THAT never happened before

Friends and Family,

Happy "Hump" Day all. Is a rainy day in the Queen City of North Carolina but we need it and I am sure the flowers love it too.

It was a good weekend health wise. After the visit on Friday to Doc Polsky, things are working well. I have sucessfully cathed myself on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights. It is not something I would say is comfortable but it is not painful either. The more I do it the easier it gets. I can do the whole process, start up to clean up in less than 10 minutes !

This morning, sometime around 4:00am I think, I woke and needed to pee so got up, did my thing and sleepily went back to bed. I felt a cold wet spot on the bed when I got back under the covers and then realized too my underwear was wet in the front. Even having had a pad, some leakage got through and ..... "That never happened before". This is the first and only episode in nearly 4 1/2 months since surgery. That in itself is alot to be thankful for .... and I AM !

Please continue to keep me in your prayers. Thank You. Pray for those who are sick and hurting and for the families and loved ones who care for these people in their lives. For the homeless and the helpless, for our children and our churches. Pray for our President and our Nation. Thank you ALL so much for what you do and have done for me and......

Thank You Lord for Your Blessings on Me

Mike

Spring is in the air

Friends and Family,

Happy Springtime! Yea...it's finally here and summer is just around the corner. Isn't it amazing how every spring things are just so beautiful after a cold, gray winter? I love this time of year.
Spring flowers and trees, the NCAA basketball tournament......how much better could it possibly be?

Have had a pretty good week health wise. Was asked this morning how I was doing, my usual response is "doing good, but it's early". Have been concerned that my stream is weak and I have had trouble cathing myself too. The cath reaches a certain point and goes not further, can't get it into my bladder. Well....with the weekend coming and Brenda away on a Chrysalis weekend, I thought I should see the doc and see the doc I did yesterday. Turn out it is the same thing, just a different day. Some suture material that should dissolve has not and it partially blocking the neck of my bladder. We are gonna keep an eye on it, I will try to be more aggressive in cathing regularly and see the doc again on April 6th. If things are not significant improved by then, there will probably be another minor surgery to remove the "stuff". At this point, whatever it takes I am ready for.

Things are "tender" but working today and that is always good (the when things are working part). Got a few errand to do today and then a Chrysalis event tonight and church tomorrow so I best get going. Please continue to pray for healing, for everyone who is sick and hurting. For those who have cancer and their families. For the homeless and the helpless. ( I helped serve breakfast this morning for Room In The Inn @ church....I am soooooo blessed) Thank you all for your continued love and prayers and .....

Thank You Lord for Your Blessings on Me

MR

Another rainy Monday

Friends and Family,

Hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was good 'cept for seeing my "Tarheels" lose in the ACC Tourney. S'ok tho, they will be on TV for the next 3 weeks (I hope).

It has been a good week health wise. I will confess (and will confess to the doc too) that I have NOT used the catheter this week, not since Wednesday. I am thinking "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I have had a good stream and no pain nor discomfort so I want to think I am doing well for now. I say this cautiously as when I said it last I was in the E.R. that night! I feel very confident I have turned another corner is recovery and feel the medications are doing the job. Again, being very frank, my erectile function is progressing well in my opionion. While it is not at 100% , it continues to improve weekly. (sorry Lisa, you shoulda stopped reading before now :-) ).

Call me crazy but I think one of the small things responsible for my improvements is that I was up @ 6:00am everyday last week and have begun to do a work-out with Wii Fit. I usually begin with some yoga, then some strength training and some aerobics. I do all I can to talk myself out of it when the alarm goes off but God gives me the strength somehow to get up and get going and withing 15 or 20 minutes I am "into it". May not be the best program in town but it works for me and makes me feel better too. Now, if I could just learn to push away from the bread and cheese and ice cream...I could probably shed some tonnage!

Hope you ALL have a great day. I would like to say a little thank you to one person that reads this blog religiously.....KCS.....you're such a "sweetie" and it makes my soul smile when you let me and others know you care! Yes, I know there are many of you and I love and thank you all. Please continue with me on this journey. Pray for those who are sick and hurting. Pray that fathers and sons and brothers and uncles and nephews will get their P.S.A. checked every year. Thousands of men lost their lives to prostate cancer last year. Tens of thousands of lives were affected.

Thank You Lord for Your Blessings on Me.............................................. Mike

YEEEE HAAAA ! Mike 2 Cancer 0

Friends and Family,

TGIF again....the weekend is upon us and looks like we are gonna be "fweezin" too.

News...News...News... First of all, things are beginning to move normally again down the urinary tract. Got some new catheters from the doc (Nicole) and managed to cath myself and break through whatever it was that was interfering with a proper stream...YES, it did hurt but was worth it and now things are better. I also have a medication that helps with discomfort and eases the irritation caused by the catheter (and it makes my pee a lovely shade of BLUE.)

