Yes OK, I said my next posting would be after the surgery on Wednesday but this has been an eventful day. I have had a visit from John who is the Chairman of the Cumbrian Prostate Cancer support group. Such a fantastically nice guy, it was a pleasure to meet someone else who lives with this and actively fights it in every way possible. We talked for ages about our individual circumstances and I am going to talk to the rest of the group when I am well enough.
John lived in South Africa most of his life and when I told him about my Wildlife & Media degree, he told me that his brother runs the Kafue Wildlife Park in Zambia, the second largest in the world; it's the size of Wales! I have put a link to it below, but I think I know where I am going for my University Expedition next year!

Oh and on that note...If you know anybody who has a 500mm telephoto adjustable lens with optical stabiliser, that would fit my Sony 350; and that they either don't want or can lend me for a year, please shout!

http://www.zambiatourism.com/travel/nationalparks/kafue.htm

The story in the newspapers is on hold because the local health body have threatened legal action if they publish, saying that my account of events is not accurate. They are of course! But after numerous calls between the NHS, the press and the Cancer Support Charity, I have agreed a meeting with the NHS trust representatives in Penrith on Monday. The papers will hold off until after this meeting, but I really think it is in the public interest for this to go out, don't you? Diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer and 5 months later having had no treatment is not acceptable to me. It doesn't help me now, but it might save the skin of someone in the future.

Claire, my Urology Nurse from Addenbrookes called today and I had a list of questions for her.

I arrive at 7a.m. and if I am first down it will be at 8a.m. No hanging around there! Surgery will be about 2-3 hours. If I am second down it will be early afternoon, but regardless of when, I won't remember much of the rest of the day, she assured me! I will be discharged around 5p.m. the day after, so might stay locally that night. I go back ten days later for the removal of the catheter, which she also assured me that she is very good at, having done it countless times...Ouch! 6 weeks later I go back for the meeting where they tell me the histology news. Has it spread to the lymph nodes, the seminal vessels etc. What is the final Gleason score; though 8 is bad enough right now, it's better than 9 or 10. First PSA test is 3 months after the operation and that needs to come out at less than 0.05 if there are no cancer cells still growing. Radiotherapy will follow on from that, so might not be until mid January ish! Also I will get no pre-med and not allowed my phone on the ward...cool!

So that's it for now, and I hope to catch you up on the latest as soon as I possibly can........