My story

tomgoodun

Hi all, I want to post this just to get it off my chest really as I am going through a bit of a hard time at the moment. I went to the docs recently with pains in my leg and hip, being not my usual doc she wanted to explore all avenues and took blood and urine samples. When I was called in to discuss the results I got a bit worried and my wife came with me. The doc said in her opinion it was a high possibility I had prostate cancer. ,she then referred me to hospital for further tests, a bone scan, biopsy,,etc. I went on Thursday to discuss the results and the tests showed I have it.,an operation to remove the prostate is out of the question as it is outside the shell of the prostate, My wife is being fantastic and very positive which is a huge help.I start on hormone therapy today and radiotherapy in the new year,I have an urgent m.r.i. scan in the next couple of weeks to see if it is in my lymph nodes, fingers crossed for then.

I play poker for fun and it has helped distract me from this, just recently I have had some good results which is a bonus , I have also ..ahem.. played in the wsop main event for free which not a lot of folk can say that, so in essence poker has been good to me in many ways, I have recently been playing PL08 which that wonderful ambassador for the game Sir Tikay of Concretia has been banging the drum about and its a splendid game which I enjoy.

I read a lot of posts and chat to folk who want to and in the main the people on this site are a nice friendly bunch of chaps and chappesses, long may that continue, my message is let the small things go as before you know it the big ones come along and bite you in the bum.

Finally, thanks for the messages of support from those who know me and who have commented on my potential tests .good luck to all of you in poker and life.

VespaPX

All the best Tom

tomgoodun

In Response to Re: My story:

All the best Tom
Posted by VespaPX

Thanks

FlyingDagg

Tom I'm sorry the news wasn't as good as it could be but please stay positive  and I'm sure your family will be there for you.
Wishing you a speedy recovery from all in TPT.

Slipwater

Sad news to hear, Tom - but better you that know about it, and something can be done. People walk away from these battles all the time. You'll be back on the virtual baize in no time.

REDARROW61

Thinking of you Tom in these difficult times. Get well soon.

Matt237

All the best Tom, Hope to see you well and crushing the lower stakes soon.

Moon_River

Wishing you well - stay positive.

IrishRose

All the best Tom - hope the treatment goes well for you xx

mrsduck

Hope everything goes well, gl in every aspect xx

unknown_username

Keep the positive attitude m8.you have a sound supportive core by the looks of it and this will be beaten.

Be good 

Paul

MRBURNS4

Wishing you all the best and hope to hear good news very soon from you

tomgoodun

Thank you all so much for your kind words it means a lot to me, I shall update with any news when I get it. My lovely wife and I have a cruise to the caribbean booked starting 14th September , I have been putting off making a decision on whether to go or not,I suppose that sounds rather daft and some folk would say you lucky so and so having a choice and I guess you would be right,I grew up not having had a holiday apart from the yearly club trip to Blackpool with the working men's club on our estate which was fabulous as a teenager, I took my kids there when they were about 10 and 7 , boy has it changed lol,either that or I had rose tinted specs when I went.i didn't have a car or a passport until I came down to eastbourne from my home town of Leigh lancs,my wife has been the making of me and pretty much made me into the man I am,I have had the same job for over 20 years ,yet again a huge change from when I was oop north working in the mines.i am now manager of a joinery works and my boss is being very good saying I need to look after myself and take whatever time off I need and when I don't feel up to it let them know and either come in late,go early or not come in at all,he knows that I will not take the mickey as I take my responsibility at work very seriously sometimes going in on bank holidays and weekends when I think it's needed,my philosophy is you have got to put in the pot to take out.i guess I am rambling now but I just wanted for anyone who takes the time to read this would get a sense of who I am,take care all,good luck and bye for now,thanks again it's very humbling to read that you folk take the time to send your best wishes.

jjjach

All the best Tom.See you in the deepies mate.Martin.

SolarCarro

Run Good with the tests

Best Wishes and hugs xx

Dave and Sian

LARSON7

Hey Tom

All the best with the treatment.

It's always a pleasure seeing you at the tables / having a chat.

Will join you in the 7:15/ or 7:45 deepstacks at some point this week if you are playing:)

shakinaces

All the very best wishes with your recovery Tom, hope you are back and fighting fit asap.

truly56

 Hi Tom , Good luck with the treatment Tom. Stay strong. The best of luck, I will check in to see how your doing tom. 

