Experience isn't always the best teacher. I went for my labs and was given a fellow named Tom. He was new to me and seemed about 30. He got his set up and I didn't bother to give him directions. He looked at both arms and said, "I'll try this one, okay?"
I agreed and he started slowly and methodically to put the band on my arm. I pumped my fist a couple times and he put on his gloves. He took the butterfly needle and laid it beside where I could see the vein and at a low angle. I was sure he wouldn't get blood that way.
He put a finger on the other side of the vein and slowly slid the needle into my arm. At the first flush of blood he stopped and put a vial in the tube. It slowly filled with blood. He popped it off and pushed in another vial. Slowly it filled. WOW!
I said, "You did that well. I usually get stuck three or four times."
Tom said, "That was only my second time."
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Saturday, November 3, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
August 28, 2007: As time goes by ...
Here it is, another month gone. April seems so far away. I feel just as guilty as ever; but I am looking forward to retirement in several months. This continued good luck just makes me anxious about the future.
None of us have any promises of a tomorrow. We are all given the ability to dream and hope that what we believe will come to be. I wonder how it is that I am so very lucky to have not suffered.
I think perhaps it is partly due to my belief and faith. Part due to just the way I am. I would have expected that I would have been shocked, angry and fearful. Since my heart attack I have been more emotional. Why not now? It just never occurred to me. It was as if I were told, "you have a wart and we are going to remove it."
My life is surreal. Things are so very different since the MI that I sometimes wonder if I died and this is the afterlife. I often don't feel connected to events in my life. I don't get concerned or worry about little things like I did before. Not even big things like I did before.
I suppose a large part of this is that I feel that I can't effect any change in the outcome of any event. I can't 'be' healthy. I can't change the situation at work. I can't change my personal life. I can't change my children's lives. I am really just an observer.
I'm riding this 'train' and don't need to waste my energies worrying about where it is going or where to turn. I just sit back, relax, look out the window and take-in the scenery. I don't interact with the environment, I just observe.
I wonder where the next station is. What awaits me at the next stop. Is there a next stop? I suppose at any moment the conductor can kick me off the train. Or the engineer could screw up and wreck the train. I just wonder ...
None of us have any promises of a tomorrow. We are all given the ability to dream and hope that what we believe will come to be. I wonder how it is that I am so very lucky to have not suffered.
I think perhaps it is partly due to my belief and faith. Part due to just the way I am. I would have expected that I would have been shocked, angry and fearful. Since my heart attack I have been more emotional. Why not now? It just never occurred to me. It was as if I were told, "you have a wart and we are going to remove it."
My life is surreal. Things are so very different since the MI that I sometimes wonder if I died and this is the afterlife. I often don't feel connected to events in my life. I don't get concerned or worry about little things like I did before. Not even big things like I did before.
I suppose a large part of this is that I feel that I can't effect any change in the outcome of any event. I can't 'be' healthy. I can't change the situation at work. I can't change my personal life. I can't change my children's lives. I am really just an observer.
I'm riding this 'train' and don't need to waste my energies worrying about where it is going or where to turn. I just sit back, relax, look out the window and take-in the scenery. I don't interact with the environment, I just observe.
I wonder where the next station is. What awaits me at the next stop. Is there a next stop? I suppose at any moment the conductor can kick me off the train. Or the engineer could screw up and wreck the train. I just wonder ...
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
August 1, 2007: First Follow-up Results
Wow!! Three months already. I got to go talk to a cute 30 something young lady about my test results and "sex life".
In her words, "The PSA is perfect!" The continence is great! Really was early and has improved. The Viagra therapy is okay.
It can take months and months. Then she explained that the musculature heals pretty quickly. The Viagra will promote revascularization in a few months. Nerves can take a long time to recover. They suffered a pretty big insult. It is all attached to the prostate and had to be carefully separated before the prostate was removed. Even though they were very careful and had very good nerve sparing experience with me, nerves don't respond well to being disturbed. It was as if they really whacked my prostate 'funny bone' and it will take a lot of time for them to recover.
