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, July 11, 2012

Month 20 - Hiccup

So things have been pretty normal for the most part since the last update.  Except for one little hiccup.

About 10 days ago I was washing dishes after dinner and the sound of the running water got the better of me and my bladder.  I had this sudden urge to urinate (I probably hadn't been to the bathroom in 3+ hours, so I knew that my bladder was getting full.)  I made a mad dash for the bathroom and along the way, enough urine leaked out that I had to change my pants and underwear after emptying my bladder in the bathroom.  Not fun and not expected.  Thankfully, I was at home instead of standing next to some water feature in a crowded mall.

Not sure what was up with that, but it wasn't something to lose sleep over because 98% of the time, I'm dry--even now when I sneeze or cough.

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Next month I have my 18 month follow-up (mid month), so we'll keep our fingers crossed that the PSA remains undetectable. 


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If you've been a close follower of this blog, you may have noticed that I put a new page out there called "Life After Radical Prostatectomy - 18 Months Later."  I just thought it was appropriate to share where I'm at in the whole recovery process.