Interview 29

Age at interview: 77

Age at diagnosis: 76

Brief Outline:

Diagnosed with prostate cancer 1999. TURP in 1999, external beam radiation and short hormone treatment 2000.

Describes how painful it was to pass water after the catheter was removed.

So at midnight of course they were not, nobody was there so this sister came and what should I say, she took out the catheter, I don't know but some technique there must be, she pulled it out or something and I felt so painful I can't tell you, very, very painful and I had to pass water and that water was, you see like you have a wound and you put on it something burning, it was a burning sensation, I couldn't bear it.

Describes the useful advice and information he received from the Madam Curie charity.

They have got a retired sister who knows about this and she also drew drawings for me and she told me this is what's that, this is what's going to happen, but nobody else explained to me.

So it was just a charity who explained to you?

A charity yes

Which charity, is that Cancerlink or?

Madam Curie or something.

Madam Curie, so they sent you information?

No they have got a big room there they gave you cup of tea, sit down and then you had an appointment with the nurse, I mean the sister. 

Yes

She is retired, and she comes and she sat with me about an hour or so and explained whatever and they gave a lot of pamphlets after so you can read this, what food you should be eating, what should be done, all those things. I had more information from them than the doctors. And I think anybody going in for this they must go to one of these. They give you much more information than the doctors, that is my experience I don't know about the other doctors. So they gave me this treatment, it will be for 4 weeks starting in the month of March.
 

Describes the problem with irregular bowel movements after radiotherapy.

The only thing is after I finished then we my bowels become irregular.

Your bowels became irregular?

Irregular and like you see very hard pieces, very hard, it was a problem to pass them so I asked my GP here and he gave me medicine. There I told them they said nothing to worry, this happens. And I never realised because I never looked, then after this had finished, after 4 weeks my wife, one day I was changing my clothes, she looked at my abdomen she said 'It's all black what is this?' and I had never realised it, I looked and I said 'Oh what is this?' and then I asked the doctor, he said it is because of the radiotherapy.