Everyone was surprised to see me at church Wednesday night but I figured if I had to get up and walk the hospital hallways the day of surgery and again the following morning then there was no legitimate excuse for not walking the shorter distance from the car to the church. It really bugs me the excuses people use to stay home from church. I.e., a lady sprained her ankle Saturday night and her husband stayed home from church both services to take care of her.
Anyway, I didn't go to church to show off or to find things to criticize but to worship my savior and it was a really good service.
Friday I had my first bowel moment and I feel like Hunter from Hill Street Blues. I had one Saturday that was more water than mud. The one this morning was more solid.
I took one pain pill yesterday before heading to the morning services and haven't taken one since. Everything went as planned yesterday and I had no unpleasant incidences until after I retired. Somewhere around midnight one of my tubes became disconnected and I woke up a soggy mess. I stripped my bed, fixed the problem, cleaned myself up, and slept on the recliner until breakfast.
I was fortunate that when I purchase my new mattress I bought along with it several layers of mattress protection. There is a 90 guarantee on the mattress but only if it is stain free so I wanted to insure the guarantee stayed in force.
It is really surprising how quickly most of the pain has gone away. My blood sugar is settling back towards normal and my appetite has finally begun to return. My pancakes tasted a little too sweet yesterday morning but we went for Mexican at lunch and I enjoyed evert bit of it, including a heavy dose of my Texas Pete. I skipped supper.
The biggest thing I notice is that I tire easily and want to sleep more than usual.
Monday, July 30, 2018
Sunday, July 29, 2018
Surviving Cancer
It wasn't until I woke up in the recovery room that the gravity of the situation really began to sink it. When I was first told I had cancer it didn't come as a surprise or shock to me. I had known for years that there was something wrong but doctors always said my problems were due to an enlarged prostate but never made any recommendations for treatment.
A PSA test is an indicator that cancer is present in the prostate but because of the nature of prostate cancer PSA tests are seldom given to those of us over the age of 70 unless we have been diagnosed with cancer then it becomes part of our regular treatment. The idea is that after 70 you are more likely to die of something other than the cancer and the cure is often worse than the disease.
My situation isn't any different except that I did have a doctor give me a PSA test who, based on the results, sent me for a biopsy. Asa result of the biopsy I was scheduled for an MRI which informed me of the gravity of the situation.
I consider myself to be in good shape, especially for a 71 year old, but I had an extraordinary large prostate. The average prostate of a healthy male is 7 to 16 grams with the average size at 11. An enlarged prostate is normally measured at around 40 grams. Mine was measured at 100 grams. Not only was it large but it was cancerous, considered to be in the intermediate stage. That meant I had options.
Option number one is radiation seeding. In this procedure around 80 isotopes are implanted into a prostate and as they dissolve the cancer is killed off. It is a one time procedure.
Option number two is radiation treatments. One makes 40 trips to the doctor for a shot of radiation. Each treatment takes about 15 minutes, 10 of which is changing clothes.
Option number three is surgery.
In most cases, doctors like to take and wait and see approach or wait and observe, in which a patient come in every three months for a PSA test to see if there has been any change. Sometimes the PSA scores will drop. Often nothing ever needs to be done. The patient is most often better off skipping the options as often the cure is worse than the disease. What the biggest danger is if the cancer spreads outside of the prostate then things can get rapidly worse for the patient.
When a person has an enlarged prostate, the radiation seeding option can be taken off the table because the area to be treated is just too large. In that case, hormone shots are given for one to two years to shrink the prostate.
In my case, it would have taken a two year program of hormone treatments ( I could grow man boobs) before my prostate would shrink enough to treat. Considering my state (intermediate) and the fact that my MRI showed that the cancer was at the walls of the prostate, I thought that if I waited two years for my prostate to shrink the cancer might not be contained to just the prostate.
I decided the best option for me was surgery.
A PSA test is an indicator that cancer is present in the prostate but because of the nature of prostate cancer PSA tests are seldom given to those of us over the age of 70 unless we have been diagnosed with cancer then it becomes part of our regular treatment. The idea is that after 70 you are more likely to die of something other than the cancer and the cure is often worse than the disease.
My situation isn't any different except that I did have a doctor give me a PSA test who, based on the results, sent me for a biopsy. Asa result of the biopsy I was scheduled for an MRI which informed me of the gravity of the situation.
