After having surgery, many people focus on the physical recovery. But depending on the type of surgery, there is an equally challenging recovery that can be forgotten about by the patient, his family, friends, and co-workers, the mental recovery. Cancer, heart, and other complicated surgical procedures can lead to self-doubt, depression, anxiety, and stagnation, to name a few issues. That's because a person's whole life is turned upside down during this treatment and recovery process. Also, you've lost some innocence in your life and you don't really know what the future will hold for you. Will there be a relapse? Could the cancer return? If you change your diet and take certain medications, will it really make a difference? Will you experience a heart attack?
I decided early on in my recovery that I was going to focus on the positive and try not to think about these negative things. Easier said than done though. However, I found great comfort in Lance Armstrong's story and other less famous cancer survivor experiences. I can honestly say that when I heard that Lance was diagnosed with an advanced level of cancer, I told several friends that I'd be surprised if he was still alive in a year. This was about ten years before I was actually diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Four days after my surgery, I still had the catheter and one drain bag on my right side. It would be another four days before I would shed these artificial appendages. On the 7th day after my surgery, I visited my doctor's office and they removed the right side drain bag. Then on the 11th day post-surgery, I made another visit to another branch of my surgeon's practice for the catheter removal procedure. This process reminded me how I felt during the shaving of my pubic area prior to another surgical procedure I had to repair a hydro-seal problem. I can summarize that feeling in one word. Embarrassed. In a closed bathroom with your pants on the floor, a nurse puts copious amounts of water into your bladder using the catheter line until you feel like you're going to burst. Then in an almost magician-like technique, they pull the catheter out of your pee-hole as water/urine shoots out of your penis like a fire hose. I can confidently say that the majority of this liquid ended up outside of the toilet bowl. But besides a slight tug down there, I felt fine and the catheter was removed. I was especially glad about that. I characterized this as the last part of phase 3 (post-surgical), with phase 1 (research and treatment decision) and 2 (actual surgery). I was beginning what I termed as phase 4, the start of the real recovery.
I had been reading about different male enhancement drugs and my doctor had provided samples of three types, Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra. I 'm sure everyone has seen those Enzyte TV commercials. I always laughed when I saw that commercial about male enhancement. I believe the guy's name in the commercial was "Bob". The look of Bob's wife was especially entertaining. I likened the look on her face to someone in a mood of subdued elation. I also found it amusing that some of the commercials included Bob and his friends out playing golf. A metaphor perhaps? Now this commercial had much more serious implications for me. Would I ever look like Bob? I hoped so.
I tried all three types over several weeks and ended up deciding to use Viagra. My memory on why I decided on Viagra is a little fuzzy, but I think I just felt more of a positive sensation with it than the other two. I know that others in my situation have found Cialis or Levitra worked better for them. I started taking these supplements daily as prescribed by my doctor. The only problem was that the insurance company would only authorize about 15-20 pills a month, which meant that I wouldn't have enough to take them daily. I was also told that it would be best if I scheduled an appointment to discuss all my options for sexual assistance. My understanding was that if the Viagra didn't work well enough there were other things I could use like penile injections and vacuum contraptions that could help. I was told that it could take over six months to be able to sexually perform like before surgery.
The 2007 Tour de France had just started so I enjoyed watching each daily leg of the race and following the U.S. Discovery team. If you're familiar with cycling, then you know what the terms GC, peleton, and domestique mean. This race isn't just about the top three General Classification (GC) overall winners though. There are other things to shoot for like the best new rider, the hills champion, and a chance to win or place high up in one of the many legs of the race, to name a few. My recovery or as I called it, Tour de Ken, appeared to be going well. I wasn't covering hundreds of miles like the cyclists were, but I was as determined to stay positive and keep myself as physically and mentally busy as possible. My family and friends' (my peleton) provided great support and encouragement, which helped block those negative winds, and provided the services of first class domestiques.
I'm a environmental engineer, runner, writer and poet. I have a running blog at http://www.kenmajor.blogspot.com/. There are a number of articles about running and outdoor activities. Feel free to stop by and check out my posts. I think you might find something useful.
