My September is now taking gut shots from my October which has been filled in its short life with nothing but good news so far. Maybe, just maybe, there is hope for 2020. Yesterday was the best so far and not just because I bid a less than fond farewell to September’s worst contribution to my lifestyle – Mr. Foley. I met with my surgeon yesterday who reviewed the pathology from my recent prostate surgery. He said the report was all good. The ten lymph nodes he excised surrounding the prostate were all cancer free. They did find three lesions within the prostate but they were all localized and had not spread. The doctor was great and he said that delivering this kind of news was what he liked best about his job.
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| Out of Sweat Pants and Nose Bandage |
I hadn’t realized how big a burden waiting to hear that news had been. I felt almost lightheaded. That was nothing compared to my Favorite Panamanian who went with her signature move and broke down in happy tears at the news. It my have been the best and certainly one of the longest hugs we’ve ever shared. Cue the happy dance!
As I mentioned yesterday a couple of my fraternity brothers were trying to amp up my concern about getting the Foley removed. That turned out to be a complete myth. I did have a bit of concern when the nurse walked into the room with a large bottle of saline solution and said she was going to inject into my bladder via the catheter. She said I would experience something like driving and having to pull to the side of the road because of a desperate need to urinate. I assured her I was fully trained in that experience. Whether the Foley remained out depended if I could retransmit the saline solution into a bottle. She handed me said bottle and easily removed he catheter and told me to go for it. And that was how the surgeon found me a couple minutes later. Sizing up the contents of the bottle he assured me I passed the test and would not be returning to Mr. Foley’s kind presence.
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| FBR in Front of her Feline Completed Puzzle |
So today is the first day in couple weeks I am out of sweat pants although everything isn’t back to normal yet. I’ve just returned from the dermatologist who was very happy with the skin graft and said I didn’t have to wear the bandage there anymore. My October, kicking ass and taking names. My puzzle master granddaughter, the FBR, completed a large puzzle and since I was already feeling pretty good about life in general I dove into the latest Man Cave puzzle which I finished this morning.
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| Man Cave Puzzle Completed |
I also finished reading Jeff Benedict's excellent book on the Patriots, Dynasty. It's a fascinating look behind the scenes in Foxborough for the past twenty years. It puts a lie to most of the myths surrounding the Patriots' success. So many of the talking heads of sports media are skewered by their own words when viewed through the lens of history which was very satisfying. There's a large group of Steelers fans I'd like to send the book to but they probably can't read above a second grade level so that would be a waste. My daughter gifted the book to me as a surprise to read while I was recovering. It was the first actual book I've read outside of my Kindle. I found myself touching the pages occasionally expecting them to turn automatically (a la Kindle) which allowed me to laugh at myself repeatedly. The mind is a terrible thing to waste.
I can gradually start amping up my work out regimen and the doc says I can return to swimming next week. I can only hope most of the surgical glue strips have fallen off by then. My beach body will be something out of a Victor Frankenstein nightmare for a while yet. At least I get to cover everything up with swim shirts in Panama. My wife finally got to mow the lawn yesterday which is something she's oddly pursued for many years. She was a real trooper once she figured out how to start the electric mower. I don't think I'll have any difficulty retaining that chore when I'm better.
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| My Favorite Panamanian Mower |
I spoke with my younger sister who is eerily going through almost (obviously a big almost) the same experience I am. She had major surgery at the exact same hospital I did less than a week after me. She’s back home recovering although she has some much bigger challenges, like a huge, rescued greyhound that likes to snuggle. Get better sis! October is excelling - cue another happy dance!
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RECURRING CHARACTERS
BR3 – granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first
granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best
Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman
– my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2
– friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since
grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to
attract women; Pittsburgh College
Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which
grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two
close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3rd musquetera
(musketeer); Riggins - also known as
the Grandpuppy, son's dog; PanaGals
– female relatives/friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife
accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia
member, Favorite Panamanian - the
wife (of course); First Friday –
celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her
single days in Brooklyn
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