Posted 8/18/2010 2:46 AM (GMT 0)
Bob, good line from that movie. Is pertinent to many of our journeys here with PC.
This option has been on the table for many, many months. In a mutual agreement, my uro/surgeon, my wife and I, were hoping that the radiation damage was short termed, and that at some point, some natural healing would take place whereby I wouldn't need to be on any type of catheter or alternative urinary method. So each month, when these tubes were painfully swapped out for sanitary reasons, we would agree to extend another month, in hopes of that natural healing. Its only been in the last two months that it was becoming appearent that wasn't going to happen. When my uro did my last corrective op around the start of July, he was shocked at how much more damage he could see inside my bladder and bladder neck, more damage then when he last looked in March of this year. This inflamation and damage may very well be perm. at this point, and it explains why I have such high level of pain with these cath swaps. When the new one pushes into the bladder itself, it wouldn't or shouldn't hurt much, but the bladder is so tore up. So in fairness, I kept trying each month, to tough out another month in hopes of some kind of improvement. Now we all feel it will never happen, and the uro said that the bladder is so shrunk up now and burned, that it wouldn't ever work properly again. Also, even if the bladder were fine, he said after 6 operations to keep the bladder neck open, not counting a couple of emergency dialations, that my body was just prone to keep it scarring shut. Even though he opened it back up on July 2nd, he said he believed that it was at least 50% closed up again. Now that we all agree that its a dead end street, there's no point putting things off for an alternative solution. The thought of having a perm stoma and needing to use bags for the rest of my life does not thrill me, but by all accounts, it should get me out of the severe pain zone, and off the caths for life. There won't even be anything to cath after this operation. I will have to get use to the "new way", but at least it shouldn't be painful. And it should allow me freedom to do most anything that the regular catheters have prevented me from doing for so long. Just wanted to explain, that the waiting and suffering part wasn't just random, and I assure you, I am not a glutton for punishment. Perhaps not all men would have been as patient about it as I have been, but I have reached my endurance limit. Most patients that have long term SP catheters are not dealing with radiation damage, they are dealing with their bladders removed for bladder cancer or because they have MS or some other neurological disorder. My case is a bit rare for this type of surgery, but is well documented nether the less. I can only hope it helps long term, but I can no longer endure endless months of physical torture and limitations.
Thanks