The good news was very outstanding, I thought. If this is my life, I can live with it. And what guy doesn't like the opportunity to talk to a cute 30 year old who really cares about his petty problems? And then I get to go home to my lovely lady who knows me like a book. Three great kids and their spouses and families all in the turmoil of busy, happy lives.
This is what makes the autumn bountiful! I am having a great harvest of what I sewed in the Spring of my youth and loved through the Summer of my life. I often wonder why I deserve such riches.
Another three months and I can do this again. Just to catch anything that might recur early.
In her words, "The PSA is perfect!" The continence is great! Really was early and has improved. The Viagra therapy is okay.
It can take months and months. Then she explained that the musculature heals pretty quickly. The Viagra will promote revascularization in a few months. Nerves can take a long time to recover. They suffered a pretty big insult. It is all attached to the prostate and had to be carefully separated before the prostate was removed. Even though they were very careful and had very good nerve sparing experience with me, nerves don't respond well to being disturbed. It was as if they really whacked my prostate 'funny bone' and it will take a lot of time for them to recover.
The good news was very outstanding, I thought. If this is my life, I can live with it. And what guy doesn't like the opportunity to talk to a cute 30 year old who really cares about his petty problems? And then I get to go home to my lovely lady who knows me like a book. Three great kids and their spouses and families all in the turmoil of busy, happy lives.
This is what makes the autumn bountiful! I am having a great harvest of what I sewed in the Spring of my youth and loved through the Summer of my life. I often wonder why I deserve such riches.
Another three months and I can do this again. Just to catch anything that might recur early.
Monday, July 30, 2007
July 30, 2007: First Follow-up
Well, we have been off-line for sometime now. We have been busy with the things of summer, family, vacation and of course friends.
Friends in need are friends in deed. Some have been having more than their share of problems, but we pray they see that they are healing and getting better everyday.
I took a trip for two weeks with my wife. We went 3,000 miles without a problem. The seed was a 50th Anniversary party for her uncle and aunt in South Carolina. The trip was planned for a week to get there and a week to come home. It had a few days of long drives and some sights we wanted to see along the trail.
We started with a long drive to southwest Missouri to see my sister and brother-in-law. It was just an over-night visit after a LONG drive. Next we went to Little Rock, Arkansas to see the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. The building looks much better in life than I saw in the news. It has an amazing amount of information and is very well done.
We stayed the night and drove to Atlanta the next day. We toured the James Earl Carter, Jr. Center and Library. It covers his term and the center is dedicated to alleviating suffering, illness and oppression around the world after his presidency. He has done a lot of good works around the world. We also saw a lot of Atlanta. It is quite a metropolis in the south. Gray Line has a good tour option. We both can see the sights without traffic worries.
On to Savannah. We were told in Atlanta, "In Savannah, everything they talk about is the 'oldest' or the 'first'." They hit the nail on the head there. The citizens of Savannah are VERY proud of their city. Maybe more than they should be. I expected to see an OLD city of the south, one spared by Sherman, truly antebellum. It couldn't live up to the hype. It reminded me very much of Springfield, Illinois. Not in good repair and getting around was not easy. And it was 101 F but felt like 108F. Another Gray Line tour, in an open trolley, and on to Walterboro.
It too was a small southern town with most of the really nice places out of town in newer developments. The South Carolina Artisan and Craft Center is located in Walterboro. We just looked. There were some pieces I liked; but, I would have needed to buy the room, cases and surrounding works because they looked 'right in the context of the display'. They would not look right in my house. The party was very nice and it was fun to watch the folks interact.
Next stop Charleston or "Chalstun" as they say. Our tour guide was very entertaining. Will was a native who had left and been a bit of a way faring man before returning to settle in Charleston. We toured the city and out to Magnolia Plantation and Drayton Hall. This was not an antebellum plantation. It was destroyed , rebuilt , burned, rebuilt then expanded. The gardens were not as I expected but it was interesting to see the slave quarters the home and get a sense of the way of life there.
Next to Asheville, North Carolina to tour the Biltmore Estate. The sin of wealth! 125,000 acres! Forty some bedrooms! Thirty some bathrooms! Thirty staff when the Vanderbilts were NOT there. All built at the end of the 1800's. And still family owned! Not given or sold to the state. Just one of their homes. They had "The Breakers" in Connecticut and a "Cottage" on the Hudson. It took all day to tour and we only saw 60 rooms.
