Summertime and the Livin' Is Easy!

It seems difficult to believe that we are nearing the mid-August mark.  I realize that it's been a long time since I updated this prostate cancer blog, but I consider that a good thing!  Not much news here.  However, I'll share what I have.
Today I had blood work and urinalysis done.  The blood work is just PSA and the urine I'm not sure about.  I'll ask when I go for my appointment with Dr. Dwyer next week.  My last check with him was at the end of May and the results were just what we want- PSA undetectable.  So I'm feeling very fortunate.
I'm also doing fine on the day to day- feel well and energetic.  It is now just past eight months since my surgery.  I have had no health problems that I'm aware of.  My continence issue is nearly 95% corrected.  I still wear a pad, but one does me for a whole day, even days when I go to the Y or walk with our walking group.  I try to do four miles on the treadmill three days a week, and about two miles outdoors two of the other days. 
Barb and I had a great month of July.  We moved to a rented cottage in Pointe du Chene, near Shediac, for four weeks and it was a delight.  The weather was exceptional and we had lots of family and friends around.  We go back for one more week at the end of September.
On April 30, my 68th birthday, we were part of a delegation from our support group who attended the Wake Up Call breakfast at the Delta Beauséjour.  We had a table with information and were able to talk to some of the others who attended.  This was the first time that this national fundraising effort took place in Moncton and everyone was pleased with the results.  It is a fundraiser for the Network.
The Greater Moncton Support Group met until June and then we took July and August off.  Our next meeting will be September 5 at the YMCA in Moncton at 7 pm, but notices about that will go out and be posted about two weeks ahead.
In June I spent two days in Toronto as the lay delegate to the PCCN Pilot Grant Panel.  I sat with about 20 scientists and we reviewed applications for research grants.  It was interesting, but I was quick to admit the science was way over my head. 
On Father's Day, June 17, about twenty of us met at Rotary Lodge in Centennial Park for a picnic lunch and then a virtual walk to support prostate cancer awareness.  It was virtual because the official New Brunswick walk was in Fredericton.  However, I had collected pledges to the tune of $2285, so half that amount will eventually reach our support group to help us with our costs.  The Prostate Cancer Canada Network has been very helpful in our efforts to establish the local group.  Carol Murray was able to stop in that day on her way from Fredericton to Halifax and she brought greetings from the Atlantic office.

Barb and I are registered to attend the Prostate Cancer Research Institute (www.pcri.org) conference in Los Angeles from September 8 - 10.  We were there last year and found the experience positive and informative.  So we are game to give it another try.  We go at our own expense, but flying on points helps and the cost for accommodation and meals is reasonable.  The sessions look interesting and I'll try to do an update here when we get back.  

Father's Day Walk - 2012

On June 17, 2012, I'll be joining thousands of people across Canada participating in the Father's Day Walk/Run organized by the Prostate Cancer Canada Network. Funds from this event go to help local support groups and vital research, awareness and education. If you would like to support me in this effort, please visit the link below.

Wayne

Father's Day Walk/Run

my.e2rm.com

Join us for the 2012 Father's Day Walk/Run in support of prostate cancer.

25 March - Upcoming Support Group Meeting

The regular meeting of the Greater Moncton Prostate Cancer Support Group will be held on Wednesday, April 4, at 7 pm at the YMCA, 30 War Veterans Avenue, Moncton.
Special Guest Speaker- Dr. Guy Breault, local urologist/laparascopic surgeon.  

This meeting is open to prostate cancer survivors, their spouses/partners, and anyone interested in learning more about this disease. 

Everyone welcome! 

25 March - And the story continues .....

When there’s been no update on this blog for a while, it’s a good indication that things are going well and I’ve been getting back to our usual activities.  That has been the case.

I’ve just passed 75 days since my surgery. 

I was told there would be a four to six week recovery period and that for some patients, it is longer than that.  For almost all men, there is a period of incontinence of varying degrees.  For almost all men, there is a period of impotence of varying degrees.  Every story is different and this becomes more apparent as we live through this experience.

