Such a Month I'm having!
Sorry for not being more in touch over the last month or so but I've had some awful health set-backs starting April 24th. The Latest CT & bone scans showed a mass growing just inside the opening to my bladder. We immediately scheduled surgery for the next morning to have it removed and biopsied. As it turns out it also is connected to my vary aggressive prostate cancer. So the intented NIH study had to be scrapped and another way found to combat this nasty PSA flooting around in my lower body.
After the mass was removed the constant urine flow over the patch has kept the injury bleeding through the catheter for about two weeks. On Monday May 7th I was having a tough time climbing the stairs in my house. That morning coming down stairs I couldn't catch my breath and felt like I was going to pass out. The better two thirds jumped on the phone to our Kaiser help nurse who sent me directly to urgent care. While there my blood count was so low (6) that I was rushed to Another hospital to get a blood transfustion. While in PG hospital I got 5 pts of blood over two days. The Doctors told me had I not come in on Monday I would not have seen Tuesday! My blood count was so low my heart wasn't getting oxygen which caused a minor heart attack that slightly damaged the lower end of my heart. The cartologist did extensive testing and survyed my heart to get a picture of my condition (all the while I'm still bleeding from the bladder). The Heart Doctors finally agreed the heart condition was a direct result of the lack of blood and OK'ed me for a surgery to cauterize the bladder tissue. This kept me in the hospial another week while they tried to get a blood cloot in my right leg to desolve and put a block in to keep any fragments from reaching my lungs. I was released and went home with another catheter in the bladder. On the second day home...I was really backed up from all the drugs I've been given and pushed a little to hard in the bathroom which opened the bladder wound again. Two days later I was back in the hospital for another 3 pints transfusion. After 3 days of saline solution irrigation of the bladder the urologiest told me I had two options.. A) have the bladder removed. B) have tubes inserted in both kidneys leading to external bags that would redirect the urine flow and allowing the bladder to heal naturally. I chose B. After another 3 days they finally relased me yesterday with a couple more office visits tomorrow and thrusday.
In the mean time I also had a Chemo port installed in my chest to start an aggressive chemo theropy session on May 24th.. The first infustion seems to have gone OK with just a little nausea on friday.
As I set here at my Laptop this evening I'm feeling fairly well (other then all the IV holes everywhere
The next couple days will tell me if the bladder bleeding problem has been solved or if more surgery is going to be necessary????? Heart is Fine for now, completely stable with proper blood flow. I'm hoping to get back to actually doing some drawing work in the next few days but this last month as drained me of most of my strength. We had to install a chair lift between the living room and upstairs but I don't have room for one at the moment going down to the Mod-Rod Dungeon so I'll not be doing much building in the next few weeks while I try to get my walking strength back.
Hopefully with my next Chemo treatment June 14th I'll have a little better grasp on how the Cancer treatment is being fought.
That's it for now. I'll try to keep you guy's informed as this thing goes along.