How much Tennessee looks like home after being in the Deep South. Just passing through to Kentucky. We were staying at Mammoth Cave lodge and had to drive from the Biltmore. The lodge is like stepping back in time to the sixties. The room had a real key with the green plastic fob with the room number stamped on it. The walls were paneled, there were swag lamps with painted glass cylinders for shades. The place was immaculate! It was a wonderful place to stay. The restaurant was in the same building and a short walk from the park's visitor center. We sat on our patio and watched the bats at sunset. The next morning we took a "old man" tour of the cavern. Not too many stairs and no narrow passages. It was hot and humid when we came out of the 54 degree cave.
Then a long day's drive home. The number of trucks on the highway is incredible! The economy must be flourishing. There is too much commerce for it not to be thriving. We went 3,000 miles with out an accident! Vehicular or biological. We saw a lot of rest areas across the country. Fortunately there was no Minnesota on this trip; every state had all the rest areas open.
When we arrived home I had an appointment to get blood work done for my first follow-up visit with my oncologist. As usual, it took two people and three needles and four sticks to get three little vials of blood. It's not easy, even for the pros, to draw blood from me. I was finally holding the vial on the end of the butterfly-needle while he used both hands to steady the needle and the vein. When he got a flush of blood I'd push the vial onto the outlet and watch it slowly fill. When it would stop he would have to pump the needle in and out to find the vein again. He apologized for blowing the vein but we got it. Now I wait until Wednesday to go get the results. I am hoping (and pretty confident) for a near zero PSA. That will be an 'all clear' for the first 90 days. Four years and nine months to go to a 'declaration' of cured.
I've had some pains. Occasional abdominal wall searing pains. And if I can't get to the toilet in time it gets real painful. I think I am sooo good at controlling the flow that the muscles start to spasm. When I do get to the bathroom I can barely get the flow going. Then I have to relax a few minutes and go again. It really is no big deal when one compares it to having cancer. I would bet if anyone who has cancer that is terminal were given the choice, they would take this in trade.
Well, I will be back with an update on the results soon.
Friends in need are friends in deed. Some have been having more than their share of problems, but we pray they see that they are healing and getting better everyday.
I took a trip for two weeks with my wife. We went 3,000 miles without a problem. The seed was a 50th Anniversary party for her uncle and aunt in South Carolina. The trip was planned for a week to get there and a week to come home. It had a few days of long drives and some sights we wanted to see along the trail.
We started with a long drive to southwest Missouri to see my sister and brother-in-law. It was just an over-night visit after a LONG drive. Next we went to Little Rock, Arkansas to see the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. The building looks much better in life than I saw in the news. It has an amazing amount of information and is very well done.
We stayed the night and drove to Atlanta the next day. We toured the James Earl Carter, Jr. Center and Library. It covers his term and the center is dedicated to alleviating suffering, illness and oppression around the world after his presidency. He has done a lot of good works around the world. We also saw a lot of Atlanta. It is quite a metropolis in the south. Gray Line has a good tour option. We both can see the sights without traffic worries.
On to Savannah. We were told in Atlanta, "In Savannah, everything they talk about is the 'oldest' or the 'first'." They hit the nail on the head there. The citizens of Savannah are VERY proud of their city. Maybe more than they should be. I expected to see an OLD city of the south, one spared by Sherman, truly antebellum. It couldn't live up to the hype. It reminded me very much of Springfield, Illinois. Not in good repair and getting around was not easy. And it was 101 F but felt like 108F. Another Gray Line tour, in an open trolley, and on to Walterboro.
It too was a small southern town with most of the really nice places out of town in newer developments. The South Carolina Artisan and Craft Center is located in Walterboro. We just looked. There were some pieces I liked; but, I would have needed to buy the room, cases and surrounding works because they looked 'right in the context of the display'. They would not look right in my house. The party was very nice and it was fun to watch the folks interact.
