Just taking a break..

Friends,

No, I haven't gone away, just took a short break. No real new to report til after my doctor appointments this week. Some good news and some not so good...

Doc Polsky, my surgeon, saw me on Monday this week. He was VERY pleased with my progress so far. I reported that control is getting better and my stream is strong. I continue to do my exercises and he is confident the leakage issue will lessen as time goes on. I had to "re-stock" my pads and for the first time in 55 1/2 years of life, I bought and paid for all by myself, PADS! I chose the brand "Poise" so I call em "Poise 4 Boys". It gets me thru.....Doc did think it was time to work on erectile issues. At this point I guess it is fair to say, I will be very frank and open with the information on here relative to my condition. My whole purpose for this blog is hoping others with prostate cancer and or families of a loved one with this diagnosis will see it, read it and understand they are not alone in the world and there is certainly life after cancer and surgery. I know everyone is different to some degree but everyone should have a chance to hear the stories of others who have travelled the road that may lie before one with a new diagnosis. That make sense? Hope so.....anyway...here goes. I was sent home with Viagra. The whole purpose and intent of this therapy is to regenerate or wake up the nerves that went to sleep because of the surgery trauma. While returning to a "pre-surgery" state would be a great blessing and in many ways a miracle to me, my hope and desire is to just get closer to that "old self" I once was. This medication is supposed to help with that. 50mg every other day for about two weeks and we will see where we are at that point. The plan is to increase the dosage to 100mg every other day until there is a complete restoration or we have gotten things as good as they are gonna get! Doc says this will not be something I will have to take for the rest of my life. (Whew) I'll keep you posted on that front. I have had some small new developement this week, passing some good sized blood clots when I pee. It didn't hurt or anything put a new feeling and a new sound from the toilet and I see what looked like a fingernail sized clot. Doc says it is normal and my system is still getting rid of some stuff. Whew.....

Went to see about my hand this week. Had the nerve conduction test on Tuesday afternoon. It is not a particularly painful procedure, just kinda different. Electrical current is sent through your body, in my case my arm, to see how the nerve conducts those electrical impulses. There is definitely some nerve damage, mild to moderate in his terms. He says it is not that uncommon and the "fix" for it is generally surgery, the moving of the nerve from the outside of my elbow to the inside of my arm so the movement of the elbow would not stretch and continue to irritate that nerve. I see a hand surgeon on the 23rd for a final determination.

So, all is well for now. It has stopped raining and maybe I can get out and have another walk today. In the meantime I have substituted Wii Golf and Bowling and call it therapy!

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers and love. It means more than you know or I have the words to say. Pray for yourselves and each other...tell someone close that you love them. I LOVE YOU ALL

"Thank You Lord for Your Blessings on Me"

Mike