I consider myself to be in good shape, especially for a 71 year old, but I had an extraordinary large prostate. The average prostate of a healthy male is 7 to 16 grams with the average size at 11. An enlarged prostate is normally measured at around 40 grams. Mine was measured at 100 grams. Not only was it large but it was cancerous, considered to be in the intermediate stage. That meant I had options.
Option number one is radiation seeding. In this procedure around 80 isotopes are implanted into a prostate and as they dissolve the cancer is killed off. It is a one time procedure.
Option number two is radiation treatments. One makes 40 trips to the doctor for a shot of radiation. Each treatment takes about 15 minutes, 10 of which is changing clothes.
Option number three is surgery.
In most cases, doctors like to take and wait and see approach or wait and observe, in which a patient come in every three months for a PSA test to see if there has been any change. Sometimes the PSA scores will drop. Often nothing ever needs to be done. The patient is most often better off skipping the options as often the cure is worse than the disease. What the biggest danger is if the cancer spreads outside of the prostate then things can get rapidly worse for the patient.
When a person has an enlarged prostate, the radiation seeding option can be taken off the table because the area to be treated is just too large. In that case, hormone shots are given for one to two years to shrink the prostate.
In my case, it would have taken a two year program of hormone treatments ( I could grow man boobs) before my prostate would shrink enough to treat. Considering my state (intermediate) and the fact that my MRI showed that the cancer was at the walls of the prostate, I thought that if I waited two years for my prostate to shrink the cancer might not be contained to just the prostate.
I decided the best option for me was surgery.
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Death at the Asheboro Y
One of the long time members, Walter. passed away from a heart attack. Walter was a simple fellow liked by everyone, and suffered from arthritis in his hip. He had a special shoe made that he hoped would limit his pronounced limp but he didn't much care for it. His best option was hip replacement which he had done. Two or three days later he died of an heat attack.
As far as I understand it, the two events were not related. He is missed.
As far as I understand it, the two events were not related. He is missed.
Prostate Surgery
In todays way of thinking prostate surgery is considered the last option. There can be so many complications and cancer of the prostate is considered a slow growing cancer. A man can live for a decade or more with no treatment. Often, seeding and/or radiation can take care of the problem. Even so, prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of death among men.
Doctors us a test for PSA which is an indicator that things aren't as they should be. An exam can also help determine the size of the prostate. As men get older their prostate gets larger. The prostate is a small organ, about the size of a walnut and in normal healthy males weighs around 11 grams but can vary from 7 to 16 grams.
I knew my prostate was large and was causing me problems. I had never has a PSA test before and once a man reaches my age they are rarely given but my doctor decided to give me one anyway. It came back high (6.4) so I was sent to have a biopsy. The biopsy showed that I had an unusually large prostate, weighing 97 to 100 grams and certain parts of it was hard and proved to be cancerous. The doctors discussed treatment options with me. First option was surgery to remove the prostate. The second was radiation and the third was radiation seeding.
Due to the size of my prostate the radiation seeding was off the table. That procedure entails the surgeon depositing around 80 radiation seeds in the prostate and the long lasting isotopes will destroy the cancer. The second option was radiation and that required hormone treatments to shrink the size of my prostate and then 40 visits to the radiologist for 40 quick radiation treatments. In my case, the hormone shots would take a year to two years to be effective. My testosterone would fall to zero and I would likely experience other changes to my appearance. There was also the danger that while attempting to shrink my prostate the cancer could spread outside of the prostate. If it did then surgery would not be an effective treatment.
After much prayer and weighing all my options I chose surgery which was performed on my sons birthday, July 23rd. Recovery is painful and inconvenient but progressing well.
Doctors us a test for PSA which is an indicator that things aren't as they should be. An exam can also help determine the size of the prostate. As men get older their prostate gets larger. The prostate is a small organ, about the size of a walnut and in normal healthy males weighs around 11 grams but can vary from 7 to 16 grams.
I knew my prostate was large and was causing me problems. I had never has a PSA test before and once a man reaches my age they are rarely given but my doctor decided to give me one anyway. It came back high (6.4) so I was sent to have a biopsy. The biopsy showed that I had an unusually large prostate, weighing 97 to 100 grams and certain parts of it was hard and proved to be cancerous. The doctors discussed treatment options with me. First option was surgery to remove the prostate. The second was radiation and the third was radiation seeding.