Next stop Charleston or "Chalstun" as they say. Our tour guide was very entertaining. Will was a native who had left and been a bit of a way faring man before returning to settle in Charleston. We toured the city and out to Magnolia Plantation and Drayton Hall. This was not an antebellum plantation. It was destroyed , rebuilt , burned, rebuilt then expanded. The gardens were not as I expected but it was interesting to see the slave quarters the home and get a sense of the way of life there.
Next to Asheville, North Carolina to tour the Biltmore Estate. The sin of wealth! 125,000 acres! Forty some bedrooms! Thirty some bathrooms! Thirty staff when the Vanderbilts were NOT there. All built at the end of the 1800's. And still family owned! Not given or sold to the state. Just one of their homes. They had "The Breakers" in Connecticut and a "Cottage" on the Hudson. It took all day to tour and we only saw 60 rooms.
How much Tennessee looks like home after being in the Deep South. Just passing through to Kentucky. We were staying at Mammoth Cave lodge and had to drive from the Biltmore. The lodge is like stepping back in time to the sixties. The room had a real key with the green plastic fob with the room number stamped on it. The walls were paneled, there were swag lamps with painted glass cylinders for shades. The place was immaculate! It was a wonderful place to stay. The restaurant was in the same building and a short walk from the park's visitor center. We sat on our patio and watched the bats at sunset. The next morning we took a "old man" tour of the cavern. Not too many stairs and no narrow passages. It was hot and humid when we came out of the 54 degree cave.
Then a long day's drive home. The number of trucks on the highway is incredible! The economy must be flourishing. There is too much commerce for it not to be thriving. We went 3,000 miles with out an accident! Vehicular or biological. We saw a lot of rest areas across the country. Fortunately there was no Minnesota on this trip; every state had all the rest areas open.
When we arrived home I had an appointment to get blood work done for my first follow-up visit with my oncologist. As usual, it took two people and three needles and four sticks to get three little vials of blood. It's not easy, even for the pros, to draw blood from me. I was finally holding the vial on the end of the butterfly-needle while he used both hands to steady the needle and the vein. When he got a flush of blood I'd push the vial onto the outlet and watch it slowly fill. When it would stop he would have to pump the needle in and out to find the vein again. He apologized for blowing the vein but we got it. Now I wait until Wednesday to go get the results. I am hoping (and pretty confident) for a near zero PSA. That will be an 'all clear' for the first 90 days. Four years and nine months to go to a 'declaration' of cured.
I've had some pains. Occasional abdominal wall searing pains. And if I can't get to the toilet in time it gets real painful. I think I am sooo good at controlling the flow that the muscles start to spasm. When I do get to the bathroom I can barely get the flow going. Then I have to relax a few minutes and go again. It really is no big deal when one compares it to having cancer. I would bet if anyone who has cancer that is terminal were given the choice, they would take this in trade.
Well, I will be back with an update on the results soon.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
June 23, 2007: Another Week Gone
This is how I get OLD; time just flies by. I have gotten much better health wise. I rarely have any leakage now and rarely have a twinge of pain. Even then it is not a sharp or searing pain; but more of a low grade achy pain.
The short term disability insurance company has finally received sufficient information to make a decision on my claim. I am covered through the 3rd of June and can return to work on the 4th. Since they made that decision, the FMLA unit of my company also decided that my time off is covered under FMLA. Any further incidents in the twelve month period will have to come out of the remaining 95 days of eligible time. Whoopee!
Now they just need to get the adjustment made to my earned time off. Lord knows how long it will take for them to give that back to me. That is just small stuff.
I am again getting used to the daily grind of working. The folks I work with are really very nice. They are also a lot of fun.
The short term disability insurance company has finally received sufficient information to make a decision on my claim. I am covered through the 3rd of June and can return to work on the 4th. Since they made that decision, the FMLA unit of my company also decided that my time off is covered under FMLA. Any further incidents in the twelve month period will have to come out of the remaining 95 days of eligible time. Whoopee!
Now they just need to get the adjustment made to my earned time off. Lord knows how long it will take for them to give that back to me. That is just small stuff.
I am again getting used to the daily grind of working. The folks I work with are really very nice. They are also a lot of fun.
