Friday, December 09, 2005

The Next Surgery

Well, we now have a date scheduled for my radical prostatectomy--February 7th. My urologist will be doing the surgery laproscopically so that he expects I will only be in the hospital over night. Recovery is anticipated to be 4 to 5 weeks. I won't go into the details here for those of you who are less curious, but there are, of course, potential complications. But my prostate cancer was diagnosed relatively early --it is Stage II B and is located on only one side of the gland and is not in the margins--all good signs. In addition, while my multiple myeloma was being treated I received 2 hormone shots to contain and prevent any spread of the prostate cancer. In fact, the hormone shots shrunk the tumor, which is also a good result. In light of all that I have gone through over the last 9 months, this next procedure feels manageable. I am glad the surgery won't occur until February as that will allow us to enjoy the holidays.

No further news on the myeloma front; next appointment is 12/14 and I'm not sure whether I will get any new info at that time. We'll probably schedule the bone marrow biopsy for later in the year or first part of next year. I continue to gain strength and am trying not to push myself too hard in the recovery effort. I do try to get the health club daily to walk, ride the bike and occasionally lift weights. I am dragging Susan with me--I think she wants me to go back to work! It feels so slow and some days I get slammed with a lack of energy, which always surprises me. I've also started physical therapy and am getting some help in relieving the soreness and stiffness in the back.

We are so looking forward to having the 2 girls (young ladies) home for the holidays. Susan already has the Christmas tree up and her brother, "Uncle Gary," has sent more boxes of presents than we have room for. His generosity always overwhelms us and this year he appears to have outdone himself.

I'll let you know what happens at next week's visit with Dr. Rifkin. In the meantime, enjoy the holiday spirit. Love, Dan

1 comment:

Brother Ted said...

The winter holidays are so wonderful. Family, friends, good food, and all the joy that goes along with our celebrations. Your journey has helped us all to embrace the gifts of our lives and that awareness will make this holiday season all the more blessed. Your friendship and love will be the biggest gift we receive this year.

After your prostatectomy and your recovery period, spring will be just around the corner and those morning walks will feel so good as the world around us awakens with new possibilities.

Happy Holidays to you, Susan, Catherine and Julia. Love Ted