My Journey with Prostate Cancer

This scan also was quite painless. The only hard thing was to drink three cups of water two hours before scan then another cup just before scan. I was not required to hold that, but it was still a bit more than I usually drink all at once.  They had me remove any metal objects.  They positioned me on the scan bed. This involved a comfortable wedge type pillow under my head.   Then they gave me a shot of some kind of dye solution for higher contrast of vessels. After a minute or so that solution gave me a kind of warm sensation especially in my lower body. The machine whined and click and made other noises and the bed moved a bit in and out of the donut shaped scanner  It told be to hold my breath for a few seconds and then it was over. The cancer center called me about a week later and told me that the scan was negative for cancer (all good). I am thankful for that I now carry on with the ADT treatment.  Neither the bone scan nor the CT scan found evidence ...

On May 26, 2020 I had the Bone Scan.  It is an easy process that  involves an intravenous  injection  of a small amount of a low-level radioactive substance that is preferentially taken up by damaged  bone . ( Bone  can be damaged by  cancer  as well as by osteoporosis and other  bone  diseases.) A special  scanner  is then used to detect the radioactivity. The injection was painless. I was then allowed to leave the hospital and return after 3 hours. I went about normal activity including drinking plenty of water. They want you to drink at least 16 oz in that time. When I returned they had me use the washroom first because the scan takes about 45 minutes and they don't really want to interrupt it for anything. They had me get on the machine bed and put a triangle under my knees and a wedge pillow to hold my neck and head in place. Then they instructed me to hold my big toes together and then they used tape to hold my feet ...

It has been a long time since I added to this blog. Only read this if you really want to know my condition or are curious about prostate cancer and the possible treatments.  I am doing this to help with my own organization of my thoughts and plans for myself more than to share with the world. But, if someone is interested, here it is. I recovered from my prostate surgery pretty well and was pleased that after about 3 month I was completely dry! That is a real blessing because so many other men who have this surgery struggle with incontinence for month, years, and sometimes for the rest of their life. The only real follow up is to have regular PSA test. After surgery one would hope that after a few months all the PSA is out of your system and you are done with cancer. The PSA should be so low that the lab calls it undetectable. My surgery was in January 2019 and in March 2019 my PSA was .05, which is very low almost undetectable. I was pleased and hoped it would stay low. In...

There were student nurses here today and so the one assigned to me helped my wash and clean ALL over. It was refreshing to be completely clean. Also getting the catheter cleaned and that whole are helps to cut down on the discomfort. Other than the pain having the catheter is a real pain, both figuratively and literally.   Doctor says at least one more night, because I am still draining quite a bit. He wants to take the drain out before I go home so here I wait. I feel pretty good, just really tired.

I  finished an "easy" Sudoku, it only took twice as long as usual! My brain is fuzzy. Doctor is pushing me to get up more and hoping I can go home tomorrow. I am still draining quite a bit out of the incision but he told me that is because I'm not up more so getting up and moving and staying up even when I'm not moving will help that to settle down so he can take the drain out and then I can go home. -- He said to me "hospitals are really dangerous places people come here to die. Eight or nine days is lethal. Get home as soon as you can."  So, I am trying to walk more and stay out of bed more.  Donna and I took a walk outside of the hospital to day. There I am with my bag.  My room is the top room on the right just above left shoulder. Behind me is a basketball court we found out that the only access is through the psych unit which is directly behind me. I know it looks like I'm in prison. 😃😂😄🤣 I am outside following Doctor's orders. ...

Our good friends Dave and Jan  Heitsman  visited today. It was nice to have visitors. Pastor Grant has been by, and I had message contact with Pastor Dauncy and Pastor Walter.  With Dave and Jan it was fun to have some  "Painful" laughter. I am also doing some paint by numbers on my phone. Just to pass the time. It was funny, my roommate and I have enjoyed visiting back and fourth a bit. I have a window but there is a curtain blocking her view. We discovered it is pinned in such a way that we can't open it so I took the bottom and threw it over the rod and that gave her a view out the window. The nurse came along and did not like what we had done, so when we were out of the room she pulled it back down. I asked what the problem is and she told me that many patience do not get along so they make it so the curtain could not be opened. I told her that was not the case with us so after she left I put it back. I think we have a little battle of the wills goin...

I am allowed to eat normal food now but what the hospital gives is not great. When the Doctor was in I told him this and he asked what I wanted. I told him oatmeal and blueberries. He advised me to have my wife bring me whatever I wanted to eat. This would be fine. So I called Donna and she brought me oatmeal and blueberries that I could store in a common fridge in the unit and prepare in the microwave whenever I want it. This not only helps my stomach but just generally made me feel better. I still felt a little weepy but I guess this is just normal post surgery depression. It is just NOT like me, but then it is not everyday that I loose a prostate! During the day I get up about every hour and walk 10 minutes around the hallways. The Doctor told me to do more so have tried to up it to 10 minutes every half hour. The catheter is beginning to be really annoying. It causes a bit of pain or chaffing where it enters my body. Plus the drain out of my belly is still collecting about ...

