Yesterday (Friday) I had my first meeting with the oncologist who will be handling my case, but I cannot pretend it went too smoothly.
The consultation produced one or two unwelcome surprises. First off, the onco advised strongly AGAINST me having a PSMA PET scan. I was somewhat taken aback by this because six weeks earlier the previous consultant on my case had recommended I go ahead and have a PET scan. Furthermore I was led to believe that because there was a waiting list, he would be adding my name to the list asap. He'd even advised I could have the scan straight away if I wanted to go private. Now I was being told by this onco that the waiting list was too long and besides, it wasn't really necessary for me to have a PET scan anyway. He said I could go ahead and waste £2k-£3k on one if I really wanted but it was unlikely to affect the course of HT treatment I get.
Next, the onco advised me that the prostate bed was clear of cancer. Once again I was disconcerted by this, but only because he was basing his conclusion on an MRI scan I'd had in 2019 that had led to the radiographer producing what turned out to be a false report of a bladder tumour measuring 30mm x 38mm!
As a result of that report I'd been obliged to undergo a rigid cystoscopy "in order to whip the tumour out." Now, whilst it was obviously a huge relief to learn that all along there was no such tumour, the insertion of the rigid cystoscopy caused collateral damage to my waterworks that led to immediate, heavy and lasting urinary incontinennce.
Sadly however worse was still to come from this consultation. The oncologist informed me that, given my prostate bed was clear and that my psa has been rising quite rapidly, the likelihood is that the PCa has spread to other parts of my body. As a result he will be arranging for me to have a full body MRI scan at Mount Vernon Hospital within the next fortnight or so and will determine my course of treatment based on its findings coupled with the outcome of the psa test I also had done yesterday.
There were other minor matters that also led me to come away from that meeting feeling, shall we say less than inspired. I retain a lurking suspicion that the only reason I have been denied a PET scan is because the NHS is currently overwhelmed and cannot cope.
But maybe I am just being unreasonable?
Edited by member 22 Aug 2021 at 08:55
| Reason: Mistaken references to 'pelvic floor' corrected to 'prostate bed'!