THE TUBE...OF FIRE

Well...today was a big day for me. A day that's been on the calendar for almost 2 weeks...but has been on my mind since the middle of August...when we met my surgeon about my prostatectomy.

On that day in August, Dr. Ramsey met with us to discuss what he would do about my cancer surgery. That included...removal of the prostate gland...and in the process...removal of a portion of my urethra...the tube that carries urine from your bladder...to its exit from the body. He told me, he would sew the urethra parts together and they must be allowed to heal...and to help them heal...a catheter must be placed to connect the bladder to the exit from the body.

A few weeks before this meeting, I had had to have a catheter put in during a visit to the Emergency Room. I was so sick...that the catheter was very uncomfortable...every minute it was in place...and very painful as it was removed. So when Dr. Ramsey told me a catheter would be placed in me after my surgery was completed...and had to be left in...for 12 days...it was a thought that never totally left my mind from that moment.

I was less afraid of the surgery I would eventually undergo...than the thought of that lousy catheter being in place for those 12 long days.

But...the 12 days passed quickly...and...although not pain free...it wasn't anywhere near what I had experienced in the Emergency Room..

So today...the catheter was to be removed. I was nervously excited...happy it was coming out...but fearful of the pain that would ensue upon its removal...like I had experienced before.

So Cindy & I met in the office, Dr. Ramsey came in to see how we were and what to do and not do and what to expect in the weeks and months to come.

Then, when all subjects had been addressed and questions answered, it was time for the removal of the catheter...or as I referred to it...THE TUBE OF FIRE.

Needless to say, the removal process attracted my attention...I was at an '8' on the pain scale of 0 to 10...but it lasted less than 10 seconds...although it seemed longer...in fact, I thought my bladder had briefly fallen to my knees since it seemed to take forever to finally see the end of that tube come out...it drained me of energy and made my knees a little rubbery...but...I survived the removal.

The recovery still continues...but at least it's without...that tube of fire.


Dan