"Living" with prostate cancer.

[macabethiel]

Strangely enough my wife was prescribed Naproxyn about two years ago for pain relief for stomach adhesion's due to "womens" surgery decades ago.

Anyway after being on the drug for about 4 months she started to experience quite serious bowel pain and bouts of vomiting plus having issues with her balance and general wellness.

Ended up having the old camera on a flexi-pipe down her throat and similar with endoscopy, Barium meal and some scans. Finally having to have a narrow tube inserted in her stomach via her nose to monitor her acid production over a 24 hour period at home with a recorder attached to the wires inside the tube.

In the end an extended course of Lansoprazole and other drugs were needed to fix her all this being attributed to having taken Naproxyn.

[rustic]

I am pleased between us we have highlighted the issues with Naproxen, I hope other members can recall this in the future, if they or their family and friends have to deal with some of the side effects.

I didn't realise till today the issues with the drug.
Thanks guys for spending the time to reply to this aspect of the thread, and to all those that have supported me at this time.

Uncle Rustic

[Monaro Pete]

All the best fella.

Keep fighting & stay strong

[terranosaurusdoug]

I feel lucky or like I'm getting away with something!!

[rustic]

Hi guys, for those of you who might be interested, my third chemo is due on Thursday. This current session has been a difficult time. I was knocked off my feet for the first week, literally confined to bed, they say second and subsequent sessions get worse, as the toxins build up. Then the vaccine drug I was taking (1 per day for 5 days) to increase white blood cells started it's side effects with excruciating pains in the lower back. An emergency trip to hospital and a reduction in the number of vaccines helped to sort that. When they say on a scale of 1-10 what the pain is, I think I have found what 10 is now.

However, last Sunday, (I had picked up a cold earlier in the week,) I was confronted with a chesty cough. A call to the chemo emergency number and off to A&E for an emergency intravenous antibiotic infusion. We were expected at the busy A&E and on arrival we were immediately directed to a side ward and treatment started within 15 minutes. More culture blood tests, white cell count. I was discharged later in the day, with my pack of antibiotics. The cold, not man flu lol, took out my second week, so mostly restricted me to stay at home.

So the next few days I have to do those jobs that must be done without tiring my self out. I am keeping a diary of my feelings and reactions to the treatment, If next session is as bad or worse than this one, taking me out for two out of the three weeks, then the quality of life is being affected. This session was compounded by the vaccine side effects and the infection I picked up.

It is early days yet to make any decisions about future treatment, or the benefits, if any, that the chemo is providing. No doubt a ct scan in the future may show that the tumours have shrunk and the treatment is working.

Yesterday I serviced the lawn mower, new oil, clean air filter etc during this next session, I have to prep the Mav for it's mot. It has done very little since last year, and one casualty was the rear screen washer pump had seized. New one to arrive shortly. I should have ran the pumps once a month lol.The engine started first time, in 6 weeks lol, not bad for a 22 year old. It is kept in a warm dry garage though, and battery kept on charge.

The biggest problem we have is not being able to book or plan anything, when we arrange for family to visit, we have to confirm on the morning, even then, we had to rearrange one visit, last week, as they were travelling an hour from Cheshire as we were travelling 45 minutes to A&E

Heyho... as they say, one good week out of three is better than non at all.

Uncle Rustic

[Blocky10]

An awful business rustic and you're not giving in, which is commendable. We need these updates too so we know what's happening.
All the best.

[terranosaurusdoug]

To have the spirit left to service your mower after all that is a show of strength rustic, I was genuinely surprised when I read it I have been thinking about you actually , check out this post I'd love to see what you have to say. http://www.nissan4x4ownersclub.com/f...ad.php?t=28195

[johnb5177]

Such inner strength and resilience is humbling, you are our top man......

Stay strong......

[emjaybee]

Never forget we're always rooting for you, and often thinking of you.

Hang on in there bloke.

[solarman216]

You keep going there Rustic you can do it, Rick

[rustic]

Originally Posted by terranosaurusdoug

To have the spirit left to service your mower after all that is a show of strength rustic, I was genuinely surprised when I read it I have been thinking about you actually , check out this post I'd love to see what you have to say. http://www.nissan4x4ownersclub.com/f...ad.php?t=28195

I can't go that far back with car manuals but I do have the 1995 sales brochures for the Ford Maverick and Nissan Terrano.

Personally I think these should be scanned and stored in a seperate area of the forum, copyright permitting lol and not just stuck in a thread, lost and never to be seen again. Any ideas
Uncle Rustic

[don simon]

Uncle Rustic is ACE!
That is a fact and can be used as such.

[terranosaurusdoug]

Originally Posted by rustic

I can't go that far back with car manuals but I do have the 1995 sales brochures for the Ford Maverick and Nissan Terrano.

Personally I think these should be scanned and stored in a seperate area of the forum, copyright permitting lol and not just stuck in a thread, lost and never to be seen again. Any ideas
Uncle Rustic

I think you're onto something, I for one would be interested in seeing the brochures you have!!

[rustic]

Hi guys, some of you have PM'd me, wondering why I have not been as active of late.

