Back from 3 days golf in Spain, 1 day ok, 2 days torrential rain + even hailstones, back to reality, decided you can only run away for so long!
Acceleration of all info and dates Friday saw consultant who discussed admission dates and proposed surgery date, timescales + all risks and potential complications, and affects long term.
‘C’ tumour has reduced slightly, but still there and showing on recent scans.
Pre-admission at St.Lukes yesterday morning, blood tests, ECG, blood pressure, urine, information about anaesthetic and major surgery, all appeared ok blood pressure high due to circumstances.
Thursday this week, meeting with stoma nurse, to discuss, living with stoma, position of etc.
Monday 6th – B.R.I. admission.
Tuesday 7th – Surgery planned for a.m. – 3-4 hours?
Planned to be in for 14 days, to ensure healing and general well being, decision on home coming will be decided by consultant.
You probably sense from the above, levels of anticipation and apprehension, which the staff at hospital have said is perfectly normal due to scale of major surgery, it has been a difficult 4 months, the brave confident face is sometimes the hardest to maintain, and most people seem to think because you appear ok? on the outside have no idea what is going on in your head.
I have every faith in the next few days and weeks, my consultant and nurse have been excellent in (although no rock solid guarantees) a succesful operation and speedy recovery, and back to normal life.
What more could I ask for?
Kevin.
Thursday 2 April 2009
Wednesday 25 March 2009
Nervous Apprehension
Well it had to happen, after a couple of relaxing unstressed weeks after the chemo / radiotherapy, 5 days in Seville with my beautiful wife, and 2.5 days skiing in French Alps.
Returned home with red face and burnt lips, almost as painful as bonanza bottom?
Phone calls from BRI to attend meetings with colon specialists / consultants, pre-assesment meetings etc, etc.....
I have felt so well over the last 3 weeks or so, I had occasionally forgotton that I had bowel 'C'
So the reminders above were a stark reality check as to the next stages of my road to recovery.
Date for operation, April 7th - can't wait - not?
Looking forward to plenty of visitors, bringing food /snacks / jokes / things to cheer me up!!!
Sharon will co-odinate visits so all don't turn up at once?
Thats all for now,
speak soon
KGB
Returned home with red face and burnt lips, almost as painful as bonanza bottom?
Phone calls from BRI to attend meetings with colon specialists / consultants, pre-assesment meetings etc, etc.....
I have felt so well over the last 3 weeks or so, I had occasionally forgotton that I had bowel 'C'
So the reminders above were a stark reality check as to the next stages of my road to recovery.
Date for operation, April 7th - can't wait - not?
Looking forward to plenty of visitors, bringing food /snacks / jokes / things to cheer me up!!!
Sharon will co-odinate visits so all don't turn up at once?
Thats all for now,
speak soon
KGB
Monday 16 March 2009
Alopecia (on my arse?)
Hey sorry for the bold or should i say 'bald' title?
Well if it wasnt for my pal Broady, who appeared to be the only regular visitor to my blog, I have not up-dated for about 5 weeks, so here goes for my latest instalment.
Any way the 5 week course was completed 3 weeks ago, and i have to once again to make referance to all of the wonderful staff at 'The Bexley Wing' and a very big thanks to Linda my resident nurse who is an inspiration to all of the health authority.
I can assure any one who is fortunate to have any course of support or treatment with that team will feel very secure and wanted, thats how i felt!!!!
The latter part of treatment i did experience the worst soreness around my 'bottom region' and staff especially Linda were very helpful in prescribing every sort of cream, dressing, tablet, but even i thought i had a high pain threshold, it was on occasion absolute agony, and the period of healing was even worse, because as my bottom had become blistered and skin broken down, if i needed to go to the toilet it was very painful indeed, to the point where it became a mental thing, the thought of eating sweetcorn and later having to pass '1' actual corn was giving me nightmares, any way i think you get the message.
As i said 5 weeks went by pretty quickly Mac kindly took me down to the Bexley wing one Friday afternoon, i introduced him to the staff and he got a tour of the treatment room and mini talk on the kit and what it did.
What the staff didn't know was that we wanted to just get down to the Scarborough Taps in Leeds for a couple of beers, any way a big thanks to Mac.
The soreness lasted about 2 weeks and slowly became more healed and much easier to live with, to the point today, i would say it is back to normal, or is it?
I had been warned about the many forms of side effects, Nausea / Tiredness / Sensitive skin, and due to the low doseage Hair Loss wasn't one of them, so i was quite happy to be retaining my silver fox hair.
I have noticed purely by chance, that i have been experiencing hair loss round my nether regions, to the point where in places it is actually bald!
I know some people are into the 'clean shaven' look but this is new territory for me.
