Wednesday, August 26, 2020 – POSTED: August 28, 2020
I was really into starting this blog. I didn’t stop working til I was ready to publish it and the first post.I wrote several other posts to get current since coming home.It was 2 am before I fell asleep. I woke up about 6 am. Ideas for the blog poured in, so I frantically typed them into Evernote to clear my mind. I’m feeling good and when my son gets home, I ask if he’s up for taking me shopping. I have a list of a few things.
I finally poop. It wasn’t a lot, but was more than it felt like. It’s solid, so I can move up to more food. Sticking with soft and/or good fiber source til I’m regular. I usually eat oatmeal with raisins for breakfast so I get the kettle started. This is my secret to staying regular. Fiber and enough water.
Kettles whistling. Soon we’ll see how well oatmeal does the trick. My sense of taste is much better than it’s been for awhile. Oatmeal is extra bland. That’s good. Maybe being in the hospital so many days got me away from all the allergens so my sinuses cleared up.
Changing to the leg bag to go shopping. Of course, coordinated me, I got pee all over my leg. So note to self, always have paper towels ready when swapping bags. I also realized that I did NOT unplug the wrong side of the adapter when I took a shower yesterday.
I went upstairs and renewed my driver’s licence and truck tags online. In Mighigan, they are due on your birthday. I waited until I was home from the hospital, just in case I didn’t need them.
I added a page of helpful lists to the blog, and started this blog post for today’s progress.
I really like the freedom of the leg bag. Having both hands free again is great!
Second BM more productive. I’m feeling much better after that. Looking forward to lunch!
Today is five days post-op, which means I get this catheter out in 5 more days! I’m really looking forward to that!
Shopping
I’m not allowed to drive until my catheter is removed. Too much risk of aggravating things and damaging what the surgeon did. I’m totally OK with that.
I came up with a list of things I needed and wanted and had my son take me. I used the step stool to get in the truck. I definitely don’t want to take a stretching step to get in. I’m afraid of what it will do to the catheter. Thankfully, the step ladder is just the perfect height.
We got more gauze pads, the smallest they have, alcohol wipes, they had no alcohol for sale. Since the site of my drain tube is still draining, I need to keep it clean, etc. While there I decided to get a cane. The pharmacy tech said they could order one and get insurance to pay for it, the only complication is that if I’d need a walker in less than 5 years, they wouldn’t pay for that. A collapsible cane was only twelve dollars. I already have crutches from an ankle injury over 30 years ago, so why not?
I also wanted some bananas, and the watermelon and cantaloupe looked so good, I got some of that too. I also got some oatmeal raisin cookies. I told my son, “To celebrate waking up!”
My son got some dry soup mix in bowls. Better than Raman. I told him to get what he wanted.
I reached my limit waiting for our turn at the checkout line. I had to lean on the cart for a few minutes. It was after noon, so I think I just needed something to eat.
We had an OCD cashier. She stacked up the soup into like stacks and scanned once and typed in the number. It would have been faster to scan one at a time.
After that, we came back to town and stopped by the local sub shop, I told the family I was buying lunch, as now that my innards are working, I was hungry.
The Trip
The bumps along the road were not bad, but there were enough of them I found gently holding my abdomen, not much more than resting my open hands on my belly stopped the jostling to the point I didn’t hurt. I thought I might be in need of pain meds by the time I got home, but I was starving and ate a foot long sub, and was it ever deliscious!
Sitting in the truck for the trip to the sub shop (actually a big chain – talk to me about advertising) was enough that I had the oomph to walk in and order and pay for it all.
A New Outlook
One thing I’ve noticed is that my attitude is so much improved. My depression and fear of imminent death is gone. Amazing how not dying will cure that. I’m not really afraid of death, I just like being alive. I’m more afraid of a prolonged, painful death.
This improved gratitude and focus is something I want to capitalize on. My plan is to eat as healthy as possible and lose that weight that I really need to. My motivation to exercise was non-existent. My attitude was, “What’s the point?” Why work hard to get in shape and die on the table? Now that that is behind me, I will do as I feel able and do it right.
