Earlier this week I attended the Radiotherapy department at USH General. My appointment was for sign in at 09.55 then 'Patient Information' would follow, 10.25 for 'CT Drink', and lastly 10.55 the 'CT Sim 2 ' scan malarkey. All this basically is preparation and planning for the ensuing 20 sessions of Radiotherapy targeting the cancer; they even mark-up the body with three 'tattoos' to co-ordinate the accuracy of the beam each treatment. Well, guess what? I spent a while watching patients, in various states, come and go, their carers, and others who were using this department as a route to other parts of the hospital. Oh! How time flew! No criticism, the people who work here are busy, fact. After an hour and twenty minutes I had the patient information chat, and moved into the 'sub wait/triage' room. Some missing paperwork caused more delay, but eventually I had the special drink [not unpleasant] by 12.30. Ten minutes wait then into the scanner room for an ultrasound, to check the fullness of my bladder. Now it was my turn to cause a delay: my bladder wasn't full enough! Some water and ten more minutes to wait. At that point my Oncologist's secretary rang, to bring forward our next telephone appointment by a couple of days, not a problem for me BUT the new date would be prior to the next scheduled blood test, as I told her. She said she would ring back. Into the scanner, 'tattoo' marks made, meanwhile I can hear my phone ringing in the background. Someone else will have to wait! All done, the technician gave me my date for the first session, which is in the second week of April. The twenty sessions won't be consecutive, because as well as intervening weekends we also have some bank holidays coming up, ... more time lapse! I searched the voicemail from that secretary, which said she had fixed up a bit of blood letting for me at 14.00, it was now 13.00, so I went and had a bite of lunch at the M&S cafe to pass the time. I duly turned to on time, a painless phlebotomist did the necessary, and I was in my car looking for the exit before 14.15. The results turned up on 'My Medical Record' online site within 24 hours, the PSA level now at 2.2, three slight rises from the last three samples, nowhere near as high as six months ago when I was first diagnosed, but I'll ask about it in the forthcoming telephone appointment. The next LHRH Implant will be injected early next week, so ... onwards and upwards! Watch this space.
