6 weeks on: back to Medway :(

I have been trying to think of an appropriate analogy for changing the venue for NHS treatment from KOC to Medway Maritime Hospital. Imagine, if you will, getting used to driving a Bristol Blenheim 3 (Never more than 3 per week) and then being told that you had to swap it for a Ford Focus. Have a good picture in your mind? Good, now forget it.

Imagine instead starting with a second hand Ford Focus which has a few bits missing and then having to swap it for a Trabant (WTF is a Trabant?). Much better! This afternoon I went back to the Oncologist's clinic held at Medway Hospital. To be fair, the cancer unit is much better than the rest of the hospital, but, as you will read if you can bear sticking with this drivel, I also had to visit part of the main hospital.

I had purposely not looked in the internet to see how long it takes to divine whether radiotherapy has worked until last night, but had a good idea that it was not yet from the fact that I had not been invited for any further tests etc. Attendance was therefore from a mixture of curiosity and to have the opportunity to ask about when I might be told how effective the treatment had been.

Arrived a bit early and sat in the waiting area which has sprouted a new electronic screen to tell you how late each clinic is running. Mine was the best performer with only a 15 minute wait posted; by NHS standards a minor miracle. The waiting room was otherwise exactly as it had been last time I visited (brightly coloured vinyl  "comfy" chairs, staff milling about on very important missions etc) except the artwork that had formerly adorned one wall had been removed. Why comment on this? Because in its place was a typically Kent (and Medway) notice which read "Working Progress". I can picture the scene: junior manager says to someone that they need a notice telling people that work is in progress and it gets translated into the local dialect................

The screen did not tell the truth! 2 minutes after the appointed time, up pops the friendly oncologist who summons me to his office.

The usual questions: how are you? any effects from the treatment? etc etc. Gave the usual response: none, except fatigue. As you might have gathered from previous posts, it is a common side effect, no-one is really sure why it happens and there is nothing the NHS can do about it (run this clip on to 16:08: Doc Morrissey). The only options seem to be a) ignore it, or b) break the law and obtain some "speed"...................

The crucial question: when will I find out whether the treatment has been successful?. A truly Dephic response to this one. The only gauge of success is another PSA (blood) test which, by his own admission, is a slightly crude measure. It might go down to normal in a few months, or 5-6 months; it would seem that the only way of judging success, or at least ruling out lack of success, is regular measurement of PSA levels. We agreed that I had might as well have a test now and he would write to me to let me know the result. Presumably I will then be invited to have PSA tests at regular intervals from then on until it looks like something has happened, or not.

Off to the blood letting department. For those unfamiliar with Medway Hospital (and I hope for you sake that most of you are!), this entails walking across the site which brings a whole load of risks in itself. The health paranoics will probably be horrified by the clouds of cigarette smoke which wreathe the site (The NHS is only non smoking up to a point; who would challenge a stressed out Medway resident with a cigarette in his/her mouth?). My fear is the footpaths that just end, thus forcing you to cross the roadway that runs through the hospital several times.

The blood letting department is truly the Trabant of the NHS: Undecorated for decades, scuffed vinyl flooring, old chairs etc etc etc. Only 3 people in front of me and, by the sound of it, a blood letting room full of phlebotomists; one's obvious thought is that this is going to be quick, bearing in mind that it probably takes less than 2 minutes to extract a phial of blood. Wrong! I had to wait 15 minutes; no idea why, perhaps that is just the standard time that one has to wait......

As tradition demands, a song. I think that I have probably posted something by this band before, but this seems (sort of) appropriate. The clip does not really do them justice from my recollections of their gigs in the '70s, but it gives you a flavour. Glasgow's finest!
The Faith Healer  If you enjoy it, I would recommend letting Youtube do its thing and watching a few more of their live performances

Until next time................