Dean
Dickinson
and Peggy
live in Kentucky,
USA. He was 43 when he was diagnosed on January
12, 2007. His initial PSA was 4.6 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 7 and he was staged
T1c. His choice of treatment was Robotic Surgery. Here is his story:
I cannot put into words the initial shock of being diagnosed with cancer. My wife
and I were numb for a few days. I did much research and contacted a Doctor at
John's Hopkins. He was very helpful and gave me some options for treatment at
facilities closer to my home.
We are scheduled for a robotic prostatectomy
on April 11th. I will let you know how it goes.
Well
it is 3 days until my scheduled surgery. I have elected to have a Doctor at Vanderbilt
Hospital perform it (he has done over 1,400 Robotic Prostectomies). He is a very
personable and intelligent doctor.
I
am becoming somewhat nervous about the surgery and my wife is being wonderful
about cheering me on. She says that we will figure out solutions to whatever happens.
I cannot imagine doing this with out her support.
I
will post more details while I am recovering.
April
11 -
Day of surgery - Arrived at the hospital at 8:20 am and checked into the
Surgery reception area. They called me after about a 10 minute wait and Peg and
I went into the prep area. We had a private room (with its own rest room). I was
requested to provide the obligatory urine sample (which my wife offered to provide
for me as I had nothing to drink for the last 8 hours) and to remove all clothing
and put on the very chic hospital gown.
A nurse came in and they started
all the preparations for surgery. Which included such things as making sure I
was who I was, What I was there for, etc etc. After many questions I was told
that my operating room would be ready in about 2 hours. Wonderful…2 more hours.
Peg and I passed the time trying to not be too serious but also discussing
items that would need to be addressed in case of a serious issue in surgery.
After
the 2 hour wait…the nurse came in and told me that it was time. Peg walked along
side my bed as they wheeled me down the corridor. We told each other "Namaste"
and off I went.
It is interesting when you go into a surgical suite. It
was so cold in there. I was expecting some time to talk to the nurses.....but
once they put that magic stuff in the IV….it is lights out. Next thing I remember
is being in a dimly lit recovery room.
After some period of time (Peg
tells me that it was about 2 hours of recovery after 4 hours of surgery) they
let her in to see me. I was groggy but aware of what was going on around me and
very thankful to see Peg. I remember thinking that we got thru the surgery and
that I was a very lucky man…for several reasons.
Around 6:00pm that night…they
had a room ready for me. It was a private room. It had a reasonable view and windows
that actually opened. There were 2 Chairs in it that folded out into a single
bed and they encourage the spouses to stay in the hospital room all night. I thought
this was wonderful. Peg was a great help to me and the nurses during my stay and
I think having her there was very therapeutic.
The staff at the hospital
really wants you to walk as soon as possible as this really helps in the healing
process. Within 2 hours of being in the room…I was walking the halls. Not a long
walk….probably a hundred yards total….but I felt very good about doing it.
Pain
medication is strong and they will bring it as you need it. I still was not allowed
to drink anything. Even the tiny sip of water to wash down a pill was metered
out. This apparently helps with the bloating while your stomach and intestines
work out their issues. Apparently they are none to happy with being moved around
during surgery and take their sweet time in getting going again.
April
12 - First morning in the hospital:
Generally…..I did not sleep at all last night. Nurses coming in and out to check
various vitals and such. I was taking 2 Percocet
every 4 hours with just a ½ ounce of water as I was still on the "nothing by mouth"
order. These opiates are interesting in that they allow you to rest…but not really
sleep. Kind of like you are in that almost awake state for literally hours at
a time.
At 5:00am a nurse came in to draw blood and give me a suppository
to help kick things off. I was pretty focused on getting to go home that day and
was willing to do just about anything they asked if that would help.
By
7:00am Peg and I were up. Since I had a small bowel movement…I was able to drink
coffee and water. Peg found a McDonalds near the hospital and brought me back
a large cup. McDonalds coffee never tasted to good.
For the next 5 hours…..we
just talked, walked and read books. The books were more of an issue for me because
of the drugs. It is difficult to focus on a task for more than a minute or two.
So I opted for the Sailing magazines that I brought. There were lots of pictures
in them and I was able to keep myself entertained for quite a while with that.
I also found that if you go backwards thru a magazine (while on the pain medication)…it
was like it was a brand new magazine. LOL
The surgeon (Dr Joe Smith) came
around the room at about 9:00 am and answered our questions. He said the procedure
went very well and that expected good results all around. The pathology report
would be ready next week and then we will know for sure if the cancer had spread
beyond the prostate. He told me that the nerve sparing procedure went well and
that he thought I had a good chance of regaining most (if not all) function.
Peg
and I watched a video that the hospital provided that demonstrated the use of
the Foley catheter and some other information that would be helpful.
The
catheter is actually not uncomfortable at all. It is not difficult to use or clean.
