I’m not quite sure if quite a lot has happened since my first post in August or whether not much has happened.

Either way, what I haven't mentioned before is the late onset of two post-radiotherapy symptoms…one which began several months ago and another which began a couple of months ago.

The one which began several months ago has been a steadily increasing lack of bladder control. In the beginning it was negligible and of no particular consequence. However since then, the leaking has become slowly and surely worse. I think it reached its peak about two months ago and it hasn't changed since. The advice from the radiation consultant is that it's likely I'll have this issue for the rest of my life…although apparently it might improve overtime.

The other after-shock which arrived about two months ago is quite a lot of discomfort in my perineum. How much discomfort can vary during the day, and from day to day, but it often requires painkillers to take the edge off. There are a number of explanations as to why my perineum has been affected and I'm not sure I'll ever find out the exact cause or causes. I also don't know if this is something that's going to improve overtime. What I do know is that putting up with it is tiring and a bit depressing. The only saving grace is that the pain goes away overnight. Sadly it returns within an hour or two after getting up in the morning. 

Blended in with these two issues is a relatively frequent lack of energy. In itself, it's not particularly serious but when added to everything else, it doesn't help. Reluctantly I should perhaps allow that my age (74) might possibly be a contributing factor here.

Wrapping up this post, the result of my most recent PSA check has come in at 0.23. This is, of course, a very low number but it means the cancer is continuing to grow. A recent MRI scan and a PSMA PET scan have revealed that the cancer has moved to either a blood vessel or a lymph node just next to or above my bowel. Because I had a bilateral hip replacement about five years ago, further radiation therapy isn't an option Apparently the titanium in both hips limits the range of access further radiation would require. I confess that when I heard this it was music to my ears. The radiation symptoms I'm already enduring are more than enough to be getting on with. I certainly don't want any more.

So right now the advice I have is to watch, wait and see. My next three-monthly PSA check is in November and the current plan is to review the situation when the count reaches 1.0.

The journey continues…