I just had kind of a yucky day. I'm not really in much pain but I just feel really out of sorts and emotional so it was not a fun day I'm probably going to have to be here a couple more days at least because things aren't moving ahead as quickly as they want them to or as I want them to but they say everything is fine and recovering okay and it's not unusual to have an out of sorts day where it kind of goes neutral. Also I am off all pain meds so that is good. One of the nice things about being off the pain meds is that I don't have to be hooked up to a monitor so it's so much easier to get out of bed and walk around a bit.

Feeling GREAT this morning did laps around the hallways. First I was unsteady and needed a nurse to keep me upright but be evening I could walk fairly quickly by myself! Still draining. They want me to pass gas before I go home. Isn't that a lovely thought?

The anesthesiologist had warned me that I might experience some wild dreams when I was under I was just a little disappointed that nothing happened no special dreams to tell anybody about. I remember half waking up and looking at the clock in the recovery room and then going out again. I think this happened several times and one of those times. I looked at the clock on the wall and every time they woke me up it seemed like I had been out for hours but it was only two or three minutes. I think the anesthesiologist  was trying to give me a Popsicle or ice! I felt I went out again for a long time but then the nurse was calling my name, way in the distance and when I awoke I saw the clock again and it was less then 5 minutes from the previous look. I was kind of awake at this point but I don't remember much. The nurse asked me if I remembered the Popsicle and I said "I think so." I don't know why but this made her laugh. I still wonder if there ever was a Popsicle or i...

The Chlorhexidine scrub went well. This is to disinfect skin. I had to wash all over in a specific sequence then let sit on my skin for a couple minutes before rinsing it off in a warm (not hot) shower. I will have to do this again before going to hospital. My skin feels really clean! Also sleeping on clean bedding and have clean, brand new PJs - thanks Donna for those 🥰! My last food was breakfast of oatmeal, peanut butter, and blue berries day before yesterday.  I feel hungry and have slight headache. I suppose this is from hunger and lack of sleep. Only taking in water and white grape juice. That ends at 7:30 am. With the cleanse, my insides feel pretty empty! Awake too early. Got on Facebook and noticed an east coast friend sent me a reminder that she is praying for me. That gives peace! Maybe I can sleep a bit more now. At the hospital I check in and they outfit me with a special gown that has attachments for a heated hose. I am told they want me to sit with this hot...

I started my day with my usual 3 mile walk. I got it down to 57 minutes. I also do a few other exercises to strengthen my core muscles. I feel healthy and strong. From all that I have read this should help me in my recovery. My aim is to be up tomorrow evening and go home on Thursday or Friday. That is the best case scenario! After the exercise I had to start the cleanse. The Cetro-mag was not as bad as many have described it. The taste is tolerable. I followed all the direction precisely and the only difference is that it worked a little more slowly then they said it would. Maybe that is because I started the liquid diet yesterday, one day early.  The hospital called and confirmed everything with me. I am supposed to arrive at 9:30 Jan 23, 2019. I suppose that means the actual surgery will be late morning. I am still comfortable with my decision and should probably stop reading stuff on the internet about this . It just is so hard to resist, 😊but the decision is made and I ...

Yesterday I decided to go "public" on Facebook with my upcoming prostate surgery. It made me a bit nervous to take that step. I don't know what I thought would happen but here are my thoughts about that. Having cancer is not something to be ashamed of and many people have to face this. I don't think there is anything I could have done to prevent this. I have lived a pretty healthy life eating right, being somewhere near a proper weight, and handling stress fairly well. I am not perfect but I have made an effort to live well. I think this is just the cards I was dealt and now we play this hand the best we can. I was pleased to see that many of my friends, even many whom I have not had any contact with in years, wrote kind words and assured me they are praying in my behalf. Thank you all for that. I also was warned by some that many would try to give me treatment advise. Thankfully that did not happen. I think I have good medical care and I have made my choice abo...

I am satisfied that I have made the correct decisions and now I am just waiting. My exercise program is going well and I can tell my endurance is better. I did my two mile walk a little quicker then before and am able to do more of the other exercises than I could a few weeks ago. I have to discipline myself to not read too much on the internet! Although what I have read has encouraged me that the road I am on seems to bring the best long term result. I decided to share with my friends on Facebook today. Now there is no going back on that and the comments I have received are encouraging. That share also gave a link to this blog so those who want to read more about this journey, I am on, can. It is nice to have family, church family, and extended friendships all pulling for you. I know so many people and the care so many have is heart warming. The only thing I have to do today is stop taking my vitamin D. I don't know why, but those are the instructions to stop all meds an...