I some ways…it is pretty nice not having to get up to use the restroom. I have
been instructed to keep mine in for the next 10 days and then have my local doctor
remove it. (I live about 3 hours from this hospital and did not relish a 6 hour
round trip drive to remove a catheter.)
11:00 am - Nurse Roxy arrives.
She is Dr. Smith's primary nurse assistant (and for good reason). Highly competent
and obviously skilled. She talks us thru all the items that we will need to know
in order to be discharged later that day. We have a few questions but all are
answered quickly. We now start the "discharge from the hospital gauntlet." IV's
removed, paperwork cleared up….etc etc…. We almost made a run for it….
11:30
am Nurse Roxy removes the JP Drain. This is a tube that is inserted in your
side to help the surgical area drain. Over the course of the last 24 hours…I only
saw maybe several cups of fluid come from here. It started very bloody and then
became almost pink. There is really no way to describe this sensation. The tube
is about 12 inches long and extends the width of the abdomen. The sensation is
very quick (a fraction of a second),very intense and uncomfortable. The nurse
also talks about the importance of "Passing Gas" as this indicates the lower bowel
is moving. She told us that this could take several hours to a day or so after
the surgery. (It took me 48 hours)
2:00 pm - We are on the road
driving back to Louisville. I was feeling pretty good. Some discomfort but nothing
crazy. The trip was to take 4 hours (with the stops required by the Doctor). We
talked about how far we had made it through this whole cancer process and that
we were both glad that the surgery was over.
4:00 pm - The temperature
in Nashville when we left was about 65 degrees (Fahrenheit). In Elizabethtown
KY…it was 40F and the wind was howling. We decided to stop and walk a little……not
the smartest thing in the world. We go out and commented on how cold it was. I
thought...no big deal….we will walk around the building once and back in the car…then
home…..
I made it 10 steps…..apparently your body has a wonderful mechanism
to counteract cold by making every muscle in your body contract. When it started
I thought….this is not going to be good. I almost curled up in a fetal ball in
the parking lot. Peg helped me back into car and we vowed that we would not get
out again until we were at home.
6:00 pm - Arrived home. Felt very
good to get out of the car and lie down. It was then that I realized that a 4
hour road trip after a 4 hour surgery….is clearly not the best idea. I will never
do that again.
We had chicken noodle soup for dinner and watched a movie.
I was taking 2 Percocets every 4 hours for pain and it seemed to control most
of it.
I was having small bowel movements but had not "Passed Gas" as
nurse Roxy spoke of earlier. My stomach felt bloated and looked swollen. I could
hear my bowel moving (sounded like a subway train in my abdomen.) I knew the gas
was coming.
April 13th - First Morning
back from Nashville.
The
previous night was constantly up and down on the pain levels. I do not think that
I slept much at all. The Percocet is a great medication for controlling pain and
although I could not sleep…I did not really care (another nice effect of the medication).
Spent
the day doing the things that I normally would do on a Saturday…..watching TV,
Movies, Reading and generally resting. I tried not to stay in any one place or
position for more than an hour or so.
We called nurse Roxy to ask about
the drainage issue. She told us that since I still had not passed gas that it
was not abnormal to have some fluid still draining from the JP. I was having regular
bowel movements.
About 1 hour after the call to Nurse Roxy…..I finally
passed some gas. It really felt much better. The pressure in my gut reduced greatly
and I was much more comfortable.
I generally felt much more normal (with
the obvious exceptions of the urine bag on my leg)
April
14th Saturday
12:30
am - Woke up with night sweats - Pain 1.5 out of 10. Peg had to pat me down
with towels and help me change my night shirt.
2:40
am - Woke up again with Night Sweats and this time the JP Drain hole was leaking
fluid. Mostly clear stuff but some blood. We had to change shirts and replaced
bandages. I decided to sleep on the couch so that I could lie on my right side.
(the JP drain hole was on the left). My pain level was at 2 out of 10 so I did
not take any additional medication (this would prove a very bad idea)
6:45
am - Woke up from dreaming sleep. I think this was the first night that I
actually slept since before the surgery. The pain, however, was absolutely spectacular.
9.5 out of 10. Everything from my rectum to my diaphragm throbbed. Last pain pill
I took was at 9:00 pm yesterday. This was clearly not a good idea. I had no intention
of letting the pain get ahead of me…but at 2:40 am…I was feeling fine.
I
decided to try to get to the bed (on my own) and get the pain medication (which
was by the bed). I started to move and clearly my body was saying…..hold on there…..
I called to Peg and in a sleepy state she asked for "5 more minutes"….I tried
to last but broke down and called to her again at which time she really woke up
and came and provided the pain meds. She and I got quite a laugh out of that "5
more minute's request". It took about 20 mins for the pain medication to kick
in and the pain level went back to 1-2 within an hour.
The lesson to be
learned here is, even though you feel the pain is low…you need to stay ahead of
the curve. DO NOT BE A HERO.
Dean's
e-mail address is: ddickinson@artemiselectronics.com
