Interview 47

Age at interview: 66

Age at diagnosis: 57

Brief Outline: Diagnosed with prostate cancer 1992, TURPs in 1992 and 1998, external beam radiation, hormone treatment, chemotherapy.

Describes his experience of having chemotherapy.

And during the day you said it was eleven hours you were having the chemotherapy?

Yes.

Can you just, so did you have to sit down all that time or what?

Well you had, you were on

The drip?

The drip and you could wheel it a bit after but it wasn't very handy so most of the time you were just sat in the wee ward.  But a lot of time I spent in the reception, I was in a ward, there was a reception room and I just sat in there.

Right did you have anyone to talk to during this time?

Not a lot, sometimes you were the only one and you sat there for 11 hours.

Oh dear.

And it was a bit of a drag the 11 hours.

Yes. What sort of relationship did you have with other people in there, could you talk at all?

Not a lot. Oh you could talk, yes, but there wasn't a lot of; people I think they were more concerned with what was going on with themselves, never mind somebody else.

So there wasn't much chat?

There wasn't a lot of chat, no.
 

Explains that the professionals involved were very helpful and understanding.

Can you tell other people what it's like to have a biopsy in as much detail as possible.

Unpleasant because you have, it's... you have a tube, it's a tube that goes up your rectum and they take a bit of the prostate away and it's an unpleasant feeling until the end, and that is painful to the end, but that's again only a minute and they were very good. The doctor or technician I don't know who did this, because they said 'When you feel the pain we'll then stop and then you can get yourself ready for the last bit,' and they actually said to me 'because it will be painful.' But it's you know it's a quick pain and then it's all over, but they were very, again the person who did it was very thoughtful because they understand what it's like.

Complains how conditions in hospital have deteriorated.

Hygiene is unbelievable now from 8 years ago it was good the last time I was in hospital, well the last few times I've been it's unbelievable. You get like you get blood on the floor round your bed, not yours. The worst I've, the worst, well I was just, you just lay in bed like you touch the metal frame of the bed and I thought oh what's that chewing gum and it wasn't it was just dried blood. Another time [laughs] I remember recently was in your night bag they come and empty it at night and obviously they spilt some and I got out of bed and I'd just worn, my bare feet was in my urine on the floor.

Oh dear

But this is, that is hygiene and you just sit, you just lay in your bed and watch them clean, it's just if there's a chair they don't clean and move the chair, they just go round the chair. This is my experience.

So you think things have got worse in hospital, in the hospitals?

Yes 8 years ago, yes there's no comparison the last, you know that gap of that 6 years what's happened I don't know.