Get used to it. Cancer treatment means lots of scans, it’s just a fact of life. I usually get a CT scan every 6 to 9 weeks, but different doctors have different needs. In the course of treatment, I had ultrasounds, radiotherapy planning scans and even, because I was really lucky? I had some nuclear […]
In 2019 and 2020 I had lots of major surgery for cancer. My penis, both sides of my groin and my pelvis have all been under the knife. In truth, I probably couldn’t have handled many more operations. The 9 inch scars each side of my groin are really neat and tidy, and the hairs […]
Stress. Cancer is often stressful, and more than anything I think it’s just fear of the unknown. It plays on the mind, I know it’s not just me. Sometimes I feel completely fine too, like all this is happening to someone else. Believe me when I say this, that a whole family suffers with cancer, […]
It’s not a church. Healthcare in the UK can be an emotive subject. After all, a significant proportion of the UK population seem to believe the NHS is some kind of religious institution. I am going to start with a big statement. If I didn’t have access to private healthcare, I might be dead. Or, […]
26th November 2020, St George’s Hospital, London, England. I’m a glutton for punishment. What a day today has been. I checked out from The Lister at lunchtime with a month’s worth of drugs, and a clean bill of health. The ward sister worked some magic behind the scenes, and I didn’t get ripped off at […]
28th November 2020, St Anthony’s Hospital, Surrey, England. After a rough week in hospital with the cellulitis returning, it was time to update the professor. I haven’t seen him since the robotic surgery in March. It was a gorgeous sunny morning as I made my way round the M25. It’s a journey I’ve made fifty […]
Swelling in the legs (and genitals) after groin surgery and cancer treatment is a big deal. Whilst I’ve had my fair share of swollen bollocks, I’ve been quite lucky with my legs. I have already written about general inflammation and swelling, but this is a bit different. I want to talk about compression, and how […]
I was asked by a journalist for my top tips for chemo treatment. You never know what’s going to be published, or if anything will end up in the paper… So, here they are! Make sure you can get some gentle exercise while you’re undergoing treatment. The drugs can really take it out of you, […]
It’s a mouthful, certainly. The doctors like to refer to this little procedure as a ‘FNA’, and it’s really simple. I’ve had a few in the past! Sometimes, after a scan an abnormality can show up. For me, this has been where a lymph node looks slightly different to the picture they saw the last […]