The Friday night and Saturday at Glenmore Lodge was a training session for BASP First Aid Trainers. After dinner on Friday evening it was very much a time catching up with folks not seen for ages and what could euphemistically be called an 'open forum' (drinking session). I chickened out around midnight having done my best to rid the world of red wine! I think some of the 'serious' drinkers turned in around two o'clock.
Saturday, snow. Much muttering about being stuck inside instead of skiing! Breakfast, a healthy bowl of muesli and fruit followed by a full English and large coffee!! Over breakfast the skiing talk was toned down to "Well, the snow won't have consolidated" and "It'll all be wet and heavy stuff to ski in", so 'inside' wasn't looking so bad after all.
First up was an Aviemore GP and BASICS Doctor who spends a lot of time with the local ski patrol. He was giving us an update on the management of spinal injuries, particularly injuries to the cervical spine. To collar or not to collar?? The consensus was that in the winter mountain environment the main factors influencing the decision would be the prevailing weather conditions and the quality/effectiveness of the available method of total immobilisation. If it's snowing and blowing we would be reluctant to expose a casualty sufficiently to fit a collar as long as an effective method of total casualty immobilisation was available (usually a vacuum mattress).
The removal of full face motorcycle helmets was refreshed and practised, both with an assistant and solo.
Coffee and biccies.
Some discussion on semantics! What terminology do trainers use, is it primary survey, body sweep, head to toe body check!! Send the doubters back to read the book!!!
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Saturday, 5 May 2012
Nearly up to date!
Tuesday last week, time for my third quarterly hormone implant. Also, after a bit of negotiation with the practice nurse I got her to do my PSA at the same time, both are done every twelve weeks so it seemed to make sense to bring the PSA test forward a week or so to get it and the implant both done at the same time. Next time I collect the hormone stuff (it comes in a fancy pre-loaded syringe) from the pharmacy I must check out the needle gauge, the first two doses were not too bad but the last one felt like a blunt piece of drainpipe being stuck in, it's probably something like a 16 or 18g and I was just being wimpish! The Bothy is right next door to the Doc's so I felt I had to do a quality control test on a cappuccino, and then I had to have a cake to soak up the coffee!!
Wednesday and eighth spinning session. The bus gets me to the leisure centre about 45minutes before the geriatric's session starts, so it's possible to sit in the cafe and watch the earlier class still pounding away on the bikes. Lycra must have some sort of special magnetic qualities because I found it difficult to pull my eyes away from a couple of young things bouncing away on the pedals!!! (it must be something to do with the medication!!). 11:15, we geriatric spinners start our three quarters of an hour of graft! The beat of the music definitely helps, a mix of 70's and 80's tunes to work up a sweat and get the cardiovascular system up and running. Two more weeks and hopefully it will be settled weather to get out on the trails through the local woods rather than be working up a sweat indoors.
Off to Glenmore Lodge on Friday, more later.
Wednesday and eighth spinning session. The bus gets me to the leisure centre about 45minutes before the geriatric's session starts, so it's possible to sit in the cafe and watch the earlier class still pounding away on the bikes. Lycra must have some sort of special magnetic qualities because I found it difficult to pull my eyes away from a couple of young things bouncing away on the pedals!!! (it must be something to do with the medication!!). 11:15, we geriatric spinners start our three quarters of an hour of graft! The beat of the music definitely helps, a mix of 70's and 80's tunes to work up a sweat and get the cardiovascular system up and running. Two more weeks and hopefully it will be settled weather to get out on the trails through the local woods rather than be working up a sweat indoors.
Off to Glenmore Lodge on Friday, more later.
Thursday, 3 May 2012
'Inners' continued
Saturday morning and the bunkhouse kitchen and lounge were remarkably tidy considering the state of many of the previous nights revellers! Loads of empties stacked up by the recycling bin, several part empty vodka and JD bottles and that was about it! They were programmed for laser clay pigeon shooting later in the day, must ask them what the clay hit rate was!!
The med team was up and rarein' to go (sort of). Off to the Co-op to pick up a couple of bags of ice, unfortunately no gin etc, but it would do to make ice packs for soft tissue injuries. On site at the race base at 0745, rig the easy-up med base tent and sort out the gear for base and two med rescue points on the race trail, then time to issue radios, collect pack lunches, grab a bacon roll and a coffee and see the troops off for their day on the hill. The kit was taken out by ambulance which provided the opportunity to sus out the access points if a rider was sufficiently damaged and required to be evacuated from the trail. The mid trail crew had the shelter of a car to hide from the showers in and skulked like coiled springs waiting for action! No such luxury for the team near the top of the trail, for them it was waterproofs and lurk under trees waiting for riders to break themselves! Unfortunately the base team had to tolerate the loudspeakers blasting a commentary and occasionally some particularly odious rap c**p music?? (it can't just be an age thing!!), the plus points at base were an easy-up to hide in, the close proximity of the bacon roll and coffee bar and porta-loos. We suffer in the service of Rescue Medics!!!
