How you doing?

I had someone ask me how I was doing today and I proceeded to answer honestly as I am apt to do with a straight forward '"Fine". They looked at me curiously and then proceeded to apologize for their mistake saying they had heard I had prostate cancer. This exchange got me thinking even more seriously about how I should answer questions such as this.

Physically I feel fine; at times I am mentally pre-occupied; emotionally it is a bit of a roller coaster but then the same probably could have been said before my re-diagnosis. How should I answer individuals? Looking back I guess we tend to answer the 'How are doing? question from a physical point of view since that is what most enquirers mean. I guess I'll just have gauge the questioner in the future as to what they are really asking.

Having mentioned the emotional side of the equation, it is a real aspect of any illness. Whether it is a head cold, the flu, a broken leg or the BIG 'C' we get caught up in the emotional side of the diagnosis. People who know me well know I have my times and I will have them in the future however I am not going to allow them to rule my outlook. A friend advised me to always put myself on the positive side of any statistical analysis of my cancer journey and that was sage advice. It may be a bit of black humour but statistically, using the guidelines set up by some group, I was cured after my brachytherapy treatment, even though the cancer has returned. This was due to my PSA being within a certain range 5 years after treatment. I'll look up that guideline for a later post.

If you have questions about any of my posts please do ask.

slainte
ric

A day late

Today is the day I'm sending the blog link out to some friends. Until now I have been more or less writing for myself. Presupposing that some will read it I wonder if it will change my writing, or at least my thinking of what I will write.

Well, I've said it once before in my brief blogging career: Don't post when I plan on posting next, it doesn't happen!

Anyway the four of us had a great hike yesterday starting at Forks of the Credit park, joining the Bruce Trail, taking the Brimstone Sidetrail to rejoin the Bruce, followed the Credit back to the Cataract area and then to the car. Lots of people out looking at the fall colour. Dropped in on my friend Dorothy, but she wasn't at her cabin. The girls were impressed with her lodging in the woods. I was most disappointed they didn't get to meet her. She is one of my respected friends. Went to the Woolie for dinner on our return.

Today we took the girls back into Toronto. Elspeth to catch her train to Ottawa and Luchan back to her apartment.

Bet and I have been a bit lazy tonight, essentially doing a bit of nothing. TV & reading.

I called London Friday to see if my pre-admission appointment had been scheduled and they said sometime the first week of November I should get a call with a date & time. 8 weeks from now I should be comfortably?? settled into my room at Victoria Hospital, probably starving after not having eaten anything solid for 60+ hours.

Thanksgiving dinner, why do we eat so much?

Great day, got some more painting done, looking forward to a hike tomorrow. I have shared my musings with a few individuals and they say sure why not put it out there for others to read. If they don't want to, they won't. I guess it is already out there for others to read if they look for it so I think I'm going to send the link out to individuals and see what happens.

That's all for this missive, till tomorrow.

Decion made

This past Wednesday Bet and I made the trip down 401 for a 10:10 appointment with Dr. Chin, my surgeon of choice. As with my first appointment with him he was running approximately 2 hours late. Amazingly no one in the waiting room seemed particularly agitated as they read, paced or chatted with the individual seated across from them. Snippets of conversation could be heard: 'I'd wait all day for my appointment, he's the best' and 'Did you see how small his hands are, that's why he's so good'. For the most part I would say it was a slightly older demographic than me, which I would have expected. Even though this is my second go round I'm still on the young side for prostate cancer in general.

We finally were called into an examination room and waited another 20 minutes or so before he came in to see us. We once again reviewed my stats, asked a few more questions, received the answers and confirmed our decision to have surgery. Hormone treatment, while still an option, will be put on hold and only used after surgery if tests show that cancer cells have escaped the prostate and are somewhere in my system. He explained the procedure for a radical retropubic prostatectomy, answered more questions and then said he'd have his staff set me up for the first available time slot. Once again, I left the appointment feeling that I was in capable hands, I really liked this man and the time he took to explain and answer our questions. No wonder he was running behind schedule.

Down the hall to see Carol, fill in a questionnaire and get booked for December7th at 2:00 pm. Slotted into the OR for 4 hours, spend 2 or 3 nights and then head home. Sounds good.

As I type this I am 9 weeks away that date. Can't say that I am looking forward to it but ..... Not much to do between now and then but wait. Will keep all posted as the time draws near.