Nearly 29 years ago when I was busted up in a car accident, I didn’t tough out the pain as much as I should have, and I definitely didn’t and haven’t done the exercises that make my back strong. They’re not hard at all. I can’t do them until I’m healed up from surgery, but I can walk. I live in a flat area, and about half a mile from a 3 mile paved walking trail. I’m not up to going that far, but I can definitely walk around the block and be near home if I get winded.
This motivation will wane, so I want to establish good, healthy habits before it does. I know this, as I had a similar exhilaration following my car accident. It was back to poor habits as I didn’t make a concerted effort to maximize that new found motivation. Rather than regret my failure to do so after the car accident, I’m not going to make the same mistake now. I may not get a third chance.
Heart disease and diabetes run in the family. So losing weight will help both. Losing weight will also help with my current recovery, and help prevent other possible cancers.
Positive Feedback
Someone messaged one of the places I shared that I started this blog. He said that he’s nearing my age and that my first few posts took away a lot of the mystery around this. I’d call that a win! I helped one man face his prostate questions. Hopefully, my journey will inspire and inform men and save lives. I’ll say this over and over, get your prostate checked! Don’t let the doctors slide past an abnormal PSA test. I’m so very glad I didn’t.
Is surgery a scary prospect? You bet, but attacking the problem while it is manageable means it’s one big battle instead of a protracted war. Imagine if England and France had stood up to Hitler when he started annexing things, no WWII. Putting off action is like appeasement. You can still win the coming war, but it will have a high and unpleasant cost.
The lesson is to get good reconnaissance, act resolutely when the time is right, and mop up the little issues like healing up and lifestyle changes to continue a positive outcome for many more years.
Learning Experience
This blog itself is therapeutic and it is forcing me to learn from my experiences with recovery from surgery. My hope is that not only am I a little wiser and healthier, but that other men will get their prostates checked as they age and hopefully even fewer will lose their battle with cancer.
Socializing
I launched a Twitter and Facebook page to go with this blog. Please follow and like and share. If you are a man, or have a man in your life, read what I’m sharing and get your prostate checked! My surgery was an intense experience. I hope to help men avoid surgery and definitely get surgery in time to avoid a protracted battle with cancer.
Leg Bag vs. Large Bag
I like the mobility of the leg bag, but it fills up so darn fast! I guess unless I’m away from home, I should just stick with the big bag. I sure hope my bladder has lots of room now that my giant prostate is out of the way.
When switching between the bags the big one is much harder to disconnect and reconnect because it has a straight connector, instead of a conical graduated connector. I don’t get why they don’t both have the graduated connector. There must be a reason.
Sanitary conditions is a must to avoid infection. Wash your hands before and after messing with it. You also have to use alchohol wipes to clean both ends of the connection once apart and before putting together. The leg bag has a cap so residue won’t drip when not in use. I hung up the big bag in the shower so the long tube dangled when I had the leg bag.
I’ll tough out 5 more days with the big bag to avoid the hassle of switching out the bags. Fewer trips to empty it and it’s medical waste once the catheter comes out.
Wound Care
There are 5 or 6 holes in my abdomen. All but the one where I had the drain tube have dried up and scabbed over. So I have to clean it with an alcohol wipe and put a gauze pad on it to absorb the drainage. I am surprised that there is enough to keep covering over half a two inch by two inch gauze. It’s not wet on the outside, but is discolored. I change the dressing a couple times a day. I also have this long line across my abdomen where the drain tube was.
Showering
Showering with a catheter is not too bad. it’s just weird. The outside portion of the catheter gives about 6 inches of tubing from the tip of the penis to where a clip with high strength tape that can only be removed with alcohol. This clip holds the tube and directs two inches of it to be available for the leg bag connector.
Unhook the leg or big bag and let the urine run out in the shower. When washing the area near the tube start closest to the body and work outwards towards the end of the tube to help wash germs away and avoid a bladder infection.
My pubic hair is long enough that it keeps matting over the tip of my penis in the discharge. One should probably shorten their pubic hair prior to surgery to avoid trying to decide whether to do it after.
End Of Day
Overall, I felt great! My appetite is back and my energy level is enough that I can do quite a lot. Only five more days til I can get rid of the catheter and be able to drive. Not that I’ve got anywhere to go, just knowing I have freedom and a week with no work, I can do some fun things, or at least go for a long drive for a change of pace.
Men's Health in My Perspective 