Week 33 - Regression

So it's been a quiet week again... Same routine at work with not much new to report.

BIOLOGY AHEAD

A few weeks ago, I reported that the itchy feeling in my urethra--that gave me the near constant urge to urinate--had finally gone away.  It's been back again for the last few days.  I'm not sure what that means other than it may be a dip in the roller coaster ride that the surgeon forewarned me about months ago.

I'm not overly concerned about it for now.  It's still just a nuisance.  No pads are needed--I just run to the bathroom more than I really need to just to be safe.

Just before my surgery, my family physician scheduled a 6-month follow-up visit with her, and that appointment is tomorrow morning.  I'll mention it to her, but I really don't expect that she'll say much other than "talk to the surgeon."

In some ways, I'd like her to take the blood sample for the PSA test tomorrow, but the surgeon was pretty adamant about his office / lab doing the testing.  He wanted to make sure that the same lab did all the tests to eliminate possible inconsistencies between lab procedures that could alter the results.  That, or he's looking for a couple of hundred bucks for the test and consultation.  :)

Week 32 - Ho-hum

Yep.  Another quite week here in the cornfields.  At least as far as my recovery is concerned (no biology updates needed).  As far as work, well....

My boss was on vacation this week, so I was his designated back-up.  Between his scheduled meetings and my own, I spent from 7 AM to 3 PM in back to back meetings--even one that ran through lunch (11-1).  Ugh.

We also said good-bye to another coworker who opted to head to Seattle and a new opportunity there.

Maybe I should start a countdown...  7 weeks from today, I should have my next PSA results.  That's not all that far off.

So that's about it from here for now.

Week 31 - Bad Habits

Okay, I'm back in my bad habit of being late on my posting.  Last night was another farewell party for a coworker who's decided to pursue another opportunity, so I wasn't thinking much about updating my blog.

This is the third person (out of six in that role) that has left since the end of March.   I don't know that I need to say anything more about what's happening at work.

It actually was a pretty boring week here in the heartland.  Not much to report--not even on the biology front.  It makes me wonder if I shouldn't switch to a monthly format.

I may hold off on that until my next PSA test which is scheduled for 4 August, with the results appointment on 11 August.  Assuming everything's okay then, it may be time to just bring this journey to a close. 

Thoughts from the peanut gallery?  :-)

Week 30 - On Time!

Yea!  I remembered to update my blog on time this week!  Woo-hoo!  Of course, it helps that I'm sitting at home instead of in some airport terminal or on the road.

Yesterday I received a surprise call from the hospital I was in.  "Will you need financial assistance to pay off your $14,000 balance?" 

"HUH?!?!?"

I'm still battling with the insurance and hospital over my second admission back in January.  Anthem says they didn't do a pre-authorization for my trip to the emergency room, so therefore they're not going to pay until they get the medical records to review.  I've been on the phone with the hospital several times over the last few months to try to get them to do that, and it hasn't happened yet.

Then when I got home today, there was a bill in the mail from the X-ray service provider marked in big bold "PAST DUE."  I had spoken with them and they put my account on hold the last time we talked, pending the resolution with the Anthem.

ARGGHHH.

And that's all that I've got to say about that.

BIOLOGY AHEAD

One of the things that happened to me after the surgery was having a near constant irritation or itching in my urethra that gave me the sensation that I had to go to the bathroom nearly all the time.  I'd make frequent trips to the bathroom even though my bladder was relatively empty.  It got to be a bit annoying to say the least.

In the last week, that sensation has been greatly reduced for whatever reason.  As a result, I'm running to the bathroom less and feeling much more confident as I move around.  I hope that keeps up.



Week 29 - Grandson of Oops!

Man, I'm really slipping here, aren't I???

No, I wasn't traveling this week--finally.  I think I just got wrapped up in getting caught up from all the recent trips that I've made, plus work has been keeping me busy as we put the finishing touches on our first draft of our FY 2012 business plan.  In other words, I've been living in my spreadsheet.

That said, we reset our vacation calendar on 1 June, so I'm back to having 4 weeks of vacation on the books!  Woo-hoo!  :-)   Nothing planned yet, but wait...

BIOLOGY AHEAD

Not much has changed on that front, either.  Been pretty "dry" as of late, forgoing the pads for nearly a month now, except when I know I'm going to be much more active than I usually am.  I'm walking home for lunch (one mile each way) when the weather and my meeting schedule cooperates in order to help build up more control.

On the whole, things continue their slow and steady improvement.