November 3, 2007: Again?

I went to the doctor on October sixteenth for a blood draw. That is always an experience. This time it was lucky Kathleen. She is 46 years old and experienced.

As always, that doesn't matter to me. I destroy them all. I told her where it doesn't work and that we often resort to my hands. She started with my right hand. My veins just don't pop-up. We had the talk about drinking a lot of water for at least twenty-four hours before the draw (I did) and double tourniquet, baby needles, butterflies and all of that. I hang my hand , I pump my fist and still no veins. She finally sees one that she will try behind the third finger of my right hand.

Drat! She could see it "just go turtle". Blood started to flow, but then the vein contracts and draws back. Well I have others.

She would like to try my right arm at the inside of the elbow. I told her that rarely works in spite of how prominent it looks. Kathleen put double tourniquets on my upper arm and gets another butterfly setup while my vein backs up with blood. Rather it should have been. Still it did look pretty good.

Kathleen looks for the direction the vein runs and lines up the needle. Slowly she pushes the needle in and there is a little burst of blood that just reaches the tube on the butterfly and quits. No amount of coaxing, pumping or wishing can get blood out of this turnip! At least not at this junction of the humerus with the ulna and radius.

She apologizes for putting me through this; I'll just have to wait until the doctor comes in. With tears welling in her eyes she says she ALWAYS get it by the second stick.

I told her, " The doctor won't do any better, if even as well as you. How often does the doctor draw blood? Let's just get another setup and find another one. I'm used to getting stuck four or five times. You'll just have to change that 'always' to usually."

She was real reluctant to keep sticking me. I assured her that it was no big deal to me. It is obviously much more traumatic to her than to me. We agreed we would just keep going until we got it done. She got another setup and looked on the left hand. She gave it a try but it was another dry hole. I encourage her to just poke it again. It actually got some in the vial but just a bit. She said it was only about two ml and not enough for the testing.

I offered my left bicep. There is a large vein running up the bicep toward the chest. Whew! That creeped her out.

"Oh, no! I could do that." she said. She made a face and turned her head. I guess there are somethings that just aren't done.

We put a bandage on sticks number three and four and went to my right hand again. I pointed out a couple on my fingers that had been used before. They are right on the knuckle of my index finger. They weren't real prominent and she couldn't tell which direction they ran. So while she referenced the veins of her hands and arms and looked for the corresponding vein on me we talked about how I used to get weak kneed and green on the first stick. But over the last few years I have grown accustomed to being stuck a lot. She found one on my thumb. It was excellent! Two vials full. To the very top. Just in case there was some other test they wanted to add on. The probem using the knuckles is that it stings the entire time.

I assured her this was not the worst I had endured. I expressed my thanks for her patience and effort. It's nice to get a half hour of time from someone in the medical profession.

I only had to wait a week to go to the urologist/surgeon/oncologist for my follow-up. The second three months has passed already! I am still cancer free! It seems anti-climatic after the effort of the blood draw. He said I'm perfect! Much to Sally's chagrin.

We talked about continued continence and function. All is well and the doctor said really early. So I guess I am a poster child for prostatectomy. Personally I think it is remarkable that they can do what they do; but ... It is not without it's problems. I still have issues with constipation and hemorrhoids I never had before. I have various abdominal pain every day.

Then I put ALL my experiences on the scale. The pains and problems post surgery weighed against the pains and problems of undiscovered or untreated prostate cancer are pretty insignificant.

He said there are no long term detrimental effects. The recovery is permanent. Once I regained contienence it won't go away. Dysfunction won't return as a result of the prostatectomy. Not having a prostate won't produce ill effects over time.

Another visist in three months, January! Then again in April! Then every April for four years.
If the results are all negative i will be considered cured.