 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Prostate Cancer / November 2006Post-Prostatectomy Shopping List
I compiled this shopping list of paraphernalia that would be good to have on hand when you get back from surgery. I started the list in September 2001 before my own operation based on responses I got to a request here for suggestions. Thanks to all those who helped put this list together way back then. Since then I have re-posted periodically it to make it available to the newly diagnosed. Occasionally, additional items are suggested and I try to remember to add them next time I post this message. One thing I would like to make clear up front - the list is exhaustive because I have included almost everything everyone has ever suggested. This does NOT mean you should run out and buy everything on this list. Some of these items are in the "luxury - nice to have" category and others are specific remedies some individuals found they needed for complaints that may have been specific to them. Read through the list and at least think about what is here and what its purpose is. Get creative in thinking how you might adapt something you already have around the house to function in the place of some of these items. Certain activities, not strictly hardware items, were recommended frequently. I've included those activities as well. I am not a doctor and this is NOT medical advice! (However, I AM a geologist so maybe this qualifies as a form of geological advice...) Hardware: - A pair of oversized basketball type warm-up pants with snaps or zipper up the leg (to allow discreet access to the catheter and bag). Get a pair that is large enough to accommodate the large (night) bags and smaller (walking) bags - that will be provided by the hospital. A dark colour will be less likely to show wetness from any accidental leakage compared with a light colour. Fast drying material ("parachute material") is recommended if possible. This is not essential. - I have found convertible hiking pants (pants whose lower leg can be zippered off to create a pair of shorts) to work wonderfully well while wearing a catheter. This type of pant also has a side zipper on the lower leg, which makes leg bag access a breeze. You can open the upper zipper (the one that runs around the leg) part-way to switch bags and let out the hose to the large drain bag. - A five-gallon plastic bucket is very useful at night as a receptacle for the large night bag. The bucket may become your constant companion around the house. Get a square one if you don't already have something else. - "Invalid" cushion (looks like an inner tube) - Antibiotic ointment/lubricant (Polysporin, for example) for where catheter exits (some had this supplied by their hospital). Some recommend a water-based lubricant such as KY Jelly but that tends to dry out quickly. Get gauze 4X4 pads to apply ointment. There has been some debate about the best fluid to use. You want something slick, long lasting and certain not to damage the tube. It would be nice if it were also antibacterial. I used Polysporin and Erythromycin with no problem. Polyfax ointment is a name to look for if you live outside North America. - Alcohol swabs to clean the catheter at the tip of the penis (single use wipes designed for cleaning the skin before an injection). - A pair of slippers or sandals or loafers. - Over-the-counter stool softener - Get a haircut and trim your toenails before surgery - Several people recommended buying, borrowing or otherwise acquiring the use of a reclining chair. - Place a chair by the bed with the back facing the bed. Use the chair as a bedrail to help you get up. Use the seat as a bedside table to hold some of the things you want to keep handy. I would STRONGLY suggest you test this out BEFORE you go to hospital to be certain it can take your weight as a handrail before you rely on it post-surgery! - A pillow to hug early on to ease pain in laughing etc. - A pillow to put between your knees while sleeping on your side. - Grab bars in the area of the commode (don't use towel racks for grab bars!) - Use a plastic coat hanger stuck between the mattress and box spring to hang the bag from or just place it in the bucket on the floor. - Nice baggy, soft sweat pants or warm-ups - oversize with drawstring if the weather is warm inside the house or out of doors - A soft bathrobe belt to make a shoulder strap to suspended the big bag if you prefer it to the "walking" bag. -. Silk/nylon/rayon boxer shorts for the period you have the catheter - A plastic sheet to go under the bed sheets and protect the mattress once the catheter comes out. A large plastic garbage bag might work in a pinch. - Have enough easy to prepare food on hand for 2-3 weeks - Book(s) you've been intending to read - Fresh batteries for your TV remote - A cordless phone and up-to-date phone list - Some big baggy mesh shorts (in summer) - Suspenders may be helpful, in place of a belt - Two dozen inexpensive white washcloths (in a big bundle) - Some of the little plastic, stick-on hooks to put in the shower etc., for a place to hang the bag or simply the pail, placed outside the tub. - To help stave off possible urinary tract infection, either Ural (seems to be an Australia/New Zealand over-the-counter drug) or a supply of cranberry juice. They work in different ways to achieve the same thing. - A watch or interval timer to remind you not to stay sitting too long. The