Back From The Uro/Surgeon - New game plan and a good compromise, I think.

When I am put under, he will install a suprapubic catheter  (like Sonny just had), but this one will be in for a min. of two months and as long as three possbly.  Best part, is that it doesn't come through your penis.  Once it leaves your abdomen, it works like any other catheter.  Also, when he has me knocked out, he will do another dialation procedure.  He said that we can't afford to have my bladder neck completely close over during the 2 months of radiation.  He admited that the dose of rad. that I will be getting will swell it shut regardless.  It won't matter to me, as I will be in the next world.

He said the rad. oncl. may or may not want to delay the start of the treatments by a week, said it would be her call if she thought a week of healing from these procedures might be better for me.

He also said, that he will have to do at least one or two more dialations over the course of the radiation treatments in order to keep the opening open.

He said during those dialations, he will knock me out with demerol.

Another advantage, I won't have to drink water during the rad. treatments, as they will simply inflate my bladder full during the zaps, then drain them when under.  I won't have to worry about an ER session due to blockages during this time.

It's not like this makes me happy, but its the lesser of evils, and may make my salvage radiation time more endurable.  So far, my path has not been easy, but hopefully these pre-emptive moves will take some of the fear and pain out of proceeding.

I figure by the time this is all done, assuming nothing else happens.  I will have spent between 6 and 7 months on catheters during the past 12 months.  For those that like to keep track, this will be catheter #8.

Never would have dreamed it would be this way when I started my PC journey, but this is how it is for me.

David in SC

Glad that you walked away today with some sense of comfort, and really that helps mentally for the challenge that you face. Having watched my grandaughter go thru a number of operations in her young 13 years, I have often wished that it was me and not her in that operating room. She somehow comes thru them like a champion and continues to inspire me. And I know I cant take her place and it is a test of my faith knowing and hoping that she will be okay.

So my thoughts and prayers continue to be with you, and as anyone who has been on this forum for any length of time knows, you are a champion in your own right.

Michael