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Scotty ~ A Personal Statement


Scotty

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Scott. I am very sorry to hear the bad news .

My wife's father died in Ukraine from cancer so it probably runs in the family. She now has it too and for the past two years I have travelled several thousand miles by car to the cancer hospital for chemotherapy treatments--to date at least 22 , each of at least 3 hours,  and to at least 5 other hospitals in British Columbia for operations for the removal of  several internal organs , and endless consultations. She has two more rounds to go this time. After  the previous 18 Chemo treatments and a CAT scan  the oncologist told her she was clear but then it came back in the liver and lungs and so he told her that all he could do was give her 6 more chemotherapy treatments and if that did not work it probably was the knacker's yard for her.

But she is a fighter and is dealing with it in a determined and masterful way . She goes for walks almost every day and keeps active because, she says, that doing this tells the body that it must co-operate and provide the strength and endurance needed to force the immune system to co-operate and rev up. She has also taught herself by reading books which foods, vitamins, etc.  to absorb in order to  to strengthen her immune system, The oncologist says that there can be no more operations because these previous ones  have had the effect of  downing the immune system!! She is remaining very active and is willing to travel distances to meet up with, and enjoy the company of several friends. Simply put she is not allowing it to get her down and has chosen to lead her normal active life. Plus, believe it or not, she has taken up dance classes for salsa and some other type of dancing.

I am very sorry to hear about your situation. Whatever you do don't go near a local hospital described as a "Research" hospital. Vancouver General does this and the experimentation they are doing in there on these ill and hapless patients without their knowledge or permission is nauseating.

It's a terrible experience for patient and loved ones and I wish you all the very best in your  fight to beat it.

Kindest  regards

Roderick Rhodes (aka Scarlet )

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I may have never met you Scotty but I'm really sorry to hear that, must be an awful thing to be told. Glad though that there's a positive prognosis. 

All the best to you and your family. Take care. 

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Don't think we've ever met but as a fellow soft Dalneigh ****** we may have.  My bro was diagnosed 5 years ago and was just 50, by a sheer fluke so I have been getting tested yearly.  Not the highlight of my year but the look on the Docs face when I asked if he was obliged to take me out to dinner after always makes me laugh.  More than likely that this is what took my Dad in 89, the awareness wasn't there at that time.  I genuinely wish you all the best and a swift road to recovery.  I've done Movember three times and have sported various styles - most of which were licked away by a kitten on December 1st to be fair.   Best wishes mun.

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Having just gone through cancer I have come out the other side. It is amazing the medical steps forward in the treatment of this unpleasant illness. Head up and believe. I found the word more frightening than the illness.

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Lots of empathy from here Scotty but you've done the right thing, got tested and sounds like you've caught it early enough to make all the difference. I wish you all the very best going forward. For those that haven't been through it the testing sounds daunting and degrading, well man up and go for it, one of the best things you'll ever do for yourself!

For me the worst bit was actually the biopsy under general anaesthetic as I reacted badly and was off work for 10 weeks after it instead of the 1 day expected. I'd still go through that again though as the end result is well worth it and I can reassure everyone that my experience was nothing to do with the process or treatment just my body's reaction to an anaesthetic that wasn't expected. 

Edited by CaleyCanary
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33 minutes ago, CaleyCanary said:

Lots of empathy from here Scotty but you've done the right thing, got tested and sounds like you've caught it early enough to make all the difference. I wish you all the very best going forward. For those that haven't been through it the testing sounds daunting and degrading, well man up and go for it, one of the best things you'll ever do for yourself!

The testing definitely sounds worse than the reality (the same applies for a colonoscopy which both males and females of a certain age should also not be scared of!)  .... The PSA test is a simple blood test to begin with and if the numbers come back low then its unlikely you will go any further down the route. Just get it done if you are of a certain age or have family members who have had this or testicular cancer, or even female relatives with certain 'female' cancers too.  Your doctor may do the gloved finger test to check for enlargement or firmness but thats only a few seconds of discomfort as opposed to pain. In my case the numbers came back high and I was referred to a urologist. The urologist felt firmness but no enlargement and taking that along with the PSA results I was booked in for a biopsy based on those pieces of data.  

 

33 minutes ago, CaleyCanary said:

For me the worst bit was actually the biopsy under general anaesthetic as I reacted badly and was off work for 10 weeks after it instead of the 1 day expected. I'd still go through that again though as the end result is well worth it and I can reassure everyone that my experience was nothing to do with the process or treatment just my bodies reaction to an anaesthetic that wasn't expected. 

