Prostate Cancer

Ultrasound, well the image of the bladder is taken using ultrasounds and the reflection from ultrasounds, rather like the asdic system that was used for submarines many years ago. The picture can be formed by sound echoes I understand. I've no technicality of it but I understand that's the principle. So rather than use X-rays or whatever a picture can be formed with the ultrasound showing the shape, the size of the bladder.

So they just move something over your stomach?

A jelly over the stomach to make better contact, I believe, with the skin so there are no sort of air pockets between the device and the skin and with that the ultrasound penetrates. The reflections are picked up and the image can be formed I think just like pregnant women have the scans to show their unborn child, I think it's the same sort of thing. As I say I know nothing about the technicality but that I believe is the method used. So a picture was formed and afterwards one empties the bladder and has the scan again so I think the bladder size empty and full can be ascertained and I think that's a significant factor yet again in the sort of search for the problem. So I don't think that turned up with anything in particular that was concerning, so then thought well perhaps it's a prostate problem.
 

On the MRI?

I was given good information beforehand and I suppose it could be problematic for some people. You are placed in quite a narrow tunnel which does feel a bit claustrophobic and I can quite understand that some people might find that difficult, however you are reassured by the nurses and you can communicate so if things become too difficult you can certainly ask to be taken out. It's very noisy as the magnets are moved around and even with hearing protection which you are given that can be a bit unsettling. But having been in other environments which are unpleasant, I didn't find it particularly difficult. So it's not uncomfortable, it's a little claustrophobic and a little noisy but I was happy to almost go to sleep and let things happen. It does last rather longer than you expect; you are placed in different positions while the images are taken and some of the tests themselves last for several minutes so you actually have to lay still in this little tunnel with rather loud clunking noises going on around you.
 

I had to go in, I think about 11 in the morning to have an injection, some radioactive, I'm not too sure what it was but it was something that then subsequently would show up in the blood test. So I had to go and have the injection, go away for 2 or 3 hours and come back and have a full body scan. It was in those few hours I had a pub lunch with my parents which was surreal really, you were all trying to be jolly and keep each other going but it was a nice thing to have done, I'm glad we did it. 

And then I went with my wife back to the hospital to have the full scan, I think it took about 40 minutes, 20 minutes doing the top of me and 20 minutes doing underneath me, photographing everything. Then again of course you never know any of the results of anything. That funnily enough unnerved me more than anything because the nurse said, or the lady, the radiographer who did the pictures said 'I'll be with you in 5 minutes then you'll be able to go and I'll pass things on to your surgeon.' She obviously got delayed, it was more like 25 minutes till she came back to see me and somehow that built up, it's amazing how you suddenly lost your bottle and I did, I got very, very nervous in that time, thinking oh they've found this, they've done that, they want to have me back to do more things and anything, you're susceptible to anything unnerving you.

And the day had gone smoothly, the injection in the morning was fine, going off to have a meal with your wife and your parents, that was fine, everybody was very jolly and it all went well, had a nice meal but then suddenly you can lose your nerve.