Monday, June 18, 2007
June 18, 2007: This seems to be whipped!
Boy do I feel too lucky. It seems that this thing is whipped already. I am afraid to think that.
IF IT IS, this has been one more lucky star, blessing, etc. It could be my personality flaw; but, I feel like this has not been a big deal. As bad as I felt from the start I feel good about it now. I'm almost guilt-ridden that I've had a result this good.
The continence has continued to improve. I don't 'weep' when I step to the side like getting out of the car or mow. I can sleep six hours now. I can hardly wait for my next PSA test. I am pretty confident that it will be a virtual '0'. But that is reinforcing evidence that I am cured. That will be August first.
Any man or for that matter any woman who knows a man should insist on an annual prostate exam as part of his physical. (She won't need one)
I have heard that there are tests for ovarian cancer very similar to the DRE that combined with a good history at her physical can detect it early. The history should include the following from the website, http://www.baymoon.com/~gyncancer/library/weekly/aa011001a.htm :
WARNING SYMPTOMS OF OVARIAN CANCER
Contact your MD if you develop one or more of these symptoms and they persist for 2-3 weeks:
-Abdominal Swelling/Bloating/Clothes Too Tight
-Abdominal/Pelvic Pain or Pressure or Feeling "Full"
-Gastrointestinal Symptoms (such as gas, indigestion, nausea, or changes in bowel movements)
-Vaginal Bleeding or Discharge
-Urinary Problems
-Urgency, Burning, or Spasms
-Fatigue and/or Fever
-Pain During Intercourse
-Back Pain
-Difficulty Breathing
Remember, the vast majority of the time, these will not be due to cancer, but you owe it to yourself to get them checked out.
What should you expect from your doctor at your appointment?
In addition to testing for other causes for your symptoms, your doctor should perform a pelvic examination, including the rectovaginal component. A prompt pelvic exam has been shown to be one of the best predictors of timely diagnosis. The other non-invasive tests used to detect ovarian cancer are the CA-125 blood test, and transvaginal ultrasound. These three tests together will alert the doctor to whether there is a danger of ovarian cancer.
I love all of you and hope you take care of yourselves.
IF IT IS, this has been one more lucky star, blessing, etc. It could be my personality flaw; but, I feel like this has not been a big deal. As bad as I felt from the start I feel good about it now. I'm almost guilt-ridden that I've had a result this good.
The continence has continued to improve. I don't 'weep' when I step to the side like getting out of the car or mow. I can sleep six hours now. I can hardly wait for my next PSA test. I am pretty confident that it will be a virtual '0'. But that is reinforcing evidence that I am cured. That will be August first.
Any man or for that matter any woman who knows a man should insist on an annual prostate exam as part of his physical. (She won't need one)
I have heard that there are tests for ovarian cancer very similar to the DRE that combined with a good history at her physical can detect it early. The history should include the following from the website, http://www.baymoon.com/~gyncancer/library/weekly/aa011001a.htm :
WARNING SYMPTOMS OF OVARIAN CANCER
Contact your MD if you develop one or more of these symptoms and they persist for 2-3 weeks:
-Abdominal Swelling/Bloating/Clothes Too Tight
-Abdominal/Pelvic Pain or Pressure or Feeling "Full"
-Gastrointestinal Symptoms (such as gas, indigestion, nausea, or changes in bowel movements)
-Vaginal Bleeding or Discharge
-Urinary Problems
-Urgency, Burning, or Spasms
-Fatigue and/or Fever
-Pain During Intercourse
-Back Pain
-Difficulty Breathing
Remember, the vast majority of the time, these will not be due to cancer, but you owe it to yourself to get them checked out.
What should you expect from your doctor at your appointment?
In addition to testing for other causes for your symptoms, your doctor should perform a pelvic examination, including the rectovaginal component. A prompt pelvic exam has been shown to be one of the best predictors of timely diagnosis. The other non-invasive tests used to detect ovarian cancer are the CA-125 blood test, and transvaginal ultrasound. These three tests together will alert the doctor to whether there is a danger of ovarian cancer.
I love all of you and hope you take care of yourselves.
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