Some of you may know I was diagnosed with prostate cancer a while ago. Two years, in fact. In that time, the medical people decided it was too soon to treat, but kept me under observation, regular blood tests, scans and all that malarkey.

Now, the condition has reached the point where I need some kind of treatment, so in the next few weeks I should be finally getting rid of it for good.

If I have to stay in hospital for a few days, I expect you all to visit, and don't forget to bring suitable gifts for the patient and yes, I do drink alcohol. :D

White healing light!!!!

ST, really take care of yourself, and hopefully, everything will go well. If the doctors caught this in time, you will have a speedy recovery and a full life. Good luck and keep us up to date on your progress.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery! I hope all goes well!

Here's hoping it has been caught in time, you fully recover quickly, and you're back here to keep us amused a lot sooner, rather than later.

Thank you for your kind wishes, people. It's been caught in time, for sure. I've been monitored for two years and its only just at the point where some kind of treatment is necessary.

I'll be around for a while yet... assuming I don't get flattened by a truck in the meantime. :D

Ditto!

Boni posted at 1:39PM Fri, 19 March 2021 - #4415156

White healing light!!!!

I hope you have a speedy recovery:)

Prostate cancer has a very good recovery rate. Hope you kick cancer's ass into the stratosphere. Bottle of Macallan is okay? Yeah, no, I'm broke!

Once again, thank you for the kind messages. I'm certain of a positive outcome; in fact, I can't wait because I've been hanging on for this operation. Once it's all done, I can get back to whatever passes for normal.

@ TwiztidKidd... ah well, it's the thought that counts. Macallan is my all time favourite Scotch. Black Bush my favourite Irish, with Old Dublin a close second. Not that I'm hinting, or anything. :D

I can't come visit myself, but I'll definitely send a couple of the T.N.A. Girls over with a bottle of high-class something or other, and they'll even bring along a couple of your daleks just for fun!

Best wishes for a quick and full recovery, good sir! Sending healing vibrations your way.

Thanks very much, mate!

Good luck Sam, I hope you have a real smooth recovery and they're able to get it all.

Best wishes from me as well Sam. I also hope you have a smooth, quick recovery.

Thanks, for the kind words and support.

Latest news is, I have to have a bone scan and MRI before they decide the best treatment options. So, next week I'm away to be pumped full of radioactive dye for the scan. I'll be like one of my glow in the dark characters of old. :D

Hopes for your successful treatment and speedy recovery, Sam

ST, can you send us a render when they do it?

Reporting back from the bone scan - today - and I can confirm that, sadly, I do not glow in the dark.

I am, as they say, dissapoint.

But do you turn into the Hulk when you get angry?

Oh, I do that anyhow. Costs me a fortune in new clothes.

Had my MRI last week, now waiting for the results, so they can decide which bits to hack off. :D

I guess I'll find out some time next week.

Well Sam, I have my fingers crossed it's a bare minimum.

In other news...

I recently developed a problem in my left eye. After numerous scans, it's been determined I have something called Wet Macular Degeneration. Basically, there's a hole in my retina and fluid is leaking into my eye.

The doc says at the moment, it appears to be healing on its own, which is unusual but not entirely unheard of. So, for now at least, they'll stick to observation. If, however, the condition gets worse, I could go blind in that eye, which isn't ideal. He then told me it can, however be treated, with injections.

"Oh, really", I asked, "and where would these injections be?"

"In the eye", he replied.

WHAT?! I told him they'd have to catch me and tie me down to do that, but he reassured me that with the anaesthetic, I would probably be OK, because "most people" don't feel any pain or discomfort.

Wow, that's comforting.

SamTherapy posted at 6:10PM Mon, 31 May 2021 - #4420221

In other news...

I recently developed a problem in my left eye. After numerous scans, it's been determined I have something called Wet Macular Degeneration. Basically, there's a hole in my retina and fluid is leaking into my eye.

The doc says at the moment, it appears to be healing on its own, which is unusual but not entirely unheard of. So, for now at least, they'll stick to observation. If, however, the condition gets worse, I could go blind in that eye, which isn't ideal. He then told me it can, however be treated, with injections.

"Oh, really", I asked, "and where would these injections be?"

"In the eye", he replied.

WHAT?! I told him they'd have to catch me and tie me down to do that, but he reassured me that with the anaesthetic, I would probably be OK, because "most people" don't feel any pain or discomfort.

Wow, that's comforting.

I had a bout with Retinal Vein Occlusion back in 2012 and 2013, and my Ophthalmologist sent me to a Retina specialist, and yes . . . I had to have the injections too. There were 6 of them, 3 in 2012, and 3 in 2013.

I don't know if your doctor will span them out that way, because I read somewhere at the time, they're usually done one month apart. I guess it depends, on how bad the situation is. In my case the RVO was in a small little vein near the inner corner of my left eye, so not quite as bad as the main artery.

I also didn't like the idea of injections in my eye, but I got there at least 2 hours before the procedure, and every 20-30 minutes he would put a bunch of drops in my eyes, one of which was to deaden the pain. I actually didn't feel the needle itself enter the eye. The only thing I felt was the action of his hand doing something, but that was only natural. The only "stinging" I felt was after I got home for a couple of hours, but not that bad. I did have to use antibacterial eyedrops for about a week before each injection, and about a week afterwards.

The only bad part is, there was no way to sew up the occlusion, as he tried with laser, but it didn't work, so my vision in that eye isn't quite as good as the other, but changing the prescription of my reading glasses helped with that. Here's hoping you have a fairly easy time of it.

I hope it does heal for you. I know several people with Macular of varying degrees of severity. I recommend doing what the doc says, even if it seems like you should be running the other way