Hi everyone
It is quite a while since posted on this part of the site. It has been a bit of a traumatic journey over the last twelve months.
For those new to the site I have advanced metastatic prostate cancer first diagnosed sixteen years ago. So I am one of those who has lived through a lot of treatment and with cancer for a long time.
The latest scans show that the cancer is still mainly in the abdomen where it i still strangling the left ureter, the tube that drains from the kidney to the bladder, but now there are also some metastases in the rib cage. So far no pain which is a good thing. Most of what I have to endure is side effects of treatment, after late side effects. Twelve months ago I was on a clinical trial of a new drug, but that only worked for about four months. Since then I have been on three different drugs, none of which has worked, so all pain for no gain, whilst the cancer relentlessly grows and spreads. Because the cancer is strangling the left ureter, I now have a tube in my left side that goes directly into the kidney - a nephrostomy. The drainage bag for that is on my left leg. Surgery twelve months ago left me with no bladder control so I have "condom drainage" and bag on my right leg. So I am even footed, if not even handed. Currently I am on hospital as the kidney decide to bleed and I was passing a lot of blood through the nephrostomy. Could be an infection of a side effect of the current drug, which is not working anyway. Unfortunately the drug also make you throw up and messes round with temperature so it could be either.
There is still some hope, a new drug will hopeful be approved in July and all the experts say it is what I need.
Cheers
Sailor
But to every sailor comes time to drop anchor
Haul in the sails and make the lines fast
You deep-water dreamer your journey is over
You’re safe in the harbour at last. Eric Bogle, Safe in the Harbour
