My 3 men contd

Good news Lyn, your sensible and calm approach is always impressive and a lesson to us all.
I'll be turning the telly on and watching for the Ecig (my iPad wanted to make that "evil" lol) brandishing runner, good on you for giving up the smokes, I truly believe that Ecigs are a thousand times better.

Love you lots
Devonmaid xxx

Joan

Sorry Fabbi, I have no idea how I missed this. Who is spreading the rumour that I have any sense of perspective??? I deny it :-)

Congratulations to you all on the good news. Glad that Mum and baby are well. 3 days!

atb

dave

Well the best things in life are worth waiting for - but Three days !! Wow

Congratulations Lyn and John on your first grandchild.

Essex is a lovely county despite the jokes.

Lovely news...glad to hear mother and baby are well

Can't beat being a grandparent

Bri x

congrats on the new arrival
nidge

Congratulations to you and your family.

Thanks Chris and Dawn

FANTASTIC NEWS GRANDMA AND GRANDPA.  It's amazing how one small bundle can bring so many smiles and so much love.

BFN

Julie X

Congratulations to you both grandma and grandad
Grandkids are so good I wish we had had them first :-)

It seems there has been some sort of policy change at our GP practice. John rang for his latest PSA result on Friday and the receptionist refused to provide it - said that it needed to be reviewed by the GP first. He must have been a bit worried about this but didn't mention it until last night. He phoned again today and was told the same thing - he explained that he has this test every three months and needs the number so that he can inform his onco and urologist but the receptionist said that it had been referred to the hospital for advice. You can imagine the scene - a now anxious husband got cross - they could only offer that a GP would phone him back.

GP phoned back this evening - "result is fine"
John - "what is the actual number?"
GP - "It's fine - nice and low"
John "what is the number?"
GP says 0.09

Now, the GP may not have known that John has no prostate. She may have no idea that he has had prostate cancer. He says that she and the receptionist both spoke to him like he was a child; my instinct is that they may have assumed - because it was prostate-related - that he was some doddery old man. I have suggested that he e-mails the practice tomorrow to point out (politely) that he has a brain and to ask whether thye have changed their policy on giving results over the phone.

I am away but John sounded stressed on the phone - maybe too many hours thinking about it and getting cross which is unusual as he is normally the most calm, placid guy you could ever meet. I said that 0.09 is still undetectable and nothing to worry about so hopefully he is now reassured until we see the onco. Privately, I am a little disappointed for him - was really hoping that the last rise to 0.08 was simply to do with cycling in France. In fact, as I type this I am thinking that he may have had a big bike ride the day before the most recent test - I must phone him back and ask.

Shoot as in not what you wanted to hear, or shoot what is happening with John's psa or Shoot the receptionist either way I wouldn't want to be in your way when you get off that train. http://community.prostatecanceruk.org/editors/tiny_mce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif

BFN

Julie X

Doh - I don't press any numbers when I get those kind of messages ... if you don't select anything, a real person has to come on the phone to talk to you which I find much more efficient

Hi Lyn
Sorry the PSA wasn't perfect. As for the practice this has happened for me too !! If I have the test done at the surgery itself , then I can get the result no problem over the phone or printed. If I use the surgeons printed cards then the result stays in the hospitals system and my doctor has to access said system and print it off !! It then goes in an envelope and I have to pick it up. WTF It's like an espionage thriller.
As for your one withering look shrivelling any living thing , I can see the pressure John must have been under those 1st years 😀😀😀😀
Chris

I don't think the receptionists understand trully how stressful it is for our lovely men and knock on effect, us wives!! Sorry to hear of the unnecessary added stress for you both.

Maybe this is calling for a polite letter to the practice manager to put an effective protocol together to relay blood results to patents better. And ensure all reception staff know about it.

Hope you've had a nice break away

Lesley x

I can't imagine John rattled, so it must have really got to him. I am sure all the Men have anxiety enough around test time without red tape and seemingly unnecessary beurocracy.

I had to go to my GP surgery today and whilst I was waiting they had quite a lot of information on the screen about the cutbacks in funding to the GP surgery. Our blood test result line can now only read to you word verbatim what the GP has commented on. If he/she has said "All within margins all OK" that is all you get. If there is anything of concern then the GP will ring. They are not allowed to give actual figures.

Now I get a bit mad at that, but I suspect this is all down to the litigious society we now live in. If some clerical or even medical staff read you the wrong information, transpose figures or get anything wrong the practice Managers are terrified of complaints or comeback on them.

Our surgery charge 75p per sheet for a pintout of the results so now, when I see the consultant after my 3 monthly blood tests for RA, He just shows me them on the screen which I find sufficient for my purposes.

I wonder if John could arrange for a note to be put on his file that gives permission for him to be given the specific result each time?

Not sure how much impact cycling actually has when the prostate has been removed or irradiated but I do hope John's figures stay low enough to avoid any further treatment for as long as possible.

Lord help the receptionist that stands in the way of Lyn in dragon mode , if the withering look doesn't do the trick then the fire of tongues certainly will. Rather her than me !!!

xxx

Mo

Very frustrating sometimes. I posted previously about one of the nurses at our surgery saying I didn't need a PSA test as I didn't have a Prostate.

Interesting about the cycling still being able to effect the PSA post-op....will bare that in mind when I next go for my test

Hope it drops soon

Bri x

Onco called - we are seeing him on Tuesday.

All the best to both of you for Tuesday.

Thanks Chris

All the Best,

Steve

I'm thinking of you too and hoping everything will be ok.

Paul

wil be thinking of you Tuesday, hope all goes well.

Not sure why Julie should refer to you or herself as Saggis ....I guess it is the same reason I am a Gem

which kind of suggests that mine don't hang they just sparkle (for those that have met all three of us just stop sniggering right this minute!!)

XXXXX

MO

PS it could have been worse......

Arrived at the onco's office to find we were being joined by the community support worker - didn't even know this existed!

Onco is concerned and was a bit cross that he hadn't been told about the August result; a problem I guess of seeing uro and onco in 3 monthly rotation. We discussed my theory that the rise could be down to John cheating and eating bacon and mince every time my back is turned. Mr B's reaction was very interesting - he said "yes, I suppose the healthy diet could have kept the PSA artificially low" which is the opposite way round to what I would have expected - that eating these hormone laden foods might artifically raise the score!

We have a plan - thank God for plans:-
- John eats less red meat and more garlic, even if I am not there to nag him
- repeat PSA in Feb and if it has risen to 0.12 - 0.15 or above, we assume the cancer is back
- in which case J will have a choline PET scan
- if there is an identifiable hot spot, more RT would be the first option - Mr P feels that if there is still some cancer it is not in the area already irradiated
- in the meantime, our hospital is trialling a new nuclear tracer for PET scans which is more precise than choline and has a much longer half life which makes it more accessible - the shorthand name is FACBC. John will have one of these scans when the trial launches around Christmas / New Year
- if there is a hot spot on the FACBC scan, refer to step 4 above

So not the best day ever but I have a new theory. In a normal man (with a prostate and no cancer) 10% of PSA is produced in the adrenal glands. Adrenal glands can work overtime when a person is in a state of tension or danger. Some of you know that a dreadful family circumstance has put John in a perpetual state of 'fight or flight' since February - so what if high stress / anxiety can raise PSA levels? I am on a mission now - my initial searches are indicating that research has concluded stress does not affect PSA but I have a small collection of papers that I need to read in detail just in case.

If it turns out that stress can increase PSA production, Julie's score would be high enough to consider having an RP!