From February 28 till March 12, we took our recovery phase to Florida for a vacation.  This was planned last fall and my urologist/surgeon encouraged us to keep the plan- he said it would be great to have the trip to look forward to.  And he was right.  We flew to Orlando on the 28^th and joined our family at a rented house in Kissimmee.  Our son, his wife, and three children (ages 10, 8 and 5) and our daughter, her husband, and her boys (ages 3 and 4 months) shared a five-bedroom house in a quiet gated community.  We’ve done this before and it’s an economical way for families to vacation together.  Because we were in recovery mode, our plan was to do very little during the two weeks.  The youngsters would head out to the various parks and Barb and I (with our daughter and baby Spencer) would enjoy the day by the heated pool with our books and food and drink.  It was a wonderful holiday and we thoroughly enjoyed having time with our grandchildren.  Our two older ones were home in Canada, but we kept in touch by Facetime (the iPad version of Skype) while we were away.  I felt well the whole time- able to walk (sometimes pushing the stroller) every day and spend time in the pool and hot tub.  The more active I became, the more dribbly I was, so I was prepared to wear a Depends Male Guard (heaven forbid they would be called sanitary napkins!) to catch the drip.  Usually one or two a day would suffice and I’m dry overnight.  I guess now my goal is to be totally trained before grandson Spencer is!  I still do Kegel exercises daily and I think they do help.  At any rate, I have no problem with any of this.  It’s not a surprise and it will be encouraging when this phase is over.  A friend who had the same surgery by the same doctor wore a pad for eighteen months, but has not worn one since New Year’s Eve.  Now I am home and this past week I added some activities.  On Monday and Friday I was at the local YMCA and was able to walk 4 miles each day on the treadmill and do four weight machines (with reduced weights).  On Tuesday and Thursday morning at 8:30, I joined our outdoor walking group and we walk an hour on a local trail; that would be at least two miles.  Wednesday we drove to Fredericton (almost two-hour drive each way) to visit an elderly relative and have lunch with friends.  This was our first long drive since my surgery and we had a lovely day to make the trip.  No problem.  Wednesday evening we were out to a movie, “The Iron Lady”, at our local film club, on Friday I ushered at our local Capitol Theatre, and Saturday, we went out to dinner with friends and then to an amateur theatre comedy production.

No talk of erections yet, and no sign of one either.  This is not a surprise.  However, it is an adjustment.  From puberty onward, men have daily erections (while sleeping or while awake, depends on the situation).  When the prostate is removed, even with nerve sparing surgery, for almost everyone, there will be a period of impotence.  Radiation patients echo this, so without taking a survey, it’s an issue for most prostate cancer survivors.  And an important issue, especially for the many younger men who are being diagnosed.  Most feel that it is a priority to deal with the cancer, but at what cost to their lifestyle?  Our doctor says it depends on how important erections were to your life before treatment.  The patient will decide whether assistance should be provided to improve the situation- medication (like Cialis, Viagra, etc), injections, pumps, penile implants) on the advice of his doctor.  It is obvious that the patient’s partner (if there is one) should be included in the decision.  It’s important to note a few observations from reading and talking to others- if there were erection issues before treatment, don’t expect them to be in any way improved afterwards.  It is possible to have an orgasm (and the jury is out on whether it is better or not) without an erection.  There is a big difference between libido (the urge to merge) and erectile function.  It is possible to have a sex life with or without erections- that depends on the comfort level of the patient.  All that being said, it is a major concern and should be part of the discussion, before and after prostate cancer treatment.

There is a closed Facebook group called Prostate Cancer Men’s Support which I have found interesting.  Go to Facebook, search the group’s name, and you will meet Bill Moore, the founder of the group.  Membership is restricted to men, almost all of whom are prostate cancer patients at every stage of the disease.  Because this is a closed group, no subject related to treatment etc is taboo and the discussions are interesting and informative.  You might find it valuable.

