Today was another big day in my recovery. I had the last post surgery follow-up appointment with my surgeon/urologist. I had some good news, and some not so good news that I am taking as good news.
The urologist was very nice and took a lot of time to answer our questions today. Of course he had to check his handy work. To be honest, my goodies have been fondled so much over the past few months I just kind of block it out at this point. I don't remember what he did or what he said. I guess I just go to my happy place in my mind. Some people go to their happy place by remembering their favorite Christmas as a child, or by thinking about being on a warm sunny beach, I just imagine that my goodies are being cupped by a man in a white coat...I guess don't have a very good imagination for my happy place. He asks how I am doing (after I pull my pants back up) and I answer honestly that I feel like a disgusting, lazy, slob. I say I am still trying to fight this chemo fatigue, and if I lift anything over a certain weight or twist a certain way I still feel that "tickle" in my incision. He says something surprising, that I probably will feel that tickle for another month and not to push it. He basically said to stay away from weights for a while. I didn't ask about the Shake Weight, because to ask about it would be admitting that I have one, but it seems to be my only option for the time being. He did clear me to do whatever cardio I want. That is the good news. The bad news is that now I am expected to do cardio.
The doctor answered all of our assorted questions, including the ones we had for other doctors but asked him anyway. He then told me to check my swimmers in a month to see if chemo killed them or not. They gave me the option of going to the place I went to make my "deposit" or another place (both hospitals, not just in some alley). I wanted to opt for the other place, because I have already seen all of the getting-in-the-mood literature at the first place and was hoping to see something new. My wife didn't like my idea and wouldn't let me do that. Lastly they needed to draw blood from me. This is usually quite an adventure because my veins like to squirm and roll around when the needle comes at them. I have been spoiled by the phlebotomists at the oncologist's office because all they do is draw blood all day and they are very good at it. At the urologist it was people that are normal nurses that happen to be asked to stick people now and then. First of all, I swear they must use different needle suppliers, because at the oncologist the needle slips in so smooth you think you are still being wiped off with the alcohol pad. At the urologist, each and every needle feels like it is rusty, bent, and broken off and I watched them take it out of a new package three different times! The first nurse jabbed the needle in and moved it around like she was churning butter or trying to shift a Mack truck. When she started drawing blood from places other than through the needle she gave up and passed me off to another nurse. This nurse was much nicer and talked very calmly, politely, and apologetically as she jabbed the needle into me again and again and churned butter and shifted a Mack truck (they must have gone to the same school). I was just about to ask if we could do this another time, seeing as how my veins have about as much holes in them now as a clarinet, when she finally got some blood to get into the vial. I am assuming it was my blood, but as vigorously as she was sticking and moving she may have actually gone through me and poked herself.
Finally we scheduled my next appointment for sometime in January. I say sometime, because as I was trying to focus on my calendar to pick a day, the nurse kept spitting out possibilities and my wife kept talking about my other appointments as well. Between trying to focus on three different stimuli (my calendar, the nurse, and my wife) all I could do was just say yes on the first day I heard that wasn't already highlighted in my calendar. The nurse asked if I wanted it written down, which I most certainly did, because I have no idea what anyone said. My wife decided to keep talking about how I should have made it the same day as one of my other doctor's appointments, which is what I was trying to look up when everyone was asking me so many questions that I couldn't look it up. For all I know it may be the same day or even time as another appointment, I still am not sure what the heck went on at the counter, I just went to my "happy place" again (that doctor has such soft hands).
All in all it was a good day. I didn't really want to be told I was still on limited duty, but on the other hand I know I am not just being a fat, lazy, slob. I am being a fat, lazy, slob that is not supposed to lift too much. Tomorrow I will start to work on some cardio and maybe step up my Shake Weighting. I should probably get some rest now, that twelve minutes of exercise tomorrow will really take a toll on me.
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