Saturday was registration and practice day, riders could take their time, check out sections of the trail and work out the best line to take on the technical bits. For the medics it was fairly uneventful, a shoulder rotator cuff injury, a possible scaphoid fracture and an assortment of bumps and scrapes to clean up and dress. Hopefully Sunday would be even less eventful. As part of an event medic team it's one job where you hope not to have to do anything!!
1730 last rider off and trail closed, radios all in for charging up, and then it's off to the Co-op for some food and a bottle or three of red. On return to the bunkhouse all was quiet, we discovered the stag party were having a night visiting the bright lights of Peebles!! At least it gave us a quiet evening to savour the Co-op's finest 'special offer' red stuff.
An early riser, I was sat in the kitchen having a quiet morning brew when one of the revellers staggered in "My God" he says, "You're up late!", "No mate" I says, "I'm up early, I think you're up late!", "Oh bugger" he said as he staggered off bed ward!!
Day two and the weather appears to be a bit drier, radios issued, lunches, equipment and teams delivered to their respective spots on the hill and wait for off. Two more hours of practice for those that wanted and then the timed runs starting at 1100.
At base there were one or two walking wounded in for re-dressing or having wrists strapped to provide support for riding and then it was coffee and run through some of the diagnostic tools again for practice, more coffee and wait for the inevitable radio call "Rider down medic required". The hill troops did a stirling job when ever these calls came through, quickly on scene and evaluating the situation and casualty's condition. Thankfully the majority, apart from being knocked about a bit had only minor injuries, abrasions and the like, only two had to be picked up by ambulance, one with an ankle sprain and one with a fractured clavicle! (these things happen if you're going to throw yourself at a great rate of knots down a rocky hill on a bike).
With the race done and dusted we were free to pack everything back into the ambulance for out trek back through Edinburgh and up the A9. 2300 saw us back to Roy Bridge, park up the ambulance and bed. Another early start as my accommodation provider had to be in Glasgow around 0930 so a drop off in Fort William and a 30 minute wait for the 0715 bus back to Inverness and a second breakfast.
The med team was up and rarein' to go (sort of). Off to the Co-op to pick up a couple of bags of ice, unfortunately no gin etc, but it would do to make ice packs for soft tissue injuries. On site at the race base at 0745, rig the easy-up med base tent and sort out the gear for base and two med rescue points on the race trail, then time to issue radios, collect pack lunches, grab a bacon roll and a coffee and see the troops off for their day on the hill. The kit was taken out by ambulance which provided the opportunity to sus out the access points if a rider was sufficiently damaged and required to be evacuated from the trail. The mid trail crew had the shelter of a car to hide from the showers in and skulked like coiled springs waiting for action! No such luxury for the team near the top of the trail, for them it was waterproofs and lurk under trees waiting for riders to break themselves! Unfortunately the base team had to tolerate the loudspeakers blasting a commentary and occasionally some particularly odious rap c**p music?? (it can't just be an age thing!!), the plus points at base were an easy-up to hide in, the close proximity of the bacon roll and coffee bar and porta-loos. We suffer in the service of Rescue Medics!!!
Saturday was registration and practice day, riders could take their time, check out sections of the trail and work out the best line to take on the technical bits. For the medics it was fairly uneventful, a shoulder rotator cuff injury, a possible scaphoid fracture and an assortment of bumps and scrapes to clean up and dress. Hopefully Sunday would be even less eventful. As part of an event medic team it's one job where you hope not to have to do anything!!
1730 last rider off and trail closed, radios all in for charging up, and then it's off to the Co-op for some food and a bottle or three of red. On return to the bunkhouse all was quiet, we discovered the stag party were having a night visiting the bright lights of Peebles!! At least it gave us a quiet evening to savour the Co-op's finest 'special offer' red stuff.
An early riser, I was sat in the kitchen having a quiet morning brew when one of the revellers staggered in "My God" he says, "You're up late!", "No mate" I says, "I'm up early, I think you're up late!", "Oh bugger" he said as he staggered off bed ward!!
Day two and the weather appears to be a bit drier, radios issued, lunches, equipment and teams delivered to their respective spots on the hill and wait for off. Two more hours of practice for those that wanted and then the timed runs starting at 1100.
