Mint Weekend

Our appointment with the radiotherapy guy on Friday took place at the MacMillan unit near Ward 16 at MK General. First impressions were good, friendly staff and we were seen within 5 minutes of arriving. I had to laugh because Phil had started with his ear drops earlier that morning so he was practically deaf in one ear, a fact which I had to share with the receptionist in case she thought Phil was ignoring her.

We were shown to a consultation room where we were introduced to the registrar and Dr Camilleri the oncology specialist. He seemed okay and had obviously read up on all of Phil's medical notes which is always a good sign. Unfortunately he did get my back up when I mentioned the prostrate cancer diet which he immediately dismissed based on lack of any proven scientific evidence. He said that life was for living and we should enjoy it. I decided to shut up but I was angry because he could see that Phil is a big guy and would benefit from loosing a few stone. The leaflet 'Diet & Prostrate Cancer' issued by the Prostate Cancer Charity states that the westerners have higher rates of prostate cancer than people living in far eastern countries such as China and Japan which researchers think may be be due to the Western diet. Anyway, the fact that Phil's PSA level has dropped and he's shed 12 pounds is proof that diet does make a difference; I rest my case.

Aside from the diet discussion, the rest of our meeting with Dr Carmilleri went well. He obviously knew his stuff and explained the differences between Brachytherapy and Radiotherapy treatments. He talked about side affects and survival statistics. Phil felt comfortable with Dr Camilleri which was the most important thing. We have a week to decide which treatment we're going for and are back on Friday to see Dr Carmilleri to let him know our decision. Obviously the final decision will be down to Phil because after all,it is his prostate, but at this moment in time, I'm thinking we should go for the radiotherapy. The reason for this, is based on the fact that Dr Carmillleri said that the MRI could pick up masses but it couldn't detect little micro cells not contained in the prostate. So if Phil goes for the radiotherapy, the high energy x-rays that zap the prostate gland will also zap the tissues that immediately around it. The surgery option won't do this and neither will the Bracherapy.

Enough of cancer, onto the weekend. It was a last minute idea but on Friday we made the decision to go to Birmingham for the weekend. Phil has been wanting to see the new Bull Ring centre for ages. I'd already been so I wasn't particularly bothered but I saw the forecast was good for Saturday so I got on the net and booked us a hotel. By chance I found the Mint Hotel in Birmingham which was advertising a bargain rate. £69 for a room, breakfast wasn't included but a £20 love-to-shop voucher was thrown in which I thought was a good deal. http://www.minthotel.com/birmingham/birmingham-hotels.htm

 

We had a few jobs at home to sort before we left but we parked in the multi storey and were standing in the hotel reception at 11.45am. Check-in wasn't until 3pm but when I asked the receptionist if we could leave our bag she kindly said we could check in straight away. This was great and we got our keys (and our voucher) and went to check out room 538 right away. Phil fell in love with our room as soon as he stepped inside. And when he spotted the iMac entertainment system, he was over joyed and could barely contain his excitement. Boys and toys hey. The room had everything we could need, it was a bit on the small side and didn't have a bath but it had a large bed and nice modern decor. I didn't think I'd be able to entice Phil out of the hotel but it was approaching lunchtime and the boy was hungry so it wasn't too difficult.

We made our way to the centre via the canal which was only 5 minutes from our hotel. It was a lovely walk with lots of bars and restaurants all the way along to The Mailbox Centre where is where we decided to stop for lunch. We found an Asian restaurant offering a fusion of Thai and Japanese food. http://www.theoriental.uk.com/ We had 2 courses, the food was good but the service was a little on the slow side. That didn't matter though as we weren't in any hurry. Phil wanted to eat at Purnells, the restaurant owned by Michelin starred Birmingham chef, Glynn Purnell but unsurprisingly, when I phoned to book they were fully booked up.

 

After lunch we walked up through The Mailbox Centre, down the main street by Birmingham New Street station and found ourselves right outside the main Bull Ring Centre. The streets were buzzing and the place had a real vibe. We didn't go inside the actual Bull Ring Centre though mainly because I'd been before and also because Phil doesn't do shopping. Phil had a browse in Waterstones and I had look in Lypsy and then we walked back to our hotel along the canal side. We were lucky with the weather, it was a beautiful day, the sun was shining although it did get a little chilly as the day was closing in.

 

We'd brought DVD's and wine and scooby snacks with us so decided to make ourselves comfy and stay in for the evening. This makes us sound like a pair of boring old farts but with Phil on the diet, I didn't want to push it and go out for dinner and besides we had everything we needed in our rooms. It was a pleasant night, wine and movies and only slightly spoilt by the noisy people next door and the fire alarm going off on our floor just after 9pm. Luckily it was a false alarm and we didn't have to evacuate. Amazingly Phil slept through the fire alarm which I suppose just goes to show how chilled out he was.

 

I can thoroughly recommend the Mint Hotel if you need to stay overnight in Birmingham. The location is great, parking isn't a problem and great walks along the canal side especially in the summer months. Only downside is that the restaurant seemed rather expensive. A continental room service breakfast would have cost £28 if you factored in the tray charge which seemed crazy to us. We didn't bother with the hotel breakfast, I sent Phil out to find a café and he came back with fruit for him and a sausage sandwich for me. There was tea and coffee making facilities in the room so we were sorted.

 

We checked out just before midday and drove back to MK in the rain which wasn't much fun. Lunch was turkey byriani and afterwards Phil went over to Northampton to take G out for some driving practice. Her 3^rd driving test is on the 17^th March so she needs to get some practice plus its good for the old KA to get a run. Unfortunately Phil said it was playing up when they got out on the road and they had to go to Halfords to get a replacement gasket. It would be a shame after all the money that we've spent if the KA dies before G gets a chance to drive it.

My Sunday afternoon was spent doing domestics, first up some cooking, pea and mint soup and a potato, spinach and cauliflower curry and rice in readiness for the start of the week. Cooking duties over, I sorted the washing and got on with the ironing. I feel good when the washing and ironing baskets are empty, its a good way to start the week and frees my mind, which at the moment is overflowing with all kinds of worries. Still, aside from coming back to domestics, we had a good weekend and it was just nice to get away and do something different for a change.