23 February - Pathology Results

Barb and I are just back from our appointment with Dr. Dwyer- six weeks post surgery.  We had to wait almost an hour to get in to see him, but it was worth the wait!  He had the results of the PSA test I had on Monday- the PSA is undetectable.  The cancer is gone.  Of 38 slides taken from the prostate itself, about a third showed cancer.  But the cancer was contained and thus removed.  The tests of the margins are negative.  My grade of prostate cancer is now T2c.  This means the cancer was on both lobes, but did not spread beyond the prostate.  My Gleason score is 3 + 4 which is what it was before surgery.  This means the tumour was mostly low grade.  Dr. Dwyer’s take on the pathology results- “These results are as good as it gets.”

What happens next?  I will have a PSA test every three months for the next year.  If there should be a recurrence, it is likely to happen in the first year.  But there is no reason to think there will be. 

These results indicate that my choice of active surveillance was the right one when it was made in June 2009.  It would have been great if I could have continued on that path, but it wasn’t to be.  If I couldn’t be in the 65% who would never need treatment, then this is the most favourable outcome I could expect. 

Dr. Dwyer feels that things have gone well to date.  He checked the incision and it seems fine.  I will continue to heal over the next couple of months, but I no longer have restrictions on anything. 

So happy hour coming up will mean a bit of a celebration for us!  We appreciate the concern so many have shown, and we’re more than happy to share this positive news.  Now we've got packing to do- we head to Florida on Tuesday!

Wayne and Barb 

22 February - Upcoming Support Group Meeting

The regular meeting of the Greater Moncton Prostate Cancer Support Group will be held on Wednesday, March 7, at 7 pm at the YMCA, 30 War

Veterans Avenue, Moncton

.
Special Guest Speakers- Karen Lusby and Janice Pellerin, nurses at the Continence Clinic, Moncton Hospital.  

This meeting is open to prostate cancer survivors, their spouses/partners, and anyone interested in learning more about this disease. 

Everyone welcome! 
***********************************************************************

Just a quick update today.  Tomorrow at 12:45, we see Dr. Dwyer for the results of the surgery I had on January 9.  I'll post these results after the appointment.

No matter what, we are planning our escape to the south.  On Tuesday, February 28, Barb and I fly to Toronto and then on to Orlando.  We'll spend two weeks in the Kissimmee area with our son Andrew, his wife, Nathalie, and their three children, Justin, Emilie and Sarah, and our daughter Meredith, her husband Andrew, and their children, Aidan and Spencer.  This will be great fun, to spend time with these grandchildren, the youngest of whom is just four months old.  We'll be back in Moncton on March 12.

 

6 February - So How Am I Doing?

It is four weeks today since I had my surgery.  There hasn’t been a lot to report since the catheter was removed two weeks ago, but I’ll give you an idea how things are going now. 

First, I am feeling better every day and for that I feel fortunate.  I am making a conscious effort to pace myself, and do not plan ahead.  We decide each day what we may be doing that day.  And it’s working for us. 

For almost all prostate cancer surgery patients, there will be incontinence for the first while.  This can vary from hardly anything, to dribbling on a fairly regular basis, to total incontinence which strikes a minority of patients.  There is hardly any way to predict how this will go.  One indicator is how things were going before the surgery.  I was rarely up at night to go to the bathroom and that is something which many men cope with.  Following directions (as I am prone to do), when I went up to the hospital to have the catheter removed, I took along a pair of briefs (not boxers) and a male guard pad (which we had bought at the drug store).  We had also bought a package of incontinence pads thinking we might need them for our bed or for furniture when I might be overflowing.  We also had a package of Depends for Men available which now have varying designs to make them more appealing (!?!).  By the time I was home a couple of hours the day of decatheterization, I noticed that my underwear and jeans were wet.  So it was necessary to take more drastic action.  I decided to move to the Depends and see how that worked.  It did work much better and there was no overflowing from them.  In the two weeks since, I’ve been trying various methods to see what works best for me.  I realize that every patient is different and that we just have to find the key.  Every recommendation says to continue doing the Kegel abdominal floor exercises, and I do.  I am almost totally dry overnight, but to be so, I am up once and sometimes twice when I feel the need to go.  This is different for me and I’m working at getting so that I can sleep from 11 till 6 (my preferred hours) without getting up at all.  I drink very little after supper in the evening.  I haven’t given up tea, coffee or red wine which is often recommended, but I’ll have to be more desperate before that.  There has been improvement.  I don’t really need the Depends any more, but I am still using them as a precaution over my underwear/pad especially when I am out.  That seems to be working okay.  So this is part of the adventure, one most of us would gladly do without, but it goes with the territory and things could be much worse.  As one patient says, our aim is to become “water tight”, so we’ll see how I’m doing when I see the doctor. 

