Wednesday 10 April 2013

Ticking away ... Day 892 ~ Send for three and fourpence !

Another month has gone by so today I was due for another follow-up appointment at hospital at 9.30. I was without my right hand man and lucky charmer ... Jamie. He was needed elsewhere. What would I do ? I felt like a football manager without his lucky suit before a crunch game against his biggest rivals.

There was nothing for it ~ I would have to seek reinforcements

So along came a couple of the ladies who are nearest and dearest to me for their first visit to the Cancer Treatment Suite ... I know how to show a woman a good time.

We got there early and I was seen within five or ten minutes. 

I got off to a bad start ~ my blood pressure was 200 over ... something or another ... that was the only bad news actually. My PSA reading had gone down from 22 or 23 to 19 and everything else seemed ok.

Another appointment was arranged for four weeks hence but I have to start taking a beta blocker [Atenolol] as well as having my blood pressure monitored weekly.

As you can imagine the relief I felt was fairly great. I never know what to expect. I hope for the best but fear the worst. There's no wonder my blood pressure is high. Still, let's not dwell on the negative.

We adjourned to the coffee shop, me and the two ladies, and I had my obligatory bacon bap.

Outside a photographic image was captured ...

Latest hospital visit ~ 10th April 2013

I look well for a man with Stage IV prostate cancer don't I. It's amazing what our doctors can do ... and it's all on the NHS. It's worth remembering that since its launch in 1948, the NHS has grown to become the world’s largest publicly funded health service.

In other news, Spring is in the air.

Jamie will be back with me in four weeks.

16 comments:

  1. Glad to hear things (apart from the blood pressure) are all good. The high BP is understandable. If I had only your photo to go by I would never guess what you were being treated for. You look remarkably healthy :-))

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Mitch. I feel healthy too ... now and again though I do think about what is going on inside me ... and then I marvel all the more about how well I feel. I have no complaints.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are looking good Charlie pleased to hear most things went well, maybe taking two ladies with you put your blood pressure up.Ann

    ReplyDelete
  4. You could be right Ann ... perhaps it was because they saw me so soon too. I didn't have time to compose myself.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ~high five~ Charlie! You scored almost as high as my blood pressure used to be. I think the best I ever scored was 220 over something or another - then the monitor couldn't read it, it was so high. They wouldn't let me out until I'd had a lay down, a drink of water and some medication to bring it down. I think they thought I might explode in the car park. Let me issue a "well done" to your two ladies as well, as it can't have been easy for them to accompany you. I'm glad they didn't interfere in your bacon bap routine, after all, nothing brings blood pressure down like a bacon bap. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. High Five indeed Jenny. I think I might have been a little frightened if I'd gone as high as 220. One of the ladies was so zapped by the whole experience that she fell asleep on the settee in the afternoon. Still, they had a lot to put up with [me].

      Delete
  6. Charlie, glad it went well apart from the blood pressure bit...and aren't you looking great in your photo. It can't be easy not knowing what the news will be - you deserve those bacon baps. Take care June Moon @weegiewalker

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Dad.

    I will indeed be there next time.
    Glad it went (mostly) well.

    Good photo too

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't tell anyone but I doctored the photo a bit to darken it ... let's not rush to the next appointment though. Perhaps we ought to get out for a walk before then and finish with a visit to an alehouse.

      Delete
  8. What a great jolly laugh you gave me and a bit of happiness for my last time on the computer for a month or more. We are in the city for medical stuff and Old Man's medical check was good too. We head back in to the isolation of the ranch in the morning. $400 worth of medicines had to be bought to accommodate that for 3 months. Keep up the good work over there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Karyn ... I will probably have been for another follow-up appointment before you're next online. I wish you and Old Man well of course.

      Delete
  9. Glad to hear the results (broadly) support the evidence of the photo Charlie. Long may you continue to feel as healthy as you look!

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Just to let you know that I had my blood pressure checked at the local medical centre this morning. It was 132 ! They're going to check it again tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yesterday, Friday the 12th, my blood pressure was 120 something ... my GP suggests I speak to my oncologist about taking the Atenolol [a beta blocker].

      Delete