small kitchen timers would work for this and to prompt you to get up periodically at night if you need to do so. . An electronic thermometer (about $10) for keeping track of your temperature for a couple weeks postoperatively. - A walking stick may prove to be helpful. - A safety bench (maybe a plastic lawn chair?) for the shower (sometimes you're a little light-headed when you first come home and it's nice to have something to sit on) - A raised seat to put over the toilet (as an alternative, or in addition to, grab bars) - A grabber for picking things up if you drop them so you wouldn't have to bend down. - If you have the hardware, fill up a MP3 player with your favourite tunes & use headphones to help "drown-out" the hospital noise. - A "toilet seat lifter". I would be inclined to bend a coat hanger into a hook that I could work under the lip and lift, but there are probably commercial step-on type mechanical devices akin to garbage can lid lifters out there. Just use a stick or bend at the knees, keeping the back straight. Heck, just leave the lid up for a few days. - One person indicated his hospital made him wear a pair of anti-embolism stockings the whole time he was there. He bought another pair when he went home and suggests considering doing the same. - Drinking straws - you will want some for the first week. - Plastic cups - they're lighter than glass - Extra pillows - for sitting up in bed and as arm rests at night and for the couch. - Velcro Foley straps - the walking bag can slip down your leg and pull on the tube. - A current phone list - one of contact people who must know, one of friends to come visit you, walk, and meals, shop for you. Spread the burden. - A few woman's (not a few women's- get them from one woman) menstrual pads - don't be shy, the big ones, they're smaller, cheaper than incontinence pads and can be added to the diaper and changed more often. -Travel bag - like a baby changing bag for when you go out or the keep women's pads in your pocket. - Viva paper towels - to help when wet - they're soft. - Toilet wipes - the first few times they're nice, along with baby wipes for everything. - To deal with the rash and itch consider getting tubes of Desitin and/or Butt Paste, both containing zinc oxide. - Diet plan - coffee is bad for bladder, eat more fruit, less meat, no cheese & bananas while on stool softeners. Diet and supplements are part of permanent recovery plan. - Look into a cancer society group such as "Man to Man" that meets monthly and go to a meeting before surgery. Repeated Advice: - Learn to roll sideways out of bed (rather than sit on the edge trying to stand upright). Practice before going to the hospital. - Walking is the best way to get your body ready and to recover. - Wait to see how bad your incontinence is BEFORE purchasing a lot of pads etc. but do buy a package of men's guards to bring to the appointment when the catheter is removed. Have a look around at what is available and compare costs before hand. - Kegel, pre-operation and post-catheter removal (not with catheter in) - Remember, what you are going through is TEMPORARY, in a few weeks you won't even remember the discomfort of some of this stuff! JP Awesome list!!! I don't think you forgot anything!! I would like to add one little thing though. My husband was told by the surgeon's assistant to wear briefs and not boxers as that would help hold 'things' a little more snug and stop the catheter from pulling. So, he wore the briefs and they worked well for him. Obviously, everyone is different. Thanks, Jean > Awesome list!!! I don't think you forgot anything!! I would like to add > one little thing though. My husband was told by the surgeon's assistant to [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Jean Jean-- Now they make "boxer briefs." Best of both worlds! And they're oh so sexy. Leah Time after time I have extolled the virtue of boxer briefs. You just do not want the catheter flopping around, moving in and out, etc., and the legs on boxer briefs keep it nice and calm. I never wore any special pants - just some loose-fitting Dockers or the sort - and I went out in public w/ the leg bag and no one ever knew a thing. One caveat: if you are drinking beer it will get heavy fast. :-/ My primary advice is this - do not expect to be, do not act like, and do not allow yourself to be treated like an invalid - carry on as normal as possible, just be sensible. My brother was babied by his wife and his recovery was much slower than mine. [We had RPs the same day!] Bill Denton RP 2/12/02 PSA .96 Memphis Thanks. I'll insert the boxer brief comment now so the list is complete and so it is up-to-date in my "sent mail" folder so this gets included next time. I compiled this shopping list of paraphernalia that would be good to have on hand when you get back from surgery. I started the list in September 2001 before my own operation based on responses I got to a request here for suggestions. Thanks to all those who helped put this list together way back then. Since then I have re-posted periodically it to make it available to the newly diagnosed. Occasionally, additional items are suggested and I try to remember to add them next time I post this message. One thing I would like to make clear up front - the list is exhaustive because I have included almost everything everyone has ever suggested. This does NOT mean you should run out and buy everything on this list. Some