I assume it will grow back, if it does do i have to get the razor out or i have found a website that supplies wigs and hair peices - now that would be an interesting phone request!!!!!
Broady sorry this one goes on a bit, I have 2 scans in the next couple of weeks, and i am told operation w/c 6th or 13th April?
I promise to keep you all posted.
regards
Kevin.
Well if it wasnt for my pal Broady, who appeared to be the only regular visitor to my blog, I have not up-dated for about 5 weeks, so here goes for my latest instalment.
Any way the 5 week course was completed 3 weeks ago, and i have to once again to make referance to all of the wonderful staff at 'The Bexley Wing' and a very big thanks to Linda my resident nurse who is an inspiration to all of the health authority.
I can assure any one who is fortunate to have any course of support or treatment with that team will feel very secure and wanted, thats how i felt!!!!
The latter part of treatment i did experience the worst soreness around my 'bottom region' and staff especially Linda were very helpful in prescribing every sort of cream, dressing, tablet, but even i thought i had a high pain threshold, it was on occasion absolute agony, and the period of healing was even worse, because as my bottom had become blistered and skin broken down, if i needed to go to the toilet it was very painful indeed, to the point where it became a mental thing, the thought of eating sweetcorn and later having to pass '1' actual corn was giving me nightmares, any way i think you get the message.
As i said 5 weeks went by pretty quickly Mac kindly took me down to the Bexley wing one Friday afternoon, i introduced him to the staff and he got a tour of the treatment room and mini talk on the kit and what it did.
What the staff didn't know was that we wanted to just get down to the Scarborough Taps in Leeds for a couple of beers, any way a big thanks to Mac.
The soreness lasted about 2 weeks and slowly became more healed and much easier to live with, to the point today, i would say it is back to normal, or is it?
I had been warned about the many forms of side effects, Nausea / Tiredness / Sensitive skin, and due to the low doseage Hair Loss wasn't one of them, so i was quite happy to be retaining my silver fox hair.
I have noticed purely by chance, that i have been experiencing hair loss round my nether regions, to the point where in places it is actually bald!
I know some people are into the 'clean shaven' look but this is new territory for me.
I assume it will grow back, if it does do i have to get the razor out or i have found a website that supplies wigs and hair peices - now that would be an interesting phone request!!!!!
Broady sorry this one goes on a bit, I have 2 scans in the next couple of weeks, and i am told operation w/c 6th or 13th April?
I promise to keep you all posted.
regards
Kevin.
Wednesday 4 February 2009
Bonanza Bottom
It has been a couple of weeks since my last up-date, wasnt really sure if peole were that interested in what was going on day to day, I am pleased to say they appear to be, so here goes.
Prior to the start of chemo and radiotherapy, all patients are (for obvious reasons) informed about all possible side effects, which for the record were:- tiredness / feeling cold and shivery / nausea, and worst of all a soreness around the bottom region, described by the nurse as really bad sunburn.
Any way up until last Thursday the only side effect was the occasional bout of tiredness, which even I could cope with, or so I thought?
If you acknowledge that every day for almost 3 weeks my bottom area is being 'zapped' with a radio wave to kill off the unwanted cancer, you can imagine what it is doing to other more sensitive parts of my private parts!!!
I realise it isn't a topic that most people would consider discussing, but let me tell you the last 4 days I have what I can only describe as 'Bonanza Bottom' and for all you 40+ year olds that is as near a description as I can give.
Nurse ! Nurse!
Tuesday 20 January 2009
A Breath of fresh air?
Got back yesterday from a short 2 day ski trip, may seem a bit of a trek to some, but It was great to spend a couple of days with the guys, as usual skid the arse off it and had plenty of laughs, so every ones a winner.
Any way back to reality, the journey to Bexley wing is just about auto pilot, and once again have to sing the praises of all staff in Radiotherapy room '5'
I am amazed that my average journey time is about, 45 mins, and by the time I have parked, checked in, treatment is less than 10 minutes, I am back out on the road to Guiseley, all in all a 2 hour round trip.
When I arrived tonight there were 2 male radiographers, and although I only remove my trousers, lie on a bed face down, it is a little daunting knowing that while one of them is setting the coordinates for zapping, the other is pulling down my undies, and drawing felt pen on my rear end, now not many guys can say that they have experienced that?
Early days of treatment but at this stage no signs of any side effects other than little more tired than usual (put that down to the skiing) and certainly no soreness on lower regions, Sharon is adamant that cream application is not her domain!!
One side effect that I have experienced is a massive increase in wind, I didn't think the human body was capable of storing so much, and I don't need to explain how risky and reluctant it is at my age to think you can just 'let go' without the need for a complete change of clothing, and a dry cleaners?
