What annoys people????

[BR]

Relatively good news Rum.
Wishing you minimal problems with the treatments.

And now to lose all perspective - feckin indigestion!

[Dave]

Keep fighting, Rum

[rumncoke]

I have to or you lot would have nobody to mock

[solidarity]

I have to or you lot would have nobody to mock

Everybody has an important role to play!

Keep 'er lit, Rum.

[BaggyTrousers]

After the first MRI scan I had a telephone consultation regarding the results -- ie we need to do a CT scan and then a biopsy --TPUS nothing to worry about --- how many cores -- Having had a 12 core TRUS previously --and nearly suffering AUR ( a lot of googling folks ) he said 24 maybe more -- (oh sh-t) -- end of conversation ---- about 2 minutes later -- he phones me back ---- "Do you have a sore back" for the uninformed -- one of the first places of major spread of Prostate cancer is frequently the spine and bones . ( another oh sh-t moment ) --Why --- ? The MRI showed some wear and tear .

Truth is I have had a bad back for several years with intermittent periods of minor and severe pain and Normal take two Paracetamol in the morning which seems to control the situation -- many would consider back pain is a mind over matter situation thus if you reduce the possibility early in the morning you could be pain free the rest of the day -- some times it works sometimes it fails .

Just wear and tear -- -- --- ? " Yes' --- --" Well sometimes it's sore some times its not and i take a couple of Paracetamol to control it its been that way for a couple of years or more ? " -- "Nothing to worry about you'll get a letter regarding the pelvis CT Scan in a couple days Bye " ---- (Sh-T)

The Ct Scan showed nothing

Back to the present day have to have a "Planning CT Scan " shortly with a 20 day course of Radiation Therapy in the New Year previous MRI and CT scans revealed nothing to worry about so basically it appears to be stage 2 aggressive cancer rather than Stage 4

Stage 2 is curable ( with possible life time side effects --- note possible not probable ) Stage 4 is incurable but treatable and with a possible 10 year survival time.

Ron'n old chap, I am distressed reading of your travails, I'm reading the forum for the first time in a coon's age. I wish you well, long may you continue to spout shyte & a smattering of good sense here.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

I have to or you lot would have nobody to mock

I'm sure we could still find someone else . . . but we don't want to.

Would prefer you to hang around for a long time yet.

You said that you had cancer in 2 cores out of 30 - that is encouraging as it suggests that although you say it's aggressive, it has been detected quite early. Stage two is also encouraging as it is restricted to the prostate, albeit both sides, but I'm assuming a high Gleason score, hence the aggressive nature?

I understand your worry about your back pain. Having endured severe back pain for about 35 years now, and boy, do I wish paracetamol helped mine, it has long been a concern of mine that it could mask secondary spread of prostate cancer. It's tapentadol, gabapentin, amitriptyline daily for me with top-up codeine PRN.

All, that said, I would rather be in my position than yours Rumn. It may well be that some way down the line I will be in your position, but for now I would rather that both of us hung around for a long time yet, so I wish you all the very best with your treatment.

We love ya really!

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Ron'n old chap, I am distressed reading of your travails, I'm reading the forum for the first time in a coon's age. I wish you well, long may you continue to spout shyte & a smattering of good sense here.

I know yer being uncharacteristically nice Baggy, but are you not still barred around these here parts?

Pi$$ away aff ya aul reprobate (and come back when yer shootin yer mouth off proper like).



Oh, and Happy New Year to ya, and I hope you and yours are keeping well.

[BaggyTrousers]

Ron'n old chap, I am distressed reading of your travails, I'm reading the forum for the first time in a coon's age. I wish you well, long may you continue to spout shyte & a smattering of good sense here.

I know yer being uncharacteristically nice Baggy, but are you not still barred around these here parts?

Pi$$ away aff ya aul reprobate (and come back when yer shootin yer mouth off proper like).



Oh, and Happy New Year to ya, and I hope you and yours are keeping well.

Glad to hear you are still gulping down oxygen Grumps. I had briefly forgotten my gripe with Fermain for his ridiculous reluctance to hire me as Chief Moderator to restore this forum to its former glory.................. and beyond. Be good pal.

