This Friday: Agenda - phone-in meeting of Friday 28 November 2014: Convenor: Jim Marshall on the conversation

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Agenda 27 February 2015

 

Disclaimer

This Community does not give medical advice. No members are authorized to give medical advice. Ask your doctor if you hear anything here that you think may be related to your treatment.

 

Time 

9:30am - 11:00am Eastern Standard Time (Queensland)

The formal phone-in meeting ends after 90 minutes.

The lines are kept open for up to an hour after that for members to informally chat.

 

Daylight savings times

Brisbane 9:30am

Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart: 10:30am

Adelaide, 10:00am

Perth 7:30am

Winter times

Brisbane 9:30am

Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart 9:30am

Adelaide 9:00am

Perth 7:30am 

 

Dial in 

You must dial in - we do NOT dial you.

Landline - Anywhere in Australia - 25 cents

Phone numbers only in email.

 

Mobile phone warning

The costs of mobile calls are nothing to do with the Advanced Prostate Cancer Support Groups or with PCFA. They are between you and your phone provider (Optus, Telstra, Virgin, Vodafone, etc).

 

If you dial one of the capital city numbers given above from a mobile phone, the cost to you will be the cost on your mobile phone plan. If your plan gives you free, or low cost local calls, and you are in one of these cities, it should be free, or a local call. If your plan gives you free, or local cost national calls that should work too. 

 

Be sure - call your provider, give the number you might be calling, and check the cost for you to call that number.

 

Speaking time 

We want many voices to be heard. If you are a member listed to speak below, the chair will probably expect you to take no more than about 5 minutes on presentation so there is plenty of time for others to respond.

Special Guest Speakers are invited to speak for 10-15 minutes, then field questions.

 

Guidelines

No noise

House - radio, TV, computer, pets, other phones, conversation

Yourself - mute button, or mouthpiece away from mouth

Phone - call waiting off (#43#), Mute button or hang up to leave the room. No mute button? ##4 to mute, ##5 to unmute. Cordless phone - don't carry, put on folded handkerchief to limit reverberation

Other calls - Please do NOT use call waiting or another line on the same phone to take another call - members around Australia are left listening to your 'hold' music until you return.

Speaker phone

Please do NOT use a speaker phone, unless you are very good at keeping it Mute, and at lifting and using the hand piece when you wish to join in the conversation.

Mobile phone

You will need enough charge for the length of the call, or take the call with your charger plugged in.

Speaking

Speak clearly into mouthpiece in ordinary voice.

Say who you are when signing in, and each time you speak.

Listen for the gavel. The Chair may need to interrupt.

Help the secretary by later emailing details for the minutes.

It's a meeting of 20 people, not a simple phone conversation. If you are not one of the two people in the particular conversation at the time, keep your mute button down and let others contribute.

 

Restarting

You may hang up and sign in again as many times as necessary.

Sometimes we may have to restart the meeting - dial in again. With everyone calling at once you may need to try more than once.

 

Apologies 

Secretary Nev Black is fishing with Sammy the sea lion off the Tanker Jetty in Esperance. Ian Clark is cruising on the QE II from Singapore to Sydney. Mal Trim is travelling.

 

Late starters 

Maybe you haven't had access to the agenda or you have late breaking news you would like to share. Tell the chairman here at the beginning of the meeting that you would like to speak, and he will fit you in - probably later, perhaps right now if that suits. 

 

Prostatectomy was not the end of the story 

Steve from Morayfield in Queensland had a prostatectomy to rid himself of prostate cancer. He thought that was the end of the story. But, PSA still present, he had to have radiotherapy. Now PSA rises again. Unprepared for this, Steve was stunned, as many men are. Steve will tell us his story. 

 

Occasional joke

We keep reserve our website and emails to our main business - dealing with advanced prostate cancer.

 

But new member Bill Smith likes to get the odd joke or two. If you come across something good, send it to Bill at  bs3614997@gmail.com.

 

How to have the conversation

 

Many of you will already had a conversation with a man newly in trouble with prostate cancer.

 

If you haven't yet, it's likely that someone you know at work, or at the bowls club, or one of your friends will tell someone they know, newly diagnosed, or newly in trouble with prostate cancer, to have a chat to you.

 

Our convenor, Jim Marshall, has had hundreds of these conversations over the past five years. Today Jim will share his insights and tips to help you next time you are called on for such a conversation.

 

Other new stories or updates 

Any man who wishes to update us on his progress is welcome to contribute here.

 

Formal end 

The Chair will declare the formal part of the teleconference closed at his discretion, perhaps around 11am. The teleconference lines will be kept open until at least 11:30 for anyone who wishes to continue discussions, update his health, or just chat. 

 

Informal chat 

Any topic you like - topics we didn't reach, something discussed earlier you wish to comment on, an update on your health, how your new boat is going, moaning about the weather, anything that you wish to say. 

 

Future phone-in support group meetings 

Phone-in meetings are held on the fourth Friday (NOT always the last Friday) of each month (except January (one week late) and December (one week early)).

 

Phone-in support group meeting dates 2015

February 27

March 27

April 24

May 22 (not the last Friday)

June 26

July 24 (not the last Friday)

August 28

September 25

October 23 (not the last Friday)

November 27

December 18 (not the fourth Friday)

 

Changes or questions 

If you wish to update us about any changes in your health or treatment, or have a question you would like answered or discussed, or you would like to talk about joining a teleconference group, let us know. Then we can put it high on the agenda so it doesn't get lost - just reply to this email, or use Contact Jim on JimJimJimJim.com.

 

This message has been send to you because you are a member of an Advanced Prostate Cancer Support Group.

 

Visit JimJimJimJim.com and click on Contact Jim if this is a problem.