I've just received my next telephone consultation appointment from the Brachytherapy nurses Doona Higgins and Claire Deering at St Lukes in Guildford, Surrey. Every six months I talk about any concerns I have and discuss further treatment options (if required).
Prior to the consultation they send me this form:
The nurses are able to compare my answers with the previous to see how I'm progressing. The first three sections deal with urinary issues in some detail. I'm still taking one Tamulosin tablet each day which helps reduce Prostate swelling. Without the Tamulosin I still have trouble passing urine, even after missing just one capsule it can be difficult. I've pretty much cut out Caffine as this seems to irritate my bladder and I have the urge to urinate much more often. I have caffeine free tea and caffeine free CokeCola.
The pink section deals with erectile disfunction in some detail. I'm still being prescribed Sildenafil (Viagra) which I take twice a week to help with blood flow. I can confirm that it works well most of the time.
The yellow section deals with Bowel function. I haven't experienced any bowel problems at all.
Great to see the work that Jeff Stelling completed with his March for men -
Apart from raising much needed funds for Prostate Cancer UK
Jeffs' march raises even more awareness of the disease which is so important.
I've recently had interesting conversations with friends and colleagues and it worries me that the messages are still not betting across. Some men are aware of Prostate Cancer but don't realise that there are generally no symptoms at all at first, in my own case I had none. My Cancer was only discovered as a result of a routine PSA blood test which I started having when I was in my late 40's. My Father died from complications following Prostate Cancer back in the early 80's so I was very aware.
In my opinion every man over 50 should start having PSA tests. One test in isolation doesn't mean much but it does create a baseline for comparison with future tests. My PSA was measured at 3 until it rose to 4.1 and following further tests the Cancer was discovered
I'd welcome any medical professionals opinion on PSA testing. I don't know the costs to the NHS and I don't know of any other regular test apart from physical examination.
Am I right in thinking that the physical exam is what puts men off?
At the end of the day it only takes a few seconds and apart from a little discomfort it doesn't hurt.
I urge all men to become aware, there is plenty of information on hand. The NHS, Prostate Cancer UK and Macmillan Cancer Support have very helpful information on their websites.
Men need to talk about Prostate Cancer a lot more.
I've been feeling really fit this year, I think the combination of treatments for Prostate Cancer and my Prolactinoma have worked wonders. Having said that I'm currently experiencing some Sciatic nerve pain. I was working away for a few days and I must have jarred my back somehow, I don't remember doing it though. The pain has been difficult to deal with. I've used Ibuprofen and other painkillers and I've also had a session with a sports therapist John Harris which helped a lot.
Back in 2015 I met Nicole Ablack-Ramkay and her husband Savik at Secrets Silversands in Mexico. Nicole is a fully qualified Yoga instructor and ran the daily sessions at the resort. we met again in 2016. Nicole is also a Pain Resolution Therapist based in Toronto, Canada
and when I messaged her she offered to help. Last Saturday we connected via Google Hangout (similar to Skype) and Nicole was able to see my posture and offered a range of exercises which I've used every day this week with good results. I still have some pain but it is much better.
Work has been very busy and continues through August. I'm currently at One Whitehall Place, London for Eclipse Presentations covering the venue managers' summer vacation and next week I'm back at CTF doing some equipment testing.
Looking forward to our next vacation, back to our favourite resort in Mexico.
Thats all for today.
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