4/33, Monday 31 March, and a new week. Coughing less but London pollution and the Sahara desert sands are making me cough, especially with my asthma. A scan was included today. Whilst waiting for the water to filter through to my bladder (4 cups, my decision), one of the team tool me aside for chat. Her name was Mitch, and she told me I would be given the chance to talk to her, or a colleague, each week. She wore a grey uniform but her two colleagues wore blue, one the ‘large, Polish lady’ named Bertha, and the other, a Mauritian lady whose name I forget. The scan was done once a week on Monday, to check all ok internally. Did I have any worries or concerns? Not really, although I said that arriving one hour before the appointment time was important. She oozed empathy. No, I was fine. I’d been a bit panicky leading up to the first R/T but fine once the process had started. How were my bowels, a bit loose? Well, yes, as expected. Oh, dear, sad face. Taking micro enemas a bit awful? Furrowed brow. Not really, just part of the deal. We agreed that, although three cups of water was the norm, it all depended on daily food and drink intake. All in all, I was doing well, but would probably start to feel the effects more towards the end of the treatment. Something to look forward to. So that was it, a bit more waiting and into the R/T room. I was wearing jeans today but the trousers don’t matter so much as they are off during treatment. The important thing for me was to have a clean shirt and boxers each day to look my best, not that they really worry about those things. Each day, from arrival time to departure takes around two hours.
5/33, Tuesday 1 April: 9.00am alarm, downstairs for my usual morning two glasses of warm water (half litre), sometimes with cranberry juice, plus an extra glass for luck. Normal breakfast of wholemeal bread and banana, porridge and honey, followed by 3 x 250mg Keppra tablets (levetiracetam) to stop seizures occurring. Two puffs of Ventolin, two puffs of Symbicort (budesonide formoterol) to protect my asthmatic lungs against the increased London pollution this week. Wash and dress. Appointment at 2.00 pm, must arrive one hour before so leave home at midday. Arrive more or less on time, check in, straight to the toilet to insert micro enema. Wait until called through to waiting area for R/T. 25 minutes for enema to work, then 4 cups (800 mls) of water and wait 40 minutes for bladder to fill. Then into the area, trousers off, onto the bed, wait whilst the team line up the laser beams on my tattoo marks. Only ten minutes today as no scan. Very slight ache in tummy, but otherwise fine. Meet up with wife and sandwiches, supplement with large mixed salad and plate of chips in the UCLH cafeteria. Home around 4.30. Half an hour’s rest, then take 3 x 50 mg bicalutamide hormone tablets, my daily dose until R/T ended and doctor says stop. Off to bed at 10.00 pm, taking inhalers as in morning, except just one puff of Symbicort.
6/33, Wednesday 2 April: As Tuesday, appointment was 1.55 pm. All ok. Treated myself to a shampoo and haircut.
7/33, Thursday 3 April: Up at 8.45, weight 74.9 kilos. Some pressure on bowels. Into the toilet for a very loose movement. Usual breakfast and 3 glasses of water. Another emptying of bowels before a warm shower and shave. Take Keppra pills, then off to Rayners Lane underground. Lucky to just catch train straight though to Aldgate, which means I don’t need to change for Euston Square. Nice, chatty lady on tube. Arrive in good time for 1.35 pm appointment. Don’t feel the need for the enema but obliged to take it. Drink 3 ½ cups of water. 40 minutes later, I’m absolutely bursting as I’m taken into R/T room. Advise team of situation but we start anyway. After 5 minutes, one comes in and says the ‘picture’, which I think means x-ray, shows my bladder very full but they need to realign me on the bed. Can I hang on? Negative, so trousers back on and dash to toilet, also required to give urine specimen to check for possible infection. Advised to drink another two cups and they won’t keep me waiting so long, Still waiting after 40 minutes, so need to visit the toilet again. Explain situation, so they take me to another R/T machine, ask me to drink one further cup of water and they’ll take me through in 15 minutes. Remind them when 15 minutes up. This time all ok, so usual sandwiches plus daily bicalumatide tablets, leaving hospital at 4.30 pm. Straight home and to bed for a rest.
8/33, Friday 4 April: Up at 8.45, weight, 74.6 kilos. Two glasses of water only, didn’t want to tempt fate. Appointment at 1.45 pm, so on train by 11.40 am. Very easy, today. Arrived and checked in at 12.40, enema in, result by 13.05, three cups of water, last at 13.15 and into the R/T room at 13.50, out and back upstairs by 14.05. Got my five appointments for next week plus one on Sunday 13th as Easter Bank holidays approaching. Another Sunday appointment pencilled in for April 27th. Feeling good.
