Cancer Free???

Wednesday, July 30:

I went in for a robotic radical prostatectomy to remove my entire prostate.  Normal recovery is about 1 day, sometimes 2.  Mine was 3 days. 

When they did the procedure, they put me in an inverted incline to get at everything better.  They also pumped my stomach with CO2 gas so there is room to see and let the robot get to everything.

The procedure went well.  My Dr., who has done over 1,000 of these procedures, believes he got everything including one of nerves that showed up on the biopsy as having cancer surrounding it.

Thursday, July 31:

I had had enough of the hospital and wanted out.  One of the best ways to get the gas out is by doing a lot of walking so I was taking laps around the 6^th floor about every hour. 

The problem... my body didn’t react well to the pain meds and anesthesia.  It shut down and wouldn’t let the gas out (by farting). 

By Thursday afternoon the pain was excruciating!

I hadn't had anything to eat in over 48 hours and the narcotics were making me jittery.

At one point I was thinking that if this were the pain and discomfort I was feeling during an ironman, I’d quit. 

Then I realized, 

I’m not a quitter.  

I wouldn’t quit an ironman and I’m not quitting with this pain. 

Pain is weakness leaving the body. 

I am strong!

Friday, August 1:

Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk…  

I just did an easy half marathon on Sunday.  

I can walk another 13.1 miles around the 6^th floor if I have to.  

One of the nurses told me that they were going to charge me if I wore out the carpet.

Realizing that there was no chance of me going home Friday night my wife went to go home at 8:30.  She was praying for me with our friends Greg and Annett, and it came!

“I just farted!”

Talk about an answered prayer!

Andrea wrote it on my little room whiteboard.

8:31 PM 1^st Fart

Saturday, August 2:

After passing more gas during the night, the Doc put me on clear liquids.

All was well so he put me on what the hospital called food.

If I was ok with this and passed some gas, then I could go home.

Pretty gross but I ate some of it,

farted,

and went home.

End of story.