Month 8 - New Schedule

It was 8 months ago today that I received my cancer diagnosis (the last post was the 6-month anniversary of the surgery), and things are going well enough that you can tell I'm struggling to come up with things of interest for a weekly post. 

So based on that, I think it's time that I switch to a monthly update; look for them on the 11th of each month.  Of course, if there's anything of any great importance that pops up, I'll let you know through email and a posting here.

Next month's update just happens to be on the same day that I get my PSA results, so that will certainly be a newsworthy day.

BIOLOGY AHEAD

The only thing of note is that my allergies seem to be kicking in this summer, and that means that if I have a sudden sneeze, I have an equal and opposite reaction on the other end.  We'll see how that plays out through the rest of the summer.  I'm not sure that I want to be in a Benadryl haze or go back to wearing pads, but if I have to, I have to.  Oh well.

Six Months - Happy Independence Day!

Special Post

Wow.  Hard to believe that it was six months ago today that I was being wheeled into surgery on a competitor's stretcher!

Friday, I had an appointment with my personal physician to just follow up on all that's happened in those six months.  She was pleased with my progress and outcome and really had no significant concerns or suggestions for me.

In some ways, I was tempted to have her run a PSA test on me, but I'll be patient and wait for the 4 August 2011 appointment and the results on 11 August.  The surgeon really wanted to use the same lab to make sure that the process allowed for an apples-to-apples comparison with the February test results.

Another reason not to do it last Friday was insurance.  I'm still fighting with the hospital and insurance company over the second stay in January, and the last thing I need is for them to question why I have two PSA tests within a month of each other.  That would take until 2027 to resolve.  :-)

Finally, I added a new page to the blog, "Life After Prostatectomy."  It's really intended for fellow prostate cancer patients, as it's an open discussion of my experience with incontinence and sexual function.  If you don't want to know about that kind of thing, don't read it!  :-)

So that's it on this six-month anniversary.  More on Thursday.

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.  :)