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

Friday, April 11, 2014

Month 41 - Biological Update

We're going to jump right in with this post...

BIOLOGY AHEAD

My niece and her three and a half-year old daughter came to visit for their spring break, and we were able to get out and do a lot of fun things together.  By the second day, my niece was chiding me about how many times I was going to the bathroom, and that got me to thinking, "Am I going more than usual?"  Or was it just her perspective.

In retrospect, I probably was running to the bathroom a tad more frequently.  Mainly because we were on the go, outside in cool air a good chunk of the time, and I never knew where the next bathroom might be, so I took advantage of using the ones nearby.  (And, no, I'm not talking every 20 minutes.  It was every couple of hours.)

As I explained to my niece, it's more that I have the urge or sensation that I need to go, than I actually do.  When I get to the bathroom, not much comes out.  Fortunately, the urges aren't the, "Oh my God, I need to find a bathroom in the next 30 seconds or I'm going to pee in my pants," kind of urges.  But they're there and they're telling my brain it's time to go when my bladder really could last a bit longer.  That can be frustrating.

And on the sexual function front, I've been quite pleased there.  I've had much better erections (near 100%) in the last month--all without chemical assistance.  Not bad for having only one nerve bundle.  As I've said before, be patient; let nature do its thing.

So that's it for this month.  Quick and simple.

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Late update: I'd encourage those recently diagnosed to read a comment left by another reader, J.R., on the "Life After Radical Prostatectomy - 36 Months Later" page.  It's an interesting perspective, and I tend to agree with him.  Losing sexual function is more difficult to adjust to than many people, including myself, thought it would be.

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