Little By Little
Yes, it's been a while since I've posted but there are times when the journey is slow. I tell people that most of the timelines are in weeks and months rather than days. However, I think I have some enough to say to make a good blog post so here we go.
So what's been going on? Nothing dramatic and that's a good thing. I have been making slow and steady progress in recovery from the surgery. My urinary control is basically back to normal, or whatever normal will be going forward. I rate it at about 98% of what I was before surgery. I still have tiny leaks occasionally, but that's about it. I stopped using any kind of pad or protection about 4 months ago. The final straw was when I went on a multi-day trip with a 3 hour flight each way and forgot to pack anything....and had no issues. I've taken several trips since then including flying to the other side of the world and have not had any issues. I do have one recommendation that makes life easier in this respect: the material of your underwear. I found that cotton isn't the best fabric for me because if I do have a tiny leak it holds the moisture in and I feel more wet. I haven't worn cotton underwear in a very long time but I noticed it when I wore pads. I found my underwear to handle tiny leaks better than pads as the pads stayed more wet than my underwear. The underwear I use is made of a fabric called viscose which feels a bit like rayon. What I like about it is that it dries very quickly so if I do leak a tiny bit, I don't feel wet the rest of the day or feel the need to change. The brand I like is ExOfficio. You may find some other brand but the key is to look for a fabric that dries quickly. It will make life much better. There will be times you can't help but leak a little. Much like a lady whose had a baby, it can be as simple as a big sneeze. But for those tiny bits having good underwear can make a nice difference. Just a tip.
On the erectile dysfunction front, I also have some good news. I am making slow but steady progress with that as well. I remain on 5mg of tadalafil per day and I'm still on the Alprostadil/Trimix injections, but I have been able with some work to get erections without the injections. They aren't as good as when I do the injection and don't last as long, but the fact that I can do it at all is good progress. I have also been able to lower my dose of Alprostadil from .4cc/3x a week to .3cc/2x a week. While it took a while to find the initial dosage, about a month ago I found that it was too much. And too much isn't fun...it hurts. But I also have learned that if it does work a bit too well, that taking 120mg of Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) can help make them go away. The few times I've had this issue I take it at the 2 hour mark and it helps. This isn't medical advise, of course, I'm simply reporting that it helped me and it might help other guys. But always check with your doctor before doing anything like this. But you can't have the conversation with your doctor if you don't know about it so hopefully this helps. Bottom line, my hope is that I will be able to be off of the injections within the next year as they aren't fun and not convenient at all (see my previous post for all my details on this). If you are in a similar situation to me, just know that healing is possible.
So what's next? I have my 1-year post-op appointment in about 6 weeks or so. I'll take another PSA that should be 0. As long as that's the case, I can continue my journey as it is now. If it is not, that could mean that some of the cancer was missed and I'll need to look at next steps such as radiation. But that's getting too far ahead. No reason to get into that until/unless it's necessary.
One final pointer. I found a very good community for prostate cancer patients, families, etc. Believe it or not, it's on Reddit, which is known for all sorts of crazy content but the community on /r/ProstateCancer is quite good. You will see me responding there as well as many other guys who have had just about all the variations of this stuff that's out there. It's a resource that I highly recommend to anyone looking to learn about prostate cancer from real people, not just doctors. Doctors are critical, to be sure, but to be in touch with guys who are actually going through this is really helpful. So if you think it will help you, by all mean, take a look.
That's it for now. I'll likely post an update after my next appointment. Until then...keep up the fight and keep learning!
Please note: This blog is based on one man's experience and is for educational and support purposes only. Nothing in this blog should be considered medical advise. Always consult a physician to properly evaluate your particular health issues.