Day 4
Up early as instructed in our hotel room to do my enaema at 6.00am Just 10 mins or less and I’m dashing back into the bathroom.
Then one little pill to take at 7.00am.
It’s the urethral hyperthermia this morning at 8.30am.
This is the one with the catheter.
So - trousers off, boxers off, anaesthetic jab in my buttocks.
Then it’s lie down on the bed - nurse does the prep - placing 2 conductive flexi plates on each hip and one just above my willy.
The doctors job next is to insert the catheter and then the probe into it - the thing that delivers the ultra sound heat.
As before a little pain for seconds, a little discomfort.
A burning sensation at the end of my willy as urine passes through to the urine bag on the floor. this comes in waves - you have to just relax and then it’s a little easier.
It comes in waves - so it’s not constant and it passes in seconds.
this treatment lasts 3 hours - so this time I had Jeff Beck, Deep Purple and David Bowie with me. I even did a bit of Facebook and sent a few texts.
Helped pass the time.
I chatted with the nurse - wow she has worked there for 22 years. As she said, she has been there since the start. Part of her role is trialling new therapies and training new team members.
She removed the catheter and probe - again a little pain and discomfort for a few seconds.
She then removed the stick on conductive plates - she applies a spray before she pulls them off….so that you don’t get a free waxing!
She then gives another injection into my buttock to reverse the anaesthetic.
The good news is the nurse was well organised, so did the intravenous drips at the same time - this saved me an hour, as I would have had to go to the 3rd floor for that later.
1 x bag of something to combat swelling and 1 x bag of selenium.
SO that was it - get dressed and out for an hour and half. Met my wife in the library opposite then into a little bistro for lunch.
After the urethral hyperthermic treatment you do feel like you want to pee and poo. You do have to do a few little pees for an hour or so but this gets better and pees get longer after a couple of hours.
The prostate seems a little achy and makes you feel like you want a poo. Once I’ve been late afternoon - the feeling goes and everything seems to get back to normal.
Peeing has a slight burning sensation - however this gets less with each visit to the toilet. The first few pees though you do have to get to the loo quickly.
I found you could get a little leakage if you didn’t get there quick enough. Just piled a little toilet paper down the boxer to help with this. This seems only for the first few visits.
Maybe my jeans and belt are too tight _ lol.
Then back for 1 hr of the local hyperthermic treatment. This is quite nice. It’s one treatment I’m getting each of the 5 days.
Trousers off, paper placed just above willy, warm heat bag, then water bag to hold it in place - nurse plugs in, switches on and warms for 1 hour.
It’s just like a warm hot water bottle. Soothing chilli out music - and that’s it, I’m snoring for at least 30 minutes!
Out of clinic at 3.10pm and I meet my wife walking back from the super market - by the bridge over the river of the main street.
Very quiet - very little traffic.
The locals tell us that Bad Aibling is really warm in the summer months - and temperatures can reach 35 degrees. (minus 6 last night but much warmer today a high of 8 and a low of minus 1).
Didn’t want to go back to the hotel room - so walked down to a modern coffee bar patisserie near the station halt………..then had a walk together around the park. A lovely park a alongside the river.
It was good to get some fresh air on a milder day. Every bar, shop and the clinic are all warm.
Had a salad and sandwich dinner in our hotel room tonight - made a change. Watched a drama on my laptop. We then went out a little later to a couple of bars.
No alcohol or sugar or no sugary drinks for me though. I haven’t had sugary drinks or no sugar drinks for years - however I gave up alcohol after my diagnosis knowing that it is a toxin.
Just got my daily medication (pills) to take tonight and all done for today.
Last day tomorrow - intravenous infusion - 3 hours, 1 hour local hyperthermic treatment and a consultation with my doctor. Also need to buy and collect the medication to take home with me.
Some of the medication is available at home, some only locally here in Bad Aibling as it is specially made to Dr Douwes instructions…….and some of the doses are much lower in the UK and other countries I believe. Up to 6 months supply I think. I’ll see what they say.
I’ll also find out how the clinic suggests I monitor my results back in the UK.
Good night.
Day 5
A little later start this morning - 09.45 for intravenous infusions 2 hours - 1 x bag of Vitamin C and 1 x bag of the stuff that gets the heavy metals out of your system to help your own immune system work better.
!0.30 appointment with my allocated doctor……..and I can visit her office still attached to the drip - you are allowed to wheel the stand around with you, whilst watching out for low ceiling lights and Christmas decorations.
Yes the hospital is decorated beautifully for Christmas. Nativity scenes and decorations everywhere.
The doctor first tells me my blood results from my first day (Monday). All good - good white blood cells, red blood cells - everything good.
On Dec 1st at home in UK PSA score 9.5
On Dec 4th (Monday) Klinik St Georg - before any treatments at all PSA score 6.5
How strange is that? Lowest PSA score since diagnosis in January!
So the doctor goes through what I need to do at home.
PSA blood test 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months from 9th Dec - and report the results back to her via email.
Now the drugs I need to take home with me - and the dosage.
PLUS one injection that they can do today and one I will need to do myself in 3 months time.
THE SHOCK - 1 injection in the clinic nearly 500 euros. I had to go and pay at the reception there and then too!
The nurse showed me what to do and explained things. It’s to be injected into my belly fat about 4 inches to the left or right of my belly button.
I hope I can remember the mixing and shaking it in 3 months time!
Next to take the prescription to Klinik St Georg’s own pharmacy - I can feel another shock coming……………….1,100 euros!!!!! (500 of which is the injection for home in 3 months)
You have little choice - I want to be clear of cancer and these drugs aren’t available to me in the UK
and even the few supplements are much lower dosages generally.
By the way - unless you use cash - they add 3% for using Debit and Credit cards at the clinic and the pharmacy. Anything with VISA on it they don’t distinguish between credit and debit card.
Now I get a 2 hour lunch break with my wife. Nice to know it’s my last day, just have to go back for 1 x local hyperthermia treatment of 1 hour.
If you come with a friend or partner, 5 days here for them can be a challenge. It’s a small town, so you just run out of things to do.
Bring books, magazines, laptop or tablet loaded with things to watch and do.
Back to the clinic for 1 last time -
14.15 Local hyperthermia treatment (the warm plug in mat just above your willy with the water bag on top to add pressure).
So they use the urethral hyperthermic treatment to attack the cancer cells with heat from within the prostate and the local hyperthermic treatment to attack the cancer cells from the outside of the prostate.
(Well I’m guessing - but seems logical to me.
The urethral hyperthermic treatments are only carried out on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the local hyperthermic treatment are every day.
Just a really lovely team.
A hand shake and a hug and best wishes from my doctor and my intravenous nurse and my 2 x hyperthermic nurses.
All wishing me well.
All seems very genuine.
Next to the ground floor reception to arrange transfer to Munich Airport tomorrow.
It’s cheaper to arrange via Klinik St Georg reception - however they have to have your flight details and flight number.
89 euros to get here
60 euros back - as we are sharing with another couple (at last I’ve saved a few quid!).
Out of the doors and into the fresh air - my last visit done!
Done - and feeling good!!
Now I can’t conclude anything really until another 6 months time.
However I do feel good and water works are all functioning fine.
I would like to say I looked 20 years younger and that all my hair has grown back…………but………well maybe in the next 6 months - lol.
Hope me sharing my journey has been useful……hope it helps you.
We have a late flight tomorrow night, so off to Salzburg tomorrow sightseeing - just 1 hr 20mins on the train.
Best wishes to you all - and I will let you know my 6 week, 3 month, 6 month PSA results.
Good luck to you all.
Best wishes,
Gary.