Back in August, I announced my cancer diagnosis. Last week an examination by cystoscope showed no ghastly tumour had returned to my bladder.
It’s not remission. It’s a little early for that. I’ll get the histology and cell counts in January and then we’ll know more. I suspect there’ll be more treatment, perhaps even more sessions with the dreaded catheter and a squirt or two of bovine tuberculosis just to keep me on my toes.
The post-surgery treatment entailed six of these immunotherapy sessions in all. Every Monday morning I’d be catheterised and have my bladder pumped full with attenuated bovine tuberculosis. It’s not the sort of thing you’d do for extracurricular fun voluntarily but all things being equal, it wasn’t exactly waterboarding at Guantanamo.
Full column here.
Well I think my earlier comment went awol but suffice to say glad things are looking good for you and excellent you’ve given up the ciggies.
Really hope that things improve for Michelle, small words because I have no idea what it must be like to be in that situation. I still miss my aunt who I stayed with when I arrived in Oz in 88, she couldn’t beat ovarian cancer and died just before my sons first birthday in 1995……wonderfully funny, classy lady.
I know I probably should’ve taken myself off to the quack a couple of times earlier this year, but things seemed to clear up in a timely-enough fashion that I didn’t bother in the end. I think.
At the moment, I find that the checks when you give blood (every three months) seem to be adequate – and free. Except that my blood pressure seems to leap alarmingly whenever they try to cut off the circulation to my hand with one of those sphygmomanometer machines. Or that’s what I tell myself.
Hope the prognosis for your friend, Michelle, improves just enough for her quality of life to also improve. The same to you.
Sadly, I see the pioneering astronaut, John Glenn, has fallen victim to 2016 as well. Vale.
I read a couple of ripper obits on John Glenn today, Rhys. What a wonderful man. Vale.
Good to hear your news JTI, we have been thinking of you. Just as a matter of interest being a Doctor of Philosophy myself, I’ll have you know I can tell a person what’s wrong with them in a matter of seconds if you just tell me the symptoms…..in fact I can diagnose several illnesses at any given time in one day just by going to Google!
Seriously though it is very good advice to visit a Doctor the minute you suspect anything might be wrong with you. I have got out of the habit of doing so since I have lived overseas and wherever there has been a language problem. Had a fantastic Doctor in Lebanon though and also in Kuwait.
I have promised my husband that I will have a full check up next year when we go back to Darwin, our trusted and very good GP is still there.
Good spot to do it, Penny. Google has been a boon to my understanding of pharamacology. Maybe not a Phd level but I reckon I could get a job counting the pills at the chemists on a Saturday morning.
Although most doctors ban self-diagnosis on Google. Can scare the crap out of one, unnecessarily!
I vaguely recall asking what the symptoms were when you first wrote on this but you didn’t answer, but I guessed they were what you’ve outlined. Not pleasant. Fortunately i’m not like most men in thinking ‘she’ll be right’, i’m the complete opposite in thinking the worst and blowing things out of proportion.
Very happy to hear you’re heading in the right direction, Jack and I hope it stays that way. I agree in not liking the term “fighting cancer” or “battling cancer”; people just take whatever actions they can or that they think are the best, and hope and pray, or wish, for the best.
Again I hope for the best for your family friend. For what it’s worth I think females are tougher, smarter and best equipped to deal with those situations. Moreover they generally have a better social network in which they can openly share the emotional side.
Reading your full column Mr Insider we note dear Michelle has a real battle on her hands. Prayers for her indeed. We tend to complain about the most trivial problems but Michelle has a real battle on her hands. We wish her well as we do you.
Thank you, HB. Michelle can do with all the good wishes she can get.
“Every Monday morning I’d be catheterised and have my bladder pumped full with attenuated bovine tuberculosis”. Now that cannot be pleasant Mr Insider all power to you buddy and best wishes. Amazing what they can do these days!
Human TB is much worse Mr Blowfly
While working in Asia the cook on a research vessel I was on had TB and gave it to 17 of us on board.
8 Months on antibiotics, without a beer to qualm the nerves is not something I would like to go through again. The antibiotics left me with no sense of taste or smell
Great news JTI but one question did you give up the deadly weed?
I still have cravings, Robin. It’s a work in progress.
Dont I know. Still dreamed of smoking 10 years after I gave it up
Good to hear youre doing well, JTI. My mum has cancer (early stages, thankfully) and its horribly stressful so I can understand a bit of what youre experiencing. Keep on keeping on…
Thanks Darren. Appreciate your and everyone’s thoughts.
Hope things go well with your mum Darren. Lost my old dad to Cancer. So I know what you are going through. A bit of that legendary English fighting spirit can go a long way!
Good to hear things are going well Jack and congratulations on ditching the ciggies, couldn’t have been easy.
Thanks, Tracy. Had a few moments of weakness on the durries but under control now. Champix helps.
Good and bad I guess Jack.
Good that you caught it in time – good for the Australian cattle industry but not nice for your friend.
I do not know if I have just posted something re a McKinsey Report. I though I was on the previous subject. If I did, apologies as it was very inappropriate at this stage of the blog.
No worries, JS. Not a problem at all.