So, hi there. I'm new to this.
Where do I start? Bring you up to date? Dad had a huge belly. He was a good eater, so we thought it was too much rich food and Guiness. He had trouble peeing, but thought nothing of it. A proud man usually doesn't. Anyway, turns out he had been retaining urine for a long time. Eventually, they had a look and found 6 litres of urine in his bladder. They drained it. His bladder had been streatched to wafer thin. It was gubbed. They also spotted a spot on his bladder but it was 'probably nothing to be worried about'.
That would have been July/August. They left him till about November/December and thought about a scan. Dad told us on 21st December 2010 that he had a tumour on his bladder - a big tumour. They couldn't do a biopsy incase they tore his bladder. Scans followed. You would think results would be quick but as the Christmas holidays were here, we didn't get any results until 11th January 2011. No rush...
They realised that they left this thing too long and apologised, muttered. The bladder removal operation was on 28th January. I might go back to that later - maybe even tell you what the surgeon said about us disappointing him in the week before the op.
Dad survived the 12 hour op. Chemo hasn't started yet. The surgeon didn't send the referral to the Beatson.
Eventually we got to the Beatson. He was on the drip on Thursday, but he got a urine infection. Chemo stopped and he stayed in over the weekend. He looked really well in the hospital, really chatty. Got my old dad back. Smiling, laughing. He got out yesterday. I went up to see him, and he looked terrible. Sore leg, trapped nerve - they think. THEY THINK?? Medication isn't right and no one will speak to me, to answer my questions. Has your dad given us permission to speak to you? No, he's kinda busy right now.
Data Protection, you see. But I want to know why he is sore. Why his meds aren't working. Surely that doesn't breach the DPA?
I'm tired now. And this is ending up as a rant. Sorry.
