2026
Within the 'A&E Addendum 1 at 29 March 2026', which, in turn is within the 'A & E' blog, I forgot to mention the results of my first PSA test - twas 576 - yeah, I aced it folks...
...For a healthy prostrate range is given as being between 0 and 6.5 - which, rather understandably caused me to wonder if a decimal point had somehow been omitted between the 5 and the 7 of said 576 - but, alas no, twasn't…
...But, obviously, something didn't feel right about such a very/abnormally high reading - resulting in me asking Google AI if anything else could cause such a rather abnormal reading - and, low and behold, I was informed that a bladder infection could be the cause...
...Bingo eh...
Oh, and I also forgot to mention my blood pressure result of 194/94...
Anyway, moving on, I found the need to revisit the A & E Dept on two further occasions whilst/before awaiting/attending my second Urology Dept visit, which was scheduled for 10 April 2026...
...The 5th (as it turned out) A & E visit was on the 7th March 2026, and was, once again, due to a blocked catheter having developed / established itself...
...Resulting in me being attending said A & E Dept from 5pm to 9:30pm - a total of a comparatively short 4.5 hours...
So anyway, I signed in, as usual, and then waited, as per usual, to be called in for an initial consultation within one of the triage rooms...
...Which, as per usual, resulted in another waiting period until I was called in for a blood test (as per usual), at the end of which I awaited (as per usual) a scan of my bladder, in order to see how full it was...
So anyway, my bladder discomfort eventually increased until I felt the need to report such discomfiture to those manning the sign-in desk - to which I was then told to simply knock on one of the triage doors and wait for it to be answered - upon which I explained such levels of discomfiture…
...Resulting in me being directed to the main treatment dept/area - upon which I was then directed towards another, much smaller, presumably more urgent, waiting room...
Anyway, a scan was then done on my bladder contents - once the nurse managed to get the seemingly faulty/temperamental mobile machine actually working...
...The results were rather interesting - for my bladder contents were shown to be 220ml, compared to the 420ml recorded upon my very first visit - even though the levels of discomfiture were significantly higher upon this particular occasion...
...Something I discussed as not being logical, unless my bladder capacity had somehow halved within an almost 6 week period of time...
I was also told that I had indeed got a bladder infection that was in need of some antibiotics - this was also rather interesting, for on my very first A & E visit I was initially told that I had a bladder infection by the nurse who was dealing with me - with such a diagnosis later being (rather mistakenly, as it happened) refuted/overturned by a later attending urology specialist...
So anyway, upon this particular occasion said catheter blockage was unblocked simply by using the force of water to push such blocked detritus/sediment back into the bladder, rather than being sucked out...
I then awaited the arrival of a specialist, once again...
...Upon which we initially agreed that a new catheter be fitted...
...However, said specialist, upon returning with a new catheter etc, then decided not to fit a new one - truth be told, he simply didn't seem confident in successfully performing such a straight-forward procedure - however it did seemingly result in him feeling obliged to actually give me a course of antibiotics to self-administer (28 x 50mg Nitrofurantoin tablets, to be taken 4 times daily for 7 days) …
So, since then, my bladder contents seem much clearer, resulting in said catheter remaining unblocked for considerably longer...
...Surprise, surprise eh...
So I simply then awaited my next/second Urology Dept appointment...
So, moving forward once again, my 6th A & E visit commenced on the 30th March...
Upon this particular occasion, I arrived at 7:40pm in order to have my fitted catheter unblocked once again - for seemingly, as was later determined, my previous bladder infection had reasserted itself, once again - possibly due to the initial course of antibiotics simply not being strong enough to eradicate it permanently eh...
...Resulting in me, much later during my attendance, being given a course of new, seemingly much stronger, antibiotics to take - (Cefalexin 500mg capsules x 3 per day for 7 days) - which I was obviously grateful for, within a feeling of hopefulness that these would indeed clear such a bladder infection permanently...