This is the part that scared me, but much like the colonoscopy I had nearly 5 years ago (and due to have again next year) my brain - and Dr Google - made it into a far huger deal than it actually was. No general anaesthetic for me - it was not an option - but the (TRUS) procedure was not that bad. I had a single 'ativan' tablet to chill me out but the doctor started before it took effect and I ended up getting the giggles after the procedure was over !  Although they freeze the area, the procedure itself did sting like a mother****** but on a scale of 1-10 it was maybe only a 3 or 4 and only then when they took each sample. The noise was worse, it sounded like a staple gun as they pressed whatever it was they used to take the sample cores.   I had minimal bleeding afterwards and was fine to go back to work next day. Only reason I was not allowed to drive same day was because of the chill pill ! 

What does warm my heart though is that I now know of at least 3 more people who have gone for or booked themselves in for testing. That is awesome. Its a scary thing to do, but ignoring it wont make it go away, it just makes the result potentially worse further down the line. 

 

I am going to move this topic out of the football forum into the serious topics forum so we can get back to football in the ICT one. My doctor has recommended keeping a journal of the journey so I may revitalise my blog page on here or I may setup a personal website where i can share more info, but the football forum should be devoid of this kind of thing :blink:

 

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I did not enjoy the gloved finger thing, this time done by my female Doctor and then she did it again which hurt like h... ll. Then she said "but I don't think you have cancer, but refused to allow me to go and get the blood test for the psa.", which really puzzled me since my past several blood tests showed good readings....……  Oh my!

So now it's off to see the Urologist  in February 2019.--that's in 3 months more so I wonder if it will be more painful when I see him. However I'm now committed so that's it. And I will again ask for permission to get a PSA. Thanks for that info gentlemen.

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Hi Scotty

I had the operation to remove my prostate gland  just after I arrived in Scotland.  I must say I had fantastic treatment in Raigmore, 

I know what you are going through believe you me. I am still here 8 years after.

My brother  lost his prostate  about two years before me and he is alive and well. So  you can see that there is hope if they catch it early enough.  In any event it will change your life , I won't go into the details on line, but you do need the support of your family. 

Take care and God bless , 

Laurence

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Scotty, I’m so sorry to hear this. The worst part is the stress for yourself and loved ones until you beat it. My family have been ravaged with it but I’m pleased to say the majority have beat it - stay positive always. Another thing we learned is time is of the essence so push and call the medical professionals all the time after every bit of progress. I kept a programme for my father and when in meetings I was seen to write a diary, it helps ask the right questions.

All the very best my man,

Michael

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Scotty, as a fellow Dalneigher and Human being, i wish you nothing but the best with your battle ahead. You can kick Cancers ass...im sure of it. Although we have never met, i was very aware of you. I clearly recall you walking past our garden. I recally you at Caley games in the olde days and i remember you working at  B and Q.
I remember your lil sister, and how shocked i was when she passed away. I even have fond memories of your Mum, as she helped run the Cameron Youth club for a while. I remember when i hasd my own health battle, many many yrs ago, she was aware it and would often ask my mum how i was doing. So, I have nice memories of you and your family ?

I lost my own dad to Prostate Cancer 2 yrs ago at the end of November, so my mate has made me aware that I really need to start thinking about getting tested regularly myself, now that im in my late 40s.
I have to say tho, im DREADING the old Doctors finger up my bahookie part......im really worried about the feeling of having my insides touched. Its just one of them things that gives me the heebie jeebies, but i know that it could be life saving.
Can i ask, did you have any symptoms, or was it pure luck that it was picked up at yearly medical?

Anyhow, as i say, I wish you all the very best and hope you will be with us for a long long time yet ?

Edited by SMEE
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15 hours ago, Naelifts said:

I remember not being able to sit down for 24 hours after biopsy. Felt seriously violated but those who avoid investigation for fear of this are taking the wrong option. No pain no gain

Apparently there are more modern methods these days !!! Mine was a TRUS biopsy (google it) which has less pain and less risk of infection. It did sting like hell as I mentioned before, but not as painful as yours sounds ... was back in the car, sitting down, and being driven home less than 1 hour later. no residual bleeding or pain. back to work next day. 

 

9 hours ago, SMEE said:

Scotty, as a fellow Dalneigher and Human being, i wish you nothing but the best with your battle ahead. You can kick Cancers ass...im sure of it. Although we have never met, i was very aware of you. I clearly recall you walking past our garden. I recally you at Caley games in the olde days and i remember you working at  B and Q.  I remember your lil sister, and how shocked i was when she passed away. I even have fond memories of your Mum, as she helped run the Cameron Youth club for a while. I remember when i hasd my own health battle, many many yrs ago, she was aware it and would often ask my mum how i was doing. So, I have nice memories of you and your family ?

