Late in last October my MS symptoms began to increase in severity…
I knew it was happening and needed attention, but the impasse - as always - is my inability to help the medicos understand what was happening to me as I seem unable to give a coherent explanation of my symptoms…
Once I’ve established my symptoms are MS related, first stop is the MS nurse… who only works three days a week now, and doesn’t always return calls…
Sometime later, having established with the nurse my condition requires further attention, I can organise an appointment with the G.P…
Sometime later, On receiving a phone consultation I’m booked for bloods…
Within 24hrs my G.P. is on the phone, “all your psa’s are good… (pause) except for the prostate one…”
Three days later I’ve had an phone consultation with the Urologist, am booked for MRI, pre-biopsy…
Xmas was “difficult”…
Due to the position of the areas of my prostate causing concern I’m to have the biopsy procedure under GA which, on the whole, I’m quite happy about…
Into Feb and the local Hospital is a plague pit, but I receive an offer of treatment at the local Nuffield Clinic… I did push back a bit as I’m “NHS ALL THE WAY…!”, but I was told “Oh, don’t worry. It’s all the same team…” Upshot is, if you get offered an upgrade, take it.,!
I have prostate cancer. Fortunately, from 20cores, only one shows evidence of cancer, and it’s at a very early stage. The Urologist isn’t worried, so neither am I.
I now have a MacMillan Nurse & support worker assigned to me… I was taken aback last week when I received a call from them “just to check I was OK…”
I have a programme of monitoring for the next 5yrs… I’ve heaps of very high quality pamphlets explaining how I should now approach all aspects of my life with prostate cancer…
Unfortunately my MS symptoms have continued to intensify… so I’ll have to leave a message for the MS nurse on Monday…