Welcome


Welcome.

When I wrote that banner above, I was just days into this adventure. I'm a pretty analytical guy, and the simple act of writing every day helped me wrap my head around the fact that I had just introduced the word "cancer" into my vocabulary, and it helped me rationalize my treatment options. It also helped keep friends and family informed on my status.

Those daily updates tapered off to weekly updates and eventually to monthly updates (which I continue to do on the 11th of every month, the anniversary date of being told I have cancer).

I've kept this blog going because I remember how helpful it was for me to hear first-hand experiences of other prostate cancer patients. I wanted to return the favor by sharing my own journey in order to educate others and increase prostate cancer awareness.

But I wanted it to be a truthful sharing of details, so you will quickly see that I didn't sugar-coat much of anything. That means that you'll find some pretty graphic descriptions of the male anatomy and biological functions in this blog.

Finally, if you're reading this as a fellow prostate cancer patient, please understand that I am not a medical professional, and you should not construe any of the content of this blog as medical advice. Each case is unique, so please solicit the advice of your own medical team.

I wish you all the best as you go through your own journey.

-- Dan

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Day 21 - Zonked

Déjà vu.
Last night was worse than the night before.  I’m guessing I got about 3 hours sleep total—and not consecutively, either. 
I’ve never been keen on the concept of taking pills, but I’ve set up and appointment with my doctor on Friday to discuss the cancer, surgeon selection, and my inability to get a good night’s sleep.  It’s taking a toll and I know that I can’t go into surgery as physically drained as I am right now.  Maybe a sleeping pill will turn off the thought train screaming through my brain for 6-8 hours so I can be well rested and more functional.
Speaking of surgery, another coworker was diagnosed with prostate cancer about the same time that I was (maybe a week or two earlier), and I heard through the grapevine that his surgery is scheduled for 9 December.  I don’t read anything into that without knowing the status of his cancer.
I picked up my medical version of Liquid-Plumr ™ to clean out the ol’ pipes for the colonoscopy.  I just can’t wait till Sunday!!  (That’s sarcasm just in case you didn’t pick up on that.)
I also picked up a copy of my bone scan on CD-ROM.  It’s pretty cool.  I can plug it into my optical drive and check out my skeleton from head to toe.  Isn’t technology wonderful??  Of course, I have absolutely no idea of what to look for, but it is fun to look at.  The surgeon in Indy wanted me to bring it along for the appointment.
So when this load of laundry is done, I’m going to crawl into bed and try one more time. 
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