October 6th , 2005 7pm

"It is the night before surgery and all thru the house cancer boy is grousing because all he has eaten is Club Soda and Chicken Broth.  Due to the Fleet Phospho-Soda he has a new hobby, it's sitting on the potty and pooping all the time. All his friends and family have expressed their well wishes and his grandbabies came to give him some sugar. Now it's nothing to eat until it's all over.  The boss ( Carolyn) isn't happy because they want him at the hospital by 5:30am. " Ironically the same day as my surgery is Chick Mcgee's (of the BOB and TOM show) annual on air Prostate exam. www.bobandtom.com .

Well this is all you get until the hospital lets me out. I would imagine I will be needing an internet fix really bad by then.

Mike

PS: Time for a Grape popcycle  - Oh by the way guys "Beer is not on the clear liquid diet".

Well surgery is all over and they released me to go home around 5pm. I arrived at the hospital at 5:30am.  They had me back in the prep area around 5:45am. Striped down to a gown, got my belly and other regions shaved. They took me in to the operating room. It was way cool. They had more gadgets than I have in my car. The robot looked like out of science fiction movie. It had around 6 arms, a mess of lights and stuff. They put in 3 IV's and that's the last I remember until I  woke up at 1:30pm. About an hour later I was in my room . That night I couldn't sleep, around 4am the let me get up and wander around the hallway. I did about 1/2 hour worth of laps. Pain wasn't bad, the worst was the gas, I couldn't get rid of until late this afternoon.  They said the more I walked the better off I would be. So I did a 1/2 hour every two hours.  Like I said the pain from the Gas Build up was rough. I'm home with catheter bag so far it's not a big deal. I'm sitting in my easy chair got my laptop, water and some toast, Life is good.

Mike

October 9th , 2005 5pm

I'm feel a little better today, still some gas back up but no where near Saturdays. I keep having the sensation of needing  to go sit on the potty.  Had a decent nights sleep, the worst part was trying to get in and out of our bed. It is a pillow top mattress and really high off the ground. was able to take a shower and I feel a bit more human. Took my first look as the incisions. It looks like 5 small gun shot wounds straight across my belly and a 6th that looks like a I have a new navel above the one nature gave me. (This is where they put the probes in my gut for the DeVinci robot to do the surgery, while Dr Ney sat behind the console and played with the Joy sticks to make the robot do it's thing) I reduced myself to  a couple of Tylenol, because don't like the feeling that the Vicadin gave me. And the doctor said I can drive when off the drugs Besides pain means you are alive. I am finally feeling a little awake and yes I'm bored as hell. I'm not use to doing anything. If sitting I'm usually working on one of my web sites, however this is the 1st that i'm able to concentrate.  To all you guys who may be forced to have prostate surgery please check in to the DeVinci Robotic surgery.  I truly hope that it is an option in your area and you are able to avail our self of this procedure. There was a guy in my wing who had the open surgery the same morning and he still wasn't out of bed after 30 hours. By that time I had done about 2-3 miles of hall ways. ( slowly, but I did it). Today I walked my 900ft driveway twice. Like I said pain lets you know you are alive.

Mike

Doctor Ney Called to let me know that the biopsy is back and  all looks good.  Of course in 30 days I have a PSA test and every 3 months for a while after that. He told me again ( I don't remember the 1st conversation) that he was able to save both nerve and muscle bundles on both sides. So everything should eventually function as before.

October 14th , 2005 am

It has been exactly one week since the surgery and I'm feeling 75% normal ( well normal for me).  I'm getting use to the catheter attached to me except for the occasional pull or irritation. The positive side of a catheter is you don't have to stop playing in order to go to the bathroom ( a little kids dream, can play all day and not have to stop for the potty).  The pain has been very controllable with the tylenol.  As long as I don't sneeze or laugh which really still sucks, I'm good to go. Monday was the first day out of the house. We stopped in at my store and had dinner out. ( One of my mgrs won the pool, he had me for coming in on Monday).  Same thing Tuesday, we took the youngest granddaughter out to dinner and then played outside with the three granddaughtes for a 1/2 hour.  On Wed.: trip to the river boat. I guess I was doing to much because my urine in the thigh bag looked like tomato juice. The Dr. nurse verified this for me on Thursday she said I did too much and should keep my feet up and drink lots of water.  Apparently when they say don't sit in one place for more than 45min at a time. Imagine what I would have felt like if we had taken the jeep to the boat rather than the cruiser, "Ouch"!  ( PS I won a little, Yea!)  Ido not understand why they give you 60 vicadin, I guess some people are just wimps. The scars are healing well. Like any kid I'm having trouble keeping myself from picking at them.

Today I have a 11:30 appointment for an X-ray to see if I've healed enough to have my catheter removed at 1pm.  I'm suppose to keep taking it easy for a couple  more weeks and not able to pick up my granddaughters for a month ( right, like that's going to happen, they are all to cute for that).  I will let you all know how the appointment goes.