So what else has been happening?  I am driving now and that doesn’t seem to be a problem.  I haven’t done any long drives, but doing errands etc seems okay.  I do not lift anything over five pounds and won’t for a while yet.  My incision seems to be healing okay.  For a few days it seemed a little red and we wondered if that was okay- it’s amazing how little we know about these things.  The steri-strips came off easily and I think things are healing as they should.  My appetite is good and I am able to enjoy my meals.  We have had visitors here at our place, and we have been out to several things- a meeting, church service, to our son’s for supper and a movie.  Last week we had a 30 cm. snowfall, so the February meeting of our prostate cancer support group was postponed.  It will be held this Wednesday, February 8.  Our guest speaker is John Staples, a local pharmacist, who will discuss alternative treatments for prostate cancer.  I have been able to do some computer work- sending group messages about events etc.  I’ve also written a few articles for the website Helium (www.helium.com).  A couple of these deal with prostate cancer, treatment, symptoms etc. 

There is an interesting new book I’ve discovered which I think might be a help to any newly diagnosed patient:  “The Decision: Your prostate biopsy shows cancer … now what?”  Dr. John C. McHugh, Jennie Cooper Press, 2009   Dr. John McHugh, a urologist in Gainesville, Georgia, for about twenty-five years, was diagnosed with and treated for prostate cancer in 2007. Because he experienced firsthand the difficulty of making the life-changing decision as to treatment, he decided to record his findings both in a book and in a blog on-line. This was a new approach to decision-making, and the feedback from readers and patients has been positive and overwhelming.  There is also an associated website-  http://www.theprostatedecision.wordpress.com/

My next appointment with my urologist is on February 22.  I’ll have blood work done before that and when I see the doctor, he will be able to give me that report along with the report from pathology.  I’ll have my questions ready, and we’ll see where we go from there.  So for the moment, no complaints from my corner.  We’ll just continue healing day by day.

23 January - Decatheterized!

Two weeks after surgery, I was back up at the hospital, this time to have the Foley catheter removed.  Having a catheter was a totally new experience to me and might be to some of you.  Here’s my take on what happened to me.  During the prostatectomy, a catheter was installed.  Basically this is a tube which carries urine from the bladder to the outside world.  Because the path the urine used to follow has been considerably tampered with when the prostate was removed, now it’s the challenge to get things working again.  And the catheter helps for the post-operative period.  Before I left the hospital, the nurse explained the requirements of dealing with this catheter when we are left on our own.  With connections and tubes and uncertainty about the process, it is somewhat daunting, but basically we have to cope with it.  During the day, the catheter is connected to a leg bag.  This is a small plastic bag which fastens with straps to my lower leg.  It is not uncomfortable and has to be changed about three or four times a day.  I could take a shower with the leg bag on.  Other than a little sloshing when walking with a nearly full bag, it is hardly noticeable.  Changing the leg bag is not an issue because it is not difficult.  The night bag is larger and is meant to last the night.  It is more awkward because it isn’t fastened to me.  Rather when I settled for the night, it was hooked to a bucket (for convenience sake).  It did mean that I pretty well had to sleep on my back with this tube extending over the side of the bed to the night bag.  Fourteen nights of that was enough.  The removal was not a big deal. The same nurse who removed my staples was on duty to remove the catheter.  I was lying on my back on the bed, down came my lower clothes, a drape was placed over the area of interest.  She removed the water from the balloon holding the catheter in the bladder.

