Photons on the Prostate - VI

Travelling and scheduling

Being prepared early for the hospital is one thing I have purposefully planned to give myself at least an hour for travel and this is not by bus, but by being driven there. If you arrive on time or well before time, there is a likelihood you could be leaving the hospital before your scheduled appointment time.

Talk of schedule, I met with two receptionists and between them the American pronunciation of schedule had taken a hold I could not ignore. The pervasiveness of American culture permeating every media outlet in films, on television, on the Internet and elsewhere means we might be losing out as we are the last holdout of the fight to the death to prevent the ruination of English.

Sides to the side effects

Meanwhile, finding ways to manage the fatigue is tending towards maximising my productivity when my energy levels are high, this tends to be just after midnight and having knocked a few emails and completed some pending tasks, I was tired enough to fall into bed and get a bit more sleep than usual.

My voice seems to be a wind vane of fatigue on a spectrum of strength to weakness belying something amiss, but it is still my voice, slow and soft to a whispering tone, words still properly enunciated and the mind as alert as it should be. The spirit is indeed willing, but the body is weak, daily bombarded with radioactivity meant to terminate every semblance of cancer on my prostate.

The bladder issues present a slight stinging feeling when passing urine and this I am told can be ameliorated by avoiding drinks with caffeine content and taking copious amounts of cranberry juice. I have not been that sold of still water even though I am supposed to be consuming litres of that stuff.

One other common symptom is with the bowel though I feel more constipated than diarrhoetic the glycerine suppositories seem to be more effective than the micro enemas, having got into a routine with it, doing the business at home within two hours of your appointment is better than the early day of SoD (Shit on Demand), the very least that is expected before going into the radiotherapy suite is to PoD (Piss on Demand). That is easier to do before you find yourself in need of an epidural while trying to birth cack.

Prostituted to many suites

There was cause for laughter when I was assigned to a different radiotherapy suite at the reception; which brings it to four suites I have attended at the halfway point. To which I quipped, “I am being sent around the suites like a prostitute.” Much mirth short of falling out of their seats. We can only do this with humour, positivity, and a sense of hope that this will pass.

That’s 10 hypofractionated radiotherapy sessions done and we are on the home straight Deo volente. Having a conversation with a couple where the man had already done 15 sessions and had a vast experience of prostituting in many more suites than I have, I could only point to one final thing to do when it is all done, he would soon be ringing the bell. [British Institute of Radiotherapy: Hypofractionated radiotherapy]

Blog - Photons on the Prostate - VII

Blog - Photons on the Prostate - V

Blog - Men's things

Making do with an executive suite

Almost why me

I could almost declare it official; I seem to attract situations of unsatisfactory service.

Before that, at the airport, I finally found value with my frequent flyer card, I can now jump queues at boarding regardless of the looks I receive has I halt to the air steward.

However, I cannot seem to understand the glum idiot chairman of our apartment owners collective, we were on the same flight, he simply looked through me as I acknowledged him, the same has happened even when we have been in the same lift in our apartment block - such self-importance of peasant-made-good people is always amusing.

Lest I forget, someone at the airport must have read my blog, I wish, or some more perturbed English passenger must have complained, the signs have changed from "Please keep your passport ready" to "Please have your passport ready".

No room at the inn

Anyway, I finally got to my hotel in Berlin and was met with a rather interesting but inconvenient situation, the hotel was fully booked. I did not walk to the door looking for room in the inn; I had booked this room a good 11 days before.

I sniggered and listened as the excuse of problems with the reservation system got me quite incensed, well, I was too tired to muster anger, which was good.

What do you mean the hotel is fully booked? It was booked 11 days ago, I have stayed here at least 6 times before, it had to have been obvious that a regular customer should not be faced with this kind of shoddy arrangement. Besides, I have an Accor Favourite Guest Card which guarantees my booking, so quit messing about.

In the ensuing discourse, the receptionist had offered free drinks, a night in a hotel I suspected was not worthy of my custom and a free taxi ride to and from that hotel when I returned on the morrow.

As usual they were trying to make it appear as if they were doing me a favour, I was having none of it, and I was trying to make them realise I would brook no participation in covering their mistake.

I am no tramp

So, out came the manager, as if that matters to me, the core principle still is; I am not a vexatious customer, I am just one with a requirement which I generally expect to be met.

He introduced himself and was about to go through the sorry story I had already gotten enough of again, I could not bear to hear it twice, so I told him so.

Switching to mildly aggressive negotiation mode, I told them, I would not be sleep round Berlin hotels like some tramp, I had come on holiday for four nights and I expect to spend four nights in one hotel in a very accessible part of Berlin; fix that, and peace will come upon ye all.

I advised the manager to do what he had to do and reconciled myself to the bar drowning my displeasure with a glass of orange juice - never do alcohol when you are fuming. Well, in fact, my card entitles me to a free complimentary drink anyhow.

That would do nicely

He probably had to phone round Berlin to all the hotels in the Accor group - he took his time and it was coming to 23:00 - I keep myself to Sofitel, Dorint, Novotel and Mercure preferring 4-stars or better - from my reckoning it means they bend over backwards to sort out your every issue without you having to go down to the reception desk.

He finally came up with a Dorint Novotel in the centre not far from the zoo; see, I knew these people were capable with properly persuaded and given the chance after a discussion.

I acquiesced and ended up in an executive suite for the same price, much as I could have exacted more, suffice it to say that the manager would be getting a severe reprimand from his superiors and more so, if I am of the inclination to make a complaint about how my card privileges were invalidated because of incompetence in the hotel chain.

Remember, I once had my room triple booked and one guest walked into my room as I pranced around in indecent poise.

Sometimes things just crawl

As the taxi driver opined through a journey that felt like I was riding in Fred Flintstone's car, the hotel was useless with over-bookings; since it was my first bad experience, I did not say much since I am not averse to opulence as barely acceptable compensation. The final insult was when the bell-boy gave me some discount voucher for another stay, I would get it for cheaper - I told him as I threw the voucher in the bin, I book hotels for convenience not for cheapness.

Roll over - sleep, dream and snore - zzz ZZZ!