MEDICAL MATTERS

[Stanley]

We shall see Maz. I reserve the right to worry until I get an unequivocal verdict.

[Nolic]

Thanks for all your best wishes for Cath. Yesterday BP was down to 136/73. That's really good. Nolic

[Marilyn]

Oh...that IS good news. Hope she is feeling more like herself.

[plaques]

Stanley. Looks like a typical belt and braces job. The first biopsy got all the really bad stuff but just to make sure we like to take some more out in case there are some cells left we can't see. Sounds a bit aggressive to the layman but they have the experience so leave them to it.

[Marilyn]

Testing of the first sample should have foretold all about the aggressiveness of the cancer. It's not going to change into anything worse. It is either "aggressive" or not! If it had been labelled as aggressive ( and he would know for sure by now!)....then it is just a low grade/slow growing/non-invasive cancer.
( you worry too much, Stanley...bless you...but you would know by now if you truly had owt to warrant your level of worry)
And all this worry is no good for your body.
Just take care of yourself as you always do. I shall say no more.

[Stanley]

Comrade, what good news. I know how I felt when mine went back to normal. Give her my love.
That's what I keep telling myself P but at the moment it isn't working. I need to hear them say that!

[Wendyf]

Of course you worry, it's only natural. Colin still worries four years on from his experience of bladder cancer, he was traumatised by the whole thing and so was I!!

[Cathy]

Thinking of you Stanley, believing the best.

[Marilyn]

To be honest, Wendy, I was much more traumatised by hubby's Triple Bypass and Septicaemia ( especially when he was in an induced coma for days). Bladder cancer has been a journey....but nowhere near the worry. ( but don't forget, your fears were heightened by Colin's previous devastating diagnosis, which is understandable). Prior to the bladder cancer, hubby had a rather aggressive skin cancer, which appeared quickly and grew very quickly. We were told it would likely resurface. I always feared the two ( skin cancer and bladder cancer) were linked. Not so. I know it is human nature to worry. But bladder cancer is the least of our worries...

[PanBiker]

Excellent news on Cath Nolic, that's a lot better. Roll on Tuesday Stanley and hopefully you will know a lot more. Fear of the unknown is a bugger, once you know the nature of the beast it's a lot easier to deal with. Like I mentioned to a young lady on the meningioma site who said she had just had a meltdown about her diagnosis, you are allowed this but don't dwell on it. I handled Darth by telling myself it was totally out of my control and I could not do anything about it myself so why worry. Let the experts crack on, as Maz says if it was really nasty they would have bounced you back before now.

[Stanley]

Thanks for the thoughts. Ian was right when he said " Fear of the unknown is a bugger, once you know the nature of the beast it's a lot easier to deal with. " Exactly right and I'm pretty sure it's because they aren't yet certain and the legal eagles are always looking over their shoulders!

[Stanley]

Pre-op assessment at Airedale today and Susan, acting within her powers of being my Attorney under the LPA on Terminal Care which is registered and activated and also registered with Airedale has been digging independently and I think we may get a bit of light shed on what the state of play is today.
Wonderful support!

[PanBiker]

Best of luck with your pre-op Stanley. If it's like mine it will take longer to fill in the paperwork than the tests themselves. Having said that you already have "previous" at the same venue so it might be a quicker job. Anyway another step forward but you will be glad to get the other side of it.

I had my physio's Emma and Asad round yesterday, we went out for a walk and I went without any support, not even a single pole which is my norm. After that assessment it is now recommended that I do short trips round town without any poles. I should keep using the poles as necessary if I go out for a longer foray or with my boots on as they don't have any supplementary support. When we got back Asad put me through my paces on the exercise set that I have now. Knocked off a couple and added one more and increased the reps on the knee squats that I have to hold for 10 seconds, I can feel the burn on that one! Emma added a further one which is a heel lunge on the right with follow through with hip over leg and taking the weight, (effectively the right side walking action). Recommended also that I do more walking around the house in bare or stocking feet to get more action into the toes. My next session will be on the 17th, Asad will not see me again as he is moving to Wigan for the next phase of his training. I thanked him for his attention and contribution to my recovery and wished him well.

[Moh]

You don't usually get info. at a pre op, it is usually paperwork and tests done by nurses.

[PanBiker]

Indeed Moh, MRSA, BP and bloods, they dispensed with the latter for me as I had been through the AAU and they had all the path results already. Didn't have MRSA so no decolonisation required. As long as your BP is under 170 you are usually fit to go. Anaesthetist makes the final call as to whether you are fit for a general anaesthetic and breathing support if required for the longer ops and that comes down to whether or not you can tilt your head backwards to get the tube down.

