Next Operation is set - July 10

prayers are with you, buddy...wishing you the BEST !
bob

Wow, David -- I'm sorry to hear that you're having to go through another surgery.

Nobody can tell you when it's time to throw in the towel and "let nature take its course," but I'm glad to see that you're taking this shot at surgery, despite all its possible downsides. Best of luck with this procedure.

Between now and then, I hope you'll take the opportunity to focus on all the things you still enjoy in life, and really soak in whatever satisfaction life has to offer you.

Hang in there. We know you're a tough old bird, and you know you're in our thoughts and prayers.

Jonathan

thanks guys. life still goes on, and i still do what i can do.

did go to the lake friday night,, got everything set up for my wife. she joined me after her work, i fixed dinner and spent the night, but was so miserable in pain, that i left her there and was on my way home by 930 in the morning. wasn't feeling good, and didnt want to spoil her weekend. so i am home resting, and staying out of the way.

david

Thanks, Squirm, appreciate that. I am in a little less of a funk today, my poor brain has been digesting the whole situation, and moving ahead with this exploratory surgery makes sense. There is a strong tie between radiation for prostate cancer and getting bladder cancer as a secondary cancer, and this is assuming the radiation was delivered properly. But with radiation that was done wrong, I read where there's 15x more chance of bladder cancer developing as the result. I would still rather know, even though the consequences would suck, then to turn my head and not know. I don't feel that would be in my best interest for survival. As typical, when the time comes, I will have to just suck it up, and go through with it, and hope for the best.

david

Jonathan,

This is an exploratory type surgery. It will do nothing to relieve my chronic pain, as that is related to servere and perm. nerve damage caused by the faulty SRT. This is being done, to rule out the possibility of bladder cancer, since the normal means of detecting are out of the question, being that I have a bladder that is non-functional and disconnected from the normal urinary plumbing.

David

Yes, Mel, that is the general gist of things as they stand.

Best - surgeon can make it through to bladder, finds nothing suspicious, end of story for now. If he gets in, he will take some bladder wall samples regardless to be examined, and he will take pictures of bladder walls to show current condition. Last time he was in there, Fall of 2010, he said it looked like "a war zone", and that there was complete scarring of the interior from the radiation.

Not so good - he is not surgically able to get through the sealed shut bladder neck to get to the bladder. If it use to scar shut in a months time, he said its hard to know what it's going to be like after nearly 2 years, especially since the bladder, bladder neck, urehtra, haven't been used since the by-pass surgery. There is risk for additional injury if he has a hard time, and a great risk of infection. If he can't get through, this is for nothing, and we would still have no reasonable way to inspect the bladder for cancer. The most normal sympton for bladder cancer is bleeding. But in my case, if I were or am bleeding, there is no way for the blood to exit the bladder since it is sealed off. He said its possible that the increase in my bladder spasms and considering how much more they hurt over time (again with a non working bladder), that it could be getting filled with something, and having no way to exit, is causing the spasms at this time.

Not so good - he can get in, and finds evidence of cancer, he will either have to take samples right then and there, or do a second to remove any cancer through the scope.

Worse case - he sees extensive cancer, and it would require a complete removal of the bladder. Looking at a risky, 8 hour or more surgery, he said high chance of perm. rectal damage, would be hard with the by-pass in place, and due to how merged all the surgical lines would be because of the radiation damage to the area.

Also sucks - if either cancer version came to be, and the cancer or bladder were to be removed, there would be no way to follow up the cancer removal with radiation, which would be the standard of care in that situation. So unless all the cancer were to be removed perfectly, then recurrance without any options for treatment would be the case.

Best bet is for this surgery to be a success on the first try,, and get an all clear on the cancer. How much pain an how long it will take to recover, depens on how hard it is to get through with the surgery. The cath is only going to be there to aid in the healing, and have a way for any blood or whatever to drain. Since the bladder has no input of urine, there won't be even the normal way to flush it out, i..e. drinking fluids, as they will never hit the bladder on its way out.

There is a lot riding on this, as the odds for finding something are high, and both my main doctors feel this is a sensible way to find out, and its not based on needless fear.

david

Jim, thanks. Good luck on your knee replacement surgery. That makes me hurt just to think about that. Hope they do a good job, and that you have a good recovery.

david

thanks, tenpin

thanks boogee,

i have never heard of that as a treatment for bladder cancer, but will keep that in the back of my mind in case i end up with a bladder cancer diagnosis. usually, they remove the cancerous areas via a scope when possible, and if the cancer is more serious, they will either partially remove or totally remove the bladder, and then follow up with radiation to the area. Always interesting to learn of other methods in how cancer is being treated. It sure can vary a lot, from doctor to doctor.

hope you are doing well at the moment.

david

Good info, Ralf, thanks, and for the kind words, the last thing I need is a new major problem to deal with, got enough on my plate.

Thanks, Aimzee. I am at the point after nearly being 4 years into this thing called PC, that I have no expectations, one way or the other. I just take it as it goes, not a whole lot of choice really. Or I could simply bury my head in the sand and let nature take its course. At least I can't say its been boring like some guys PC journeys, lol.

David

Thanks, Star, for your voice of support, well appreciated.

Despite feeling flustered by my circumstances, I will be going ahead with this exploratory surgery thing, as again, not knowing, is far more dangerous than them finding something.

David