Men's things - XII

Gathering my thoughts

There is much to write about, the last couple of weeks, the continuation of my experience with Men’s things, the change of government in the UK, and the glorious two weeks I got to spend with Brian in the city we both love, Cape Town.

This blog however will be dedicated to the issue of Men’s things as my appreciation of the situation has both been given a sense of triumphalism borne of faith as much as putting into a hermetically sealed containment the foreboding and fear that greets cancer invading your body.

What I was not meant to see

Poring over and through the NHS app, there was a cache of documents that contained what I would think were exchanges about discovery and diagnosis between medical personnel that the uncurious would probably never have accessed.

I open each of the recently uploaded documents. While the indiscretion of the medical establishment meant I learnt of a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the prostate before I was officially informed, when I eventually met the urology consultant who also conducted the biopsy of my prostate gland, I was left with the impression that things need to be done. Still, I had time to consider the options and probabilities.

Blog - The note that crept in

Yet, appointments and engagements were coming in thick and fast despite my having intimated I was going away on holiday for just over two weeks. Within two days I had a phone call to set up an appointment at The Christie Hospital and by the time I got home in the evening, there was a letter confirming the appointment in my mailbox.

The word they never spoke

There was an inordinate urgency to the activities that concerned me. The cache of documents contained one word no one spoke to me, and I think out of some bedside manner of reducing the sense of alarm at relating their discovery to me. I was left reeling halfway through my holiday when I saw the word malignant, and there is nothing benign about it.

Today, I attended my first appointment at The Christie Hospital to discuss one of the treatment options with a consultant who would perform a Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy (RALP), if I should choose that pathway after a further meeting about the radiotherapy option which I currently have quite limited information about.

The consultant was in no doubt about malignancy in the intermediate range with good outcomes even as the possible complications after a robotic procedure do not present a pleasant consideration in the immediate to near term.

The core consideration with trenchant immunosuppression is this needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later. A lifesaving matter for which one might be persuaded to pay less attention to masculinity, manliness, or virility for the sake of living.

Phew! That was daunting

His patter was confident, experienced, and competent with every indication that he plans to save the vicissitudes of the plumbing and mechanisms of that environment, but only after he has had the opportunity to look in there. It was daunting as much as it was interesting. He answered my questions in detail and addressed my concerns frankly.

Obviously, I still need to review everything I was told to understand what it entails; whether I am prepared for this ordeal and what it portends. Whilst understanding the seriousness of the condition I also believe that there is every possibility I do not have to go under the knife but have a medically confirmed miracle of healing.

What is critical is for all I have learnt about prostate cancer, I do not choose anything out of fear, anxiety, or the pressure to act. I need to keep my faith and belief strong; focused on the process and outcomes desired. It is the only mindset that guarantees that whatever happens, I will look back on this with a great testimony and a better story. By His stripes, I am healed. [BibleHub: Matthew 8:17, Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24]

Blog - Men's things

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Blog - Men's things - X

Blog - Men's things - XI