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| FLOWERS JAIPUR |
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| Add caption |
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| ASLAMS HOME |
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| ASLAM AND ME |
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| KIDS OUT OF SCHOOL |
India was amazing but now I was back home and would be undergoing the brachy within a few short weeks.
To be honest I was sort of looking forward to "biting the bullet" and getting it over with.
I'd made this decision more than a year ago but had had to have the pre-op first to ensure no blockages after the brachy ,which is going to affect the urinary function,in some way.
I mean after all sticking 60 to 70 little radioactive pellets right inside a living organ is without doubt going to result in initial swelling,from the opand eventually as a result of the ongoing radioactivity.Thus the need initially for the first procedure,which had been totally successful.
Seemed a pity to mess with that now 😒
The 21st October arrived and I duly rocked up at 10:30 am to check in for the brachytherapy.
Was booked in for the pre-checks,donned the silly "pyjamas" exposing my buttocks ,and lay around waiting for the meat van which arrived at 12:30 to take me through to theatre.
Up till the age of 60 I hadn't ever really been subjected to hospital culture and had barely seen a doctor in the previous 30 years (*I had a GP who I hadn't even realised had retired).
In the past 3 years ,since diagnosis however ,I'd undergone two biopsies (this was to be my 3rd),two MRI's,and the recent bladder snip/TURP.
I was kinda getting used to this now!
After a short wait I was wheeled into the surgery where my urologist and oncologist were preparing.
A quick chat and before I knew it I was "lights out"!
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| PUSHKAR |
I clambered out of my stupor and asked the time.It was 3:30 and I'd been in theatre for a couple of hours.
No pain at this stage .I'd been expecting to stay overnight at least ,and understood that I might still be catheterized after the procedure.Quick check.......no I was catheter free 😊Oh joy!!!!!
My urologist arrived a couple of hours after and reckoned that,provide I could pass urine,I could go. home.
Drank litres of water and sure enough,by 5:30 I'd managed to pass the most painful ever 200mls or so of bloody urine and was on my way home.
I had no illusions regarding the next few days/weeks/months and had prepared myself for the worst.
My main reservation was the meds I'd need in order to pass urine effectively for the next 6 months to a year.From my research it appeared evident that this was a given ,and that I'd definitely be requiring at least one of these terrible meds/day to pee effectively.
I asked my Doc (urologist) and he prescribed them ,along with some painkillers,and wryly commented that I could "try" getting by without........but I could see he wasn't convinced.
The 1st night was a fairly sleepless one where I needed to get up virtually hourly as it felt virtually impossible to empty the bladder totally.
It also burnt like shit but was slowly subsiding to a point where.by next morning ,it wasn't a real problem.
I still hadn't needed the painkillers and hadn't taken any FLOMAX or the likes,although God knows,I probably needed them?
For the first few days my scrotal area and bum were a little sensitive to sit on so I ended up using one "cheek "or the other.
I was curious to see what the area they'd operated through (the perinium) looked like and probably shouldn't have.
When I finally figured out a way to ....basically look at my own arse (with Cheryl's vanity mirror) I was shocked to find a "very sensitive" area of my body which looked as though it had gone 15 rounds with Mike Tyson.
It was basically black and blue !!!!!
However ,no longer that sensitive.
I was back in the gym after a few days (half pace,which nowadays is "dead slow") and on the squash court before the 1st week was through.
The after effects of this one were probably lesser than the previous op and ,after 2 weeks the only SE I had was the expected nocturnal awakening to half empty my bladder.
By week two however I'd managed this part of the process to a point where I was able to sleep in 2 to 3 hour stints,depending on how much I'd drunk and when I'd stopped drinking.
Soon realised that all of my evening drinking activity needed to be over by 6pm to allow my bladder to be reasonably empty by the time I retired at 10/11pm.
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| PUSHKAR |
So far so good!
I was thrilled at the lack of SE's so far and particularly by the fact that I was managing without the use of any meds whatsoever.
YAAAAAAY!!!!!
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| HOTEL |
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| ASLAMS JEWELLERY WORKSHOP |
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| PUSHKAR |
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| PUSHKAR HOLY WATER |
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| SOME VERY LOCAL CUISINE |
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