3 Weeks Cancer Free

I’m pretty happy with my recovery so far.  I continue to get better every day but when I look at in now week by week... Wow, what an improvement.

WARNING: If you really don’t want to read about catheter bags and bodily functions then skip this post.

Week 1 out of the hospital:  I was connected by a short leash to a catheter bag.  I pretty much stayed at home and did a few short outings with Andrea.  Had the catheter taken out the second half of the week.  What freedom that was.  It seemed like every time I went from sitting to standing, standing to walking, walking to walking up or down steps, walking straight to turning right or left... it was leak, leak, leak...   A little depressing wondering if this would be my new normal but trying to tell myself it will improve.  My body was not functioning normally on either end.  My stomach was still pretty sore, especially when going from sitting to standing.  Just stretching out the abdominal muscles after being contracted in the sitting position.  On the good side, I did take a few short walks around the neighborhood and a couple of short drives to the store.

Week 2:  Did a lot of reading, napping, hanging with the dogs, and 2-3 walks a day.  Went into work for less than an hour then home for a nap.  My body was beginning to function a little better each day.  Still pretty sore when I went from sitting for a long time to standing.  I was getting up 6 or 7 times a night to go to the bathroom, but I started making through the night without leaking.

Week 3: Hardly any soreness in the stomach when going from sitting to standing.  Increased my walking so I'm taking two or three walks a day, about 3-4 miles.  I’m only getting up 2-3 times a night; I even got in 4 hours of continuous sleep one night.  Remaining dry in the mornings, but more leaking in the afternoon and evening. But... improving.  Bodily functions are beginning to get back to normal.  I’ve been researching cancer fighting foods and came up with an awesome turmeric salad dressing.  (I’ll share it in another post.)

Hopefully I’ll continue to see daily and weekly progress like I have been.  I went to a prostate cancer support group in Sacramento and one guy who had his surgery a week before me said that he was doing a lot of things around his 3^rd week and had a little set back.  Good advice.  I’ll continue to take it easy.

Chillin with the dogs

I could sum up this last week by saying I felt better and better each day. 

There just isn’t anything exciting going on.

I’m doing a lot of reading, taking naps and chillin with the dogs.

I’ve been taking 2-3 walks a day.  Anywhere from ¼ mile to 1½ miles.

That’s about it.

 

First Mile...

I keep improving each day.

Friday, August 8:
After getting the great news from the Dr. on Thursday I was a little disappointed about the incontinence issue.  I guess I was hoping to be one of those who gets the catheter out and has no problems.  I took Annabelle , the 5 month old puppy for a little training walk around the block. By the end of the day I was just wiped out. It hit me about 7:00PM.

Saturday, August 9:
Felt good in the morning.  Took Rocket for a walk with my neighbor, Greg.  Probably close to 3/4 mile.  Friends of ours paid for a deep cleaning of the house.  What a great thing to do for someone who is recovering. Andrea and I hung out on the front porch and then in the gym while our house was being cleaned. Drove for the first time since surgery. Went to the bank and store. With all the activity I thought I was going to be pretty tired in the evening but we actually stayed up and watched the last two episodes of The Killing on Netflix.

Sunday, August 10:
Wow! Feel really good this morning.  Took Rocket out for a 1 mile (30 minutes) walk.  After that went to the Farmers Market with Andrea and good friend Annette.  Ok… I was pretty tired after that and Andrea made me take a nap.
(I'll edit the rest of the day this evening or tomorrow)

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.