[rumncoke]

Capt 2 out of 39 seems like a 36 template ( free hand ) plus 3 aimed around the abnormality in the MRI . Gleason unfortunately 4+4

Hence Pet Scan and MRI and 4 sweaty weeks, another 4 sweaty weeks ahead 5x 4 radiation spent 30 minutes with oncologist as she practiced "defensive medicine " explaining the variety of possible nasty side effects --- before asking me to sign the consent form .

The alternative unfortunately lacks appeal not that am i scared of death, only what may precede it .

A listen to "welcome to my world" is wonderful reassurance.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Capt 2 out of 39 seems like a 36 template ( free hand ) plus 3 aimed around the abnormality in the MRI . Gleason unfortunately 4+4

Hence Pet Scan and MRI and 4 sweaty weeks, another 4 sweaty weeks ahead 5x 4 radiation spent 30 minutes with oncologist as she practiced "defensive medicine " explaining the variety of possible nasty side effects --- before asking me to sign the consent form .

The alternative unfortunately lacks appeal not that am i scared of death, only what may precede it .

A listen to "welcome to my world" is wonderful reassurance.

Hi Rumn - 2 out of 39 is still good, but less good is the differentiation (Gleason), but still not the worst. Six would have been better, but at least it's not ten. I hope you're able to see your glass as half full, and not half empty. If in doubt, try a smaller glass.

I think what you'll find your oncologist was doing was "providing you with all the info you needed for informed consent" , but that is often seen by the patient as "defensive medicine", especially when you seem to be bombarded with a lot of info in a short space of time.

Bottom line (pardon the pun) you have agreed a course of treatment and nothing is certain in this life, but I hope and pray that the treatment works with as little bother to yourself as possible, and you are here to wind the rest of us up for many years to come.

[rumncoke]

Capt in days of old the Informed consent was sufficient unfortunately at this time there are those who desire to be compensated financially for everything that befalls them on the the premise that someone else must be to blame .

Thus what was once provided as information now is done for protection .

Personally I am of the opinion the medical profession should be exempt from legal redress except in the case of gross negligence especially since on many occasions the compensation is being sought from a corporate public body funded by taxes rather than an individual which maybe due to the fact within that body corporate your care may be split between a large number of individuals over a considerable period of time .

Believe me Capt a day in a hospital is nothing like HOlBY nurses spend more time during day procedures filling forms than genteelly stroking patients hands and listening to life histories . Which is a shame upon society

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Capt in days of old the Informed consent was sufficient unfortunately at this time there are those who desire to be compensated financially for everything that befalls them on the the premise that someone else must be to blame .

Thus what was once provided as information now is done for protection .

Personally I am of the opinion the medical profession should be exempt from legal redress except in the case of gross negligence especially since on many occasions the compensation is being sought from a corporate public body funded by taxes rather than an individual which maybe due to the fact within that body corporate your care may be split between a large number of individuals over a considerable period of time .

Believe me Capt a day in a hospital is nothing like HOlBY nurses spend more time during day procedures filling forms than genteelly stroking patients hands and listening to life histories . Which is a shame upon society

We shall have to differ on opinions on that Rumn. In the old days there was consent, but as the Human Organ Inquiry determined, there was not informed consent for so much of what went on. If the patient doesn't have the information to make informed consent, then that consent is null and void.

I agree that compensation should only be sought in cases of gross negligence, but that is effectively what we have anyway. Some might try to get compensation for other things, but unless negligence is proven, they will usually have a snowball in hell's chance. When a case of negligence is brought, it will nearly always be brought against the individual concerned and the institute they work for (usually a hospital). If Negligence is proven, the compensation will usually be paid out jointly by the institution and the insurer of the individual(s) concerned, normally that which is provided by the professional body which the person(s) concerned belong(s) to. In a small number of severe cases the hospital may even try to reclaim their share of the payout from the individual's professional body if they can demonstrate that the person willfully acted outside their qualifications & experience and against the procedures put in place in every hospital. In such circumstances the individual would be expected to have a hearing at their professional body and risk being struck off the register to practice for gross negligence, infamous conduct etc etc, or at least go through a period of retraining and practicing under closer supervision of a superior. At the level of accountability we are discussing here, if they are not part of a medical body, they should not be employed/practicing in the first place.