Mike

PS Did anyone watch ER on Oct 13th? One of the Doctors was acting all depressed.  He discovered his PSA level was up and he had early stages of  Prostate Cancer. The show pissed me off. They had one doctor act like she was not informed about treatment options and the guy with cancer was worried about not getting wood again. The whole thing really pissed me off, as it did not cover the recovery rate, it dwelled more on the guy wanting to get laid.  Their are enough guys out their who get all depressed and worried about prostate cancer that we don't need theatrical license handling the issue. I believe they need more honest info. To let guys know have greater chance of dying in a car accident on the interstate than from early detected Prostate cancer. Yep I had to email them last night on this one!

October 14th , 2005 pm

I went to have the X-ray this morning. I was stripped down to my shirt, boots and a gown. ( Man what a good look).  They took a scan shot to see if everything was clear. Then they hooked up an IV to my catheter and the doctor pumped my bladder full of dye while he we watched a computer screen. Was pretty neat, not as neat as the bone scan, but neat The doctor took a few pix from the front and from each side.  The whole process took about one hours. I got dressed and headed over to Dr Neys office to get results and hopefully have my catheter removed.  My appointment went well at the doctors office, I got the damn catheter removed.  Was a totally different procedure than my friend from Oklahoma described to me ( I passed on in an earlier string). They had me drop my draws and lay on the table. He deflated the balloon and told me to take a deep breath. After a couple moments of discomfort it was out. He discussed the Kiegel (sp) exercises and I should be doing them 4-5 times a day. The more I do the faster I will heal the damaged muscles. They explained that I will be wetting myself for a while, it just happens. He stated that I will feel like an infant because it will leak at the weirdest times. They gave me a couple shields and a "Depends" for bedtime just in case. He said to go out an buy a couple cases of the daytime shields because I will be needing them. So far I've not noticed any problems. It could be that the shield ( or to be known as the Diappy hence forth) is absorbing any leakage. Man I'm I happy to get the sucker out and not have the tube drug around with me. The damn thigh bag would keep slipping down my leg no matter how tight I made it. It would be better if it came with a strap to go up to the waist to hold it up.  So I was off to work with my Diappy in place and a smile on my face. When I arrived at the store my wife called to see how it went. I explained the above to her and she asked how I was doing. I told her I  though my diappy was dry and asked my son " Hey Michael check my diappy, as he as one still in diapers and is experienced". He told me to check my own diaper. Now what kind of son is that, when he won't check your diappy. So grandpa has a new hobby: To see who gets our of Diappies first, Grandpa or the two toddler granddaughters?

I still get tired easily as the day goes on. I spent approx 3 hours at the store today, which was enough for me. I hope by Monday I will be able to put in a most of a day, at least 8 hours. Slight pain inside my abdomen and plemium(?) ( oh hell the tant) area, I have to remember to carry some tylenol with me.

Note*** Please note that I bring these details not to be self serving, however they are for the next guy who must go thru the same thing. Hopefully this information will make  it easier for one guy to get thru it with a bit less uncertainty.

Mike

October 25h , 2005 pm

It is one day short of three weeks since my surgery.  Other than some discomfort I don't hurt to often.  I am usually good to go all day from 7:00am until about 3:30pm, then I lose some steam. The last couple of nights I haven't worn my diappy to bed without any problems. I was never sure if there was a need during the day until yesterday afternoon. Had a small amount of leakage.  The feeling that I always need to go poop as reduced to  some degree, however the urge to pee is still there quite often. In the Am the stream is strong, where as during the day it is no where near as strong as prior to the surgery. I have my next appointment with Dr Ney on Nov. the 7th.

I didn't take my blood pressure meds for a couple of days so I could get a reading without the meds. I wanted to see if after losing 38 lbs did I still need the meds.  My blood pressure was 145 over 95 and 143 over 92, so it's back  to the meds today.

Bottom line everything is much better than I expected or what I was being told to expect by the doctors.

Mike

October 26th , 2005 6am

So much for pushing the issue. I didn't wear the shield (diappy) again last night and this am I found that I had some leakage. I guess I will follow the Doctors advise rather than be my old stubborn self. I've always been a firm believer of "mind over matter", however apparently "mind over bladder" is another thing. I will continue to wear need change your diappy?"  I also found this am that I gained back 2 lbs, looks like I will be having a salad and Healthy Choice meal in a box day.

Mike

November 9th , 2005 pm

It has been a little over 4 weeks since my surgery and I'm experiencing no pain , very  little discomfort'  I can pick up my grand daughters without any problems, not tried anything heavier.  In fact we got in a full 2 hours of Trick or Treating with a Princess Bride, Ms Pirate and a Lady bug.  I hope to be able to go back to full duty very soon. I'm still pooping out in med afternoon, however the Dr's are contributing this to my other problems. The scars are diminishing, although I still look like I have too belly buttons which my 2 1/2 year old grand daughter thinks is hilarious.  Last week it felt like I was having more leakage than before,  especially while driving. I don't know if it is the seat angle of my cruiser, but when I drive it I feel like I have to go all the the time. And when I go , not much there.  Had my 4 week checkup this week. They scanned my bladder and believe everything is working. Dr Ney prescribed meds to help "over acting Bladder syndrome" which appears to be working. I do not have the constant feeling that I need to go all the time. In fact the short time at night I'm home and bed time I've not worn my diappy.  It is still a bit of a pain to always having to go in a stall because of the diappy.

