Self indulgent? I don't care!

This cancer stuff is a cathartic process for me, so a wee glass of red and keep going!

Back to Raigmore and time for the catheter to come out; oh joy!  Back to life without having a bag of warm piss strapped to my leg!  Mind you, it did have the odd benefit, I could go for hours before I needed to think about looking for a convenient spot to drain off the plumbing system!  However, now that the 'main drain' had been removed, to ensure that my urethra didn't start to close up again I had the pleasure of having to 'self catheterise' once a day for a month.  A bit of DIY treatment!  The Specialist Urology Nurse sorted out a pack of catheters for me, gave me the instruction book (with DVD) and asked if I was happy about what I was required to do.  I told him I could think of nothing more thrilling than sticking a plastic rod up my dick and into my bladder every day for a month!  At least it was in my own hands so to speak, and wouldn't need the ministrations of the District Nurse.  I certainly didn't want to go through the problems of another stricture.

A month later and catheters all done!!!  a further two months and another PSA reading, still rising, definitely not a good sign.  Three more months, another test, another increase, a week or so later and an appointment to see my urologist dropped through the door.  Another journey to Inverness and a long discussion with my urologist about what was going on with my innards.  "Well it looks as though some cancerous cells have invaded the tissue beyond the prostate margin; hence the rise in your PSA level, I've organised for you to see an oncologist to discuss further treatment, I think we (meaning me) will be looking at radiotherapy".  Having gone through surgery and its associated side effect I was willing to do what ever else was necessary to effect a cure (if a cure was going to be possible!).  The oncology consultant explained in great detail what the proposed treatment would entail.  I would require six weeks of therapy, one session per day Monday through Friday, each session lasting around twenty minutes, but before starting I would require an MRI scan.  Now that my prostate was no more they would need to pinpoint where to focus the x-ray beam.  From data taken during the scan it gave three points where tiny black dots were tattooed, one on each hip and one dead centre on the pubis, these dots were aiming marks for the radiographers when setting up the machinery to zap me.
On May 30th 2005, just over a year after the prostatectomy operation I started my six weeks of radiotherapy.