The next meeting was to talk about my past history of operations and reaction to anesthetic. I have never had a negative experience with this as the Doctor said "you are in reasonably good health". I have only had 3 operations in my life. All were relatively minor. Tonsils out when I was 11. I think that was pretty easy. Then I had a benign lump removed off my back about 30 years ago. Again nothing special about that. And finally in 2014 I broke my ankle and for that surgery I had a spinal block. It also went smoothly with no real after problems with the meds. Again this Doctor went over my general health level and looked at my paper work. He also said that following this surgery I would have significant pain that can be minimized and controlled with drugs. I was given very clear instructions to take the pain meds and not try to be brave. He told me I would actually use less meds if I took them when I felt the slightest pain then if I allowed it to build up and then tried t...

January 3, 2019 I had to be at the hospital at 8 am. I decided to avoid the parking cost of $8 and park my car at my in-laws about a 20 minute walk from the hospital. This would have been fine except it decided to be a typical winter day in January and rain. The rain combined with the early dark morning made the walk kind of uncomfortable. Then crossing through the park in the dark I took a wrong turn and stepped into a mud puddle that had ice under and I proceeded to slip and fall into a couple inches of water. So my feet and one leg were wet. I had prepared with dry socks so when I got to the hospital I cleaned the mud off my pants and put on dry socks. Actually I don't think anyone noticed me and everything was fine. The appointment with the admitting nurse involved a lot of health questions, height, weight, blood pressure, then instructions on preparing for surgery. I need to be drinking at least 8 glasses of water each day between now and then. Of course that should be don...

Did you even know there was such a thing as a bladder nurse (Nurse Continence Advisor)? Well on December 19, 2018 I did have an appointment with the bladder nurse! This process is interesting even if a little invasive. This appointment was mostly information and a little coaching. After a radical postatectomy many men face incontinence. This is because the prostate is right up against the bladder and its removal takes some of the muscles that control the bladder discharge. Also the urethra that carries the urine goes right through the middle of the prostate and so of course that portion comes out with the prostate. The surgeon then attaches the remaining urethra back to the bladder and a catheter is placed to promote healing of this area. This catheter is held in place by a balloon at the bladder end and after healing the Doctor deflates the balloon and removes it. This usually happens about two weeks after surgery. The nurse showed me the catheter so I would be familiar with what ...

 My hope is that by sharing my experience others may be helped. To be honest, sharing is cathartic.  Maybe it will not help others, but it sure does help me. From the very first day of diagnosis my wife Donna has been my sounding board and helped me through some emotionally difficult days. I shared with my immediate family what I am facing. My Mom found it difficult to hear this news because it brings back all those memories of what she went through with my Dad. My Brother was easier because he is dealing with a similar thing, but his news is a bit better and he is still under watchful waiting. I suspect that at his age he will outlive this cancer. He is 71 now. I shared with and apologized to my two sons that perhaps they will have to deal with this some day. I advised them both that they should have PSA test now so that they will have a starting point level for future reference. Maybe by the time they need a biopsy or treatment there will be far better approaches. Th...

This might be the most difficult part. There a lots of decisions to make in life. Other than decisions concerning eternity and my commitment to Jesus Christ, this is perhaps one of the most import ones I will have to make. There is no simple formula that you can just plug all the numbers into and out comes the best answer. It also depends on who you ask. I read everything the Doctor gave me. I read other peoples testimonies. I read opinion of other Doctors. I talked to several people who have been on this journey before me and listened to what they had experienced. One of the books that my Urologist gave me went through all the different options and one of the things it suggested is that I talk to my Family Doctor and see what he had to say. Frankly that did not go very well. He made it clear that he would not second guess the specialist and that I should not have bothered him with my request for his opinion. I told him that the book the Urologist gave me suggested I do this whereu...

To make a decision about treatment my Doctor looks at the numbers and then makes recommendations. More importantly I have to look at the numbers, statistics, personal family experience, feelings, beliefs, treatment options, and an overwhelming supply of information. On top of the uncertainty that comes with such a diagnosis there is a fear that I will make the wrong decision. What ever decision is made pretty much final. There is no going back on a wrong choice. It is difficult to put into words the stress that having to make such a life changing choice induces. The Doctors and others try to make you feel better about this by saying "What ever choice YOU make is RIGHT for you." First of all I had to consider my numbers. The first number I was told is that 10 samples were taken in my biopsy. Two of those samples that were on one side of my prostate next to each other had cancer cells in them.  It is good that there were only 2 out of 10. It is good that they were nex...