Sometime after my arrival, I was called into one of the triage rooms (as per normal) for a general informative chat, before returning to the rather large and somewhat full waiting area...
And then, sometime later, once again, I was called in to have my blood pressure taken - which, upon this occasion, resulted in a reading of 179/105 - after which I was sent back to sit in the previously stated waiting room, once again...
I then was simply left waiting there, until I was experiencing increasing discomfiture, within a repeated increasingly periodic need to urgently pee - until I, once again, felt the rather urgent need to inform the reception staff of - resulting in me being directed to wait outside of one of the triage rooms to become available once again...
...Upon which I was once again directed into the treatment department - at 11pm, as it turned out...
So, this time I had to wait until a vacant treatment room was readied for me - upon which a bladder scan was fairly quickly undertaken - which resulted in a reading of a meagre 2ml of fluids eventually being detected, even though I had an increasingly great urgency to pee (a faulty/unpredictable/temperamental bladder scan machine perchance???) ...
So, upon this occasion, the blocking detritus/sediment was much more correctly (in my view) sucked out of the catheter, rather than simply, and obviously rather incorrectly (in my view), being pushed/directed back into the bladder with the use of a somewhat large syringe full of sterile water - phew - rather great relief at my bladder being rather readily vacated (partially or otherwise) of urine once again...
...If my memory serves me correctly, I actually had a second bladder scan, presumably before the removal of such a blockage - and, upon this occasion I think such a mobile bladder-scan machine recorded a reading of around 200ml...
Anyway, I was then left laying on the treatment bed/table for getting on for 2hrs, even though I was told that the wait would be of around a 15 min duration - which, after the circa almost 2 hours, required me to shout 'hello' ('is there anybody, out there' - a Pink Floyd reference btw) a number of times in order to, rather unsuccessfully, gain the attention of the staff present within such a treatment department - which then, in turn, required me to pull my boxers and jeans up in order to put my head around the slightly ajar door in order to get an update on my situation generally...
Anyway, I think it was during such a time-frame that I was given a, rather atypical, second BP test - one that, this time, produced a reading of 170/107 - sometime after which I was directed, by the accompaniment of a very nice and helpful nurse, to the CDU (clinical decisions unit) dept at circa 05:30am onth 31st March 2026...
...Resulting in me drinking water in order to promote some fresh urine to filter into the 500ml catheter bag - which it eventually did - giving one of the two staff members the opportunity to test a provided sample of urine for the presence of a bladder infection...
...After which I simply awaited the results - results that did indeed detect the seeming re-emergence of the previously antibiotic-treated bladder infection - resulting in me being given a course of antibiotic capsules (rather than the previous tablets) to take back home with me (Cefalexin 500mg capsules x 3 per day for 7 days) ...
...After which I was free to start my walk back home, once again, at 06:25am, upon this occasion - which equated to an overall A & E attendance time of 10hrs and 45mins in total - yippee eh, back to normal catheter-functioning once again...
Before moving on to my second Urology Dept appointment, I would just like to take the time to mention the following...
On both the 8th and the 9th of April, whilst at home during the day, I Received the within-song-title of Dream Baby Dream by Bruce Springsteen - however, such a within-song-title was changed to Pee Baby Pee - something that I found to be very amusing indeed...
My rather mistaken interpretation, as it happened, gave me hope that the catheter could perhaps be removed and I would be able to pee freely once again - which would mean that I would be able to go for my dedicated circa 4 mile daily walkies once again - although, admittedly, I, rather sensibly, as it happened, didn't put great store in achieving such a result, as i deemed it to be asking a lot really...
So anyway, moving on to the day of my second Urology Dept appointment on 10th April 2026...
Once again I was required to be present by 8am - resulting in me commencing/starting my walk there at 7:20am - which, in turn, resulted in me arriving at the registering-in area at 7:50am...
