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Opining of a Cranky Old Man
Seniors Body Clock Ticking Better than Ever after
Robotic Surgery Removes Prostate Cancer
An anniversary to savor with a 8 miles of running and
18-mile bike ride
By Bill Kalmar, Retiree
 May 28, 2009 - Depending on your preference, the
one-year anniversary is "paper" but in modern times it has been replaced
by "clocks." Frankly, I prefer the latter and permit me to explain. June
2 will mark the one-year anniversary of my robotic surgery for prostate
cancer.
It was conducted at Henry Ford Hospital by the
remarkable surgeon Dr. James Peabody and his talented team augmented by
the caring, seemingly always on duty nurse Andrea Simone.
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As I approach that date I have Dr. Peabody to thank
for keeping my “clock” running and operating smoothly. A month after
the surgery I was again running my usual five miles a day and competing
in races.
This summer I will be competing in duathlons, which
consist of a three-mile run – then an 18-mile bike ride – followed by a
five mile run. Now that I am 66 I will compete in the “66 to 69” age
group which means I will be the youngster – so medal presentations here
I come!
Last November Dr. Peabody and I competed in a 6.2
mile race in Roseville – the Roseville Big Bird Run. He is years
younger so he did finish ahead of me but, truth be known, I allowed that
to happen because who wants to be treated by a physician who has just
been embarrassed in a sporting event by his patient! Certainly not me!
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As with any anniversary one likes to reminisce
about the happenings of the previous year so allow me to do so here:
● The partnership with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel
certainly makes for a carefree experience. The pre-operation meals, the
limo rides to and from the hospital, the caring and knowledgeable hotel
staff and the post operation meals are indicative of how a first class
operation is run. It is no wonder that the Ritz-Carlton hosts hundreds
of people from all over the world who come to Henry Ford Hospital for
robotic surgery.
● When told that there would be very little pain
after the surgery I figured this was just a way to settle my nerves but
frankly when I awoke there was no pain. In fact my son and I stayed up
very late that same day watching the Red Wings play triple overtime in
the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The only indication that I had surgery was a
multitude of tubes protruding from my body!
● Another reason the whole experience was so
successful can be attributed to Nurse Andrea Simone. Ms. Simone was
seemingly always on call with her cell phone. I say “seemingly” because
anytime I called that number, night or day, she answered and always
offered encouragement and wise advice if we were encountering a problem
or just had a question.
She is a delight to work with and it is no wonder
to me that recently she was one of ten hospital employees to be
recognized for the Clara award of which there were close to 500
applicants. She is truly remarkable and a credit to her profession and
to Henry Ford Hospital.
● Evidently, I was one of the first patients to
have a bladder catheter as opposed to the other option. Given a choice,
the bladder catheter is the way to go since there is no pain. And two
days before returning to the hospital for a check-up means that one is
able to discover early on if urinating normally is successful. One
can’t do that with a penile catheter.
● Since my surgery all systems are “go” which
means I have returned to my normal lifestyle. And if you are wondering
how my marital responsibilities are progressing feel free to ask my
spouse of 45 years. I think she will tell you, as they say in the space
program, that launch and landing is very successful!
● And speaking of my spouse Mary, it is important
that prostate cancer patients have a strong support group at home. In
my estimation I was able to recover quickly because of the care and
watchful eye of Mary.
Having a catheter for a week is quite an experience
but it was made easy and sometimes humorous with Mary at the helm.
During the end of the first week when one has to measure urine output,
we had a power outrage for two days at our home and thus our urine
measuring and cleaning of the apparatus had to be done with a
flashlight.
There’s something surreal when one has to expel
urine into a measuring glass while your spouse directs this activity
holding a flashlight on your manliness but that’s another story perhaps
for a medical journal!
● Over the last year I have discussed prostate
surgery with people at our gym and have read many articles on the
subject. After all that I am still convinced that for me this was the
optimum course of action.
There are some who will tell you that another
method such as seeds or radiation are preferred but given all the
choices I would still opt for the robotic surgery. It is painless and
there are no lasting aftereffects.
I am now cancer free and my last four PSA tests
have come back as 0.0! I look forward to a long and fruitful life and
beating Dr. Peabody in a race in 2009! Thanks to him and his team my
first year anniversary will be long remembered as a total success.
One-year anniversaries can be celebrated with a
clock instead of paper and just for the record my body “clock” is just
fine – thank you!
 Bill Kalmar is retired in Lake Orion, Michigan,
and is the former Director of the Michigan Quality Council. He is a
frequent contributor to SeniorJournal.com. His opinions are his own.
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