                                            From truly56

paige55

In Response to Re: My story:

Thank you all so much for your kind words it means a lot to me, I shall update with any news when I get it. My lovely wife and I have a cruise to the caribbean booked starting 14th September , I have been putting off making a decision on whether to go or not,I suppose that sounds rather daft and some folk would say you lucky so and so having a choice and I guess you would be right,I grew up not having had a holiday apart from the yearly club trip to Blackpool with the working men's club on our estate which was fabulous as a teenager, I took my kids there when they were about 10 and 7 , boy has it changed lol,either that or I had rose tinted specs when I went.i didn't have a car or a passport until I came down to eastbourne from my home town of Leigh lancs,my wife has been the making of me and pretty much made me into the man I am,I have had the same job for over 20 years ,yet again a huge change from when I was oop north working in the mines.i am now manager of a joinery works and my boss is being very good saying I need to look after myself and take whatever time off I need and when I don't feel up to it let them know and either come in late,go early or not come in at all,he knows that I will not take the mickey as I take my responsibility at work very seriously sometimes going in on bank holidays and weekends when I think it's needed,my philosophy is you have got to put in the pot to take out.i guess I am rambling now but I just wanted for anyone who takes the time to read this would get a sense of who I am,take care all,good luck and bye for now,thanks again it's very humbling to read that you folk take the time to send your best wishes.
Posted by tomgoodun

such a great post tom i wish you all the best and get well soon luv paige xxx would love to read more when you worked in the mines

Itsover4u

Very brave coming on to post.... makes the world an easier place when people are open with things.

Best of luck sir.... it will be a battle but one you can most certainly win.

Regards

Itsover4u (Danny)

tomgoodun

Paige my good lady( hope I have the gender correct;) I shall try my best to write what I recall of bein down t' pit. I will probably revert back to my northern roots in the spelling  

It was in the 70's and I was in my teens when I applied to go down t' pit ,I got chosen along with about 20 others to do the training. It was a 10 week training course at old Boston training centre which is near St Helens.,I lived in Leigh which is about 10 miles away I think. A mini van picked us all up and the one thing that springs to mind is that one day one o lads wer reading a paper and someone started singing the tune to 'Bonanza' (if your too young look up the opening sequence online) the reason he was singing the tune is he'd set the lads paper alight..oh what a chuckle we had health and safety hadn't been invented just yet . The training is a bit hazy ( I'm gettin on a bit now,the clue was the 70's ... Best time for music IMO ) I recall them showing us a film about what not to do when your down t' pit,mostly involved not riding on the conveyor belts which transport the coal throughout the tunnels and certain horror sequences showing why not ( they were not up to today's cgi standard but they got the message across when you see a bloody boot with no leg attached  lol ) 

That is part one lemme know if you want more

MAXALLY

All the best Tom. You are a gent at the deepstack tables and I wish you well. Enjoy that cruise....but you carnt beat Blackpool for a short break. Just come back last w'end in fact from a Bank Holiday up there with the lads!................. Still recovering.

And keep them stories coming, when you have got the time.

paige55

Yes please keep the Stories coming,kind regards paige55,And yes i am female,and i remember the 70,s Almost 60 years young me :):)TAKE CARE Tom xx

HITMAN_RV

Tom, Good Luck!!

Enjoy The Up-coming Cruise with MrsT, am glad you are Staying Positive!

Pls keep us Updated..

Great Stories!!

tomgoodun

I have started the hormone therapy, consisting of tablets for the first 3 weeks which stop the cancer cells absorbing testosterone, today I had my first injection which stops the body producing testosterone which I shall be having every 12 weeks. I am experiencing side effects, hot flushes, really tired during the day, and mood swings (My wife sent me to bed at 8pm last night as she said I needed some alone time )
 
I have my MRI appointment next Tuesday.

Pit story Part 2

I finished my training stint without too much incident and was offered a job at Parsonage Colliery, Leigh which I gratefully accepted. On the first day I was given all the necessary clothing and p.p.e (My wife provided that acronym which apparently means personal protective equipment ) consisting of an orange boiler suit, steel toe capped boots, a belt which you clip the battery which had a lead to the light/lamp which attached to the pit helmet and a gas mask which was in a tin on the belt. I made my way to the cage lift which was quite an experience, the lift was on two levels, hard to describe, but if you imagine an open ended lift with one on top of the other, you get the drift. Each part of the lift held about 25 men ( 50 total, I am good at this maths malarkey ) When I had originally gone to the "changing room " which was a big open room with all the batteries and helmets hanging up I had a numbered token which is relevant to the persons belongings, I had to give this to the chap who lets you in the cage/lift, that is to check who is down t'pit at any time in case of any accidents. Mondays in particular were fairly brutal in the cage, bear in mind that you had between 40 and 50 sweaty blokes who had been on the booze pretty much all weekend and their diet consisted of Guinness, Bitter, Mild, and Chips n gravy. The stench was putrid even before the constant far ting and belching , welcome to the world of t'pit mon. The lift was worked by a bloke with a handle marked stop and go, with 2 speeds, fast and omfg who had been on the same diet , so your life was pretty much in his hands even before you got to the mine below.
The drop was about a mile deep and you could tell what kind of mood the cage operator was in by the speed of the drop and the cackle of the chap with the lever.
End of part 2. Post if you would like any more as I don't wish to bore you all
 

Tikay10

Oh my, not seen this before, but Matt237 alerted me to it. You are always so cheerful & polite when we share Tables.
 
