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Rosanna
In early 2009 I was in a serious car crash in the snow. I had to be cut out of the car (along with my daughter) and rushed to hospital. A metal nail was inserted inside my femur from hip to kneecap in an eight hour operation. I struggled with the NHS and finally resorted to the CEO of my local NHS Trust to get things resolved. Delays and administrative failures were unimaginable.
While this was going on I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. There I hit buffers - after being told it had probably spread to the rest of my body (8 out of 10 on the Gleason Scale “aggressive”. I then couldn't get another appointment for well over six weeks – not pleasant if there is a possibility of a death sentence. I changed to a different health authority. The initial treatment recommended was surgery, the next consultant (one of the country’s top oncologists) said that was very unwise and recommended a totally different approach. As a consequence I have recently started drug therapy (anti androgens), then radiotherapy (six weeks every day) followed by Brachytherapy.
I sometimes think I have cheated death twice this year, especially as my GP initially refused to test me for Prostate Cancer as I had no obvious symptoms. I felt that, in my late 50s, I should.
I was right!
The bit that follows is on the site already but here it all is in one go.
Hope I can contribute to your project
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During a routine consultation with my GP, I suggested that at my age (57) I should have had a prostate cancer test even though I had no symptoms. He was reluctant to do the PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test -a blood test - due to the high incidence of “false positives”. I insisted however and the PSA test was carried out – it proved to be positive, 7.
At a later date he carried out DRE, digital rectal examination, and then referred me to an urologist who did another DRE and also a urine flow test. This led to a biopsy which gave 8 on the Gleason scale – classified as “aggressive”. The fear was that the cancer had spread to the rest of the body so I had an MRI scan and a bone scan. Prostatectomy was proposed.
At this stage, having read extensively on the subject and being aware of the potential dangers of an operation (spreading the cancer cells), I changed consultant, selecting an oncologist. He was disturbed to learn that prostatectomy had been proposed. He advised that the cancer had not spread beyond the prostate and that “I would die of something else.”
The first part of my treatment started, in mid June 2009. I began a two year course of hormone treatment drugs – Casodex (Bicalutamide), an anti-androgen - to make the treatment of the cancer more effective by reducing the testosterone level to stop the growth and spread of cancer cells. There are some side effects which make me lethargic at times but generally I feel fit.
In early September I start radiotherapy sessions at Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood. These sessions will probably be daily Monday to Friday for about four or five weeks. After that treatment ends there will be brachytherapy which in my case will involve inserting temporary implants -plastic capsules containing radioactive iodine - into the prostate under general anaesthetic; the capsules are removed after two or three days. This should clear out any remaining problem cancer cells.
The drug treatment continues until June 2011 at which point I am planning a celebration party!