Leanne Laycock, who's interpersonal skills I have found to be excellent during both Urology Dept visits, called me into her office / examination room almost immediately - whereby I appraised her of my 2 A&E visits since last seeing her - we then waited until 8:30am before I was sent to another part of the hospital in order to have yet more blood taken in order to undertake a second PSA test...
...With the good news being that the second PSA result (given to me before I left) was a much lower 500...
...Still very high indeed of course, but as Leanne said, it could take a couple of weeks or more after having completed the second, much stronger, course of antibiotics, before a presumably more accurate/reflective reading is arrived at...
So anyway, upon my return to Leanne's office / treatment room, my catheter was removed, and I was instructed to drink at least 750ml of liquids in order to fill my bladder up more readily - resulting in me drinking 3 cupfuls rather quickly - which, in turn caused me to vomit some of said liquid intake back up again, after having gone into one of the nearby bathrooms in preparation...
...Twas during such a time-period that I light-heartedly shared the Pee Baby Pee details with Leanne btw...
Anyway, I then had my first bladder scan, which resulted in a reading of 220ml being given...
And then, a little later, a male doctor conducted a finger-up-the-bum test, in order to check on the size of my prostate - with the result being that it is indeed rather enlarged - only the second time since reaching the age of 72 years (or indeed before) that anyone else has in fact put their finger up my bum, actually...
Anyway, a little later, when my need to pee became rather more urgent, I was given a second bladder scan - which resulted in a reading of 330ml this time - hardly surprising really, as each time I had felt/experienced a rather urgent need to pee I could hardly do so, once again...
So anyway, Leanne then installed/fitted a new catheter - a quite painful procedure this time, as the inner walls of my urethra had become quite tender - resulting in quite a lot of blood being detected on my scrotum, boxer shorts, and jeans (but lesser so, obviously) after having returned home and sat onth toilet...
...Twas during this particular interaction that I shared my updated interpretation of such a Given song btw - for having then realised that I wasn't going to be able to pee freely, I realised why the Dream Baby Dream song, in particular, was Given to me - for one of the lyrics contained within such a song is 'dream on, dream baby dream', which, I guess, was really saying dream on if you think that you will be able to pee baby pee freely once again...
...Twas something that Leanne seemed to understand...
...And immediately after having another catheter fitted 'slave to the catheter' came to mind - causing me to share that one with Leanne also - telling her that it was to the Slave To The Rhythm song, which she readily seemed to know of...
So anyway, upon this occasion, my Urology Dept visit/attendance was completed by 1:20pm - so I walked my way back home inth sun rather happily - even though I was obviously hoping that I would be catheter-free and able to pee freely once again...
...Unrealised/unattained hopes/expectations eh...
Anyway, sometime after my return home I Received my third song - one that I later, after a YouTube partial lyrics search, realised was Funkytown by Lipps Inc - which was instrumental in me typing up this new blog, rather than simply adding additional addendums to the A & E blog btw...
So anyway, looking forwards once again, I now await attendance of another hospital on Wednesday 15 April, whereby I will be given a CT scan, in order to see what's actually going on inth water-works department - upon which a sample of my prostate may or may not be required at a later date still - happy days huh...
Oh, and I have just (at circa 10:30am onth 14th April 2026) received an email from Leanne (Laycock), reminding me of tomorrow's CT scan appointment...
...She also mentioned that a requested bone scan appointment will be later arranged...
...Which gave me the opportunity to tell her that she has very good interpersonal skills...
Actually, I forgot to mention that on my last Urology appointment visit, instead of giving Leanne an apple, I gave her a selection of herbal teas to sample, instead - we had chatted about them during my first visit (whereby I had noticed that someone had given her a card of thanks, which she had pinned to her noticeboard), and Leanne had shown an interest in them - it saves her the uncertainty of possibly buying blind after all...
https://www.ourquantumparticulates.org/videos/some-hospital-updates