To anyone who read the earlier version of this post, the changes to this version are just minor tweaks. 

No, we’re not talking about The Donald, but about my PSA. As of yesterday, when I had my last blood test, it was 0.03. I said to Dr Parente “That’s very hopeful, ah, I mean, very positive”. He said “It’s both!”. (He is quite the most forthright specialist I have ever had dealings with.)

This morning’s was only a brief consult, but other matters that were covered included:

• He wants and expects my PSA to get down to undetectable levels.
• This achievement will mean I am in remission. (There is a good and very recent article about what remission means in The Conversation.)
• I mentioned that I had read about some patients having repeated or continuing ADT (hormone) treatment. He said, yes, that was what he was planning to do with me.
• He said he thought I looked better than when he saw me first, when he felt I had looked rather grey. (In a piece of l’esprit de l’escalier, I only thought, when driving home, that this improved appearance was possibly because I had had my iron tablet that morning! I generally see him in the afternoon. Regardless, I  feel fine.)

Generally I see Dr Parente on the same day as that on which I have the chemo. (The latter runs on a three week cycle.) Today was the exception, as he is going away for a fortnight, and this was the last date on which he could see me before he left. Next chemo session is next week. When I have this, I will book the following session directly with the day oncology centre. This will be co-ordinated with the next consult with Dr P. on 14 November.

It is very convenient to have the consult on the same day as the chemo, particularly as we can leave the car in the car park for Dr P’s practice and walk up the hill. That car park is usually full, however, requiring my beloved to sit in the car and wait for someone to leave. So today I left the car in the Whitehorse shopping centre car park, only seven minutes’ walk from the practice. Spots there are cheap and plentiful; for about an hour, this set me back $2.

This morning’s consult was the first with any specialist on which my beloved couldn’t be present. This was because we are having two new coolers installed, something that is happening even as I write. This booking had been made some time ago, when we thought we would be seeing Dr P the following week. Given that one of us had to be home for the air-conditioning guys, it was easier for me to go to see Dr P by myself, leaving Der Fisch to hold the fort. When I came home we did a Cox and Box arrangement, and she headed off to pursue her numerous tasks, leaving me in possession.

The new coolers (one evaporative and one split system) have been installed. There are now four guys crawling all over our modest abode, resizing vent covers, testing the electricals, putting in new controllers, etc. There was a slight issue in that two of the back parts of the vent covers (the bit that the ducting fits into) were the wrong size. The correctly sized ones will have to be fitted tomorrow. I will still be connecting the stereo back up when that is finished! We have a smaller TV in the study to look at before normal service is resumed in the living room.