Due to the size of my prostate the radiation seeding was off the table. That procedure entails the surgeon depositing around 80 radiation seeds in the prostate and the long lasting isotopes will destroy the cancer. The second option was radiation and that required hormone treatments to shrink the size of my prostate and then 40 visits to the radiologist for 40 quick radiation treatments. In my case, the hormone shots would take a year to two years to be effective. My testosterone would fall to zero and I would likely experience other changes to my appearance. There was also the danger that while attempting to shrink my prostate the cancer could spread outside of the prostate. If it did then surgery would not be an effective treatment.
After much prayer and weighing all my options I chose surgery which was performed on my sons birthday, July 23rd. Recovery is painful and inconvenient but progressing well.
Sunday, July 22, 2018
Kidnap victims with diabetes in Hollywood verus real life
I suppose the pre surgery getters with the complications from being diabetic has me thinking about this but it always seems that people kidnapped on TV programs or in the movies who were diabetic always faced the same problem: the kidnappers didn't bring their insulin and the police had to find the kidnap victim within a certain time frame or the victim will go into a diabetic coma and die.
In real life that is not true.
There is no set time that one goes without insulin before they go comatose and die. None of these programs ever distinguish between type 1 or type 2 diabetes and all of these programs end with the rescuers shoving a bar of candy in the victims face to save her life (as almost always the victim is a female). The problem with the story line is that insulin helps lower blood sugar but most likely it is the long acting type which gentle lowers blood sugar over a 24 hour period. For immediate lowering of blood sugar one needs to take a fast acting insulin which probable isn't one of the medications the victim was taking anyway.
A diabetic can control blood sugar highs and lows through diet which is difficult enough but would seem to be a taunting task for a kidnap victim. Diabetic friendly diets are hard to come by outside the home. If one is offered a hamburger, a diabetic should eat only a small portion and none of the bun.
The biggest danger here is the added sugar to the condiments and the added salt to the burger.
The point is about these shows is that going a long time without food will drop ones glucose levels and insulin is the last thing the patient/victim needs. A candy bar will raise ones blood sugar levels too fast and will result in a serious "crash" a short time later. In other words, these shows do not reflect the reality of the situation because reality doesn't add the dramatic effects the producers feel the show needs to get and keep your interest.
In real life that is not true.
There is no set time that one goes without insulin before they go comatose and die. None of these programs ever distinguish between type 1 or type 2 diabetes and all of these programs end with the rescuers shoving a bar of candy in the victims face to save her life (as almost always the victim is a female). The problem with the story line is that insulin helps lower blood sugar but most likely it is the long acting type which gentle lowers blood sugar over a 24 hour period. For immediate lowering of blood sugar one needs to take a fast acting insulin which probable isn't one of the medications the victim was taking anyway.
A diabetic can control blood sugar highs and lows through diet which is difficult enough but would seem to be a taunting task for a kidnap victim. Diabetic friendly diets are hard to come by outside the home. If one is offered a hamburger, a diabetic should eat only a small portion and none of the bun.
The biggest danger here is the added sugar to the condiments and the added salt to the burger.
The point is about these shows is that going a long time without food will drop ones glucose levels and insulin is the last thing the patient/victim needs. A candy bar will raise ones blood sugar levels too fast and will result in a serious "crash" a short time later. In other words, these shows do not reflect the reality of the situation because reality doesn't add the dramatic effects the producers feel the show needs to get and keep your interest.
surgery countdown
In about 24 hours I will be out of surgery, alive I hope, and on my way to recovery. I have a few concerns before then though.
The instructions for most patients is a clear diet the day before surgery and nothing after midnight but my instructions are different because I am a diabetic. I can have a normal breakfast and a light lunch. What I am expected to pull off is to have my blood sugar high enough that I do not have complications from low blood sugar but low enough so the diabetes does not interfere with the healing process.
For most people this is no problem but for me this is really tricky. Not eating will lower my blood sugar to dangerously low levels. if I do eat I have to forgo my diabetic medication. It doesn't make sense to eat to raise my blood sugar while taking medication to lower it. But at a certain point I will have to forgo eating in order for my digestive tract to be clean enough for surgery.
A problem I experienced a few years ago was that often my readings were higher in the morning than they were the night before. I asked my doctor why and she explained that if my blood sugar drops at night my body can convert stored fat into glucose ,causing my blood sugar levels to rise. But that doesn't always happen and sometimes a reading will just continue to get lower during the night. If levels get too low it can be life threatening.