Well yesterday was chemo 5 (out of 10) day. This previous session has been really a life changing situation.

I have not been confined to bed, I have not had an urgent return to hospital.

I have achieved quite a lot too. I went to communion last week, first time in a couple of months through fear of cross infection. I went on my mobility scooter and the vicar arranged my own seperate communion chalice, as I expressed a risk of cross infection. I felt like a King.
Last week we have slept on the boat on 7 consecutive nights, first in nearly 2 years, we have cruised beyond Oxford on the Thames, and stopped over on wild moorings and visited a riverside pub, and had a great meal. Even meals have risks, no soft eggs, no undercooked meat, and only really fresh mayonaise, and salad only if well washed... well as if, so that's off the menu too lol.

Another day, my daughter, son in law and grandson Bob joined us at a pub, we had yet another meal, and we went for a cruise. Bob was thrilled to show Mummy and Daddy where we store shoes etc and how to use the loo lol he's only three.

Before we cruised, the honda 15 outboard was running rough, so oil change, new plugs, and most important, a carburettor strip and clean, this was the main culprit. Now running really sweet. I love the old technology, proper jets and mixture screws and float chambers lol I can do a carburettor clean and strip blind folded, but lack of use for nearly two years has taken it's toll, but all fine now. When I do work, I do aout half an hour, then rest up for the same and continue, I find if I overdo it, then I am flat on my back for a day

I had an engineering issue with my night bag, sleeping in a "V" berth means there is no floor access to the side to help gravity, so next day... out came the drill, bag now under the bed locker, not ideal... but worked well. I now have a fixed solution ready to install. Being tethered to the boat via a pipe on your tackle can have consequences lol. It was this issue that prevented us sleeping over on the boat before, but we though we have to get a life so get over the problem. Had we had a disaster, our daughter lives only 15 minutes away, and the first few nights were on the mooring with the car only yards away.

What I did find is that my mobility is severely affected, the secondary tumours on my spine make stepping off a moving rear cockpit boat wIth narrow side decks and no handholds a big issue, especially with a strong off shore wind, this could be a show stopper.

The engineer in me took hold of the problem, and I think I have an engineering solution. I have a pair of "anodised aluminium gangway stanchion sockets" on their way to me. This was the cheapest bracket I could find that would take a broom handle. So one mounted on the outside of each cockpit side with a short broom handle should provide a light hand hold to steady me, and young Bob, when we go ashore. Normally the wooden broom handles will be stowed within reach, and still allow the canopy to fold etc even if still deployed.

The manned locks on the Thames are something else, we barely got along side the quay heading before the lock, and the gates opened, in we went, we lassoed a couple of bollards, or the keeper would do this for us, and very soon we were cruising the next section.

My wife just loves the wide open boat free sections, we often cruised upto an hour before seeing another boat, then she made a profound statement... "This is not second best after all is it?" Something I thought I would never agree with, but she was right. Having moved the boat from the Norfolk Broads last November. We are both looking forward to returning to the boat next week.

We did see a few hire boats, mostly steel narrow boats, all four we encountered were practicing how to get off a shallow mud bank using full power in reverse gear and pushing off with the barge pole. There are two important must have items on the Thames, Large diameter fenders, as there are few formal quay headings, and public moorings can be just a row of submerged bags of cement / concrete laid in a brick pattern. Worked well for us. the second item is a depth sounder, the river looks wide in the upper reaches of the Thames, but only the middle third has more than 2' lol demonstrated by the hire boats, but to be fair, the water is crystal clear and you can see the water lettuce and the gravelly bottom, so no excuses really.

On the Broads we were ofen woken up by the boom of the bitterns, not so on the Thames, at 6:30 am on some mornings, we were often woken up by the Oxford university boat crews of 8 doing their early morning practice, with a mentor in an outboard powered skiff with a megaphone giving them instructions. Hey ho... we are boating, we just need to get used to the Thames way of life, and so far we are really enjoying it.

Well this overview has been more about what we have achieved, rather than the condition, and we certainly want to do more as time goes on.

However, fatigue and tiredness is still a major problem, I just have to do less, but with long rests in between, I overcome the challenges as they are presented, to us, also part of the enjoyment of boating.
The chemo is palliative care, it is not a cure, it is intended to give a better quality of life, hopefully extending it too, with less pain, of which it is, well at least it is now. Without it I was going down hill fast. Personally I think I have gained a summer now, and the cost of moving the boat to Oxford has been well justified with the benefit of babysitting our grandson most weeks lol. The oncologist has further options up his sleeve, and I firmly believe if I hadn't volunteered to go on a medical trial, all these options wouldn't have been available to me and I don't think I would be here now. Things were really dire before the chemo, I have had a few midnight discussions with fellow members on how I really felt regarding treatment, I am grateful for their advice.
As you can see, I have a more positive attitude to life, the quality of life is the best it's been in around 18 months, and I certainly will make the most of it.

Very best regards,

Uncle Rustic

[Blocky10]

A great addition to the thread rustic. glad you are coping the best you can and overcoming the obstacles as and when you are able to.