Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Chatting => Chatting on the Plot => Topic started by: Kleftiwallah on February 02, 2019, 13:10
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Sometimes it’s good being a diabetic! As such I have my eyes photographed every year to check for:-
Diabetic retinopathy, one of the most common causes of sight loss among people of working age.
It occurs when diabetes affects small blood vessels, damaging the part of the eye called the retina. When the blood vessels in the central area of the retina (the macula) are affected, it's known as diabetic maculopathy. People with diabetes should also see their optician every two years for a regular eye test. Diabetic eye screening is specifically for diabetic retinopathy and can't be relied upon for other conditions.
Anyway, back to me... while looking for the above, the optician noticed a ‘shadow’ in my right eye and sent me to see the specialist at Bath Hospital. He in turn sent me to the special specialist at Liverpool Eye Hospital, this is all within the matter of a couple of weeks!
So… It transpires I have a mole on the rear face of the right eye. Technically this is a “Large pigmented choroidal lesion with diameter of 6*3DD”. This is a cancerous malignant melanoma about 8mm X 3mm and quite close to the Fovea (a small depression in the retina of the eye where visual acuity is highest. The centre of the field of vision is focused in this region, where retinal cones are particularly concentrated).
To treat it I have to return to Liverpool in early January for more measurements and to have a face mask made to measure, (I’m not that ugly)! Also to have a brass plate through which the beam is fired cut to the size of the melanoma manufactured. This is to ready me for Proton beam therapy where they fire protons (a stable subatomic particle occurring in all atomic nuclei, with a positive electric charge equal in magnitude to that of an electron.) at the tumour to zap and kill it. Only about 6 people out of a million get this melanoma so I’m quite special!
So tomorrow we're up to The Wirral to Clatterbridge hospital on
Monday for a trial run, then a proton japping each day of the week. If 'they' don't zap it completely it may escape to my liver, (now how the heck do the nasties know (or find) their way?
There is a possibility that I may lose the sight in my right eye in 18 months to two years even after a complete success. So keep fingers crossed for me Cheers Tony.
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O dear Klefti, everything is crossed for successful zapping of the nasty.
Good luck!
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Good luck! Hoping like mad for you - I have had problems (fortunately fixed now) and understand how much on edge it makes you, however much you trust the professionals. But it is a risk you have to take ...
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Having worked in the pathology department that receives tissues from operations I'm aware that malignant melanomas used to be difficult to treat, but there's been such an amazing advance in technology that can almost blast it out of existence. Let's hope it does that for you and please let us know how it goes. GG xxx
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Take care Tony, and good luck. Please talk to us when you can and tell us your progress. Got everything crossed for you. regards Mrs Bouquet
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Wishing you all the very best.
Having had some intensive treatment from our dear NHS, I can assure you you're in the best hands.
Keep in touch.
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Oh goodness Klefti, that must of been a frightening diagnosis to receive, sending you all my good wishes for a successful outcome to your treatment.
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Wishing all good fortune to you, Klefti !
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Fingers crossed for you. x
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Every best wish that all goes well.
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Oh my word, how shocking for you!
Hope that all the treatment is as bearable as possible and fully successful. x
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What an awful discovery. Thankfully it's been caught and it looks like our wonderful NHS have been swift to act. Wishing you all the best and a speedy recovery
Missey
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As a lot of us have said, thank goodness it was discovered early. Wishing you a very speedy recovery and a positive outcome, and sending you a big hug from me.
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There is a NHS form which can help with travel costs. Also worth seeing if you can have a car park pass for the hospital.
Good luck
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Thought I was reading one of our journals for a min ;)
I have only seen one patient with a similar thing and the outcome was good, back to normal life with very little visual field loss, hope all goes well Klefti, one thing I know is the peeps at Liverpool are good so your in good hands.
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Just wishing you good luck but can say from OH,s treatment that Clatterbridge and all its staff are absolutely amazing. So supportive and caring. Good luck again.
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Well, I'm home again. The fixing on of the four tantalum "washers" to the back of my eye was painful, (they cut a couple of muscles to swivel my eye to the side).
The proton beam radiation was easy peasy, no pain whatever, I told the nurses I had seen a twinkling blue light while the beam was running. This turned out to be "Cerenkov radiation", they don't tell you about it beforehand because most people don't see it (so they keep quiet about it)!
So, back to Bath in 3 weeks then back to Liverpool in 6 months.
Thanks to all for your kind words and wishes. Cheers, Tony.
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Well done. I am glad you are home, do what you like when you like. You are brave, it sounds awful. :ohmy: Take it easy, and I am sure you will follow all the things you have been told to do. best regards, Mrs Bouquet
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Just picked this up - pleased things went well for you. Sounds really scary. There was me moaning about needing another cataract operation.. puts it into perspective.
Best of luck for the long term.
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Oh well done you! It's a bit frightening when people fiddle with your eyes but it's so worth it in the end.
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Thank goodness it was caught so early on. The treatment doesn't sound like a walk in the park but if it had progressed, it would have been so much worse.