Take a deep breath says the nurse.  That was just for practice.  Take another one and presto, the catheter was out.  It is hard to imagine the difference of not having the catheter with me 24/7.  I was told there could be some burning during urination, but that didn’t really happen.  During the two-week period when I had the catheter in place, we really had no problems.  And I’d say there is plenty of opportunity for problems to occur.  So, I’m giving full credit to Dr. Frederic Foley.  He’s the American urologist who invented this device about eighty years ago.  The design has hardly changed in that time, and this has been such a help to patients who require urinary catheterization. 

Now, of course, I have to be more aware when I need to go to the bathroom.  The next while will be spent coping with wetness, back to Kegel exercise duty- it often takes a few weeks to see improvement, but I’m fine with that.

21 January - Support Groups: How Important Are They?

Here's the notice for the next meeting of our local Prostate Cancer Support Group.

The regular monthly meeting of the Greater Moncton Prostate Cancer Support Group will be held on Wednesday, February 1, at 7 pm at the YMCA, 30 War Veterans Avenue, Moncton. Special speaker: John Staples, well known Moncton pharmacist. Topic: The role played by supplements and vitamins in cancer treatment. This meeting is open to prostate cancer survivors, their spouses/partners, and anyone interested in learning more about this disease. Everyone welcome!

This is also a great opportunity to stress how important a support group can be.  For our group, the intent has always been threefold- to provide up-to-date reliable information on prostate cancer and everything related to the disease; to raise awareness of prostate cancer in our community; and most important of all to provide a community of support for all men diagnosed with the disease and their famiies. 

The basic information about prostate cancer continues.  This disease strikes about one man out of every seven in Canada.  Research has determined new ways to deal with prostate cancer, but there is no doubt this remains a serious threat to the health of Canadian men.  In 2012, more than 4000 Canadians will die from it.  What can we do?  Encourage every man over 50 to be checked.  Being checked at the moment where we live means having a PSA blood test and having DRE (digital rectal examination).  If you are high risk, that is, if you have family members with prostate cancer or are of African-Canadian descent, you should be tested at 40.  If everything is fine, you can be checked again at 45, and then yearly after age 50.  If the PSA or DRE reveal anything unusual, you will be referred to a local urologist.  The urologist will decide whether you should have a prostate biopsy.  This is the only means we have to determine whether cancer is present in the prostate. 

If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, or if you have been living with it, we would encourage you to find a local support group which focuses on this disease.  If you don't feel you need support, you might be unaware how important your contribution to a group would be for someone completely new to the experience.  As we've said, this is not a team anyone would choose to play for, but once you're on it, then our work is cut out for us.  And having fellow team players does help.  If there is no local support group where you live, consider a cyber group- there are a number and I've provided links earlier in this blog.  I have found the tips and advice from other prostate cancer patients to be of great value to me over the past six months.

So there we are.  If you live in the Greater Moncton area (or even within driving distance), consider joining us on February 1.  The meetings are informal and we have the basis of a strong local support group.  You would be more than welcome to join us.

18 January - Destapled!

Yesterday was the day for the removal of the staples.  After a couple of low days at the end of last week, by Sunday I was somewhat perkier and ready to cope.  That’s always encouraging.  So the next appointment in the drill was up to the hospital for the removal of the staples.  There was no wait and the whole process took maybe ten minutes.

Questions you may want to ask-

How many staples were there?  17, I got the nurse to count as they came out.

Did it hurt?  I was told there might be some pulling or a bit of discomfort but it shouldn’t be bad.  It wasn’t and maybe I was just lucky.  None resisted coming out and it was very much like having staples removed from paper.  I think in times past, stitches might have been more of an issue.  Anyway this went fine, I thought.  The nurse applied steri-strips to the incision and they stay on until the first of the week.  My thought was that after five prostate biopsies, having staples removed should be easier for me.  And it was.

What’s next?  On Monday morning, I go back up to the same clinic for the removal of the catheter.  And then it’s just up to me to do whatever it takes to get back in good shape, or as good a shape as is likely!

I see a difference now in energy level- I’m able to walk through the halls of our building for a half hour at a time and don’t mind it.  I rarely take a daytime nap, but I wasn’t used to that anyway.  I sleep well although it’s not quite as carefree as not having a catheter as part of your existence.  I’m only up once at my usual time in the morning.  I’m not lifting anything, was told not to lift more than 5 pounds (or was it 10?) for the first four to six weeks.  I’m able to enjoy my meals and happy hour (with red wine included) is part of our day!  I haven't driven the car yet and may wait another week. 