Now for the BIG news! Got the results back from my 2nd blood test and it continues to show my P.S.A. score as UNDETECTABLE! God is so good. In a nut shell that means there are no detectable cancer cells from my prostate floating around in my body.

My journey so far on this road to wellness has not been without challenges, most if not all very well documented. All I can say is that it is/was worth it all and I am so blessed to be used by God to show off His awesome powers and endless love and mercy.

Thank you Dr. Polsky and Nicole and Candace and the Mooresville staff and my family and most of all.....
Thank You Lord for Your Blessings on Me.

Mike

Cancer - free Golf...it's a bee-u-tee-ful thang !

Friends,

Yes, golf and work and LIFE is a wonderful thing and especially when it is cancer free. Got the chance to play yesterday and had a great round for me. Two pars and a birdie. I love getting out and playing, just wish I could get better at it. Brothers, my point is that you DON'T have to give up life as you knew it before your diagnosis / treatments. Four months ago tomorrow I started the day lying on an operating room table and ended it in bed in a Critical Care Unit. The journey has not been without challenges but I am beginning to see some familiar landmarks from life before my diagnosis. Keep the faith and believe you WILL be out of the golf course or fishing boat or tree stand or whatever! Just do it !

Still having some issues with peeing but is getting better...we'll talk more later.

Love You ALL........ Thank You Lord for Your Blessings on Me MR

Summer Monday in March.....

Friends,

Hi, hope all had a good weekend. It was OK for me, the weather was awesome.

I did bring a "cath at home" kit from the doc and honestly was NOT looking forward to my first at home experience. Well....I did it last night and it was a piece of cake! No pain or problems to speak of at all! But...this morning I could not pee and decided I should cath again to make sure there was not a big problem. Things did not get better as the day progressed. I did go to work and came home for lunch to cath again as all morning long it was painful and very much a strain for a very small amount. As the day went on, I think it got better so far as volume is concern but it is still very painful when I go. I will take an anti-spasm med tonite and hope to rest and that tomorrow will be a better day. I'll let ya know.

Some days are difficult and some time I find myself feeling sad or even sorry for myself ~~ if only for a few minutes. Some folks ask me how do you deal with all of the "stuff" you have gone through. Well, I think it is all about FAITH friends....faith in God first of all, faith in your doctors and medicine and faith in yourself that you are doing the right thing.

You know how a Moma wants to fret....mine is no different. Have talked to her often and what I told her the other day...when I feel like I am falling, the "net" I fall into is that fact that I do not have cancer anymore and how many people in the world would give anything to be able to say that? I am BLESSED....and I have faith that someday I will be back to normal again...as normal as I ever was I reckon.

By the way.....did you see the Energizer Bunny in the moon tonight....Im betting somebody did!

Thank you all for loving me.....I love you back!

Thank You Lord for Your Blessings on Me
Mike

No Big Deal...but the valium was great!

Friends,

TGIF again.... I can say without any hesitation that I dreaded today more than any in recent history and said in the elevator going up to the office that another biopsy is the only thing I would dread more than the plans for today. Didn't even get to sit down before they called me back. As usual, the doctor's assistant was so kind and gracious and made me feel as confortable as possible. With my britches off and the cool numbing jelly "applied" the doc came in and the games began! He fed the camera equipt scope down (or up) my urethra and into place for a picture of how things looked and to my (joyful) surprise said it looked really good and he did not think we needed to do any "stretching" today. There was what appeared to be some "stone" material near the surgical site that was determined to be part of a disolving suture material. It WAS NOT a stone like a kidney stone and would probably in time pass during urination uneventfully. It was a welcomed report and pretty much a non-event. Next up: PERSONAL CATHERIZATION TRAINING.
Ugh....think I was dreading this more than the other part but Ginger, the wonderful assistant gave me a play by play explanation of what to do and what to expect. Showed me the catheter, the jelly, made sure I knew which end went in and said, "just keep pushing it in til you see pee coming out". Well, I threaded (very gently) the brownish-red little tube into the opening of my prized personal appendage and in just a few seconds, WE HAD PEE-PEE ! It didn't hurt, it wasn't difficult and I was so proud of myself. She told me that us boys usually have an easier time of it and with no prostate to go around, it was a snap! I can use each catheter for a month, thoroughly washing with an antibacterial soap after each use and air drying. It is considered a clean procedure but not a sterile procedure. All in all it was not a bad time today and the valium worked GREAT! I am very much a believer in better living through chemistry on procedure days. Got home and laid down and slept for 3 hours...very good sleep. I feel fine, had no residual effects from the procedure (yet) and ate lunch. I hope to have a good tomorrow and enjoy what looks like a great weather weekend.

