Chris Luck's Blog

Free will?

Chris Luck — Sat, 19 May 2012 16:28:03 +0000

I used to believe strongly in free will – that we were free agents capable of making decisions under our own violation that would affect the course and outcome of our life. But as I’ve traveled on my cancer journey that belief has been steadily eroded.

It is perhaps inevitable that anyone with cancer, [...]

NICE news

Chris Luck — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:44:19 +0000

Today the media reported the news that NICE have agreed to recommend Abiratone for general use across the NHS. You may remember the fuss when NICE originally refused to approve the drug (What the f***!!!).

In their report the Daily Mail suggested rather self indulgently that their ‘campaign’ had a look to do with [...]

Needles and pins

Chris Luck — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:27:36 +0000

Before my diagnosis I would have considered myself a needle phobic. The thought of someone sticking a needle in me would make me feel quite sick.

So it is perhaps a sign of the journey that I have been on over the past three years that on Tuesday I willing volunteered to have at [...]

FOMO

Chris Luck — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:52:17 +0000

Ever heard of FOMO? No? Well I hadn’t until I came across this particular acronym when reading a magazine in a doctor’s waiting room. I seem to be spending most of my life these days in a hospital or doctor’s waiting given me ample time to accumulate, like barnacles on a ship’s hull, a [...]

No such thing as a free lunch

Chris Luck — Sat, 12 May 2012 09:29:38 +0000

Had an appointment with my local GP yesterday. It was a sort of courtesy visit to keep him informed about my progress – the last time he had seen me I was laid up in bed at home after one of my recent visits to A&E.

The situation had been quite awkward a week [...]

Going up

Chris Luck — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:00:58 +0000

As far as I was concerned the only real purpose of today’s clinical meting was to get a sense of how well the oncologists thought the Zytiga regime was going. It is now two months since I was put on abiratone after my PSA shot up from 4.2 to 33.

Well the oncologist told [...]

A friendly face in the crowd

Chris Luck — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:36:04 +0000

Friday 4th May 2012

Dear Terry,

Me again. Thought I’d let you know how I’m getting on. It’s a while since I last wrote to you (Dear Terry, Letter to a friend).

At my clinical meeting in February they dropped the bombshell that the cancer had moved into the bones. My PSA [...]

There and back again

Chris Luck — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:59:40 +0000

The last century has seen huge strides in human achievement and understanding of the physical world. Man has landed on the moon and plumbed the depths of the ocean. He has unlocked the mysteries of the human gene and created machines that can undertake mind boggling calculations at lightening speed. He has looked into [...]

KCCO

Chris Luck — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:42:43 +0000

Visited my local clinic for my fourteenth Zoladex injection yesterday. What with all the drugs inside me I’m not sure why we’re bothering to keep these injections going. Surely the Zytiga is doing everything now? Oh well.

I quite look forward to these sessions. The nurse and I always have a pleasant banter, putting [...]

Guest post: Prostate Cancer and Bone Health

Chris Luck — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:12:00 +0000

Joleen Krupa is a writer for RadiationTherapyschools.org, a resource for students interested in becoming a radiation therapist, and has submitted the following article about prostate cancer and bone health.

Prostate Cancer and Bone Health How They Are Related and What to Expect

INTRODUCTION The diagnosis of prostate cancer [...]