Any way all so far so good, just got an e-mail yesterday from an old friend who is now living in Kent, and she is planning trip back to Leeds in February with her now very grown up children, looking forward to that.
Obama has just started his inauguration and it appears to be a breath of fresh air for the people of America, no such fresh air here, I've just let one go, excuse me!!!
speak soon
Kev.
Any way back to reality, the journey to Bexley wing is just about auto pilot, and once again have to sing the praises of all staff in Radiotherapy room '5'
I am amazed that my average journey time is about, 45 mins, and by the time I have parked, checked in, treatment is less than 10 minutes, I am back out on the road to Guiseley, all in all a 2 hour round trip.
When I arrived tonight there were 2 male radiographers, and although I only remove my trousers, lie on a bed face down, it is a little daunting knowing that while one of them is setting the coordinates for zapping, the other is pulling down my undies, and drawing felt pen on my rear end, now not many guys can say that they have experienced that?
Early days of treatment but at this stage no signs of any side effects other than little more tired than usual (put that down to the skiing) and certainly no soreness on lower regions, Sharon is adamant that cream application is not her domain!!
One side effect that I have experienced is a massive increase in wind, I didn't think the human body was capable of storing so much, and I don't need to explain how risky and reluctant it is at my age to think you can just 'let go' without the need for a complete change of clothing, and a dry cleaners?
Any way all so far so good, just got an e-mail yesterday from an old friend who is now living in Kent, and she is planning trip back to Leeds in February with her now very grown up children, looking forward to that.
Obama has just started his inauguration and it appears to be a breath of fresh air for the people of America, no such fresh air here, I've just let one go, excuse me!!!
speak soon
Kev.
Friday 16 January 2009
Day '2' All is well
Day 2, and decided to make journey to St James's on my own, had been advised to prepare a full bladder prior to radiotherapy, so I drank 1.5 litres of water en route (maybe not such a good idea)
On arrival and check in, have to once again comment on the wonderful staff, who in my eyes are the most attentive, caring, concerned people I have ever met.
This doesn't excuse them from lining up my backside to critical expert coordinates and zapping my nether regions with high speed radiotherapy, while they hide in a 4' lead lined secure booth, capable of withstanding a nuclear attack!!!!
Any way, zapping complete, quick dash to loo and on my way home, Euros purchased, skiing in Les Gets Saturday, back Monday is all I can think of.
Session at The Ing's with freinds and colleagues, always a great way to finish off a week.
Everyone I spoke to (including Sharon) was so genuinely pleased I had decided to go skiing, even for just a couple of days.
Not yet packed all arrangements made, musn't forget Aqueous cream, (wonder if I could get one of the guys to apply, maybe not!!!!) and tablets for Monday!!!
Have a great weekend.
Kev.
On arrival and check in, have to once again comment on the wonderful staff, who in my eyes are the most attentive, caring, concerned people I have ever met.
This doesn't excuse them from lining up my backside to critical expert coordinates and zapping my nether regions with high speed radiotherapy, while they hide in a 4' lead lined secure booth, capable of withstanding a nuclear attack!!!!
Any way, zapping complete, quick dash to loo and on my way home, Euros purchased, skiing in Les Gets Saturday, back Monday is all I can think of.
Session at The Ing's with freinds and colleagues, always a great way to finish off a week.
Everyone I spoke to (including Sharon) was so genuinely pleased I had decided to go skiing, even for just a couple of days.
Not yet packed all arrangements made, musn't forget Aqueous cream, (wonder if I could get one of the guys to apply, maybe not!!!!) and tablets for Monday!!!
Have a great weekend.
Kev.
Thursday 15 January 2009
1st Treatment Day
Thursday 15th Jan
Start of 5 week regime, 1,800 mg of chemo in tablet form - 3 x 500mg + 2 x 150 mg taken after breakfast, just about finished fruit 'n' fibre, not looking forward to tablets, massive apprehension about possible side effects, but hey I have to accept they know what they are doing!!!
Sharon (my resident nurse) has prepared the tablets and glass of water ready for me, I have promised to buy her a proper nurses uniform, but that's another story!
Tablets taken at 8.30, getting ready for run around Otley Chevin, and off to St Jame's for 12.12pm, for first session of radiotherapy, I promise not to post any pictures of me receiving this, unless any one makes a special request?
As I mentioned yesterday in my first post, my intentions are to keep the blog factual and provide all information and up-dates, as some of the detail will be retrospective for anything that happened within November '08' and up to early Jan '09' I will set any historic info in another colour typeface, e.g. following on from my original post yesterday.
After my visit to GP, he suggested just to be cautious a check up at St Lukes in Bradford, appointment made 28th November @ 8.40am, I thought nice and early get it out of the way and back home for say 10.00?
Once again, little did I know what was to be revealed?
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