Gretchen and I started a different kind of road trip today, one in quest of a cure for prostate cancer. We're on the way to Rochester, Minnesota to get treatment at the Mayo Clinic. When we visited the Boltons this summer, I told Jeff if I ever got really sick, I was going to call him because the Mayo was so impressive. Well, I had no idea I would call him so soon!!
Stopped in Richmond (IN) tonight in time to watch Virginia play Auburn in the Final Four. With a little luck, the Hoos scored 6 points in the last 7 seconds to win giving them a spot in their first championship game. Guess what we will be doing Monday night?
Sunday
Can a small midwest town draw folks off of the Interstate to help keep its business community vibrant? Jim Bolin thought so and spearheaded the design and creation of a number of giant items to get his hometown, Casey (IL) back on its feet after the recession. The town has eight Guiness Record sculptures including the world's largest mailbox,
rocking chair, wind chimes, knitting needles, crochet hook, golf tee, wooden clogs and pitch fork. The sculptures are only a mile off of Interstate 70, so if you're driving by, do yourself a favor and stop!
We arrived in Peoria late afternoon and drove around downtown, which has certainly seen better times. What's the number one thing to do in Peoria according to Trip Advisor? It's touring Grand View Drive! The drive is just north of downtown and it climbs a bluff overlooking Peoria Lake. It does have grand views,
and it is lined with grand houses!
Monday
From Peoria, it was an easy drive today to Rochester. We arrived late afternoon in time to enjoy dinner with Liz and Jeff. We're looking forward to meeting with Dr. Gettman in the morning. But first, we need to watch the basketball championship game to see if Virginia can win the crown for the first time. It was a super game, keeping Jeff up late for the overtime period...and...drum roll...the Virginia Cavaliers are NCAA National Basketball Champs! Go Wahoos!!
Tuesday
We arrived at the Mayo Clinic in time for my 9:00 a.m. appointment. Liz took us and walked us through the complex of subways and buildings to where we needed to be. Thanks Liz, it really helps to have someone orient you to the complex on your first visit!
We met with Dr. Miller, the chief resident on Dr. Gettman's team. He explained what they gleaned from my biopsy, bone scan and cat scan; then he went over all of our options outlining the positive and negative factors. We were leaning toward surgery because radiation damages tissues and makes it harder to deal with an enlarged prostate in the future. Dr. Gettman joined us and the decision was made to pursue robotic surgery. Dr. Gettman's team does 4-5 prostatectomies every week! And...I'll be one of them this week because they can schedule it on Friday!
By 10:00 a.m. I had a schedule for the day including blood analysis, urine analysis, surgery education class, an ECG and a meeting with the anesthesiology team.
For dinner tonight, Liz made the absolute best crab cakes!!!
Wednesday
I got a call from Dr. Miller at 7:20 a.m. asking if I could come in today for a scope of my bladder. There was some blood in my urine and they just wanted to make sure nothing was going on in my bladder before they proceeded with the surgery. I arrived at 10:15 a.m. for my 10:30 a.m. appointment and by 11:00 a.m., I was cleared for surgery! BTW, it was very interesting to see what the inside of my bladder looks like!
The culture at the Mayo Clinic is amazing. Everyone we have interacted with is cheerful, respectful, informative, kind and competent. Gretchen and I are so grateful for the opportunity to come here for care!
When we left the Clinic about 11:00 a.m., it was snowing fiercely...just another April in Minnesota! The Rochester area got 4-6 inches.
Friday April 12
It is surgery day! We had to get up at 4:00 a.m. to do the pre-surgery check list items and report to the hospital by 6:00 a.m. I'm not sure what will be harder, recovering from the surgery or the early hour!
I was in my room by noon and the surgeons indicated everything went as planned and they were sure I'd be cancer free when the pathology report was complete. What a relief!
Saturday
I awoke feeling pretty well. The anesthesia had worn off and I had very little pain that was controlled by Tylenol which I am grateful for because the stronger pain meds do not agree with my body! One of the major benefits from robotic surgery is much less trauma and subsequent pain in the surgical area. I resumed eating normally today and was discharged by 2:00 p.m.
I asked the surgeons how they remove the prostate with out exposing the surrounding tissue to cancer cells. The answer is they do not cut into it at all. They cut it loose, bag it and pull it out through a slightly larger incision than the other 5 incisions made for instruments.
The other interesting thing is they cut the urethra attached to the bladder because the prostate surrounds it; then they can remove the prostate. Subsequently, they sew the urethra back to the bladder with a water tight seal. How? Imagine looping threads all around the bladder and urethra and then pulling the threads tight to create the seal. Amazing!
Many thanks Jeff for dropping us off for surgery and picking us up after. And Liz, thanks for keeping Gretchen company during surgery!
Monday
Recouping nicely with no blood tinge in my catheter bag. Sitting up with no pain and walking around every hour with no problems. Big job now is to return to normal bowel movements. Notice how one's world is limited severely by major surgery. But I am grateful that I live in an age where major surgery is possible!