Unfortunately negligence does happen in our health service - it is staffed by people and people are fallible - and if someone's life is impacted by that, it is natural that they should seek compensation, particularly if through negligence they suffer life-changing or life-ending treatment. That is the very reason medical practitioners of all disciplines have insurance through their professional bodies. Generally though if medical staff act within their training and experience, follow the procedures put in place and generally accepted as good clinical practice, whatever their discipline, no court in the land will find them negligent.

I agree that our hospitals are not run like HOlBY and I say that without having ever watched HOlBY (whatever that is). Nurses are required to fill in forms as a record that things were done correctly and to inform future treatment, not just for defensive measures, but as part of clinical audit, R&D and various other essential purposes. As one who has had more than my fair share of day procedures, I don't feel I have any need for a nurse to genteelly stroke my hand or listen to my life story, although some may benefit from that. Listening to and asking about my clinical history is a different matter and also requires form-filling, but that is to protect the patient, not the staff, as it should bring to light any potential issues between the procedure to be undertaken and past or current illness and/or current medication which would be contraindicated.

What I would suggest though is that some* nurses spend too much time simply standing around chatting while doing no worthwhile work. The day they stopped employing SENs and went to an all graduate nursing profession was the day (imo) they deprived the NHS of many nurses with a "vocation" to nursing - nurses with real compassion and care for patients - and replaced them with academics some of whom see nursing as a career, not a vocation, and think that some nursing jobs are beneath their station as graduates. I have nothing against raising standards in nursing as improved knowledge meant that graduate nurses were required for part of modern nursing, but it was the doing away with SENs that deprived the NHS of many genuinely excellent nurses who perhaps weren't academic enough to undertake or complete a degree, but as history has demonstrated were more than capable of doing an excellent job in the wards and clinics, within the overall structure of nursing.

*Note that I said "some" nurses. this is not a rant about nursing as a whole, nor do I claim that some nurses in years gone by, including some SENs didn't at times waste time that should have been used for genuine nursing care, but as a generalisation, I think it is much more common today, and has increased massively since the profession went all graduate.

[volvo]

Well put Cap'n totally agree with your precise summary. Happy New Year.

[rumncoke]

Capt I agree with most of what is stated but in the day and age when cups are marked "Contents maybe hot " every form filled seems like a defensive exercise .

Having spent a couple of nights in the "New" wards in the Ulster every patient in a private room with personal wash room and in room stores ( like a 4 star Hotel personal TV ) the nurses are run off their feet --where once a nurse to walk into a bay and could see 6 patients she must now visit 6 rooms .

I also had a night in the City in a bay a with 6 other patients and to some extent the patients help to watch each other -- one fragile old gent missing a few brain cells kept trying to get out of bed and walk round the ward ( aged about 5 years watching him ) and while their were 6 in the bay that one patient absorbed 80-90% of the nursing time .

Modern nursing is not easy and with wards being occupied by old men like myself the task becomes even harder.

Must say in the Ulster press your buzzer and two nurses were in your room within 2-3 minutes at the most. ( as I say a very busy and tiring shift for them )

Capt while you may not have been aware of each and every side effect when giving consent only an idiot would consider any procedure is without risk .The bigger the operation the bigger the risk and every operation has the possiblity of serious consequences because no two bodies are 100% identical. Thus only an idiot can't consent.

Eg the day I went for my biopsy schooled for 2-30 pm the urologist came in and cancelled at 4-45 due to complications he had with what should have a routine procedure .

[rumncoke]

Now for something slightly different

This the time of year when some good folks get Charitable with that in mind I bring to your attention

"FRIENDS OF THE CANCER CENTRE"

CANCER CENTRE
BELFAST CITY HOSPITAL
LISBURN Road
BELFAST
BT9 7AB

Friends of Cancer Centre has been dedicated to making a real and meaningful difference to cancer patients and their families across Northern Ireland for over 35 years. The Charity does this by funding

38 ADDITIONAL members of Staff including 13 specialist Nurses

Supporting local research

and providing practical support to help patients and their families

So my friends I ask you to consider this Charity in the days ahead in this new year every little helps

Although I cannot think of Cancer as a Friend more like an enemy to be feared and defeated.