Frustration Part 1.

I am going to write a few little bits now because I am imagining that this little chapterette is going to be a bit of a frustration if today is anything to go by!

Since Ady had had his catheter in, we have been making sure he doesn’t become constipated and he has also been drinking plenty to keep things flushed through.

He has had the odd uncomfortable bladder spasm which is to be expected, but each time he has a poo, he bypasses blood down his willy. It is quite fresh blood and a good tissues worth.

I spoke with our nurse the other day when I was asking where the appointment was to have the bloody thing removed was, and told her about the blood. She said that it was quite normal and not to worry unless it was becoming frequent. As he wasn’t pissing blood everywhere and he has no temperature, and no other problems (apart from the obvious), we decided not to worry.

Last night,... or was it the night before....anyway, he called me from the bathroom to say that he felt he needed a poo so sat on the toilet. A load of blood bypassed his catheter and the feeling for a poo went and did I think that was normal. Normal? I thought, I am hardly the right person to be asking what is normal and what isn’t!

I said that I didn’t think it was particularly normal, but I would check. I belong to a group called ‘Ladies on Line’. It is a women only group where daughters, wives, sisters and any female affected by prostate cancer can come together and chat, joke, laugh, cry and ask.

We are all affected by prostate cancer in different ways. Each person is at a different stage of the journey. They all give their experiences and advice, what they don’t know isn’t worth knowing!...it’s a brilliant group, and I am very glad I was invited. Elise, who runs it works tirelessly ...she is a right old trooper that one, and what’s more she is a nurse !

I logged on and asked if Ady is normal. Elise reassured me that it is not an emergency and it is all fairly normal and to check with a urology nurse the next day.

It would be nice if we were told this sort of thing could happen at discharge, but hey ho...

The next day, I rang the nurse who said that we should be getting a letter with an appointment to have the catheter removed, and if we didn’t get one then we were to ring her, so I rang her, cos we still haven’t got a letter yet.

She sounded slightly busy and harassed. In fact, I got the impression that I was somehow bothering her. I asked about the bleeding while having a poo and she said that was normal. I then explained that Ady bypassed blood while not having a poo. She said that that was not normal. I asked what should we do, and she asked when our appointment was.

I very calmly and nicely said that we don’t have one yet and that was the other reason I was ringing *sigh*. She said she would chase it up tomorrow......With that, the phone call ended and I suddenly thought, FFS, what about the bleeding !!!

Ady said that he felt that there wasn’t quite so much blood today, so I thought let’s leave it and if we have a problem then we will just go to the doctors (still such a lovely man).

Oh, and of course, as Ady has another week at least of the catheter, we have run out of bags because they only gave enough for two weeks and on Wednesday, we will be moving into week three. Have you ever tried to get hold of district nurses? I have and it’s a nightmare, so I thought bollocks to that, and called my friend to pick me some up.

Charlotte has been offered her HPV jab for tomorrow. I have turned it down, along with some other parents who have looked into this vaccine and not liked what they have found. Why anyone would want their child injected with aluminium (a toxin to the nervous system) and rat poison amongst other things that can cause infertility is quite beyond me. She can use condoms and have regular smears...she will have to have that, jab or not !

Christ, they will be bringing out a chicken pox vaccine next...oh hang on, they have!!

Anyway, enough of that cos I have got a whole load more happenings to talk about in my next bit of blog.

We are Emma, Ady, Charlotte and Stephanie and we live at

Prostateless Avenue,

IveGotASoreArse,

NoBenefitMoneyYet,

NoAppointmentYet

Frustration.