[PanBiker]

Just had a call from the imaging booking team at LGI. After a barrage of questions regarding my suitability for the scanner I now have an appointment for my 3 month MRI scan on the 16th January 2019 at St James Hospital in Leeds. It's early afternoon 13.20 so we will have to set off a little early as it's a different bus from the station and a bit longer journey up to Jimmy's. This will be my first MRI since my op, (had a CT the day after my op) and will be the reference for all subsequent ones, she didn't say if it was a contrasted scan or not and I forgot to ask. No doubt this will be stated in my confirmation appointment letter. She offered 2nd January but we will still have our Ruby at that date. It's in the mobile scanner so that will be a bit different.

[Stanley]

Thanks to Susan acting as my attorney and being proactive she spoke to the surgeon on Monday and we got full information about the state of play and what is going on during the pre-op. Here's what I have sent to the kids....

The state of play.... The pre-operative assessment was fine. The nurse who did the cardiac tests said that she had never seen a better result for my age.
The operation on Tuesday 12 is a deeper biopsy of the site of the tumour. The CT scan was clear (another miracle!) and the deep pathology of the original tumour shows that is what they term a type 3 and not a type 1 as the early results said. So, as it is more aggressive than they originally thought they want to find out if there are any rogue cells left in my bladder. As It stands the treatment will be a course of 6 Bcg injections (The jab we all got for TB when we went in the army) This is still on the cards but if they find any stray cells they may reinforce this with radiotherapy.
They are hoping that this will be day surgery under general anaesthetic but if I don't respond well to irrigation they may keep me in one night. I am working on the principle that this might happen and have made arrangements for Jack to stay with a friend Jackie who cares for dogs and knows Jack, he will be fine with her. Phil Lawson calls in today and will see to Jack on the Tuesday morning and the transfer to Jackie.
So, we aren't out of the woods yet but we are moving along nicely and Susan is being a wonderful support. Onwards and upwards!
I am a lot less apprehensive now the fog has cleared! Lots of positives in the assessment and reason to be cheerful. I slept like a log last night.

[Marilyn]

That makes sense, Stanley. So I take it they will hold off the Bcg until after your biopsy site has healed? ( I don't think they can give it at the time of biopsy?). Hopefully the pathology will be good and negate the need for the Bcg. Fingers crossed anyway.
Dave had the biopsy and irrigation. Luckily he didn't need the Bcg.

[Marilyn]

Just something to keep in mind Stanley, in regard to Jack. Dave wasn't allowed to lift anything or go for our regular walk for a week after coming home from his bladder wall biopsy. I'm just letting you know this, as I know how you both love your walks. So you may have to make arrangements for Jack's activity. Something to keep at the back of your mind, just in case they enforce a ban. ( full of good news me )

[Stanley]

Maz, no decisions about treatment until they have the detailed pathology of the biopsy. The gentle walking I do is no more taxing than normal movement in the house so I'm not anticipating any restrictions. If I am wrong I have Jackie to fall back on. Apart from anything else though my exercise is important to me, it's what keeps me on the road and healthy enough to get an assessment like yesterdays. I shall be using my head.....

[Marilyn]

well we don't break any land speed records either (!) but they still banned the walks. Had to drive the car up to the front door of the hospital that time, as he wasn't allowed to walk the 100 metres to where I was parked, even though I was carrying all his stuff.
( oh...also...I know no one wants to hear this...but if he got bladder spasms, he had to put himself under a warm shower and pee in the shower. We have a hand held shower head, so it was very relaxing in the right spot)

[PanBiker]

Sounds like a plan Stanley. So depending on the pathology you could be clear or require 6 separate treatments done on a day surgery basis. Bcg was a new one on me so just had a quick google and see that they use a live virus, each session lasting about 3 hours. Very similar to a chemo session although the delivery method is different. At least you now know the nature of the beast and its good that they have a full treatment plan in place for all eventualities.

[plaques]

My experience at day surgery goes something like this.
Present yourself at hospital at some early unearthly hour well before you can use your bus pass and even before the buses start running.
Spend the first half hour looking for somewhere to park, Send driver home and tell them to wait for a call.
Register in with the nurse along with a lot more sad looking individuals. Try to find something to read. Not a fan of women's fashions.
Long wait, to make sure you have digested any illegal breakfast or more probably to make sure you are sober.
Asked to change into a very revealing gown. Moved to another waiting area along with other selected victims. Nobody dare move to minimise embarrassment.
Called into dispatching room, Two nice nurses fix a gadget in your hand and pump something into it. After 8 seconds ..oblivion.
Wake up in bed. Nice nurse, "welcome back". Later.would you like a cup of tea and a sandwich? Starving, I could eat a scabby horse.
Right then if you can make your way to the bathroom and do your stuff you an go home. No problem says he limping along trying to look nonchalant.
Call driver, Back home. What was all the fuss about?

[Moh]

A district nurse came to take blood yesterday and a Macmillan nurse is due this afternoon to sort pain killers out, my last lot are no longer effective.

[Tizer]

Why do they give a tuberculosis vaccine to people with bladder cancer?