I hope you stay positive Tom, & all works out well. It must be terribly scary.

And I hope you go on that Cruise. Do you good &, I suspect, your good lady, who must be suffering (by worrying) as much as you are right now.

Fingers crossed for you on Tuesday.   

Tikay10

I do hope you continue with the "mining tales".

I won't derail your thread, but I did CE work in Miners for years, mostly in South Yorkshire, & in most cases in "deep mines".
 
Whilst the seams were being developed, we had to descend & ascend in a sort of giant metal bucket, (a kibble/kebble/kettle or somesuch?) big enough to hold 2 or 3 men standing, & this bucket was attached to a rope & a mechanical winch. Used to scare the life out of me.....

I bid for the Contract which was worth about £80,000 as I recall, we lost about £200,000! 

The problem I had not anticipated was the effect of the weather.

When the barometric pressure was high (as in good weather) it was fine, but when it was low (as in, usually bad weather) we could not work down those deep-mines, as the methane gas seeped out. Apparently, high barometric pressure stops methane escaping, but low pressure means we had to evacuate, as it was unsafe to work.

I worked in two limestone mines in Derbyshire, too. It was actually a "mine" inside a mountain. Most incredible place I've ever visited. It had 25 miles of internal underground roads, all of them big enough for two "tonker trucks" to pass going in opposite directions.
 
 http://www.hoptonwoodstone.co.uk/middleton_mine.htm

Also, type "Middleton mine" into google images to get an idea of the scale of the place.
 
It held a constant temparature, & no daylight ever penetrated, so no organic matter of animal/insect life could survive in there. To access the mine, we had to use cars & vans with "exhaust scrubbers" fitted.

Parts of the mine are now "exhausted", but incredibly, due to the peculiar atmospheric conditions, they are used to this day to store.........aircraft components, such as wings & fuselages. Don't even ask.....

Thanks for jogging my memory, & sorry for the derail.
 
Incidentaslly, I did RC CE work in the Mine, & this (now disused) crusher was one of my jobs.



 

pompeynic

Hi Tom
I wish you all the very best in your fight against this horrible disease. I do think having a positive mental attitude will help.
If you feel able I think the cruise would be a shot in the arm for you and your good lady.
 
Nick

Macacgirl1

Hi Tom, I don't really know what I want to say precisely, or indeed if I have the ability to express it adequately, but here goes.  Firstly, and most importantly, it certainly goes without saying that I extend you my sincerest best wishes for a speedy recovery. These things are sent to try us, as the saying goes, and as you'll know, people always seem to come back stronger from a wee setback. You appear to have a glorious bond with your good lady and if at all possible, I'd guess your relationship will be even stronger after you have both been through this minor blip.
I'm sure that I'm not alone in finding it very endearing that you chose to share your story here. A place which I'd guess you have some 'real life' friends, but mostly populated by strangers.  Strangers maybe, yet still people who you are willing to extend the most intimate details of your current situation.  It's a strange little bond we have, we being poker players, something that brings us together.  Many see a stranger here, as being a pal we have yet to meet.  I hope you see that you have lots of pals here, thinking of you.  Please keep us updated Tom, it may well help you to get things off your chest as time passes, somewhat cathartic possibly, but equally as important to let your pals know how things are going.
Hope you enjoy the cruise, you jammy sod!
Take care
Karen AKA Mac
xx

GELDY

In Response to Re: My story:

Hi Tom, I don't really know what I want to say precisely, or indeed if I have the ability to express it adequately, but here goes.  Firstly, and most importantly, it certainly goes without saying that I extend you my sincerest best wishes for a speedy recovery. These things are sent to try us, as the saying goes, and as you'll know, people always seem to come back stronger from a wee setback. You appear to have a glorious bond with your good lady and if at all possible, I'd guess your relationship will be even stronger after you have both been through this minor blip. I'm sure that I'm not alone in finding it very endearing that you chose to share your story here. A place which I'd guess you have some 'real life' friends, but mostly populated by strangers.  Strangers maybe, yet still people who you are willing to extend the most intimate details of your current situation.  It's a strange little bond we have, we being poker players, something that brings us together.  Many see a stranger here, as being a pal we have yet to meet.  I hope you see that you have lots of pals here, thinking of you.  Please keep us updated Tom, it may well help you to get things off your chest as time passes, somewhat cathartic possibly, but equally as important to let your pals know how things are going. Hope you enjoy the cruise, you jammy sod! Take care Karen AKA Mac xx
Posted by Macacgirl1

+1

sorry to hear the news Tom. Mac's said it better than I possibly could so I will leave it at that.
do keep up the stories - most appreciated.

Glenelg

Just catching up with your story.  Best wishes & sending good vibes.  Hope you go & enjoy the cruise.

Pad

Edit: Forgot to ask.... what ship ya going on!  Mrs & I went to Caribbean on "Independence of the Seas"  last year and gotta say it was AWESOME!