Thread: Secret men's business or my Prostate cancer

Great effort is made to avoid cross infection by all the hospital staff.

Visitors are encouraged to use wash their hands with debug before and after visits.

Doctors and nurses put on disposable rubber gloves each time they are with a patient or touch some equipment and thendiscard before seeing the next patient. The blood pressure/oxygen machine is wiped and sterilised before use on each patient.

Cleaners coming into the ward immediately put on gloves before say washing the floor and then discard on leaving the ward. The food attendant gloves up as well before taking the tray and giving it and the discards prior to moving to the next ward.

THis goes on day in and day out, never forgotton as it's an iron rule.

Expensive but I'm sure it is worth the effort to avoid cross infections across the hospital. NO wonder hospital costs are high with modern treatment , but I think it's worth it.


Peter.

So these are some of my observations of my 2 stays in hospital.

Some of you may know all about it but for a previously healthy guy it was an eye opener. I'm sure I was lucky to get into a great hospital and that others are a lot worse.

Sure there were parts that could have been better organised, mainly in delays occasioned by insufficient communcations between specialised departments within the hospital, but on the whole I feel that I was in great care, with helpfull and knowledgeble staff who went out of their way to help me in a courteous manner with care to maintain general mosdesty when needed.

If any of you get into a hospital that doesn't measure up to this standard complain to your MPs why they haven't given the hospital the resources they need for the bloody politicians control the purse strings and it is not the fault of the hospitals, doctors and nurses as the media like to portray.


Peter.

My doctor thought that it was necessary that I saw a specialist. The specialist I was referred to thought it was necessary to have a biopsy. THis biopsy showes cancer so he recommend the removal of my prostate.

During the operations the removed as well as my prostate the associated glands as well as some lymph nodes. It was more spread than they thought and so they removed more. This meant that more was cut then hoped and I lost my erectile functions.

During my 2nd stay the pathology report on my prostate came to hand. Unfortunately there were some positive nodes on my prostate so either the cancer has already spread or was about to do so.

In 3 months time I will have further psa test to see if this has happened and if so what further action will be necessary to treat this illness.

So I must get better and fitter and still wait to see if I'm finally in the clear.

The insidious thing about this is that I had no symptoms before the operation. I was fit and healthy, regularly went dancing (about 11 hours a week) without effort and yet it was eating away inside me. So I owe my future life to my doctor's vigilence and regular blood tests.

It is a salutary lesson to us all.


Peter.

Originally Posted by Sturdee

Been thinking about that as well and I don't think so.

When I was released I was in good condition, the pain doctors were happy with my condition and my urology doctors were also happy.

Before they let you go they teach and make sure that you can manage the cathether dangling from you and warn you what to do of a number of conditions that can occur. This is also in their written booklet. Some of these things can happen but not to the majority and the different conditons that may develop may require different treatment.

So 2 of the conditions happened to me and I followed their instructions that saw me readmitted via emergency.

The hospitals have to manage with the stingy government resources they are given to help the greater number of people as possible. So keeping someone in hospital just in case is not an option for them for you stop someone else being treated.

So now that my condition can be managed at home with nursing care to change dressings and do the ops for the doctors I'm in the hospital in the home program and so allowing another person to have surgery. Effective use of limited resources.


Peter.

There is a contradiction in there somewhere Peter. I'm glad all went well the second time around.

It is a shame that as a society we don't put more pressure on our "leaders" to get the priorities right.

We seem to be able to (over)spend $800million dollars on a "fast" rail system (that isn't, fast that is) Put an $90million roof over a railway station, but we never have money for proper health care, policing and education.

My daughter is a nurse (oncology) and so is one of our friends, some of the stories they tell do not paint a good picture of health funding. We can't put all the blame on the politicians however, there is an unfortunate tendency to overspend on "administration" and underspend at the coal face in all areas of the public service.

Like you I have regular psa tests (twice a year) as part of the blood tests needed to watch things like cholesterol as I have had stents inserted a few years ago.

Hope your recovery keeps progressing well, thanks for your posts, it will remind all us blokes that we are not immortal and should take care of our health

Originally Posted by Big Shed

My daughter is a nurse (oncology) and so is one of our friends, some of the stories they tell do not paint a good picture of health funding. We can't put all the blame on the politicians however, there is an unfortunate tendency to overspend on "administration" and underspend at the coal face in all areas of the public service.

