In sickness and in health

With both my flat mates returning to work yesterday I was able to crack on with domestics. Washing, ironing, shopping, housework and cooking. I was out first thing at the gym then back home to get busy. I defrosted my freezer which is a job I've been meaning to do for months. Not a nice job because our freezer is in the shed so with all the ice and the dipping temperatures I got very cold. It was also our rubbish collection day so a good time to get rid of old foods. I have been very confused about when our actual rubbish was being collected, me and all my neighbours included. I missed the collection before Christmas which was a day late because of the snow and I also missed them yesterday. They came and picked up the green bins and the red sacks but left all the black sacks so I put my sacks in the car and threw them at the tip in Newport as I was en route to Cranfield. I had promised mad Betty my laptop so after spending hours clearing it all down I duly took it over to her. Thankfully she didn't ask me in for a cup of tea so after a 10 minute handover/chat in the car park in the freezing cold I was able to make my escape.

I phoned Sue last night as I wanted to check whether Alan was still in MK hospital but good news, he was discharged on New Years Eve. Poor Sue has been stricken down with a heavy cold and she still sounded full of it on the phone even though she said she was much better. I am really pleased that Alan is at home, at least there, they can both have some sort of normal routine and I say that loosely because they still have the regime of drugs, injections and assuming daily visits of district nurses at home. Sounds like Alan was released just in time because Sue said that there was an epidemic of Swine flu on their ward and rooms were being isolated as they were leaving.

I am still really suffering with my back although I hesitate to complain when I think of what Alan went through with his back spasms. Trouble is though, my pain is down to my own stupidity and there is no one to blame bar myself. When things felt a little easier I was back in the gym doing my usual regime and obviously I have overdone it because I am back to square one. I tried a few exercises this morning but it was too uncomfortable so I gave up. No more gym visits for me until we return from holiday. As it is, I think I shall be going on holiday with a suitcase full of pain killers. When we will I ever learn?

Still on the subject of pain and hospitals, Phil and I were back at MK Hospital at the Urology Outpatient department at lunchtime for Phil's follow up appointment with Dr Andrews. We were there for his results from his biopsy and both of us were nervous. Unfortunately it wasn't great news and Phil does have prostrate cancer. This came as a bit of a shock to me, after doing some research on the Internet, Phil's PSA was fairly low so the chances were that he didn't have cancer in the prostrate. However the biopsy results indicated differently. When Phil had his biopsy they took 5 samples from the left prostrate and 5 from the right prostrate; 4 out of the 5 in the left prostrate showed cancer and the right prostrate showed abnormal cells. The consultant said that Phil's cancer is graded as 7 (stage 2) which is medium aggressive.

The registrar nurse who saw us after the consultant said that Phil needs to have an MRI to check that the cancer is isolated in the prostrate and hasn't spread. Unfortunately because we're on holiday we can't get the MRI until we get home. After the MRI scan, the cancer team will meet up to discuss his results and treatment and we meet back with the consultant on the 2nd Feb. The registrar said because of his age they would treat his cancer radically and I think he'll probably end up with surgery but its too early to say at this stage. The good news is that they have caught it early and as long as it hasn't spread then prostrate cancer is successfully treated. So there you have it, not great news but certainly not the worst. Tonight Phil is out with the boys for a pint (or 6!) and then we must get ready for holiday.