Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Playing catch up!
Ten days and hardly any time to spare! It's been non-stop mostly with bits and pieces. A promise to self: Plan next retirement!! (and make it soon). Stuff for next post: Parkinson's, Edinburgh to visit Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine. Innerleithen - more mountain bikers trashing themselves! Next hormone implant (fight urge to go shopping!) PSA test, result next week. Spinning class. Fill in PD support group committee on visit to research facility. Do it all on Thursday! I need my bed....
Saturday, 14 April 2012
More health stuff
For me it's a cathartic exercise writing this stuff!!
During the last year and a half of my working life (in a proper job!) I had noticed I had a tendency to keep tapping my right hand and at odd times , particularly when eating soup or cereal, there was a mild right hand tremor! What now!!
Work was getting hectic finishing off various projects and preparing to hand over all the bits and pieces of paperwork before I retired. At one point the MD said "As you're coming up for sixty five have you thought about continuing with work". It was a definite "No thanks!" I had a plan and it didn't include wandering about a mountain in horizontal sleet (or in summer, horizontal rain!). July 4th (Independence Day) retirement, drinks with the troops and away!
Move on a year and a half and relocated in Burghead Moray. I had registered with the Moray Coast Medical Practice and as the tremor in my hand had become more noticeable I eventually made an appointment to see what my new GP thought was going on. After a quick check up of blood pressure and pulse rate there were a few questions about life style, stress etc. and I was pleased to hear him say "I'm not really sure, there are a number of causes of tremors so I'll refer you to a Neurologist in Aberdeen and we'll see what he has to say". I like a doctor who can say "I'm not sure", I don't expect them to know everything about everything, and you know that they're not trying to fudge the issue.
A while later and it's a bus ride to The Granite City, great, the bus stops right outside the hospital, time for a quick coffee followed by a short wait in the Neurology Department. A consultation and some tests and forty five minutes later I'm back in the hospital cafe coming to terms with a diagnosis of Parkinson's!! A degenerative neurological problem with (at present) no cure! There was I, sat clutching a mug of coffee in my left hand, the right was shaking too much, and thinking shit! why me?? First cancer, now this! What next? bloody leprosy!! After a wee rant at life in general I'm back on the bus home and reading the Parkinson's information booklet I'd been given. To be fair, I wasn't just given the diagnosis and turfed out, an appointment had been made to see a Geriatrician with a special interest in Parkinson's, and a Specialist Parkinson's Nurse at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin. This situation was far preferable to a two hour bus trip to Aberdeen, and I could always contact the Aberdeen consultant if necessary. Grampian Health Board were coming up with real joined up thinking!!
Now it was going to be a case of reading and on line searches to find out what joys Dr Parkinson's shaking palsy had in store for me!!
During the last year and a half of my working life (in a proper job!) I had noticed I had a tendency to keep tapping my right hand and at odd times , particularly when eating soup or cereal, there was a mild right hand tremor! What now!!
Work was getting hectic finishing off various projects and preparing to hand over all the bits and pieces of paperwork before I retired. At one point the MD said "As you're coming up for sixty five have you thought about continuing with work". It was a definite "No thanks!" I had a plan and it didn't include wandering about a mountain in horizontal sleet (or in summer, horizontal rain!). July 4th (Independence Day) retirement, drinks with the troops and away!
Move on a year and a half and relocated in Burghead Moray. I had registered with the Moray Coast Medical Practice and as the tremor in my hand had become more noticeable I eventually made an appointment to see what my new GP thought was going on. After a quick check up of blood pressure and pulse rate there were a few questions about life style, stress etc. and I was pleased to hear him say "I'm not really sure, there are a number of causes of tremors so I'll refer you to a Neurologist in Aberdeen and we'll see what he has to say". I like a doctor who can say "I'm not sure", I don't expect them to know everything about everything, and you know that they're not trying to fudge the issue.
A while later and it's a bus ride to The Granite City, great, the bus stops right outside the hospital, time for a quick coffee followed by a short wait in the Neurology Department. A consultation and some tests and forty five minutes later I'm back in the hospital cafe coming to terms with a diagnosis of Parkinson's!! A degenerative neurological problem with (at present) no cure! There was I, sat clutching a mug of coffee in my left hand, the right was shaking too much, and thinking shit! why me?? First cancer, now this! What next? bloody leprosy!! After a wee rant at life in general I'm back on the bus home and reading the Parkinson's information booklet I'd been given. To be fair, I wasn't just given the diagnosis and turfed out, an appointment had been made to see a Geriatrician with a special interest in Parkinson's, and a Specialist Parkinson's Nurse at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin. This situation was far preferable to a two hour bus trip to Aberdeen, and I could always contact the Aberdeen consultant if necessary. Grampian Health Board were coming up with real joined up thinking!!
Now it was going to be a case of reading and on line searches to find out what joys Dr Parkinson's shaking palsy had in store for me!!
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Busy busy!