Sure we never met ? I see your email address as an admin and other comments you have made over the years and pretty sure I know you and/or your family. I was friendly with a neighbour of yours who lived just round the corner in Lilac Grove and fairly sure we or other members of your family came into contact because of that and walking to school etc.  Thanks for the words of kindness regarding mum and my sister. Mum is still going. wont say going strong as she has her own medical struggles to contend with, but she celebrated her 80th just a couple of weeks ago. She always tried to be useful, be it the Youth Club, the Community Centre or the Community Council, but not so much these days ... although she does seem to have mastered Skype to speak with her grandson and we are working on facebook so she can look at all the photos ! 

 

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I lost my own dad to Prostate Cancer 2 yrs ago at the end of November, so my mate has made me aware that I really need to start thinking about getting tested regularly myself, now that im in my late 40s.  I have to say tho, im DREADING the old Doctors finger up my bahookie part......im really worried about the feeling of having my insides touched. Its just one of them things that gives me the heebie jeebies, but i know that it could be life saving. Can i ask, did you have any symptoms, or was it pure luck that it was picked up at yearly medical? 

If you lost your own dad to it, or any other direct male relative has suffered prostate or testicular cancer then you should consider testing at any age above 45, or earlier if you see any symptoms or warning signs. My wife and my doctor got me into the routine of having a yearly MOT in my 40s and as soon as I hit 50 my doctor started doing the checks that all males should have ! I had a medical issue in my intestines 5 years ago and had a colonoscopy to check it out afterwards (all clear) and my fear of that was about the same as my fear of the biopsy for prostate. The worst thing I did was look it up on Google !!!  The issue came up in this year's physical as my uncle died in July from prostate cancer. He had had it for a good few years and was 77 but my doctor agreed to send me for the test based on this info and because I asked. 

At the heart of things its a 3 stage test and you have to "qualify" for the next stage ! ...... stage 1 is often the gloved finger from your doctor. Nothing to worry about, at worst its a little uncomfortable rather than painful. They are checking for enlargement or firmness. The worst part is your own mindset or embarrassment, especially in my case with a female GP. Just remember, your doctor has likely seen thousands of arses in their time and yours is nothing special ! In many ways its worse for them as they are the ones having to stick a finger up someone else's bum !  Stage 2 is the PSA test (prostate-specific antigen). This is basically a blood test where they test for the presence of these antigens and give it a value.  Common thinking was that a value less than 4.0 was ok and anything over might require a biopsy but modern thinking is that the test is nothing more than an indicator as cancer has been found in people below that mark and not in others above it. At worst it is a baseline, and if you get the tests regularly then the docs will be able to calculate the PSA doubling rate which is the speed that the number increases. Docs do seem to agree however that the higher the number, or the quicker it doubles over time, the more need there is to do a more specific test, namely the biopsy. That is stage 3 and I was referred to a urologist who reviewed my notes and then did his own finger test. That one WAS uncomfortable and he recommended the biopsy. The biopsy was done and yes it was uncomfortable. I had local anaesthetic and i did get the odd sting as the needle guided the biopsy process to various areas of the gland. The whole process took maybe 15-20 minutes so anyone can get through it. 

I did not have any symptoms like blood in urine, pain when peeing, or frequent trips to the bathroom, although looking back on it you can probably look to warning signs you may have missed, perhaps the odd 'dribble' here and there after finishing, or in my case, drinking a can of coke and needing to pee like a racehorse soon after (i stopped drinking carbonated drinks because of this). Hopefully mine has been caught in time as I do need to be around to see ICT lift the cup again and maybe play Toronto FC in the Club World Cup (although I might need immortality for that one). 

  

Quote

Anyhow, as i say, I wish you all the very best and hope you will be with us for a long long time yet ?

thanks. I intend to be ! 

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Women doctors are not as gentle as you may think. Her finger this time around was a big surprise. Very businesslike as if she was afraid that it would drop out if she slowed up on the entry  test. Smile?. And made me gasp so she healed my brain wound by saying "Sorrrry".

Then I panicked and ran out the door without my pants and the waiting female  patients gasped and squawked so  I ran back  in the door again  and it was me that then sheepishly said …"Sorrrry". Oh My!      Well, guys, you  can't take life too seriously now can you?

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