Barb has been wonderful through all of this and has met every challenge (and there have been a few) successfully.

Life is good- I’m blessed!

14 January - Five days post-op

It’s Saturday afternoon, five days post-op.  How am I?  That’s the question that comes most often our way.  Let’s see.  Monday was surgery day.  Tuesday was good, still on the happy meds and surprised by energy and general condition.  Wednesday not as perky.  Got home around supper time and that about did me in.  Thursday and Friday were okay- I thought I would have more energy than I do.  Here’s the inventory.  I can walk a bit, but not for long without getting fatigued.  We have room to walk in the apartment and I haven’t ventured out yet.  I was quite crampy the last couple of days and that made life quite uncomfortable.  My abdomen was distended, but that seems to be improved today.  The catheter is working and output is respectable.  We are coping with leg bag and the night bag and the connections (just a few oaths here and there).  I made a better effort at getting cleaned up today, change of pyjamas etc.  I shaved so I’ve given up the possibility of a Hemingway look.  Today for lunch I had a peanut butter sandwich and two clementines.  I’m drinking lots of fluids, but haven’t reinstituted wine for happy hour yet.  Why not, I hear you ask?  We thought it might be wise to be off the heavy painkillers first and I’m okay with that.  We are encouraging people to give us another week before visitors (unless related by blood J ).  Same with phone calls- I’m still not up to conversations but I’m sure next week will see even more improvements.  I go in on Wednesday to have the staples removed from my incision and then on the 23^rd, I have the catheter removed.  Big changes then!  My general impression to date- they weren’t kidding when they said it would take a while to recover.  Healing takes time.  I’m  very fortunate to have this much behind me and that things are going well to date.  If there is some improvement each day, I’ll be happy with that.  I’m pretty good at pacing myself.  I sleep well and that helps.  I’m not much of a television watcher, so I’m getting my year’s supply at the moment.  Did see the premiere of my favourite show, CBC’s “The Republic of Doyle”.  It was on the evening I got home, beautiful scenery of St. John’s, Newfoundland, and great to see Russell Crowe as a guest star.  Barb and I also watch “The Big Bang Theory”.  No doubt we’ll watch The Golden Globes on Sunday.  There are a few other retirees like me who have new iPads, so I’m looking forward to trying that out soon- maybe we’ll have a little beginners’ group going.  We had 16 cm of snow during the week, but that's mostly gone now.  Tomorrow we are expecting a cold snap, sub-zero temps.

11 January - I'm home!

This will be a quick update for the blog.  The surgery took place on Monday morning at 8 as planned.  It took about two and a half hours and Dr. Dwyer was in to talk to my wife and son by 10:30.  By noon I was up in my room and spent most of the rest of that day in la-la land, dozing off from time to time.  The doctor felt that everything went well, there were no surprises.  Now my job is to heal.  Tuesday was a busy day.  I have a Foley catheter and that seems to be working well.  It will stay in for two weeks and then will be removed at the hospital.  There was also a drain from a point near the incision, but that was removed yesterday.  I was on IV with a morphine pump, but I seemed to be doing okay on pain meds by mouth, so I  only used the pump a couple of times out of curiosity more than anything else.  I’m getting antibiotics and will have those while I have the catheter.  To prevent blood clots, I was getting a shot in the stomach while I was in the hospital.  There was a lot of coming and going on Tuesday and I was able to get up and walk the loop of the floor six times with the nurse.  I sat up in a chair most of the morning.  Apparently all the happy medications were having their effect, because yesterday I wasn’t quite as perky.  I was on a full diet yesterday although I’m not overdoing that- need stool softeners now so that there is no strain on the incision.  My doctor gave me the choice of coming home on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning, so I opted for Wednesday.  Around 4, son Eric came and collected Barb and me, drove us home with a stop for the various prescriptions.  It’s always good to be home and although the catheter bags (leg bag for the day and larger night bag) took a bit of getting used to, we did okay.  I’m sleeping on a recliner which seemed to help last night, and we have a raised seat on our toilet (recommended by a fellow veteran of the procedure) and that seemed to help today.  This is all for now.  Barb and I have both been overwhelmed by the support and concern shown by so many – you are much appreciated.  I’ll try to add a photo taken one day after surgery.  Stay tuned for new updates.

