It’s ok to sit down to wee. You may as well know now, there’s going to be some changes round here. At least, for a while anyway. You might just have to get used to being one of those guys that sits down to pee. Practical things like having a circumcised penis is owning your […]
Tag: Penile cancer treatment
Chemotherapy. Eurgh.
It’s for the best. I was worried about chemotherapy. In fact, I probably worried about it more than anything else. When most people think about cancer, they always think about chemo. We’ve all heard the stories, and might even know someone that’s had chemo. The effects on your quality of life, the way you might […]
Redivac drain bottles.
Your juices in a bag. Ok, bottle. After groin surgery, you get a surgical drain bottle or Redivac, to lug around with you for a few weeks. This is a bit of a culture shock. I was given a pint sized bottle on a long piece of pipe. This is embedded deep inside you, and […]
Hair, teeth and nails.
My groin is smooth and shiny. Radiotherapy made my whole groin area completely bald. There was not a pubic hair to be found, and it kept me hair free for what seemed like an eternity! So just how long does it take for your hair to grow back after radiotherapy Well… it’s not that I’ve […]
Inflammation, food, diet & exercise.
Inflammation and lymphedema (or we could just call it swelling) Surgery, radiotherapy and even chemo disrupt the way that your body works. Things just get inflamed sometimes. When you have had extensive surgery on your genitals, this is more than a bit of a problem. It’s the absolute last place you ever want to be […]
Needles, anaesthetics, cannulas, catheters and urine retention.
Anesthetics The people that knock you out are masters of the dark arts. Plus, they’re a huge part of keeping you safe when you’re under the knife. Always the most charming clinicians, quick with a joke to put you at ease. It always seems to me that anesthetists, more than anything else, just love giving […]
Nerve damage.
Thighs like wood. I have had five operations, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. I have been admitted to hospital with Sepsis, and I’ve had plenty of scans too. That means a lot of needles for tests and thinners over the past few months. I’ve had plenty of cannulas too. Every time something is given intravenously, or for […]
Radiotherapy.
“you lay down, it takes about a minute and you won’t feel a thing” Just hold on, because that’s only really half true. I’m not sure how many radiotherapy machines they have at The Royal Marsden. It’s a lot though! Between the two sites, they will almost certainly operate the largest radiotherapy facility in the […]
Other resources.
There are loads resources online for male cancers. Many of them are built by charities and focus on the technical details. They are all reliable, well put together and fantastic places to start. If you want the plain, unvarnished, medical facts, accept no substitute. The NHS – The UK wide health service and a long […]
Robotic surgery.
Meet the robot The procedure is called a robotic pelvic lymph node dissection, and it’s really impressive. At St George’s, they have a DaVinci robot and it’s one of 70 in NHS hospitals across the UK. When pelvic node dissections for cancer surgery are done the old fashioned way, it’s very dramatic. The surgeon cuts […]