I got a message on the Mayo Portal this morning indicating I have an appointment on Friday morning (at a reasonable hour) to get my catheter removed. So that is the next big step.
Friday April 19
This morning I went to the appointment to get the catheter removed with my designer bag!
Angie, a nurse on Dr. Gettman's team removed the catheter and went over key recovery points with us by 9:00 a.m. One key we missed in the education class was I need to take a drug that is a weak Viagra (20% of the normal dose) for 3 months to draw blood into the area where the prostate was to help the healing process! Who would have thought! We had to stay in the building for a couple of hours to make sure I could urinate. Then we met with Dr. Gettman. He said he was thrilled with the pathology report because the biopsy showed the cancer was an aggressive type and he never knows for sure that they get it all until they see the report. All I have to do is take it really easy for three months to ensure healing and then submit PSA tests quarterly to Dr. Gettman.
I was in my room by noon and the surgeons indicated everything went as planned and they were sure I'd be cancer free when the pathology report was complete. What a relief!
Saturday
I awoke feeling pretty well. The anesthesia had worn off and I had very little pain that was controlled by Tylenol which I am grateful for because the stronger pain meds do not agree with my body! One of the major benefits from robotic surgery is much less trauma and subsequent pain in the surgical area. I resumed eating normally today and was discharged by 2:00 p.m.
I asked the surgeons how they remove the prostate with out exposing the surrounding tissue to cancer cells. The answer is they do not cut into it at all. They cut it loose, bag it and pull it out through a slightly larger incision than the other 5 incisions made for instruments.
The other interesting thing is they cut the urethra attached to the bladder because the prostate surrounds it; then they can remove the prostate. Subsequently, they sew the urethra back to the bladder with a water tight seal. How? Imagine looping threads all around the bladder and urethra and then pulling the threads tight to create the seal. Amazing!
Many thanks Jeff for dropping us off for surgery and picking us up after. And Liz, thanks for keeping Gretchen company during surgery!
Monday
Recouping nicely with no blood tinge in my catheter bag. Sitting up with no pain and walking around every hour with no problems. Big job now is to return to normal bowel movements. Notice how one's world is limited severely by major surgery. But I am grateful that I live in an age where major surgery is possible!
I got a message on the Mayo Portal this morning indicating I have an appointment on Friday morning (at a reasonable hour) to get my catheter removed. So that is the next big step.
Friday April 19
This morning I went to the appointment to get the catheter removed with my designer bag!
Angie, a nurse on Dr. Gettman's team removed the catheter and went over key recovery points with us by 9:00 a.m. One key we missed in the education class was I need to take a drug that is a weak Viagra (20% of the normal dose) for 3 months to draw blood into the area where the prostate was to help the healing process! Who would have thought! We had to stay in the building for a couple of hours to make sure I could urinate. Then we met with Dr. Gettman. He said he was thrilled with the pathology report because the biopsy showed the cancer was an aggressive type and he never knows for sure that they get it all until they see the report. All I have to do is take it really easy for three months to ensure healing and then submit PSA tests quarterly to Dr. Gettman.
While Liz went to get the car, Gretchen and I were standing in the Mayo Lobby listening to a patient play the piano with tears of joy running down our cheeks. It has been ten days since we first met with Dr. Gettman and Dr. Miller and I am standing here.....cancer free!
The Mayo Clinic is a world class medical facility filled with friendly people who always put the patient front and center, leave the patient feeling like he/she is the only one on the team's plate, and exude compassion and utmost professional respect! The Mayo Clinic has a one of a kind culture that is the key to their success at the top of the medical field! I pray no one else in our family needs Mayo, but if you do ~ Mayo is the place to be!
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| Super caregivers at the exclusive Bolton Spa and Recuperation Center. |
Thank you so much Jeff and Liz for making my treatment at Mayo possible, for opening your home to us during our stay in Rochester and for helping us in every way possible during my treatment and recuperation time. All I can say is if everyone in the world was like you two, we’d be living in utopia!
Tuesday April 23
We went down to Mayo today and rang the Freedom Bell of Hope. The bell "signifies the completion of your course of treatment and shares the sound of hope with others on the journey."
Tomorrow we leave for home!
Saturday April 27
We planned an easy trip home, staying in Peoria (IL), Xenia (OH) and Princeton (WV). We stopped every hour or so to walk a bit as per doctor's orders and truthfully, we were ready to stop driving when we arrived at the hotel! Two items of note. In Peoria, there was a brewery near our hotel where we ate dinner and had an oatmeal stout...that had the thickest head of any beer we have ever tasted! How do they do that? In Xenia, we tried to find the railroad station where we parked to ride the Little Miami Rail Trail many years ago...but we could not locate it! It must be on the outskirts of the town.
Many thanks to my loving wife for her care over the last month. Gretchen, you have been a competent nurse, a wise counsel and a cheerful companion! I appreciate all you have done and are doing for me while I recuperate! I love you lots!!
