A Day at the Hospital

There are always things that don't get mentioned in Blip for a variety of reasons. Some are small and insignificant, some are bigger.
I don't often dwell on negatives in my Blip, not to hide things or make my life seem perfect when it isn't (and it really isn't!!!!) but because my natural inclination is to be positive!
And sometimes I don't write things because despite this being a diary, it's sometimes not the place. Too public.
But not that public really considering my view count!! Ha ha!
In January my dad had a biopsy which confirmed he has prostate cancer. Looking at the scans one of the oncology nurses noticed that he also had a "mass" in his bladder. They rang him while he was still in the hospital car park to say he'd need to come in for further investigations.
An MRI scan showed the prostate cancer hadn't spread which is fantastic news but a cystoscopy confirmed a tumour in the bladder. Apparently completely unrelated! What a ludicrous coincidence to have two cancers at once!
Apparently it was a very good spot by the nurse and it doesn't bear thinking about what might have happened if she hadn't seen it.
After a very stressful couple of months of tests, appointments and dealing with two oncology departments my dad finally went in today to have surgery to remove the tumour from the bladder lining.
On a Saturday. At 7.30am!!
I wanted to be there for both my dad and my mum so I set off at an ungodly hour and coincidentally pulled into the car park just after them.
It was fairly deserted in the hospital and he was "checked in" pretty quickly and met with the anaesthetist and surgeon. Unfortunately he was third on the list and there was a hold up with the first operation so we waited from 7.30am until 11am. In the freezing cold, deadly dull waiting room. I was gasping for a cup of tea and my dad - deserving rather more sympathy - was nil by mouth!
We did pop down to the cafe once we knew there was a delay and my dad stoically watched me and my mum drink tea and hot chocolate. It was a nice change of scene.
While we were there they called us back up, my dad put on his fetching gown and surgical stockings and was whisked through to theatre.
I took my mum back to her house for tea and toast out in the garden in the glorious sunshine, a quick sort of bedding and a trip to M&S for supplies - primarily Whitby buns (which I can highly recommend if you like spiced buns and lemon curd. Delicious!!!)
I faffed around in Sainsburys for hours trying to choose a new kettle to replace our leaky electrocuting deadly kettle. I just want a cheap relatively temporary one. The lady was following me around as I unpacked them all and then couldn't get them back into their packaging. Eventually I chose one and we headed home.
Mum rang the hospital and they said it had all gone fine and he was still in recovery. Held up by a lack of beds on the ward.
By the time we got there he had gone to the ward and unbelievably when we saw him he was sat up looking just as fine as he had this morning before he went in. Amazing!! 
He wasn't allowed the cappuccino I'd bought him as he had to have some chemo administered into the bladder which needed to be held in for an hour and not diluted. No side effects apart from skin irritation if it gets on his hands or skin over the next few days.
Depending on the biopsy that could be the end of it or he might need more chemo. There is a high chance of recurrence  but they monitor closely. So all in all a pretty successful outcome really. And thank God for the nurse who spotted it.
Now they need to sort the prostrate out!