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Pleased it went’well’. How brave of you, I’m very squeamish where eyes are concerned & think I’d have needed the knock out drops if available. Wishing you a full recovery.
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Good afternoon everyone,
well the 'procedure' went well, 'they' told me might have a blister on my eyelid.they never told me it would appear 4 weeks later! Just got back from a convalescent week in Tenerife, what a marvelous island, thinking about 2 weeks next year. Had a check up at Bath United Hospital, The doc checked over my other eye (by mistake)! But than did check the right eye. Off to Liverpool in June.
Do you remember Hlida Baker and her phrase "Oh must get a little hand put on this watch"? Well the letter 'i' doesn't work on ths keypad, so if you spot a mssng 'i' you'll know why.
"Oh, must ket a new keypad". if anyone is interested, Gurgle
Cherenkov visible range photons.
Cheers, Tony.
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So glad you are doing well, and enjoyed your "recovery break". I bet you dined out on your story every night, and you jolly well deserved to. Take care. Regards, Mrs Bouquet
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I believe the operating theatres mark on the patient prior to surgery to stop things like amputating the wrong leg or taking out the healthy kidney.
Glad all went well and you enjoyed your week in the Canary Isles.
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Well the bad news is the beggar has escaped from my right eye and has arrived in my liver. So now I have liver cancer...
Just had our first chat with the oncologist/specialist, offered me a medical trial using some new chemistry. Lots to read and think about. Anyone out there has/had this type of cancer?
The chin is still well and truely UP. Cheers, Tony.
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That's not good news, but I do think you have to hope for the best - no good giving up without a fight, is it!
Good luck Klefti!!
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Best wishes Tony. I hope your treatment is 100 percent successful!
Added later: Sorry Tony, I responded to the initial news/ocular diagnosis, and did not note that the date was in 2019 (long before I joined AG). I did not see the recent post about liver cancer until later.
I do hope that the doctors are able to treat that as well.
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All my very best wishes to you Klefti & sounds to me you are displaying just the right attitude to knock the beggar into touch. Sorry I thankfully have no experience of this, but do know we are all rooting for you
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So sorry to hear the news but fingers crossed for the trial
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Not good news, but the medical trial is worth some careful consideration.
I hope that whatever treatment you choose, it works well for you.
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I echo New Shoot. Please let us all know how things are going and am sure the forum will help as well. It works for me.
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Sorry to here your news, Tony.
Keep yer pecker up chum !
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Thanks to you all who wish me luck, and the rest of you...get round to it when you can! :lol:
The trial I have been offered is with a new drug (wait for it) "Pembrolizumab (Keytruda)!
If you wish to bung it in Gurgle or whatever.
Cheers, Tony.
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Sorry to read your post and fingers crossed the Pembrolizumab works well for you. I really liked their second album! :)
We're thinking of you.
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John, you are a real HOOT! :D
Cheers, Tony.
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Take whatever options they make available to you, but don't forget to enjoy your life whilst doing it.
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Everything crossed for you Tony take care Mrs Pea :)
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I lost the sight in my right eye 15 years ago due to a retinal occlusion. Apart from the first couple of months it's barely affected my lifestyle. I still drive every day, read as normal, garden, watch sport and I'm 81. It seemed like the end of the world when it first happened but very soon I was living a normal life
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Good afternoon AlaninCarlisle,
I have a large sight section in the lower left corner of my right eye which is dark and hazy. My left eye (previously my GOOD eye) waters copiously and continuously.
But I'm glad to hear you are coping. ;) Cheers, Tony.
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Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) looks like a useful drug to have in the NHS medicine chest Klefti - hope it works well for you.
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That's a right *. I hope your drug trial works really well for you and you and your liver can be written about for years to come.
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One of my neighbours is a nurse, but she studies at home alot. She gave me note with the name/phone of a good tree man. On the piece of paper it also said the name of this drug. I googled it and was amazed to see how many different cancers it is being used for.
Good luck Tony, you always have the right attitude, so kick this one into touch. Good luck and let us know.
Mrs Bouquet.
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I'm so sorry that your news isn't great. If it helps at all, I haven't had liver cancer personally, but some years ago when I worked in retail, one of my favourite customers had it. He was one of life's cheeky chappies and always had a joke and a big smile. He was diagnosed with liver cancer a few months after I'd got to know him and his wife, and he had a lot of his liver removed. He lost a lot of weight, but kept cheerful and made an amazing recovery. It took a while, but he was back to his previous cheery self several months after having the operation. I don't know if he had to have any additional treatment because initially I didn't see him for a while, but everything was positive in the end. Even greater strides have been made since then, which was about fifteen years ago. We are all thinking of you and wishing you the very best. Good luck and keep us updated on how you're doing.
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Good morning jaydig, "and he had a lot of his liver removed. He lost a lot of weight",
Cutting the 'nasties' from my liver is a subject I will bring up at our first proper meeting. The second point I'm really looking forward to!
Cheers, Tony.