I don’t claim to be a great blogger. I am just not committed enough to it to learn the intricacies of posting pictures with ease, or even selecting the pictures people might like seeing. And, of course, I wonder if anyone even reads it anyway. This post is not to amaze or impress people but give glory to God. It isn’t that I don’t have anything to say, especially on my journey with Prostate Cancer. I have things to say all the time, but I don’t apply myself to record them in writing. But I am very grateful that I have come so far so successfully. Sometimes I even surprise myself!
I must tell you about my most recent visit with the urologist/surgeon who removed the offending member, back on February 23, 2017. But first let me start with the Friday before that Monday appointment. Sometimes the phlebotomydepartment at the clinic isn’t as fast as the one in Boston to get the results to the doctor by the time I see him. So the last time I was there he suggested we go a day or two ahead of the appointment to get the blood drawn to insure he has the results in hand. This clinic where he goes once a month is at Foxboro, right next to the stadium. That Friday there was a big concert going on at night, and the clinic would close at 1:00. After a s
tring of amazing things I was standing at the desk at 12:58! The nurse teased me and said they were closed. Anyway, we just made it, and I got the blood taken.
Dr. Trinh is great! I have gone to see him often, since I have to do periodic blood tests every three months to make sure the cancer doesn’t come back. He is still amazed that someone who had such an aggressive form hasn’t had a reoccurrence. He has assured me that if it does show up there are treatments (Hormone therapy, Radiation) that can treat it. Of course, they come with side effects.
This past week’s blood test was another { PSA <0.02 } great test. As we chatted about the results he told me that since I was 1 ½ years out from surgery and I had only had good tests, even with how bad the cancer was there was only a 5% chance it would ever come back. He told me I will not die from prostate cancer! I wasn’t worried, but it was still good to hear!!
In fact, that called for a celebration! We did it in style, too. We drove across the Bourne Bridge at Buzzard’s Bay and rode 20 miles on the north segment of the Shining Sea bike path. We ate clam chowder and stuffed quahogs.
Friday I rode (by myself) from Willimantic to East Hampton. It was 21 miles just to get there and I thought, “I still have to go back!” Since Christina was in Florida with her brother, I couldn’t call her to come pick me up somewhere. I was chasing around in my brain who else I could sweet-talk into bailing me out; Amy? Lisa? Bill? when right there across the street at the end of the trail was a bike shop, Airline Cycles.
I have this thing of collecting socks from places that have their shop name on them. I already have quite a few, but you can never have too many. <:-)
So, I parked my bike and went in to ask if they had any. They did and I bought a pair. Since I was there I told the three people in there that I was a cancer survivor, and I wasn’t going to die of prostate cancer. They thought that was wonderful (or at least said so) and offered me a bottle of water. I declined, but before I got back to the car two hours later I was wishing I had taken it; I had emptied my biking bottle.
As I started that ride back toward the car I was filled with an awareness of how great and kind the Lord was to me. There I was, riding along on the same bike with the same seat that I used in my pre-cancer riding time. In fact most of my life is pretty much as it was before. Those thoughts invigorated and energized me for the ride back. It was my longest ride since 2016, the second-longest ride ever. The other one was 53 miles, but on paved surfaces as opposed to stone dust on yesterday’s ride.
Now it is the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. Tomorrow our family is going to be celebrating Lobsterfest, a family tradition that we have been doing for more than a decade. I will be there, by the grace of God! I will be able to enjoy the food and many of the beautiful people that are part of my life. I even share DNA with a lot of them!
I pray your weekend is good. Thanks for reading.
