This has been a busy month with regards to talking about prostate cancer related matters. I spoke to two men about prostate cancer, one post operation and the other pre operation. I manned a prostate cancer table, awaiting my radiation therapy results, took myself abroad on holiday, started training for the 10K chocolate run and delivered a prostate cancer awareness talk.

Phew!

Wouldn’t have it any other way!

I got a call from Prostate Cancer UK to speak to a man who was post operation and was struggling with incontinence. Mr A turned out to be a great guy that was just short on information. Just like me he saw very little progress in the early stages of pelvic floor exercises and just needed some reassurance that what he was doing would work. Of course, I couldn’t guarantee him anything, only time would tell but I could advise him on technique. What could have been a relatively simple talk, ended an hour and a half later. We spoke from A to Z about prostate cancer and about life generally. He even said he would love to do an interview as he has an amazing story. Turns out he doesn’t live very far from me, and we will be going out for a drink soon.

The second guy that I spoke to this month was a friend of a friend that had been diagnosed Gleason 3+4 and had the operation scheduled for less than a week’s time. However, he was seriously contemplating not going through with it. He wanted to know in detail what he could expect, and I told him. As much as he didn’t like much of what I told him about my experience he was in no doubt of the culd-de-sac that he had been driven into. His grown-up daughter was a tender point for him. We spoke about kids and what we do for them, how it’s all about them. He even sent me a picture of her as he spoke about her. We both shared a joke about how he better get ready to fend off the riff raff that will be sniffing around her. I personally didn’t think it was a pivotal quotation, but I said to him that going through with the operation is just a pause on his life not the end. He said he really liked that quote but we parted with him still undecided. I had told him I was happy to meet up if he wanted and he took me up on the offer on the Sunday before his operation. Again, I was mindful to not influence or give him my opinion.

This was solely his decision.

We spoke for an hour or so and it was good to talk and answer his questions in person. I made a deliberate decision that I would not talk to him again before Tuesday. Thankfully, he went on to have the operation.

This month I was meant to get my long-awaited Radiotherapy result. I wouldn’t say I was waiting at the phone and counting down the days but two weeks before I got a phone call late at night to tell me that a friend of mine had just passed of cancer. He had had radiotherapy in and around the same time as me. They would later diagnose it as Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma or SNUC. It is a rare cancer of the nasal cavity and/or sinuses. It is a cancer that woodworkers and nickel factory workers are generally more susceptible to, but they are not the biggest affected groups. He was neither. It is also a very rare and aggressive cancer they don’t know that much about. The ideal treatment is a coordinated effort by a team of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and surgeons, in some combination, who are specially trained to deal with cancers that occur in this very challenging anatomical region. Follow-up treatment usually involves reconstruction of some kind, in addition to regular cancer follow-up.  Like me he had to wait a number of weeks for the results of the radiotherapy to come through. They eventually told him it was very aggressive and only gave him 3 or 4 months.

He only shared that diagnosis with a handful of people.

Within the space of two weeks, he totally lost his sight, mobility and could no longer breathe through his nose. They then revised his time to weeks and then finally days. He went into a hospice on the weekend and died on the following Tuesday. Now as upbeat and positive that I try to be I am not going to lie that it not only shocked me, but it had me thinking about my own mortality. Eventually, I got back on track only to get a text message from the hospital to say that my appointment had been put back a week due to lack of staff.

I went back to the health centre that started me on this whole prostate cancer journey. The lovely practice manager, Danielle who asked me to deliver a prostate cancer talk a while back in my surgery, is now a Regional Practice Manager responsible for 4 practices. Of course, I asked again if she was any nearer finding out the name of the GP that recommended doing a PSA test and she has asked the practice manager, so, I remain hopeful.

There were four groups. For whatever reason we pretty much kept to ourselves except the group that was sharing my table, Age Concern. Now I have had previous dealings with Age Concern and they are usually a friendly, gentile lot. I am not sure where they got this bunch of noisy, nuts from but, what a joy. They engaged with their clients effectively and cheerfully. They were lovely and infectious in their personalities, madness and friendliness. I am sorry but I have forgotten their names, but they know who they are. I particularly tickled the mad one by explaining impotence in terms of anoraks and paper napkins. I watched for a few seconds as she mouthed the words back to herself before she got it and she cracked up.

More of this lot please and slowly retire the rest or just get them giving out leaflets.

Most of the men that came into the health centre came over voluntarily to my desk, the hesitant ones were called over by myself. It helped that I was situated nearest to the food table. I decided I was going to take few prisoners today. Quite a few of the men that I met had already been tested, which was wonderful news. However, not one of them actually knew what their PSA figure was. One guy told me that his PSA was fine but when I asked him what it was he gave me a bemused look. I questioned him a bit more and he now wasn’t sure if he had a PSA check at all. I told him to go back to the surgery/clinic and ask them for the PSA figure, so they had a benchmark figure to work with. If they had the figure, then he has had a PSA test. If they didn’t have the figure, then he had never been tested. He thanked me. Another happy customer.

Food is always a great success factor when it comes to these health type days and I have to say they put on an impressive spread. Like nervous antelopes at the watering hole fearful of lurking crocodile’s the patients soon noticed the food. They want to drink and eat but are not sure. Once one of them ventured in nervously with their paper plate they all made there way over there.  Now I didn’t buy any of it and I had no reason to begrudge anyone, but I did find myself mentally tutting when it came to portion control. No, not Mr and Mrs public just having a cup of tea and a digestive  but those who channelled food directly into their bags or those building leaning food Tower of Pisas’s on their paper plates. They clearly forgot they were in a health centre. Grapes brought on the biggest tut. Not content with just taking off a few individual grapes. No, these mechanical grabbing arms would shamelessly take the whole bunch, the minute it was laid to rest on the fruit bowl, with just a quick cursory look around to see if anyone was watching.

An old boy tottered slowly about ten feet behind me, with a walking stick, to take a seat to eat his booty. The practice manager had earlier mentioned that there were trays of donuts that had yet to be put out. Now, me personally I would have been bad minded and purposely held them back from greedy patients. The practice manager was unburdened of my bad intentions and spirit. It was simply a case that no-one had put them out. He went out back and momentarily came back with a tray of said contraband. He walked past me and it was rude not to stop him so I did, nicely. Now like a miracle straight out of ABC’s Church Miracle Sunday service the old boy who was ten feet behind me had managed to grab the surprised practice managers arm and gesture for his tasty prize before his walking stick had even hit the floor.

I was honoured to witness such a transformation.

The grape lady did another sortie of the fruit bowl. Out of luck, a bag or crisps were picked up in her talons instead.

Another amazing thing happened. I saw a secondary school friend who I had not seen or heard from in over 40 years. I had wondered what had happened to him and nobody could enlighten me. We spoke about a few others that we were in touch with and sadly some of those that had passed or were suffering from mental illness. Aside from the sadness we are back in touch and that’s all that matters.

The 10km race is officially back on. Bigger and better, we have a target of £10K and we have 16 runners who will be taking that start line in late November. If you want to part with some coffers please do so  here. I documented my challenges in getting back to running last month. I am pleased to say it’s all going in the right direction now. I made a breakthrough and I have managed to get to the 3K mark now nonstop and without any of the sweat that crippled me at the 1k mark in recent weeks. The plan is to run at least 3 times a week and add a minimum of 0.5k each time. In a couple of day’s time, I am going to get the guys together for an interview to talk about their motivations for doing the run.

Happy days.