At base there were one or two walking wounded in for re-dressing or having wrists strapped to provide support for riding and then it was coffee and run through some of the diagnostic tools again for practice, more coffee and wait for the inevitable radio call "Rider down medic required". The hill troops did a stirling job when ever these calls came through, quickly on scene and evaluating the situation and casualty's condition. Thankfully the majority, apart from being knocked about a bit had only minor injuries, abrasions and the like, only two had to be picked up by ambulance, one with an ankle sprain and one with a fractured clavicle! (these things happen if you're going to throw yourself at a great rate of knots down a rocky hill on a bike).
With the race done and dusted we were free to pack everything back into the ambulance for out trek back through Edinburgh and up the A9. 2300 saw us back to Roy Bridge, park up the ambulance and bed. Another early start as my accommodation provider had to be in Glasgow around 0930 so a drop off in Fort William and a 30 minute wait for the 0715 bus back to Inverness and a second breakfast.
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).
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Saturday night and a glass of red!
Back on the treatment trail, will it work? I most definitely hope so!!
The RT treatment was quite straight forward, strip down to tee shirt and shorts and up onto a couch amid high-tech gubbins to be carefully wedged into place so that the radiographers could line up their x-ray machine on one of my tattoo marks. I was told "DON'T MOVE" while the operators went and hid a a lead shielded room. The machine clicked and hummed while the timer counted down, more clicks and the humming stopped, staff appeared from their dugout, realigned the machine, ordered "DON'T MOVE" and disappeared again. When the third dot had been zapped treatment was over until the same time next day and so on for the rest of the week. Because my treatment slot was 11:20 it made a serious hole in the day so with a bit of pleading and eyelash fluttering I managed to chat the young lady programming appointments to slot me in at the beginning of the day, so on the Monday of week two I had an early start to get back up to Inverness but it was worth it to have the rest of the day to myself.
Because of the travelling involved while I was undergoing treatment I was accommodated in an NHS flat at the hospital from Monday through Friday and home over the weekend. Knowing that as the therapy progressed its effect on me would be more and more tiring so I had resolved to make the best use of these early weeks.
My mountain bike was in the back of the car so after my therapy session I was away. Culloden Battlefield (National Trust coffee shop), along the Caledonian Canal from the basin at Clachnaharry (nice little pub) past Bught Park (cafe in the Floral Hall) to Dochgarroch (small cafe). These trips out on the bike along with walks into town and browsing through the books in Waterstones (coffee shop), or spending hours looking through Leaky's huge stock of second hand books (coffee shop) kept me occupied and gave me some exercise. The last two weeks of treatment were beginning to take a toll on me, the accumulated doses of radiation were making me very tired. Now after treatment I would manage a short walk or ride, back for a shower and then read or sit out in the sun, after lunch I would sleep or read, dinner, perhaps some TV, a shower and bed. The days were becoming a blur and the end of therapy was a bit of an anticlimax, a final session on the Friday morning, say my goodbyes to the radiography team, back to my room to pack up, load the car and away back to sunny Fort William.
The RT treatment was quite straight forward, strip down to tee shirt and shorts and up onto a couch amid high-tech gubbins to be carefully wedged into place so that the radiographers could line up their x-ray machine on one of my tattoo marks. I was told "DON'T MOVE" while the operators went and hid a a lead shielded room. The machine clicked and hummed while the timer counted down, more clicks and the humming stopped, staff appeared from their dugout, realigned the machine, ordered "DON'T MOVE" and disappeared again. When the third dot had been zapped treatment was over until the same time next day and so on for the rest of the week. Because my treatment slot was 11:20 it made a serious hole in the day so with a bit of pleading and eyelash fluttering I managed to chat the young lady programming appointments to slot me in at the beginning of the day, so on the Monday of week two I had an early start to get back up to Inverness but it was worth it to have the rest of the day to myself.
Because of the travelling involved while I was undergoing treatment I was accommodated in an NHS flat at the hospital from Monday through Friday and home over the weekend. Knowing that as the therapy progressed its effect on me would be more and more tiring so I had resolved to make the best use of these early weeks.
My mountain bike was in the back of the car so after my therapy session I was away. Culloden Battlefield (National Trust coffee shop), along the Caledonian Canal from the basin at Clachnaharry (nice little pub) past Bught Park (cafe in the Floral Hall) to Dochgarroch (small cafe). These trips out on the bike along with walks into town and browsing through the books in Waterstones (coffee shop), or spending hours looking through Leaky's huge stock of second hand books (coffee shop) kept me occupied and gave me some exercise. The last two weeks of treatment were beginning to take a toll on me, the accumulated doses of radiation were making me very tired. Now after treatment I would manage a short walk or ride, back for a shower and then read or sit out in the sun, after lunch I would sleep or read, dinner, perhaps some TV, a shower and bed. The days were becoming a blur and the end of therapy was a bit of an anticlimax, a final session on the Friday morning, say my goodbyes to the radiography team, back to my room to pack up, load the car and away back to sunny Fort William.
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