While I was lying on the table thingy this morning (actually quite comfortable) It occurred to me I might start Part 3 and a new phase of the fun and games is underway...
A quick recap - more or less this time last year I got the word that I had PCa - the full story of diagnosis is to be found in Part 1 - In the end I elected to go for Robotic RP as a first step. On reflection equipped with what I know now that I didn't then I'd still go that way. Although it was a lot gnarly-er than it was sold to me as and there are a lot of suggestions I'd make in terms of information/briefings for patients for the whole post op experience.
As it turned out the RRP did not do the job. While the initial histology of the gland post op confirmed the the original diagnosis (G7 (4+3) T3a NO. Perplexed by the by my numbers failure to perform as required a further examination was carried out which showed besides the 4s and 3s some tertiary 5s (uh oh). - Although how this was explained to to me initially caused a lot of confusion and gulping. At the same time the margin was negative but so fantastically small that you have trouble working in a cigarette paper. Further they were concerned with some data from my scans which showed the possibility of metastasis.The long and the short of it was I was referred onwards for some salvage treatment.
This started with what will be a 6 month course of Prostap 3 - preceded with a four week course of the anti PSA flare drug - whose name escapes me now.. (well two weeks before and two weeks after the first Prostap 3 jab the standard drill
So then 1st Prostap jab (which really feckin hurt - it's funny with jabs and even cannula insertions being pretty painless these days (though more of that later!) it's a bit of a surprise when a jab hurts - but hurt it did. Originally the talk was of Zolodex but it was changed to Prostap for some reason or other (I suspect because my GP prefers it - least way I was told that unless the Oncologist has said absolutely Zolodex then Prostate is what they give).
Side effects wise it hasn't been too bad - I liken it with a perpetual low grade reverse hangover (in that instead of getting better as the day wears on it gets worse) but nothing too onerous and just as well really because besides my saga Mrs Flygidz is weathering her own health storm and I'm the primary carer (again more detail in the earlier parts). Suffice to say there has been a lot of phone calling e-mailing and metaphoric pounding on tables to try and keep both treatment routines moving forward.
So that, in a nutshell is the story so far...
So on to what I've been calling the nuking but more recently the radio gaga phase. I was eventually advised that the planning scan so forth would happen on the 12th of June. (but it took quite a bit of the aforesaid emailing, phoning and table banging to get that far).
On the 12th I duly rock up and go through the whole routine of briefing - running through the consent forms again - an explanation of what would be happening that day - although it had been covered pretty well on the leaflets they sent out ahead of time. I should add at this point that three days before I went for a blood test - now here's what was interesting although the primary function of the blood test is to make sure that your kidney function and what not is up to hacking the goop they are going to stick in to you during the scan - you'd expect they'd want to get an update on the PSA as well (since it was a couple of months since the previous reading).
Indeed on the paperwork for the blood test PSA had been ticked and then crossed out - a point raised by the phleboto...phleb...oh you know vampire. She was confused by it and to be honest so was I. Sure enough when I arrived for the planning thing first thing I was asked was "did they check your PSA in the blood test on Friday because there's no result" - Told the Nurse the story and more confusion reigned - bottom line "stick out your arm you are getting one now".
Next up the botty/bladder routine... First of all off to the loo to apply the micro enema (or botty bomb as I call it) and let it do it's work - while you are at it wazz away - they want to get a clear picture of how many cups of water are required to get your bladder to optimum full which they measure with an ultrasound gizmo. I was lucky I hit the target first go - there was one fella there on his second or third go. (I dunno but I stuck to the hydration routine in the days leading up to the appointment pretty rigidly and I'm sure that helped - not much fluid being diverted to rehydration)
Next up time to stick the Cannula for the goop to go in - this turned out to be a bit of an adventure, the nurse who was doing the sticking was learning - and everybody's go to learn sometime right? Besides she'd done fine with the blood test...what could possibly go wrong? I pointed out a juicy vein on the back of my hand but for some reason she was scared of that and (with her trainer observing went for one in crook of my opposite elbow and missed - as I discovered when the put in the flush saline...first it wouldn't flush then when it did...ouch... at this point the trainer said it is hurting? Yes says I have you ever been punched in the arm - you know to get a dead arm? Yes says she - "well" says I "that". cue consternation and a retargeting in the juicy vein pointed out earlier...bingo first go no worries.
Anyway off to the chamber of secret for assorted scanning and tattooing - there was a certain amount of positioning and measuring and re-postioning before in went the goop. I was warned that the goop may may me feel a bit iffy perhaps with a hot flush - but in all honesty I didn't get anything really noticeable. I also got the idea that the goop is time sensitive because while one radiographer was doing last moment position tweaking. The other was calling out times 60 secs 30 secs and so forth.
The scanny bit done it was on with the tats - frankly another non event.
I expected that I'd be given a kick off date fairly quickly but it didn't happen instead I got a call from my Oncologist right full steam ahead on the 26th...righto says I marking out my calendar for the next 33 weekdays...a couple of days later I get another call from her saying yesssss well we going to do more than we thought but that means a delay of a week - cue redoing of diary. (except it took a lot longer than that she one of those why use one word when 17 will do types) There was a bit more to-ing and fro-ing and couple more calls from the Onco - including one just after I'd picked up my cousin and here two kids en-route to a family wedding weekend - but roll forward to today and session 1.
Really there's not much to say about it ...before departure checks botty bomb applied effect happens and chocks away - they want you to do it an hour before appointment time - luckily I live about a 45 minute drive from the hospital. So basically bombs gone and boogie.
On arrival wheeled in bladder content checked.. a bit more added and into the dungeon for zappage - admin to confirm consent and so fourth and were off to the races 5-10 mins later done. And head off clutching the A4 sheet with the rest of this week's appointments on - dunno what they do elsewhere but at the QA the drill is each Thursday you get your times for the following week - which rather makes forward planning more than 7 days out a non-starter. So just the data from now till Friday and await with baited breath until Thurs for next week's excitement.
That's it for now...