroine job of keeping me going .
My son and daughter together with their children were also magnificent on FaceTime π€
Eventually however , Oncol S said I needed a gastro specialist and an endoscopy, fast.
Off I went to my secret Spanish hospital ( no driving in pairs down here unless you want to be fined or shot - a choice thing ) . They saw the swollen stomach ( feet, legs and various ‘bits ‘ and tried to manually extract the fluid . Three attempts later they opted for a large increased dose of diuretics instead . Around the same time , I was also given a unit of Goblins (HGB).
The next day I felt great - I opted for a proper full english.
Half way through, I went down like the proverbial sack of spuds .
There I stayed for a week - exhausted and unable to do much .
A week later, I went back to the hospital, they took bloods and asked if I minded doing a check for C19. I said of course - a sensible thing to do.
10 minutes later the world went berserk. My previously friendly nurse and doctor appeared as aliens in green suits and elaborate face gear .
‘ you have tested positive and need to isolate - now ‘.
How I contracted - given my wife takes our isolation in the middle of the Spanish ‘campo’, very seriously , will forever remain a mystery .
So - a trip to the hospital to sort general Cancer related knac*eredness , gastric - and especially water retention , suddenly became less important .
As I write, the thinking is that I was almost through the π¦ when I arrived at the hospital . We await imminent confirmation from Barcelona where all the lab work for C19 is being done .
Hopefully, if I am through; people will speak to me again, and I will recognise them as non aliens .
Life will be back to ‘ normal ‘, as I once again fight the water retention and try to help my poor old liver from all things Cancer relatedπ.
So - to the point ( hooray I hear the cries ) ........
Hopefully, I have worked through the virus ( will know definitely later today ) .
How?
Frankly, because I am so used to dealing with the PC and it’s treatments, that it never occurred to me that it could be anything else - why would it?
We all know that putting up with the physical and mental side effects of late stage PC and other cancers ,is bad enough, so what could be worse ?
Maybe I got a mild dose ( hospital doesn’t think it was so mild , tho).
Either way, if you have late stage PC or indeed, any other form of Cancer - you are a fighter π₯.
Do not be afraid of anything else . You can more than likely cope with whatever else is thrown at you !!!
In closing, I recognise I have left so much detail out.
This is deliberate , as I didn’t want to bore you, plus also wanted to get to the main points asap.
I also haven’t, neither will I ever be able to do so properly , thank Oncol S.
He has been a brick, and ALWAYS there when I have sent ‘ help’ texts ..
Amazing - especially because as I write he has elected to ‘ go back on the wards to help’ ...
If you have had the patience to read this , I hope it helps give you some support .
We are NOT a forgotten people .
Neither are we pariahs or people to feel sorry for.
We just have cancer, that’s all.
I wish anyone reading who can associate with any of the above , a good onward journey π
Yours ,Anon
( I told you I liked my privacy, but that’s a whole different story )
Oh, and I’m 67, so right up there with many of you π₯.