When we started this blog almost 2 years ago, I thought it
would be me that would be posting the updates.
As you may know, John is not known for his like of letter/card/email
writing, so I have been pleasantly surprised at how much he has embraced
updating this blog. So much so that I have
contributed to very few. So, time for me
to post an update.

We had our 3-monthy consultant’s appointment on
Wednesday. We continue to get quite
anxious in the run-up to these appointments, and I don’t think that will
change. All hinges on the dreaded PSA
level which in an indicator of the cancer’s spread. At the last appointment the PSA was 2, and
this week it has risen to 2.9. Any rise
is a disappointment, but we have to accept that the level will rise over time
(possibly doubling every 6 months). We anticipate
that when it gets to about 4, John will be offered another treatment option, which
may be in 3 – 6 months’ time. We have
also come to realise that we shouldn’t focus so much on a number, but the more
important thing is how well John is feeling, which at the moment is pretty
good. We have always been impressed with
the care and treatment that we have received at the McMillan unit in the
hospital: the consultants, nurses and clinical trial staff have always been
very supportive, patient and caring. By
contrast this week we did feel that we were almost imposing; the staff seemed
short of time and keen to usher us out with a ‘Have a good Christmas – see you
in 3 months’ time’. John had to ask
several questions as we were being ushered out, which was disappointing. We can only hope that the staff were keen to get
to their Christmas party and normal service will be resumed in the New Year. It’s possible that the appointments will be
extended to every 6 months in the New Year.
Bizarrely, even though we don’t look forward to the appointments, we
aren’t keen that they are less frequent as it’s reassuring that the battery of
blood tests should detect anything that needs attention quickly.

You may have seen a report this morning that prostate cancer
testing has increased this year thanks to the ‘Turnbull – Fry’ effect. Both Bill Turnbull and Steven Fry have been
high-profile prostate cancer sufferers this year. Steven Fry has been successfully treated, and
Bill Turnbull was diagnosed with stage 4 (the same as John) last year. He has campaigned for men to visit their GP
if they experience typical prostate symptoms, as early detection (I’m sure you’re
all aware) is vital for a positive outcome. So I will now have my rant: all you
lovely men of a certain age (we are told over 50) – get to see your GP pronto
if you notice you have to go to the loo more frequently; get up to go to the
loo during the night, or take longer to empty your bladder. And all you lovely ladies – badger your
lovely men if you suspect that they may have any of these symptoms, and get
them off the GP without delay. In
hindsight, John’s only symptoms were feeling a bit tired, and maybe taking
longer to go to the loo. Get your
stopwatches out now: on average it takes 21 seconds to empty your bladder. Maybe share that gem of info with family and
friends on Christmas Day!

When John was first diagnosed we did an awful lot of research
and reading-up on cancer, treatment, research and all things related. (Note: stick to UK official sites only and
never drift into the whacky world of US sites).
Naturally the subject becomes all-consuming. We now
tend to do little reading on the subject.
I can honestly say that there isn’t a day that we don’t think about John’s
illness, and the future, but on the whole we tend to try not to focus on
it. We allow ourselves a couple of sad
days every now and then, and then pick ourselves up and get on with it. We have said before how important it is to
live life to the full, and looking back on the year, we have had a jolly good
stab to achieve just that; we’ve had some fabulous times and made some
wonderful memories.

Christmas this year will be celebrated with Dan, Ellie and Connor,
and mum and dad. We’re already planning
trips away in 2019 and will be kicking off with John’s Birthday in January with
a trip to the Cotswolds. Another
Maldivian paradise island (Amari Havodda) calls in April, and in May we will be
exploring the remote western coast of Scotland – something that we’ve wanted to
do for a long while. Don’t put things off, lovely people – seize the
opportunity and make fantastic memories.
Happy Christmas to you all. xxx