I suppose most people would be worrying about the surgery but I don't because it is necessary and worrying won't change a thing. But planning how to work out my blood sugar levels is a bit tricky and very concerning.
Wish me luck or better yet say a prayer for me.
The instructions for most patients is a clear diet the day before surgery and nothing after midnight but my instructions are different because I am a diabetic. I can have a normal breakfast and a light lunch. What I am expected to pull off is to have my blood sugar high enough that I do not have complications from low blood sugar but low enough so the diabetes does not interfere with the healing process.
For most people this is no problem but for me this is really tricky. Not eating will lower my blood sugar to dangerously low levels. if I do eat I have to forgo my diabetic medication. It doesn't make sense to eat to raise my blood sugar while taking medication to lower it. But at a certain point I will have to forgo eating in order for my digestive tract to be clean enough for surgery.
A problem I experienced a few years ago was that often my readings were higher in the morning than they were the night before. I asked my doctor why and she explained that if my blood sugar drops at night my body can convert stored fat into glucose ,causing my blood sugar levels to rise. But that doesn't always happen and sometimes a reading will just continue to get lower during the night. If levels get too low it can be life threatening.
I suppose most people would be worrying about the surgery but I don't because it is necessary and worrying won't change a thing. But planning how to work out my blood sugar levels is a bit tricky and very concerning.
Wish me luck or better yet say a prayer for me.
Friday, July 20, 2018
Jims Kids and Vintage Church
I attended the benefit concert for Jims Kids at Academy Street Baptist Church last night and meet a lady who attends Vintage Church, She said they teach and preach from the bible. I'm sure they do. One has to be careful. Using the correct book does not insure the lessons being taught are correct.
I am not at all implying that a member of Vintage church is no less a Christian than I am for I have no way of knowing. In fact, I have attended some traditional churches that swear by the King James Bible and believe they are teaching and preaching the whole of scripture and doing it correctly yet when expounding on the old testament they always interpret it as if it was written for modern man and the church. Often the Old Testament is ignored and sometimes scripture is misquoted or misunderstood. So being in an old fashioned/traditional church does not make one right anymore than being from a church like Vintage make one wrong.
My biggest concern about any church is that you are being equipped with enough truth to help you deal with everyday problems and to be able to rely upon God and not try to handle everyday situations from ones own perspective. I find that even in well grounded churches most Christians do not have a deep abiding and trusting faith nor do they really understand how to fully embrace the Christian life yet many believe they are exactly what Christ wants them to be. I know that I have a long way to go myself. Even the Apostle Paul admitted his weaknesses and if he hadn't reached sinless perfection I doubt seriously that any of the rest of us have either.
My biggest concern is that the less you understand the expectations of Christ the easier it is for you to be lead astray. We must not forget that Satan knows scriptures and quotes it often, misquoting it to manipulate us or misapplying it to get us to do his bidding. As the sergeant used to say on "hill Street Bkues" be careful out there.
I am not at all implying that a member of Vintage church is no less a Christian than I am for I have no way of knowing. In fact, I have attended some traditional churches that swear by the King James Bible and believe they are teaching and preaching the whole of scripture and doing it correctly yet when expounding on the old testament they always interpret it as if it was written for modern man and the church. Often the Old Testament is ignored and sometimes scripture is misquoted or misunderstood. So being in an old fashioned/traditional church does not make one right anymore than being from a church like Vintage make one wrong.
My biggest concern about any church is that you are being equipped with enough truth to help you deal with everyday problems and to be able to rely upon God and not try to handle everyday situations from ones own perspective. I find that even in well grounded churches most Christians do not have a deep abiding and trusting faith nor do they really understand how to fully embrace the Christian life yet many believe they are exactly what Christ wants them to be. I know that I have a long way to go myself. Even the Apostle Paul admitted his weaknesses and if he hadn't reached sinless perfection I doubt seriously that any of the rest of us have either.
My biggest concern is that the less you understand the expectations of Christ the easier it is for you to be lead astray. We must not forget that Satan knows scriptures and quotes it often, misquoting it to manipulate us or misapplying it to get us to do his bidding. As the sergeant used to say on "hill Street Bkues" be careful out there.
