We probably wouldn’t have made it this far 100 years ago d00d…No such thing as an over fifties forum then…
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Surprising what you can learn to live with though …providing there is no pain involved.
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One thing I’m having trouble coming to terms with is weight gain. I’ve never had a big belly before but I’m told the hormone drugs taken for the Prostate cancer can cause it. Not only that but I have to take steroids now to overcome the possible side-effects of the hormone drugs. That’s something else that can cause weight gain. My appetite is healthy but not excessive.
The only thing I can try for mitigating the problem is to exercise some more but if I do that, it can cause a problem with bleeding from the kidney. I sometimes think I’ll stop taking all medication and just get on with life. I know of someone with cancer who did just that and lasted three years fairly healthily until he dropped. At aged 80, if I got that amount of time it would be pretty good.
Yep, been there done that, absolutely hate it!
It’s the way the tracksuit bottoms waistband keeps slipping down when there isn’t a waistline anymore that is really annoying. I just can’t bring myself to wear them with braces. 
Awwww…Tell me about it @mart since I stopped running my middle is expanding beyond belief. I go out walking and cycling most days but it won’t shift. Apparently with heart trouble fluid can build up in ankles and tummy, and some of my medication has given me breasts that Mrs Fox would be proud of. I normally take a 34" inch waist in trousers but they are getting so tight and uncomfortable and if I go to a 36" I have to keep pulling them up and they make me look like coco the clown. Too wide in the leg…Like you described, with no waist trousers just slide down below the hump…Why don’t they make a 35" waist?
All the clothes I seem to try on these days aren’t made for a human frame. Either the sleeves are too long, or they are short in the body, or the legs are made to fit humpty dumpty or Max Wall.
Sorry double post…
That was always my adult size. I haven’t measured lately. I think the best course might be to take down the full-length mirror just opposite the bed.
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Nephrostomy tube change day today. An uncomfortable but mostly painless procedure that should only last about half an hour. It involves laying on my front while some really heavy covers are put all over me all apart from the X-Ray target area. I think they must contain lead for protection purposes.
It’s an all-purpose X-Ray bed that doesn’t have a hole in it for the face like a massage bed does. They supply a well padded pillow to rest the neck on so that breathing can take place. As I say though, just an unpleasant half an hour. It might be more uncomfotable laying on my front than last time because of my expanded girth. We’ll see.
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Good luck with that Mart…Hope it goes well.
I’ve got a few visits to the hospital in the next week or two.
One visit to check out my pacemaker/defibrillator equipment, and the other for cardiology.
I bet we are both on first name terms with the nurses…
Aye, you, Mart, and ! Mine is every six weeks.
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Well that was more long-winded than I thought it would be. I was admitted to the pre-op ward rather than going straight into Radiology. Gowned up, a Cannula inserted and I was put on a trolley. Wheeled down on the trolley to have the replacement done when the time came. The cannula was used for antibiotics.
I think the extra treatment was maybe because I am prone to waterworks infections. The last one had the name ‘sepsis’ as part of the wording.
The tube leaves the kidney in a sideways direction rather than downwards as it was before. Something to get used to. A small thing like that makes it necessary to change procedures/habits a bit… Wheeled back to the ward for half an hour observation before being discharged. They gave me a sandwich, some biscuits and a cup of coffee. Great service all round as usual.
Anyway, that’s it for a couple of months. I said I thought it was every three months but I expect the Urology Department will decide.
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Mart, hope everything is ok with you, sending you a big hug.
Thanks Pimmy - I feel OK and am fairly used to the way of things. Even went up in the loft to fit a new power block this morning.
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Yes, it’s that time of week for the Nephrostomy dressing change. A shower beforehand, which is not easy with a tube hanging out of my back that is not supposed to get directly wet. Showering means taking the leg band off that holds the bag in place and stops the tube from pulling on the dressing, which hopefully stops the tube from yanking on the kidney, perhaps even pulling out. Anyway, care is needed.
I’ve mentioned before about how complicated the dressing is with its Velcro and the shape of it. It does the job well of securing the tube …unless it were all to become unstuck from the skin of course. That’s another thing that needs to be thought of. I’ll stop (thankfully ) short of showing it in place but this is what it looks like.
This is the first dressing change since going to the hospital last week to have the tube itself replaced.
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Hi Mart, Are things going better for you since they changed the tube? No more blockages I hope.
I had a look and there are nephrostomy shower covers and suggestions to be found online. I’m not sure how many have been tried with success though.
I hope the dressing change went well.
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Shower and dressing done but not without worry. I have a plastic bag temporarily taped over the site that works OK for showering. It’s more that the securing leg band has to be removed and that leaves the bag a bit vulnerable to being pulled around.
Mrs mart has changed the dressing. When they change the tube in the hospital, it is held in place by binding some tape around it near where is goes into the body, Then some stitching cotton (?) is wrapped around the tape. Then the cotton is stitched into the skin to hold the tube in place. It seems that the tape is too near the skin and it is starting to work its way into the hole. This makes the area a little more sore than it might be.
With the previous tube, the stitch had broken or pulled out at some point and the whole area was more comfortable for it. Everything still held in place by the dressing, With the tape being the way it is now, the tube is coming out of the hole at right-angles, rather than laying flat. Mrs mart tried to get some advice from the hospital but Urology aren’t answering the phone. In the end, she pulled the tube flat and applied the dressing. A bit ouch-worthy but the job is done.
It feels fairly OK now but she wants to know if the stitch could be snipped and the tube pulled out a fraction. We still might phone up about it.
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Just stopping by to send you some encouragement today. I truly admire your strength and resilience. May each day bring you more peace and happiness.
Thankyou for the good wishes Pimmy - Yesterday’s trials are over. It’s surprising what a person can get used to. I’m feeling OK today. In fact, it’s my day for going to the pub for a lunchtime pint of beer. I’m thinking about riding my bike there instead of getting a lift by car.
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Ok Mart, I’m happy to hear that. Enjoy your day!