"Prostate Cancer Operation"

I was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer by my GP last year. I was then referred to Townsville District Hospital by my GP for a biopsy the following month. It took them two months to diagnose me with a Grade 9 Prostate Cancer and a further three months before I had an operation to remove my prostate. This delay in a hospital that claims it has no waiting list and a delay that I think for a G9 cancer is unacceptable.

I had a catheter for two weeks and when it was removed I was sent home only to have to return to emergency that night unable to pass urine. They reinserted the catheter for another two weeks and when it was removed the same thing happened and I had to go back to emergency. I had a flexible camera inserted and the doctor found nothing wrong so he then used a rigid camera under anaesthetic and still found nothing. This continued and ultimately I had the catheter for two months. I was then shown how to insert the catheter myself when needed. This was OK for a few weeks until I was unable to insert the catheter and ended up back in emergency and a bladder neck incision was done about three months after the original surgery. I was also told I still have the cancer and have been waiting on radiation therapy since early this year but have heard nothing since. All up I think I had to visit emergency about six times.

For my original surgery I had to be at the hospital at 6.30am with nothing to eat or drink since the previous night. I sat in a waiting room for six hours unable to go anywhere or have anything to eat or drink before I was called. Then when I went back to have the rigid camera examination the same happened but this time the wait was eight hours, nothing to eat or drink and I had a catheter in, making sitting extremely uncomfortable, actually it bordered on cruelty. I mention to my wife that they would not treat a dog like that in a Vet Clinic. Then when I got to the Operating Theatre I was so dehydrated the doctors had trouble inserting a cannula in my arm. Since I was being admitted why not give me a bed, I suppose that would be a bed for an extra day and cost cutting is more important than patient care.

It is now many months since my diagnosis with prostate cancer and I am still inserting a catheter daily to keep the bladder neck open and still waiting on radiation therapy. I don’t think my treatment has been very satisfactory.