Much relieved! My future is ahead of me and not behind.

Dear All and Sundry,
.
We have just spent a day at the MCA getting the results of the scans and being passed from one department to another to prepare for the operation, involving lots of waiting rooms and dog-eared copies of Top Gear, 'Which? Rectal Thermometers - we test them all' and Bed-Pan and Pee-Bottle Review. First to the Lady Surgeon of All Things Oncological in The Entrails. who said that things were looking good and that the tumor had shrunk and could be removed. There appeared to be no further signs of spreading, although one doctor from the gut department said there might be something in the prostate. The urology man, in whose sphere of influence the prostate clearly falls, being as it were connected to all things urino-genital, said he thought perhaps not. This is probably inter-departmental rivalry. Whatever the one says, the other will automatically disagree. I shall have another scan in two months or so, and we will have a pompous winner and a depressed loser who will be prostate with grief. The Lady Surgeon said that since we had never met she had no familiarity with my condition and perhaps she should have some hands-on experience. She nodded towards the little bed and snapped the latex gloves. A young woman in jeans and jumper sitting by the door asked if she could watch. What the hell? Some kind of pervert who sidles into consulting rooms to watch embarassing scenes? It turned out she was a student so I grudgingly agreed. She has to learn and be able to recognise the target. What on earth she hoped to see I have no idea. There aren't a lot of combinations in the mechanics of putting a latexed finger up old mens bottoms. Then, rather surprisingly, the Lady Surgeon said that there were three surgeons in the MCA who could do the opertation and I could chose. Good Lord! Should I ask to have them all in a line so that I compare their qualities? Er, number three, step forward and show me your slicing technique. I opted for the Lady Surgeon as we had shared an intimacy that I did not want to have to go through again  with a stranger. I had already heard that she was very good and has quite a low kill factor. Then we went off to the anaeth, anethes, aenethes.. the one who puts you to sleep. He asked a lot of questions about having my own teeth and legs and was I allergic to anything. He said that to begin, my back would be getting a large prick. Good Heavens. I pointed out that the one I had at the front was functioning very well, and was this really necessary? Oh, I see, sorry, but you hear about strange mistakes in hospitals. Then off to the intake person. We had met her before, totally miserable and who does not look at you or offer a hand. Then to sort out a problem with the insurance. Fortunately resolved as I could not possible afford to pay these people. Home for lunch and then off to Caro in Hoorn for coffee. The only damper is that the op is on Friday Jan 28, which means I will miss the Crejat Acedemie, Jon Strong in Mulligan's, a secret birthday party and probably Kieran Halpin as well. But I am going to live.
See you all later, and much later and again much later after that.

Love you.
Dad