The history of Greens Norton village

My mum showed me this site, for my grandfather's birthplace. It includes a brief description of my grandfather, Albert Wright.

Mr Albert Wright and Mr Arthur Wilinson travelled the district with a big thrashing machine and a steam engine. They would travel to their job and 'set up' one day, ready to begin work the following day. They always carried their bikes strapped to the box so that at the end of the day they could cycle home.

I did a bit more digging on the site and found that my great great grandmother was summoned by the Guardians of the local school to account for Albert being absent for 11 weeks. I had never heard this tale before, instead I have often been shown a certificate he got for long service, running the Sunday School.

[Click on the above image for the full story.]

Inside the big polo mint

This afternoon I had a CT Scan test. First I had to spend an hour drinking 800ml of dye to colour my organs for the MRI scanner. Then they put a need the size of football pump needle into my arm. Through this they injected a dye for my blood. Apart from the needle, it's quite a nice experience. A warming glow spreads round the body, more powerful than a fine whisky. The radiologist observed that it feels like one has wet ones pants. I had just thought of it as a warm glow in the loins, but it could also feel like incontinence.

After all this the table moves in and out of the scanner that, that reminds me of a large polo mint.

It reminds me of 8 years ago and going through all this for the first tumour. That was a lot more disturbing as I had less idea what was going on and Lan was adjusting being in Britain, let alone British hospitals.

One major difference this time is the pain. Last time didn't hurt, except for recovering from the operation and the radiology sapped my strength. This time the tumour is painful and getting worse. It's keeping me awake. Meanwhile staff in Abu Dhabi and Australia are hassling me to provide inputs for a proposal, for work I know I won't be fit enough to do.

There is no doubt I want the time off work and the treatment as soon as possible.

Round-up

I have got a bit out of date. I was writing something every day, but have run out of speed. It's partly that poor sleep due to the pain in my leg has made me less keen to spend evenings on the PC. If I am feeling tired now, what's it going to be like when Chemo starts. Well at least I won't be working as well.

Having left a message on my consultant's secretaries ansaphone last Friday, I spoke to her on Monday and was passed to another secretary, who wanted to pass me back again. It became clear that my paper work had just been sitting on a desk, the appointments for tests were just waiting for departments to get back to them, and no one had read my letter confirming I was going private. Since my phone call, they have tried to show themselves as models of efficiency.

Tomorrow afternoon (Thursday) I get my CT Scan. Lan is still hopeful that this will show it's been a misdiagnosis. I don't find that thought comforting, because I would be back to square one on finding out what this lump is. It is increasingly painful and the consultant was confident it is cancer.

I check into Christies Hospital Monday morning.

No news is - frustrating

A week on from the diagnosis and I still haven't heard anything apart from the hearing test. I remain unsure whether treatment starts a week on Monday or a week later.

At work they have been very supportive. My absence is going to put stress on the team, but they are gearing up to it.

Luckier than some

I have reckon I have always got some good treatment and been well looked after by NHS. (Private hospitals in HK, Vietnam gave me good service too and I got lucky in Croatia.) So it is sobering to read the following in the Manchester Metro News.

A father died of testicular cancer after his GP sent him home with paracetamol tablets, his family claim.
Farmer Billy Finney, 32 repeatedly complained of a lump on his groin, pain in his leg, sickness, weight loss and tiredness.
But his family say that despite seeing his doctor four times in 12 months, he was never given proper medical examination or referred to hospital.

I can hear

I had my hearing test this morning. I put on headphones and clicked a button when I heard beeps. My hearing is good, all except for the upper range in right ear. I don't know why I didn't discuss it with the audiologist, but it is because I can hear a constant high pitched sound in that ear. I hadn't noticed until I was in that quiet room, but I am still conscious of it. I will raise it next time they test me.

Hearing test

I am booked in for my hearing test tomorrow morning, at Withington Community Hospital.

One of the Chemo drugs can damage upper range hearing or leave ringing in the ears, so I will be tested before and after the treatment. I am not sure they can do much about it if my hearing suffers, I will just know much worse it has got.

Chemotherapy - a guide

For those who want the details of my proposed treatment and the gory details of the potential side effects click on the image below. There are a large number of Chemotherapy regimens, but this is specifically for my treatment. 

The Big C

I have once more been diagnosed with cancer. I had a tumour removed by surgery in 1998, followed by two weeks of radiography near my stomache to kill off secondary tumours in the most likely area of development. Since then I have had regular check-ups at Christies Hospital to check it doesn't come back. Indeed, I had been checked just a month ago and as always no sign was found.

When I found a lump just above my groin, it seemed to me that a tumour was a distinct possibility as it is where the doctors often check me. But my GP thought it was probably a glandular infection. Then, when it didn't respond to penecillin, the GP favoured a hernia. That mad me feel old and decrepit.

However, the GP arranged a recall at Christies. The young registrar wasn't sure what the lump was but didn't believe it was a tumour, but the consultant have decided it is 99% sure that it is a tumour.

Mellor Dig

I went to the Mellor Dig and met Steve, Ann, Coral and Frank. See my Mellor Dig Open Days posting to the Stockport Trust blog.