the need to be brief, an unexpected yet long-anticipated decision

Okay, so now it's Thursday 21st, evening. What has happened in the couple of days since the last post? Unexpected delays -- and a long anticipated decision.

More adventure -- and potential loss -- for me. Nothing traumatic, but...

And I realise that really, I must be prepared to be brief. If necessary :-) Let's try...

Tuesday morning: PET scan. Already covered.

Early afternoon: Making a "mask"... Really a mould, fitted around my head. When bolted to the scanner table, my head will be held still -- in the same position for each radiation treatment. So each radiation treatment will be hitting the same -- correct -- area of the brain.

Fascinating work but -- for the sake of brevity -- only one point to note: The mask fitter says to me, How can I say this politely... stop talking. Oops :-)

Brief chat with a fellow patient in the waiting room. My cancer is killing me. Mine is not. An interested but brief exchange of views.

Off to the next scan... but... it's not till tomorrow! I had written the correct date, then remembered it -- and copied it -- as being today. So I don't wait for Deb to pick me up. Take a bus home... easy :-)

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Wednesday morning: I pick up a new pair of reading glasses. An interesting story there :-) but not relevant here.

Afternoon: Back to Subi for a CT scan. This one will test that the new mask holds me in the correct position.

I hear a receptionist on the phone: He's been waiting an hour, could you bring the mask over? Funny then... makes sense, later.

Mask arrives, test complete in perhaps 15 minutes, all good. As I sit up to get off the scan table a Genesis person says, Here's the time for your first radiation appointment, for after your surgery.

Surgery?!

Yep... I suspect that was what delayed the mask scan... Discussion between radiation oncologist, medical oncologist ... and urologist.

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The PET scan showed that, yes, testicular cancer has spread. There are spots on my lymph nodes (whatever they are, somewhere in the abdomen). Easily treatable by radiation & chemo -- if the exact cancer type is known. The best way to win at, What Cancer is That? -- is to cut out the cancerous testicle so that it can be... looked at, I guess.

If it is the same type as the brain cancer, brain treatment can be expanded to cover more than just a small area of the brain. If the two cancers are different -- more likely -- it should still be possible to treat the two in the same six week "plan". Just with different chemo and radiation. Either way, it's best to know What Cancer is That? before the six week plan is started.

So I'm booked in for Wed 27th, to have my right testicle removed. It will then be identified and the treatment plan adjusted (maybe). The plan will start on 4th October -- or be delayed a week, if I'm too slow recovering from the operation.

As I understand it, it's the general anaesthetic which causes most of the after-effects... and I've been there before, and bounced back quickly. For the actual operation, taking out a testicle is trivial compared to taking a tumour out of my brain.

Right from day... two or three... I've known that I have two distinct areas of cancer. Common sense tells me, get rid of the easy one first. I've been expecting the decision. It's a surprise rather than a shock. It's a worry: I am a man, this is (for now) my testicle.  Ouch :-(

On the other hand... actually, on either hand: Scratching a hardened testicle is less pleasant than scratching the softer original. It's almost unpleasant. There are years of pleasant memories but it's time to let it go...

You (the reader) may have already realised: I am now well into an area of medicine where the jokes are plentiful... and sooooooo so obvious :-)

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I'd give my right nut to be clear of cancer. But it is already promised to the oncologist, for analysis. It's impossible to refuse the nut job. So I agree to a balls-op, next week. Too late to say that it's hard. Luck.

rofl :-)

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And yet another side-effect: there goes the one social engagement that I had managed to arrange...

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved
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​"No matter where you go, there you are." ... Confucius ?

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Now much more than a clever name for a holiday journal:

 https://notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au/  :-)