Scar War XI

Scar Wars XI
In A Galaxy Far, Far Away

The Hunt Is On For The Evil Red Spot

Appearing Every Few Years It Brings Fear And Anxiety To All Those Diagnosed With It

Our Hero, Dave SkyNando, Confronts His Fears Head On.  

I was hoping to use my Jedi mind skills with the nurse when confronted with the Type 2 Diabetes question.  "Are you a Diabetic?" I waved my arm "These aren't the Droids you're looking for!" No, that didn't work.  I did however explain that his notes said I was a Type 2 Diabetic (controlled by diet) and yet I had no knowledge of this fact and as I'd never been told by my Doctor :-)  We then spoke around what my glucose sugar levels were/are.  Now call me an old cynic but if I didn't know that I was a Diabetic and my Doctor hasn't bothered to test me for this or indeed talk to me about it then what could I say?  He suggested that he might take my blood glucose to which I asked what would he compare it with exactly.  we decided, whether by Jedi mind trick or me being bloody minded not to bother.

Once before have I been in at the crack of sparrows to the Hospital and very much like today should really have been given the later appointment.  There are two reporting in times 07:45 and 11:45.  I didn't go down to theatre until 15:00 and by my reckoning that's way over 7 hours without water and 16 hours without food.  There were a couple of us in this situation and we played last man standing (well woman in her case and she followed me).

Inevitably as these things are and I should have known better - I turned up at the Planned Investigation Unit only to be told that I was in the wrong place and I should be in Surgical Admissions.  Well of course I should be, that's where I always used to go until last time and the time before that.....  As you might realise all parts of this blog are to be read with a heavy sarcastic bent.  It was well packed but not uncomfortably so.  In fact it was all going rather well as within 25 minutes I had been reviewed, spoke to the anaesthetist and been consented and spoken to my consultant who I trust.  I told her how "disappointed" I was with the recurrence and she did say that they kept their eye on us for just such an eventuality and that it wasn't unusual for this to happen.  From the diagram she had and the description she felt that she may just be able to nip it out and she would review what was there and what to do about it after grading and we chatted about Mitomycin as a potential one off installation and had I had it before, which I had not.  SHe then said it was a little too early to discuss that yet but she'd get me sorted out no problem and I could go home straight afterwards if it was all straight forward.  I said I'd like that - she knows I don't like to hang around.

The day dragged on and my first MP3 player ran out of batteries at 11:20 and so I pulled out MP3 player 2 which ran through until I was called on to get changed and have my "chat" with the nurse :-)  The Theatre was very much as I was used to although they made a meal of getting the cannula in the back of my wrist.  My Blood Pressure readings were all very high and are something I must address - I'm very surprised at how high they are especially given my diet - they should be much lower.   I went out very quickly and came too feeling an urgent need to urinate - this is par for the course - the sting from the scope does this.  So they gave me a bottle.  It was then that my Consultant popped her head around the curtain and told me the good news.  There was nothing in the bladder, no signs of a recurrence and nothing else in the bladder either.  Previously (in 2010) she just let it go, this time she felt that she ought to take biopsies which she did (4 of them I believe).  She then said once I'd urinated twice I could go home.  That was good and I was moved to stage 2 recovery and given some water and coffee. Now I'm an old hand at this and so I threw down the first jug of water and also had 2 coffees.  The second jug of water took a little longer to drink and they ordered some food for me - I had to keep that down apparently :-)  and hour and a quarter later I managed to give a very full urine bottle to the nurse.  So pleased was he with it that he said that the one would be fine and I could go home.  Great - I was disconnected from the plasma and all the bleep, bleep, bleep machines and the Blood Pressure Monitor and allowed to get dressed.  My "I'm Not Dead Yet!" Monty Python Tee Shirt always brings a smile to people's faces and it was nice to then get a sandwich and orange juice and yoghurt (all of which are potential poison to me on a Protein Diet) and I ate and drank those with gusto as I hadn't eaten for about 18 or more hours by then.

I managed to phone Mrs. F. and she could collect me on her way home from work.  After having my cannula removed I I was transferred to the discharge lounge  by wheelchair and was collected and "signed for" by Mrs. F.  I had to make a couple of stops to the toilet just before and after this as the urgency to urinate is immediate.  The pain was pretty bad and so getting home and having some Ibuprofen and Paracetamol really eased that.  I see some blood from the biopsies and have had Mrs. F. place some old towels in bed as I'm leaking a little bit :-(

It's interesting that this is the second time I have been in to remove or investigate (I suppose) what looked like a recurrence and it turned out to be clear.  In some ways it is a bit worrying that this has happened and in others it is better (as my mate Flocky Bicep said) "Better to have an Op that you didn't need than to not have one that you did"  and of course that is right.  If it had of been a cancerous tumour it needed to come out and it is better to know I suppose.  But it throws up all sorts of questions and there aren't any easy answers to them.

An example is how come I saw something in my urine that I perceived to be a bit from a tumour? How come the doctor suggested that the cytology had come back positive (although it could be me reading an inference)?  Did he and the previous doctor just bash the wall of the bladder with their scope and there was nothing really there at all or was there really something there that disappeared (without trace) on both occasions?  The doctor actually drew the anemone shaped tumour and it's location on my medical notes.  Why did I see blood traces in my urine samples (although not recently)? Did going back to FOCC and bringing my body to a high pH (alkali) level get rid of what was in there (if it was)?  The trouble is that all of this data doesn't make any sense as it stands.

I'm certainly going to have a hard think about how I move on from here.  Everything is different again (without jumping to too much of a conclusion about the biopsies).  I've got my life back and I haven't got cancer which I thought I did have.  That's the thing above all that is great but did I have it in the last 4 weeks since the flexible cystoscopy?  Has something happened in between and the answer is????  Given the evidence, we will never know.  Did the Akali environment banish the little blighter from my bladder?  If so how come it left no trace?  It's all very peculiar and it has happened twice to me now.  Perhaps my bladder bruises easily?  My consultant explained that perhaps it had something to do with the way the bladder squeezes itself to eject the urine but whatever it has reignited my desire to do something about remaining cancer free.  I certainly have the tools and the inclination to do that.  More on that in later posts, for now the main thing is that it looks as if I am cancer free still.  Long may that continue.

May The Force Be With You!