Friday, July 13, 2018
Superhero Vacation Bible School Acdemey Street Baptost Church
Larissa Green, the pastor's wife, did an awesome job as organizer and director, and announcer at VBS at Academy Street Baptist. She dressed as Wonder Woman and her husband, Pastor Anthony Green played Bible Man. Al Davis was Lex Liar. The kids had fun, learned some scripture, and made their own super hero costumes. My role was simple to sit there. I believe my official title was monitor and I did have to get involved the first nighty at the bouncy house but for all the rest of VBS I got to sit in the air conditioned sanctuary and talk with the registrar (who is my wife) when she wasn't busy.
Normally this isn't a role I take to easily as I like to be involved and active but the church is getting a new playground set for the kids and the old one needed to be gone before the new one could be installed. I volunteered to do that job. It was really hot outside, Tuesday I couldn't get started until noon because I had a doctors appointment that morning. I did get an early jump Wednesday but after a couple of hours things were starting to heat up quickly.
Being able to sit quietly in the air conditioned sanctuary was a real pleasure. From Sunday night on the first night of VBS when I watched the bouncy house until the last 5 minutes of VBS I had nothing to do. But what a joy those last few minutes were. One of the kids wanted to know more about Christ so I took him aside and a few minutes later he accepted Christ as his savior. I later learned that two of the girls became Christians also.
The kid I talked with, Noah, is a smart kid and there was no doubt that he fully understood the decision he was making. Being aware of the presence of God and to watch Him work is amazing. Studies have proven that people who are prayed for, whether believers or not, recovery from surgery and serious illnesses faster and better than those who are not prayed for., As scripture points out, you see not because you believe not. These are not ordinary circumstances that happen to ordinary people who interpret things in a supernatural way but extraordinary things that happen to ordinary people because they believed in and trusted God.
It is among my greatest joys in this life to be part of the life altering experience of this young boy during VBS. Praise be to God Almighty.
Normally this isn't a role I take to easily as I like to be involved and active but the church is getting a new playground set for the kids and the old one needed to be gone before the new one could be installed. I volunteered to do that job. It was really hot outside, Tuesday I couldn't get started until noon because I had a doctors appointment that morning. I did get an early jump Wednesday but after a couple of hours things were starting to heat up quickly.
Being able to sit quietly in the air conditioned sanctuary was a real pleasure. From Sunday night on the first night of VBS when I watched the bouncy house until the last 5 minutes of VBS I had nothing to do. But what a joy those last few minutes were. One of the kids wanted to know more about Christ so I took him aside and a few minutes later he accepted Christ as his savior. I later learned that two of the girls became Christians also.
The kid I talked with, Noah, is a smart kid and there was no doubt that he fully understood the decision he was making. Being aware of the presence of God and to watch Him work is amazing. Studies have proven that people who are prayed for, whether believers or not, recovery from surgery and serious illnesses faster and better than those who are not prayed for., As scripture points out, you see not because you believe not. These are not ordinary circumstances that happen to ordinary people who interpret things in a supernatural way but extraordinary things that happen to ordinary people because they believed in and trusted God.
It is among my greatest joys in this life to be part of the life altering experience of this young boy during VBS. Praise be to God Almighty.
Sunday, July 08, 2018
Saturday, July 07, 2018
Ingraditude
Meet this poor fellow who has no job and has no car whoso much wanted to go fishing. The state gave him his license for free because he is on Medicaid but I had to take him to get it. When we went fishing I furnished him with a rod and reel, purchased his bait, and paid his fee, I caught the fish and put them on my stringer. All I asked of the man was that he return my stringer.
I saw him a few days later and when I asked him how he enjoyed the fish, he said he threw them away because he didn't like that kind. He joined the church men on our fishing trip and he showed up again with no rod and reel, no bait, and no money to pay his fee with so I helped him out that time also.
I saw him the following week and asked if he was ready to go fishing again, he said yes but he didn't want to go to Randleman Lake. He wanted to go to Baden Lake. I'm sorry but I'm not driving that far, paying for the entire trip, catching fish just for him, he hasn't even given me back my stringer.
I saw him a few days later and when I asked him how he enjoyed the fish, he said he threw them away because he didn't like that kind. He joined the church men on our fishing trip and he showed up again with no rod and reel, no bait, and no money to pay his fee with so I helped him out that time also.
I saw him the following week and asked if he was ready to go fishing again, he said yes but he didn't want to go to Randleman Lake. He wanted to go to Baden Lake. I'm sorry but I'm not driving that far, paying for the entire trip, catching fish just for him, he hasn't even given me back my stringer.
Sunday, July 01, 2018
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