They did a blood test for PSA, with the results coming back today. No level of PSA at all. So that means I be clean with no nasty Cancer. I am scheduled for another appointment in 3 months. The thought of is in coming back will always be in one mind to some degree.  I haven't been to worried about it until the Dr's office called the house today and wouldn't give my wife any info. I had a short moment when I thought well this may be bad if they won't talk to her.  Otherwise it is buried really deep and rarely think about it.

Now if the Dr's get the other junk fixed I may be good to go. In the mean time I still try to enjoy my family and the few close friends who will put up with me.

Mike

November 14th , 2005  8pm

Just a little hint in case you forget to wear your diappy, like I did today and no spares in the car. I just happened to have a couple of size six cruiser pampers from my granddaughter. If you cut them in half they work great. Besides the little Elmo picture on them is cute. The new medication seems to be  helping with the sensation of always feeling like I need to go. Dr Ney certainly was correct when he said it caused dry mouth. Kind of Ironic isn't it. Take med to reduce urge to go and you have to drink more fluids because of the meds. I've been given the release to work out at a medium stress level by Dr Ney, however I couple other Medicos telling me to wait.

Saturday my wifes cousin came in to see us during her visit from Las Vegas. Hell you sometimes feel bad for yourself until you meet someone with real problems. Gwen is going thru her 3rd ,YES 3RD battle with Cancer. She had lung cancer and beat it, shortly there after she got brain cancer. The doctors said she would not survive and if she did she would be a lump sitting in the corner, no speech, no movement. She said she wasn't having it and she didn't. Now she is in round three with brain cancer again. She plans to beat it again because she said " I ain't ready to go cause I got more trouble to give out". Tough little women. Her struggle has humbled me greatly. My past and present illnesses to some degree are no less life threatening, however they are baby squat in comparison.

Mike

PS Thank you to those folks who have emailed me thanking me for the ramblings on this web site. You are all welcome, I'm honor  that this information in some small way has helped others to get thru the initial shock of the big "C". info@popguns.com

November 24th , 2005  8am

No great news. I'm still here! I don't need the diappy at night and usually only wear one when away from the house( which is  most of the time). I still have some issues if I wait to long to go to the head and/or if I strain picking up something or getting up from my easy chair with one of the  granddaughters on  my lap. I was in a hurry one morning and didn't take my meds. By late afternoon the sensation of feeling like I needed to go every 5 minutes was back.

 I've had a couple of friends ask me about sexual function? Well all I can say is I've not had occasion for a test flight. However, nothing has risen on it's own either.  Just remember that each guys situation is different. If your plumbing works- great, if  not well go ahead and feel bad for a while, then get over yourself you are alive  Dumbass!

Enjoy your Turkey day, I will do my best even though big dirty bird is not my favorite meal. I will only have my youngest granddaughter to play with as the two older ones (4 and 3yrs) will be at their other grandparents. Also I will have my laptop with cellular internet connection with me to work on the web. 

Mike

November 25th , 2005

 My wife just called me with some sad news. Do you all remember me telling you about our friend in Oklahoma who had prostate cancer?  Well his wife, ( my wife's close friend) was just diagnosed with Lung Cancer, Cancer of the Hip Bone and Shoulder socket. They plan to run a test to see if it is in the brain as well.  She had pain in her back and hip for a little over 8 months.  The pain just kept getting worse, so she went to a chiropractor for a few weeks. The chiropractor suggested she go to a real doctor ( my words) to have it checked out. They  did a full body x-ray and scan. The Cancer has completely eaten the hip bone. The damage is to the point that the Doctors will not allow her to put any pressure on it. The right rotary cup is in bad shape and she has Cancer in one lung.  Two months ago the pain increased enough for her to go to the doctor, 30 days ago she was on crutches, today she is in a wheel car!   Life is fleeting, if you haven't done so you best find a way to enjoy your family everyday.

December 10th , 2005

My wife received a call from her friends daughter. Ms. D is in the hospital and not doing well. The cancer had progressed much farther than originally thought. The family is still holding out hope and good thoughts during this trying time.

Mike

December  27th , 2005

Happy Holidays. To date my cancer is still gone?!  I am to be retested in Feb. 06. Still wearing my diappy for security sake. Feeling pretty good, I still don't have all my energy back. This could be attributed to other health issues the doctors are practicing on. Christmas with the Wife, children and Grand daughters was excellent even with the holiday turmoil.

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