From shorts and tee shirt weather to a mini blizzard overnight! Ah well it is March and Scotland!
A Wednesday morning spinning session at the Leisure Centre trying to keep heart, lungs and legs in some semblance of fitness until a bit of sunny biking weather comes along. Thursday was prep time for the weekend, a trip over to Fort William to help load up the medical kit ready to head down to Newcastleton in the Borders to provide medical cover for a 24 hour xc mountain bike event. The riders had a four hour period for signing on and what ever training/warming up they wanted to do then kick off at noon. Our medical base was luxury! A warm chalet with bedding provided, and large room to set out a treatment area, and most important a coffee brewing area, far better than a draughty 'easy-up' tent with no heating!! The event was relatively quiet for us, quiet is good, means no one gets hurt, the casualty tally at the end of the race was six, only one rider had to be evacuated from the course and that was mostly due to a 'mechanical fault', a broken chain jamming everything up, rider over the bars resulting in a minor leg injury. The other good point was that the event finished at noon on the Sunday meaning we could get away at a reasonable time to make the five hour journey back. Next gig, the weekend of the 21st-22nd April, and it's back to Innerleithen.
Back to the cancer saga. It's almost eight years since my prostatectomy and seven since the radiotherapy but I still have to get a blood test every three months to check the PSA level. The readings had been pretty stable, around 0.6 with the odd blip up to 1.2. Then in October of 2009 I was up to 1.9, a year later 2.7 and three month later 4.8, thing were not looking so bright now!! Raigmore urology department had been monitoring my progress and decided to haul my in for a bone scan to see if any nasty cells had spread into my skeletal system, thankfully I got an all clear on that score, however, my next PSA score was up to 6.7, decidedly not good!! After further consultations with urology and oncology they explained that the cancer cells thrived on testosterone, therefore I was advised to undergo Androgen Ablation, this would essentially 'kill off' any testosterone and its production leaving me with menopausal like symptoms!! At least 'orchidectomy' (look it up on Google) is rarely carried out nowadays, eyes water at the thought!! In the end I was prescribed a hormonal drug which is injected as a slow release implant every three months. After two doses my PSA has dramatically plummeted to 0.1 and testosterone is at an equally low level. The only noticeable side effects are an increased desire to go shopping, but I can't find a decent shoulder bag with a tweed finish or any nice heels in a size ten!! At least I'm not getting 'hot flushes' or any of the other problems some guys on hormone therapy have to put up with. What can one say! you've got to have a laugh about things or you'd cry, and "life is too important to be taken seriously" (Oscar Wilde).
A Wednesday morning spinning session at the Leisure Centre trying to keep heart, lungs and legs in some semblance of fitness until a bit of sunny biking weather comes along. Thursday was prep time for the weekend, a trip over to Fort William to help load up the medical kit ready to head down to Newcastleton in the Borders to provide medical cover for a 24 hour xc mountain bike event. The riders had a four hour period for signing on and what ever training/warming up they wanted to do then kick off at noon. Our medical base was luxury! A warm chalet with bedding provided, and large room to set out a treatment area, and most important a coffee brewing area, far better than a draughty 'easy-up' tent with no heating!! The event was relatively quiet for us, quiet is good, means no one gets hurt, the casualty tally at the end of the race was six, only one rider had to be evacuated from the course and that was mostly due to a 'mechanical fault', a broken chain jamming everything up, rider over the bars resulting in a minor leg injury. The other good point was that the event finished at noon on the Sunday meaning we could get away at a reasonable time to make the five hour journey back. Next gig, the weekend of the 21st-22nd April, and it's back to Innerleithen.
Back to the cancer saga. It's almost eight years since my prostatectomy and seven since the radiotherapy but I still have to get a blood test every three months to check the PSA level. The readings had been pretty stable, around 0.6 with the odd blip up to 1.2. Then in October of 2009 I was up to 1.9, a year later 2.7 and three month later 4.8, thing were not looking so bright now!! Raigmore urology department had been monitoring my progress and decided to haul my in for a bone scan to see if any nasty cells had spread into my skeletal system, thankfully I got an all clear on that score, however, my next PSA score was up to 6.7, decidedly not good!! After further consultations with urology and oncology they explained that the cancer cells thrived on testosterone, therefore I was advised to undergo Androgen Ablation, this would essentially 'kill off' any testosterone and its production leaving me with menopausal like symptoms!! At least 'orchidectomy' (look it up on Google) is rarely carried out nowadays, eyes water at the thought!! In the end I was prescribed a hormonal drug which is injected as a slow release implant every three months. After two doses my PSA has dramatically plummeted to 0.1 and testosterone is at an equally low level. The only noticeable side effects are an increased desire to go shopping, but I can't find a decent shoulder bag with a tweed finish or any nice heels in a size ten!! At least I'm not getting 'hot flushes' or any of the other problems some guys on hormone therapy have to put up with. What can one say! you've got to have a laugh about things or you'd cry, and "life is too important to be taken seriously" (Oscar Wilde).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)