October 26th 2020 - An Optimistic Consultation at Velindre but a Long Way To Go

 D Day or is it C Day? My first visit to Velindre and I was not really sure what to expect. It was very busy with lots of miserable looking patients waiting for tests and consultations. There was an air of disorganisation as the staff bustled about calling patients’ names often to no avail. The staff are really friendly and do their best in quite depressing surroundings.

I sit, socially distanced,  for half an hour or so as I wait to hear my fate. There is a slight diversion when I am called to have my blood pressure and weight measured but then it is back to staring at the wall rather than looking around at my fellow sufferers.

Finally, I am called and take a seat in a small treatment room. My heart is thumping as, being a typical Welshman, I fear the worst. Elin, the oncologist, comes in with my file and I try and judge if it is going to be bad news.

She smiles and asks me how I am and then tells me the first bit of news. It is good news - my PSA level has dropped to 0.6 which is as they would have hoped with the hormone treatment. I heave a sigh of relief.

I then hear about the next phase of my treatment as obviously I am far from out of the woods. I will stay on the current hormone treatment for the next three years. In addition, I will start on a relatively new drug, enzalutamide, which is another hormone treatment and I will be on that for two years. This is an expensive treatment and it sounds if the drugs will be delivered to my house under armed guard. I am extremely grateful to be given this treatment even though there may well be side effects. Potential side effects include: raised blood pressure, weight gain, hot flushes, skin rashes and general fatigue. I should monitor my blood pressure and report any significant issues immediately. I will have a follow up phone consultation in a couple of months to check how things are progressing.

I will also be undergoing a course of radiotherapy early in the new year to try and kill the cancer.

So that was that and I was soon driving home. I did feel that a significant weight had been lifted from my shoulders but I am well aware this is just the first skirmish in a long battle to come.