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

Life After Radical Prostatectomy - 30 Months Later

So July 4th marks 30 months since my radical prostatectomy (and 30 months of independence from cancer!).

Where am I at in this journey?  Well...

Status

PSA remains undetectable.

Incontinence

The stress incontinence is still present.  A good cough, sneeze, or lifting something heavy may cause me to leak a few drops.  But, on the whole, I'm otherwise fully functional and dry.  Sleeping through the night is no longer a problem for me, except an occasional odd night where I'll be running to the bathroom for no good reason.  Perhaps part of that is simply being 55 years old. :-)

In my 24 month update, I commented about being a bit tactical in scoping out where the bathrooms are.  But now I don't do that as much.  It seems I can go longer between bathroom breaks.

Sexual Function

Remember that they took one of my nerve bundles, but I have to admit that I'm pleased with my progress without the use of a pill.  I can consistently achieve a 70% - 80% erection, and on a couple of occasions, have achieved an erection sufficient for penetrative sex.  I'd like that to happen more, and my urologist and I have talked about starting the Cialis, but that hasn't happened yet.

Orgasms are perhaps a little less intense after surgery than they were before.  I have to admit that, psychologically, I still get a little bummed by the fact that there's no ejaculate during an orgasm.  It just doesn't seem right. 

Summary

 Life is good, and I've accepted my new normal pretty well. 

One thing that I started doing in June was to get more physically active.  I know I need to lose some weight, and perhaps if I do, that will help with some of the stress incontinence issues as well.  Who knows.  If it doesn't, at least I'll be a little bit lighter and a little more fit.

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