True there is a trend on too much admin spending recording and I'm sure I haven't got a complete picture, just my observations as a patient.

What I noticed was that there was insufficient use made of computers and too much manual recording of patient's details.

Example is that the nurse takes at very frequent intervals my temp, blood pressure and oxygen level in my blood and then records this manually on a chart at my bed. They also record regularly my fluid intake at meals and other times and measure the fluid leaving me through the cathethar and calculate the difference in or out.

This they then have to transcribe onto the main patient records at the main nurses/record station. If you are moved to another department for treatment your bed file goes with you for advice and assistance and another report of your ops is returned with you which also has to be entered and recorded.

It would be simpler and much cheaper if all staff were issued with small notebook type of computer/ entry terminals and entered the details for downloading to main computers which can do all the number crunching, graphing and make it available to all departments.


Must be cheaper in the long term and free up essential nursing staff from tedious and time consuming clerical work.


Peter.

I've had a restful day and night and as no further fluids drained out of me during the last 24 hours the visiting nurse removed the drain and bag.

I now have nothing sticking in me or bags dangling from me which feels great.

All I have to do is relearn toilet training and regain my strenght again. Whilst I have in the main good bladder control whilst sitting or laying down or walking I leak when I have to laugh or with sudden movement and getting up or sitting down.

Hopefully this will pass soon.


Peter.

Originally Posted by Sturdee

.....All I have to do is relearn toilet training ........ Hopefully this will pass soon.....

Sounds like it has already passed Peter - don't laugh mate, we'll have a laugh for you.

Hi Peter,
The pelvic floor exercises are a must I do them every day it took me a year to be able to go out with out pads. lifting, bending I still leak. My urine flow was slow and I need to go 12 times in a night, my GP tried pills but the trouble was scar tissue blocking the urethra. The specialist fixed that problem now I have to get up only twice.
My cancer has spread and I have an injection every 3 months of Lucrin Depot, and this is my fifth year and the PSA is 0.01. This is not a cure but slows it down. The cost of the medication is covered by the government at $1400 a shot a lot of money. Best wishes
les

I have been popping in here on and off for updates Sturdee as I am sure are many other members. Never rains but it poors, eh.

I hope that you are feeling more comfortable and that you begin to score some runs.

prozac

ps: Continued success for you as well les88.

Good on ya Peter.

Originally Posted by les88

Hi Peter,
My urine flow was slow and I need to go 12 times in a night, les

Les,

During the night I wake up about every 2 hours and then have to relieve my bladder before going back to sleep. Last night I managed 3 times, taking it very slow, without involuntary leaking etc. A low start but better then the night before.

Now again without things sticking out of me I had a shower instead of a handwash. Felt great.

Peter.

A while back our good mate WB started a long discussion obout posters asking questions and then fail to acknowledge replies. These kind of people I consider not only lack a good upbringing but are in fact users and wankers.

I am neither, although I don't acknowledge each post I greatly appreciate them.

This kind of attitude apparently also applies to other areas. The other day I rang my local GP to thank him for having the insistence that I should go and see a specialist immediately rather than wait and do further tests.

The receptionist and my doctor both were overwelmed at my call as apparently usually the only feedback they get is when the patient complains rather than to thank them.

Notwithstanding the pain and agony I have gone through so far, I'm so grateful that it was sooner than later for I'm sure it would have been worse.

Peter.

Spot on Peter.

It seems that manners are alien to some poor souls. I suppose they go through life with a chip on their shoulder wondering why others are cool towards them. They possibly become so concerned about feeling down and being lonely that they may even seek the assistance of a psychologist - $$$$$'s when all they had to do is to be pleasant and considerate to others.

How are you going? I have heard people who have been within a bulls roar of their maker become reflective on life.

Originally Posted by Wood Borer

How are you going? I have heard people who have been within a bulls roar of their maker become reflective on life.

You're right Rob. When you'e forced to face your own mortality, that you''re suddenly incapable to do your normal things and have to rely on others you do become reflective.

Suddenly you realise that a lot of things don't matter anymore and that the love of friends and family is more inportant than say my workshop. May change again but for now the small kindness are much more important.


Peter.