Les here

Hello everyone. After nearly three years of fighting Mr. C. I have to admit he's getting the upper hand but with the castards worldwide record of causing pain and misery that's not surprising is it.Jaq and I have spent just a little short of three years chasing our Mr. C. Around my body and I think we were successful because the coward has now gone deep into cover by seeking refuge in my Pelvic area and pressuring the nerves to my back and legs. So now I face as of a month back an estimate of 6-12 months to live.Yes I'm dying, no other way to say it and please don't be frightened to say anything that you think might upset me. I've told many who have visited no words or phrases are banned in my presence.  Take a look at the picture taken Sunday 14th August as I type this. Do I look to be just about ready to check out of this world, no not just yet.
My last post was to the effect of being unable to blog because of back pain and this is still the case only now we know the cause.

As you can see I am sitting up in hospital typing this but have Morphine via a slow release tablets and by mouth on demand. I came in here a couple of days ago so I could have another MRI scan to see what my best options are for palliative one off, for now, radio therapy for pain relief and of course to get the exact dosage of slow release Morphine tablets decided. Hoping the therapy will be decided Mon\Tues and I can get home.


How I ended up here is another story. So to start a quiz question. " How many ambulance personnel does it take to get a boater off a boat". Answer  7+ 2 response cars and an ambulance oh! not forgetting a Southampton sling. Not sure that name is correct and not found it on the web. What it does is replace a normal stiff spinal board with a canvas type
blanket that seems to be filled with Velcro blocks that are pushed close to you whole body sticking together to form a mould around your whole body.  It is strapped closed and you can be tilted in any direction without your body flexing. Imagine a normal board where you lay flat this thing enables them to tip me head or toes down or on my side and I never moved at all, like you had been soaked in plaster of Paris. It was developed to carry patients up twisting stairwells in ships engine rooms or stairs similar to those say in a lighthouse.

Not having the pain under control lead to an ambulance being called that resulted in a car and paramedic who was concerned of pressure on my spine so called for the ambulance to collect extra staff because of the tight area in the rear boat bedroom. It was decided to send for a car to collect the blanket device.
On my side through the narrow corridor laid across the cooker and the back of the dinette sideways through the front doors and straight onto the stretcher and I felt no body movement at all.

So an MRI scan led to Stoke Mandeville hospital entering into discussion and sending images back and forth with my pain relief increased I returned home late evening. The following lunchtime the Royal Free in London who have been looking after me for sometime phoned wanting to admit me for tests and monitoring plus another scan. At least I can with just some discomfort sit still long enough to read and type this.

We had cruised as far as Gailey on the Staffs and Words canal before I kept getting strong urge to turn back south. This was before on the advice of the osteopath I contacted the Royal Free who arranged another scan. 48 hours after which they phoned with the news and an appointment for Oncology.

So a lot of travelling but a lot of help from the boating community was most welcome with just Jaq able to do locks while I steered it was OK on long pounds but my pain increased and Jaq put out a call for help while I was laid out on the folded down dinette.
We had Arthur doing a very long stint of two flights helped by his daughter, Ken and Sue, Jennie and Chris then Adam, all boaters. Jaq still has to have her other knee replaced as it's getting worse with all the extra work looking after me, again friends have come up with suggestions to make this happen as it will not be near where we are now.

At the moment we are on the southern Grand. Union and have a mooring arranged by friends while the boater is cruising at least till end of August perhaps longer.
We are connected with the GP who I've had since the bowel surgery plus the nurses and also the visiting Ian Rennie cancer hospice nurses. Some might think it's a bit early to be thinking of hospice services but you are very wrong.

 These two sets of nurses work together and can arrange changes of medication without my having to step into the surgery and within a few minutes they can get through to your GP.  and get new prescriptions without you having to make a GP appointment.
They also arranged for people to come and see what they can do to make movement around and in and out of the boat or perhaps your house. Hoping to get a stool or seat to fit in shower in case the legs weaken as they have once or twice, not a lot of space to fall and avoid something to hit if you fall in a boat bathroom.
So I do encourage anyone in a similar position to get known via your GP to theses angels.

Sorry to have gone on a bit and perhaps in the near future I can do some more boating blog posts. Not sure if I missed anything but ask what you will openly or if wanting anonymity use e mail.
The view from the 11th floor here is to the east and takes in the Shard, St. Paul's Cathedral and Canary Wharf plus a few city sky scrapers. North East is Parliament hill and the edge of Hampstead Heath. I can also see the Olympic stadium.

A bit woozy with all the meds so hope it all makes some sense.