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 ...

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.

Ticking away ... Day 836 ~ plugging that damn wall ...

Earlier today I had my first check-up after being put on Abiraterone. Everything seems to be going well except my blood pressure is up and my potassium level is down. This means I'm being given 10mg of Amlodipine as from tomorrow rather than 5mg ... together with all the other tablets of course.

There's not a lot to add really except the doctor and the pharmacist wanted to know how the Abiraterone was affecting me. I said the worse side effect is having to take them at 6.30 whilst half asleep. If I don't drop the top of the Buxton Water bottle because I'm fumbling about I have been known to drop one of the tablets [which I pick up hastily and swallow without thinking too much]. I don't have to take the tablets at 6.30am but I'm supposed to take them an hour before food and I don't fancy sitting around for an hour doing nothing before I have my breakfast. 

After talking to the pharmacist about my medication we had to go to the pharmacy to get the extra Amlodipine and then as part of my self-medication involves a hot bacon cob we adjourned to the Cafe @ the Royal ...

It had started to snow as we sat drinking our coffees and eating our cobs but there was still time for the usual photograph to show you how this 62 year old is looking nowadays ... 

 

Thanks to Jamie, of course, for taking me there and having to put up with his old Dad ... it is much appreciated Jamie.

Finally, I'd like to say 'hello' to Hayley's Grandma ... I sometimes wonder whether I'm going on a bit too much about the state of my health but when I learn that Hayley reads these blogs to her Grandma because she likes to know what someone else is going through too ... well, it makes it all worthwhile. 

Give your Grandma a hug and a kiss from me Hayley.