A blog is supposed to be a personal account of the cancer journey. I've waited a few days before posting anything more, hoping or improvement. This hasn't happened.
First of all my wife; she is much worse and is almost unable to get about at all. We went to see the rheumatologist, I call her the Headmistress, who has diagnosed three things; osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and gout. My wife has been on the Headmistress's treatment for several months now but is worse rather than better. So the HM has ordered an MRI scan of the painful hip. My problem now is how to get her there. I can drive but my wife can hardly get in or out of the car and the steps up to the MRI scanner, (in a special trailer lorry at the hospital), will be almost impossible for her. Helping her, I find exhausting. Running the house is at crisis-point as MW insists on doing things just to boost her confidence. As a result, getting ready for meals takes ages, meals are always late and going anywhere, as for medical appointments, is a drawn-out nightmare.
My night frequency and pain have not gone away but vary, night to night. I had a routine blood test for abiraterone yesterday and asked for a urine test as well to check for infection. I fear my PSA, never high, will have gone up again. By day, my walking without crutches is a little better but I tire very quickly. But I have multiple aches, rather than sharp pains, in my pelvis especially in my lower back and sacrum. I can get to sleep easily, after having to get up, and sometimes the interval is up to two hours.
As I type, my finger tips are sore. This may be due to dry skin with small splits or to some nerve problem. My legs feel heavy and weak from the thighs downwards with semi-cramps in the calf muscles. Am I getting the dreaded spinal nerve compression from the abiraterone? I had a migraine just now with headache. This is unusual for me as I normally get just the visual disturbance, something I have had occasionally since a child. I never get nausea, thank heavens.
Back to crisis; if either of us becomes worse, coping at home will be impossible. I am running out of patience with MW as she is the most difficult person to help I have ever met. She insists always that things are done her way in her own logic. This wastes time and frustrates me as we do things so slowly. So, where do we go from here? Who to ask for help as there are many things MW will not accept such as physiotherapists who touch, nurses in all forms, hydrotherpy, a GP and so on. The family try to help but tend to say there comes a point when MW's attitude adversely affects not only herelf but others too.
Not cheerful today. It's raining yet again and so I am concerned for those already flooded and those at risk of flooding. My visualisations and breathing are hard to do at all but at least I'm still on my high fruit diet. Appointment with Dr Onc in the clinic on Wednesday next. I wonder who I shall see and what will be said. Not optimistic right now.