4 January - PCCN Prostate Cancer Support Group Meeting

It was a cold night, but we were pleased to have a good turnout for our third prostate cancer support group meeting.  There were 21 in attendance, including six spouses.  We are getting to know each other a bit better and have the basis for a strong support group.  We showed the video of the Olivia Chow luncheon meeting in Halifax where she described how important support groups were to Jack Layton when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.  Anyone can check out this video on YouTube or the Prostate Cancer Canada Network website.  Dr. Rob Rutledge from Halifax had planned to be in Moncton on Saturday, the 7th, to give a talk on cancer and healing.  However, due to family illness, he isn't able to make it.  We did show his book "The Healing Circle" and discussed the work he is doing on healing and cancer in Halifax.  We are hopeful he will be able to get to Moncton later in the year.  If you visit http://www.healingandcancer.org/ , you can check out some of the work he is doing.  We also mentioned a program in Halifax where a free nine-week course in resistance training/yoga for prostate cancer patients is about to start.  Following a break for cookies and water (our coffee source was on vacation), we spent some time sharing introductions to the various people attending.  They were willing to share stories of their journey with prostate cancer- very worthwhile and we learned a lot.  This emphasized how many different stories abound in this experience, and we can derive strength from each other.  Our next meeting is scheduled for February 1. 

4 January - Preoperative Stuff

Today I had an appointment at the Moncton Hospital at 10.  We went to the Admitting Office first where they got the required information.  Then I went to a clinic where I had an ECG (electrocardiogram).  That was quick and effortless.  I know I had one before, and the nurse checked and found it was in 2002.  My last stop was for blood work and then we were good to go.  In and out in about a half hour total.  My next arrival there will be on Monday, the 9th, at 6 a.m.  My prostatectomy is scheduled for 8.

For the record, here's what they've got to work with.  I'm 67 years old.  I am in good health.  The only other surgery I've had is the removal of tonsils and adenoids about 60 years ago.  I take only one pill a day, Losec, for a stomach problem which caused several gastric bleeds back in the 90s.  I was told at that time I'd be taking this medication for the rest of my days.  The only other health problem I've had is recurring urinary tract infections caused by a urethral stricture.  These caused high fevers, chills etc, but antibiotics usually did the trick.  I am about 6 feet tall (my sons say I'm less than that now as I've aged- they are both taller than I am) and weigh 190 pounds.  We follow a healthy diet, lots of chicken and fish, vegetables and fruit, very little red meat.  I use skim milk and avoid white bread.  I drink a glass or two of red wine every day.  I go off it for a week every once in a while to be sure I can!  I sleep well, and often don't get up in the night to use the bathroom.  I go to bed around 11 and get up around 6.  I go to the YMCA three days a week and there I do four miles on the treadmill (walking not running) and six weight machines.  Two other days a week I walk outside with a group of retirees- we walk about an hour.  In my career I was a teacher of high school mathematics for 33 years and loved it.  I retired almost 15 years ago.  Retirement is great and we are busy with a wide variety of activities, our choice.  My wife Barb and I have been married for 43 years.  We have three adult children and seven grandchildren.  We enjoy our family and see them often.  We enjoy travel and have taken tours to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, cruised to Alaska, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, enjoyed Elderhostel (now Routes to Learning) programs in Stratford, Ontario, Quebec City and les Iles de la Madeleine, taken winter vacations to Jamaica, Mexico, Florida, Barbados, and Anguilla.  We have taken the Rocky Mountaineer through the Canadian Rockies and last June visited Iceland.  Barb and I were the New Brunswick reps for CARP (A New Vision of Aging for Canada) and now we are involved as coordinators of the Greater Moncton Prostate Cancer Support Group. So that's me in a nutshell!