Tuesday 15th September

Yesterday I was telling you about the first part of my diagnosis.

The TRUS biopsy (I've just looked up the technical name) was done on the 28th April and I was asked to go back to the Urology clinic on the 1st June for the results.

Mr Ahmed, my consultant didn't beat about the bush and told me that they had found cancerous cells. I can remember saying something like " Oh thats good". He explained that prostate tumours are graded according to there size and position.

Mine was a T2, slightly larger than a T1 and it would show up on a scan and PSA test. The grading also describes whether the Lymph Nodes have cancerous cells. Mine was graded N0 meaning the nodes were clear and also given an M0 meaning the tumour was completely contained within the prostate gland.

The consultant told me that tumours are also graded according to the Gleason system. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Gleason

The Gleason system is the most commonly used grading system. It looks at the pattern of cancer cells within the gland which are graded from 1-5. The biopsy samples are all graded  and the common grade is added to the highest grade and this gives a Gleason score between 6-10. Mine was a 6, which I was assured was slo-growingand less likely to spread.

Still worrying though.

A Macmillan Nurse took Bev & I to a side room and discussed the diagnosis, giving me various booklets and explaining treatment options. It was all a bit of a whirl but it was helpful to talk to someone other than the consultant.

I'd heard lots about the Prostate Cancer charity http://prostatecanceruk.org and decided to call them to get some advice. The lady I spoke to was very helpful and reassuring. We spoke for over 30 minutes and she arranged for a fellow sufferer to phone me to explain how he felt and the treatment option he decided to have. He also said that I should do as much research as necessary.

My first appointment was at the Royal Sussex County hospital in Brighton with a Dr George Plataniotis, a clinical Oncologist, (luckily everyone called him Dr George). It was a very warm day and I'd been working in London in the morning. Bev & I had lunch in a small garden joining the clinic waiting room before the appointment. 

Dr George explained how radiotherapy works and how it could help me. He indicated that Brachy Therapy could be the best option should I choose radiotherapy over surgery. My next step was to see a surgeon and Dr George referred me to Mr Coker in the PRH (Haywards Heath).

My appointment was on the 15th July and Dr Coker explained the surgery option. He explained that most surgery is now done robotically and the local specialist was Mr Rimmington whose clinic was in Eastbourne General. So on the 6th August Bev & I went for a drive, had a nice lunch at the hospital, and saw Mr Rimmington.

Mr Rimmington was very pleasant and we spent some time discussing the surgery options in great detail. he assured me that the cancer was detected in it's earliest stage and there was plenty of time to make a treatment decision.

My next consultation was at St Lukes Cancer Centre in Guildford with Dr Laing. I had a range of tests and an ultrasound was done to check the size of the gland. Dr Laing explained how BrachyTherapy works and the options for me.

My prostate measures 31.3cc which I gather is in the 'cute' range and ideal for BrachyTherapy. It's important to also have a good Pee flow and apparently mine scored an IPSS of 8/35 (I haven't got a clue what that means). When the BrachyTherapy 'seeds are implanted the gland can swell so it's important to have a good flow. 

My mind was made up so I made the decision to have the treatment and an appointment made for this Thursday 17th September.

Tomorrow I'm going to write about the Therapy (I hope you're not too bored already).