Salvage RT starts here

Only 2 more to go.

Nothing to report apart from an overfull bladder, a little leak into my Tena when on the machine and yesterdays HT injection has brought the hot flushes back again - but nothing a fan or two can't handle. I have to say that I am quite grateful that we haven't had the heat like we did last year. 21C today but this day last year was near 30C. I am sure it would have made them a bit tougher to handle.

Did I mention ONLY 2 MORE TO GO!!!

:)

No bell I'm afraid, in fact compared to some of the fanfares I have seen in the UK (maybe they were childrens wards) there is nothing here. You come and go and that's it - no chocolates from thankful clients.

However, I'm celebrating internally as that PSA of 0.03 was way better than I expected especially as the consultant has said that there would be not much to see for a month after RT ended.

So will have to see but I think I'm in a really good place at the moment, but then again I have always been a glass half full kind of guy.

Edited by member 04 Jul 2024 at 16:15  | Reason: Not specified

DAY 31
Woohoo - the penultimate treatment is over - one more to go on Monday!
Arrived today with my bladder feeling as if it was getting there and as I sat down, the person ahead of me got called through. Now that is typically meaning that 8 minutes later I would be called (yes, I have been timing it lol) and so as I wasn't quite ready bladder-wise I grabbed a quick cup of water from the machine and sat down.
Well 8 minutes passed and no-one appeared and 5 minutes later the nurse who had called the previous guy through came out with her handbag and headed off, presumably for lunch.
By this time I was seriously regretting that last cup of water!!
It was another 10 minutes before I was collected - apparently the guy before me had had some sort of 'episode' - no other details given, hence the delay.
Well I adjusted my Tena in my underpants and lay down on the machine, only for the nurse to come and pull them down further - this was going to be tough not to embarress myself with a large puddle at the end of the treatment.
So when the machine is running, I normally close my eyes and think of what I am doing later - maybe gardening etc. Well this weekend I have to do some work on the car - but unfortunately it involves draining fluids and that's all I could think about - what's the matter with me!!
I was so glad when it was over and must have made a strange sight running back to the changing room in my underwear.
But it's over now and I just have to look forward to the LAST ONE on Monday

Edited by member 05 Jul 2024 at 15:22  | Reason: Not specified

Good luck with your final zapping session Steve…I’m sure you’ll have a blast🤣🤣🤣

DAY 32 - THE FINAL DAY!!!!!
Well that's it - 32 days of getting zapped and the hardest part was the 45 minute drive there and back for a total of 2,450 kms :)
Seriously it hasn't been hard at all with very minor side effects.
Today of course needed to have some drama and it did as I was called in to see the big cheese Oncologist BEFORE the session and all he really wanted to do was give me an appointment for the end of August to discuss everything - but that 10 minutes was bladder critical and unfortunately I half filled my Tena during the RT :(
Actually, I could feel it leaking during the session and there isn't much you can do apart from try and tense the muscles without moving. Anyway, when it was over I was happy to see no wet patches on the machine or on my underpants - the Tena pad (#1) weighed about half a kilo but it had retained everything and that's the first time I have ever put it to the test like that. So they are worth the 40c each :)
So as far as RT is concerned, it's all over. I have just had my second 3 month HT injection and they will decide in August whether I should continue for the full year - based on my current PSA of 0.03 compared to 0.22 when I started, I'm hoping that they say that the 6 months is enough.
I know it's not a 100% guarantee of a cure and there may be reoccurrence at some point in the future, but we will deal with that if it ever happens - for now I am one happy bunny!!!

Edited by member 08 Jul 2024 at 14:50  | Reason: Not specified

It's been a journey ever since my first PSA test back in 2019 and the scans, biopsy and then surgery in 2022, the concern as the PSA gradually rose again and the 32 daily trips for salvage radiotherapy and hormone injections, but today is a day to celebrate and to thank all the consultants, nurses and technicians who have got me to where I am today.