Bladder Cancer Surgery a Survivors Tale
Racing in Florida in the Sunshine on an F-31 Trimaran is the ultimate escape from the realities of life. Those realities include heading home to Bellingham in a few days to face major surgery for Bladder Cancer. Life's reality even intruded on the water, Shane had a gall bladder attack and had to miss the final day of racing. April 30th was less than 10 days away but this respite was sorely needed to build up my physical fitness and mental confidence to face Bladder Cancer Surgery.
We packed up the boat, loaded it onto the trailer and then saw the family off at the airport. On Sunday and Lynda and I drove back from Ft Walton Beach, FL to Bellingham, WA, a trip that would take the next five days.
Having left Sunday morning, we arrived in Seattle at noon on Thursday just in time for final tests, blood work and lung x-rays at UWMC. This was after we had picked up Lynda's Navigator at the Seattle airport parking lot.
By Sunday night I was starting to feel a little lightheaded, I had started the fasting that Thursday night and did not get to eat again until the following Saturday at dinner time, some 210 hours later. On the Cheekee Monkee again, we entered and won the Whiterock Regatta while Fasting for three days during that last weekend of April.
We (Lynda [wife], Bonnie [Mom-in-law] and Tracy [Daughter] and I) drove down to Seattle Sunday evening and checked into the Marriott Residence Inn. I was scheduled to be at the hospital at 9:30 in the morning. I check in at the hospital and then we wait.
At about 1:00 PM surgery commences, at about 9:00 PM, and I am out of surgery and in recovery. During the surgery, Lynda and the gang were kept updated every hour or so by phone as it was a very long but successful operation. At about 10 PM, all three of them saw me in ICU. It was very good to be alive and to see all three of them in person.
The next day the goal for the day was get out of bed and start coughing. That day was spent in ICU and getting out of bed I could manage but forget about the coughing, that was too painful. I was moved to a private room that night.
I made progress with my recovery, several times every day I was getting out of bed and walking up and down the halls like a zombie, around and around the nursing station. A couple of days later Dr. Ellis gave us the pathology results; all the cancer was contained to the bladder lining and bladder muscle. No cancer found in the lymph nodes or prostate. Very good news.
On day 7, even though I still have several more weeks of recovery ahead of me, they said, "go on home". Happy and grateful to be alive, we left on Tuesday morning before noon. Good to get out of there.
May 13th, they removed the stints that drain from my kidneys. May 31st the catheter was removed and in 3 weeks they will remove the overflow tube from my (new) bladder (final tube). By then my bodily functions should be almost normal.
I can't tell you how grateful I am to be alive and well, over 10 years later I'm still making lemonade!
We packed up the boat, loaded it onto the trailer and then saw the family off at the airport. On Sunday and Lynda and I drove back from Ft Walton Beach, FL to Bellingham, WA, a trip that would take the next five days.
Having left Sunday morning, we arrived in Seattle at noon on Thursday just in time for final tests, blood work and lung x-rays at UWMC. This was after we had picked up Lynda's Navigator at the Seattle airport parking lot.
By Sunday night I was starting to feel a little lightheaded, I had started the fasting that Thursday night and did not get to eat again until the following Saturday at dinner time, some 210 hours later. On the Cheekee Monkee again, we entered and won the Whiterock Regatta while Fasting for three days during that last weekend of April.
We (Lynda [wife], Bonnie [Mom-in-law] and Tracy [Daughter] and I) drove down to Seattle Sunday evening and checked into the Marriott Residence Inn. I was scheduled to be at the hospital at 9:30 in the morning. I check in at the hospital and then we wait.
At about 1:00 PM surgery commences, at about 9:00 PM, and I am out of surgery and in recovery. During the surgery, Lynda and the gang were kept updated every hour or so by phone as it was a very long but successful operation. At about 10 PM, all three of them saw me in ICU. It was very good to be alive and to see all three of them in person.
The next day the goal for the day was get out of bed and start coughing. That day was spent in ICU and getting out of bed I could manage but forget about the coughing, that was too painful. I was moved to a private room that night.
I made progress with my recovery, several times every day I was getting out of bed and walking up and down the halls like a zombie, around and around the nursing station. A couple of days later Dr. Ellis gave us the pathology results; all the cancer was contained to the bladder lining and bladder muscle. No cancer found in the lymph nodes or prostate. Very good news.
On day 7, even though I still have several more weeks of recovery ahead of me, they said, "go on home". Happy and grateful to be alive, we left on Tuesday morning before noon. Good to get out of there.
May 13th, they removed the stints that drain from my kidneys. May 31st the catheter was removed and in 3 weeks they will remove the overflow tube from my (new) bladder (final tube). By then my bodily functions should be almost normal.
I can't tell you how grateful I am to be alive and well, over 10 years later I'm still making lemonade!
About the Author:
Kim Alfreds tells his story about Bladder Cancer at http://tinyurl.com/8dchk6y and other life milestones, in addition he is an avid sailor and loves to go Sailing.