A quick update.
Once more, this is not about sailing at dawn, or into the sunset, but it does impact our cruising. SORRY.
On February 1, I checked into the
hospital at about 0730. I was asked MANY questions, put on a bed and
prepared for surgery. Best thing, the bed was heated! WOW, never
expected that. I asked the anesthesiologist if I was going to get the
same stuff that Michael Jackson got. She said yes, BUT assured me she
would NOT go out of the room for any reason! ;-)
At about 0900 I was rolled into the
surgery room and I looked over at the De Vinci robot. It was covered
and I didn't get to see it as I expected. I turned my head to ask if
I could see it, just before I opened my mouth, I then woke up in the
recovery room!
Not long after, I moved to a standard
room.
My son Brandon took this photo not long
after I came out of surgery.
Not my best shot.... ;-( | 
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That same evening by about 1800, I was
up and able to walk the halls.
The next day, I was out of the hospital
before noon! I didn't feel great, but was doing OK. From then on the
most pain meds I needed was Excedrin.
After 1 week I had an appointment with
the Doc. During the apt, I was told that he felt like he got all of
the cancer, but the pathologist thought he MAY not have gotten it
all. So, for some time we were walking lightly, waiting for more
news. A LOT of stress and many sleepless nights.
They like to do follow on PSA testing
every 3 months for at least a year, sometimes 2, to make sure
everything is good. After surgery, the PSA should be 0.
On April 1 I had blood drawn for an
early test to see how I was doing. On April 4, I had another
appointment. The doctor said my PSA was 0!!! What a relief! Finally a
good nights sleep. So, for the next year I need to have a blood test
every 3 months to make sure everything is OK.
That's about it for now and we are
planning for our next cruising adventures!
After our time out there, and now with
this taking place, we say even more forcefully, GO CRUISING NOW,
don't wait till is WAS an idea that can't be undertaken.
You can see an easy to watch (if you
want to) video of the De Vinci robot working in this YouTube video.
This is not my doctor, but it does show the workings. It scared me,
but sure seemed to work well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsC1LbkWrDY
To see how delicate the robot works, take a look at this NO BLOOD
video. It's a fun one! A doctor folds and throws paper airplane using
a da Vinci Robot. Wait till you see the size of the paper airplane. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq-_riKtzsY
A reminder....
What are the key statistics about prostate
cancer?
Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common
cancer in American men. The latest American Cancer Society
estimates for prostate cancer in the United States are for 2010:
- About 217,730 new cases of
prostate cancer will be diagnosed
- About 32,050 men will die of prostate cancer
About 1 man in 6 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during
his lifetime. More than 2 million men in the United States who have
been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive
today.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in
American men, behind only lung cancer. About 1 man in 35 will die
of prostate cancer.
Last Medical Review: 11/22/2010 Last Revised: 11/22/2010 Found HERE
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I have to tell you, this is definitely
going to put a crimp in our near term cruising plans.
THANKS for reading this. If you are, we
consider you a friend, and, did I say: “If you are a guy reading
this, GO GET A PSA TEST.”