So, thank you all for your prayers and concerns. Right now I feel pretty good but will take all the prayers I can get. Take care of yourselves and each other..pray for the sick and hurting...pray for the homeless and helpless...pray for our children...our church and our nation....and along with me let your prayer be:
THANK YOU LORD FOR YOUR BLESSINS ON ME

Mike

Bar-B-Que...and lots of it!

Friends,

Good morning, hope it's been a good day for everyone. Looks like a beautiful day in store for the Carolinas. Today is the 50th Annual BBQ @ Trinity United Methodist Church. I am told over 7000 pounds of meat was cooked this week..it's still amazes me even though I have seen it for several years now. Come on down and "git cha some"....bet it's the best you'll find!

The doctor's office visit was much as I expected on Tuesday. They removed the catheter and had no real explanation as to what is happening but we are going again tomorrow and will do the cystoscope and "have a look around" and make sure things are as they should be going into the weekend. I expect we will stretch the opening again too and the big news is that I will be instructed on how to catherize myself...it should be done daily (the doc says). I can hardly imagine that either but he is my guy and has gotten me this far, gotta believe he knows best!
The one question that comes to mind is when I take the valium tomorrow morning to lessen the discomfort associated with the upcoming procedure, will I still be lucid enough to understand the process of catherizing myself? Guess we'll find that one out tomorrow?

Thank you all for your continued prayers and expressions of concern....I could not have made it without you....I LOVE YOU ALL. Have a great day and hope to see ya at the BBQ.

THANK YOU LORD for YOUR BLESSINGS on ME

Mike

Are ya happy now ???

Friends,

Well, snow lovers....ARE YA HAPPY NOW ???? I hope so. Having spent 12 winters in Ohio I am not in the least excited by snow in any amount. For those of you that are....enjoy!

It was an OK night, resonably restful, as restful as it can be with a catheter attached to me. I was anxious for morning to come so I could get into the docs office and see what is going on. Well....the snow has taken care of that too, docs are not in the office (yet). I am hopeful they will be in sometime today and I can get in and deposit this catheter.

Again, I am not in any pain nor unbearable discomfort. For anyone who has had a catheter, you know it is as much a mental and emotional thing as it is a physical thing. I am a little aggrevated and frustrated but I am confident it will be OK and "normal" is just around the corner.

For all you friends in the Charlotte area, please be careful out there today. Build a snowman, have a snowball fight and get your "snow" fix. If you get out on the roads...be careful ! For those of you away from snow.....be greatful !

OK, time to try the docs office again. I will keep you all posted on what goes on (as usual). As always, your prayers are appreciated. I Love You ALL....

Thank You Lord for Your Blessings on Me
Mike

NOT AGAIN......!!!

Friends,

I think I must be getting a call from Guiness Book of World Records any day now. Yesterday was a good day, nothing special, everything "working" perfectly. I even said, "I felt better this week than I have since November". We went to a dinner party last night and when I visited the bathroom about 6:30 it was very difficult, no stream but drops of blood. 3 subsequent visits about 20 minutes apart produced nothing but some pain in my penis. Called the doc and he suggested a hot bath and too limit my fluid intake. After about an hour of that with no results, it was off to the ER again. Prayed all the way there and once there was taken right in and the nurses were working on me in no time. A bladder scan revealed I had about 1/2 a litre still in my bladder. It came as no surprise that a catherization was in my immediate future. The initial attempt failed, could not get into my bladder. #2 with a smaller catheter also failed, could not get into my bladder....a few minutes of discussion between nurses and another try with a catheter used primarily for children and we hit the mother lode and the pee-pee was coming out good....needless to say it was almost immediate relief. Because it was a smaller cath, it took longer to drain my bladder. The ER doc came in, very nice guy and said everything appears to be working as it should. He was going to culture a specimen to check on infection. Yes, again I am gonna be on Cipro (anti-biotic). Tomorrow I will be calling my doc as soon as the office opens to see what is going on.

I don't feel bad, I don't hurt anywhere and have made up my mind, I am NOT going to be held prisoner by this catheter again. I don't see me having it for six weeks like before....but it is what it is and I will deal with it.

I said last night, I think it is a safe bet that more women have seen me naked in the past 3-4 months that in the first 3-4 months of my life! Now there's a scary thot huh?

The staff at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center was awesome. They were caring and attentive and respectful. The nurses, the CNA's and admin staff and the doctor...I feel so blessed to have such wonderfu people concerned for me........AND a family of friends like ALL of you that love me too.

Keep praying please....I will keep ya updated.

Thank You Lord for Your Blessings on Me Mike