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, April 11, 2012

Month 17 - The New Normal

Well, not much has happened in the last month or so.  With an earlier spring than usual, I've been quite busy around the house, and all of that activity sent me back to wearing pads for a while.  If I know that I'm going to be doing a lot of lifting, bending, or squatting, I just resign myself to the fact that I'm going to spring a leak or two, so the pads go back in the underwear.  Not the ideal situation, but it beats the alternative.

As far as sexual function is concerned, there's been some slight improvement (or perhaps wishful thinking on my part), but still have a long way to go.  I've thought of trying the Cialis again to see what happens, but that gets a bit pricey--about $140 a month.

So that's about it for this update.