of these items are in the "luxury - nice to have" category and others are specific remedies some individuals found they needed for complaints that may have been specific to them. Read through the list and at least think about what is here and what its purpose is. Get creative in thinking how you might adapt something you already have around the house to function in the place of some of these items. Certain activities, not strictly hardware items, were recommended frequently. I've included those activities as well. I am not a doctor and this is NOT medical advice! Hardware: - A pair of oversized basketball type warm-up pants with snaps or zipper up the leg (to allow discreet access to the catheter and bag). Get a pair that is large enough to accommodate the large (night) bags and smaller (walking) bags - that will be provided by the hospital. A dark colour will be less likely to show wetness from any accidental leakage compared with a light colour. Fast drying material ("parachute material") is recommended if possible. This is not essential. - I have found convertible hiking pants (pants whose lower leg can be zippered off to create a pair of shorts) to work wonderfully well while wearing a catheter. This type of pant also has a side zipper on the lower leg, which makes leg bag access a breeze. You can open the upper zipper (the one that runs around the leg) part-way to switch bags and let out the hose to the large drain bag. - A five-gallon plastic bucket is very useful at night as a receptacle for the large night bag. The bucket may become your constant companion around the house. Get a square one if you don't already have something else. - "Invalid" cushion (looks like an inner tube) - Antibiotic ointment/lubricant (Polysporin, for example) for where catheter exits (some had this supplied by their hospital). Some recommend a water-based lubricant such as KY Jelly but that tends to dry out quickly. Get gauze 4X4 pads to apply ointment. There has been some debate about the best fluid to use. You want something slick, long lasting and certain not to damage the tube. It would be nice if it were also antibacterial. I used Polysporin and Erythromycin with no problem. Polyfax ointment is a name to look for if you live outside North America. - Alcohol swabs to clean the catheter at the tip of the penis (single use wipes designed for cleaning the skin before an injection). - A pair of slippers or sandals or loafers. - Over-the-counter stool softener - Get a haircut and trim your toenails before surgery - Several people recommended buying, borrowing or otherwise acquiring the use of a reclining chair. - Place a chair by the bed with the back facing the bed. Use the chair as a bedrail to help you get up. Use the seat as a bedside table to hold some of the things you want to keep handy. I would STRONGLY suggest you test this out BEFORE you go to hospital to be certain it can take your weight as a handrail before you rely on it post-surgery! - A pillow to hug early on to ease pain in laughing etc. - A pillow to put between your knees while sleeping on your side. - Grab bars in the area of the commode (don't use towel racks for grab bars!) - Use a plastic coat hanger stuck between the mattress and box spring to hang the bag from or just place it in the bucket on the floor. - Nice baggy, soft sweat pants or warm-ups - oversize with drawstring if the weather is warm inside the house or out of doors - A soft bathrobe belt to make a shoulder strap to suspended the big bag if you prefer it to the "walking" bag. -. Silk/nylon/rayon boxer shorts for the period you have the catheter - Some readers have recommended "boxer briefs" for the combination of support and their ability to hold the catheter and prevent tugging - A plastic sheet to go under the bed sheets and protect the mattress once the catheter comes out. A large plastic garbage bag might work in a pinch. - Have enough easy to prepare food on hand for 2-3 weeks - Book(s) you've been intending to read - Fresh batteries for your TV remote - A cordless phone and up-to-date phone list - Some big baggy mesh shorts (in summer) - Suspenders may be helpful, in place of a belt - Two dozen inexpensive white washcloths (in a big bundle) - Some of the little plastic, stick-on hooks to put in the shower etc., for a place to hang the bag or simply the pail, placed outside the tub. - To help stave off possible urinary tract infection, either Ural (seems to be an Australia/New Zealand over-the-counter drug) or a supply of cranberry juice. They work in different ways to achieve the same thing. - A watch or interval timer to remind you not to stay sitting too long. The small kitchen timers would work for this and to prompt you to get up periodically at night if you need to do so. . An electronic thermometer (about $10) for keeping track of your temperature for a couple weeks postoperatively. - A walking stick may prove to be helpful. - A safety bench (maybe a plastic lawn chair?) for the shower (sometimes you're a little light-headed when you first come home and it's nice to have something to sit on) - A raised seat to put over the toilet (as an alternative, or in addition to, grab bars) - A grabber for picking things up if you drop them so you wouldn't have to bend down. - If you have the hardware, fill up a MP3 player with your favourite tunes & use headphones to help "drown-out" the hospital noise. - A "toilet seat lifter". I would be inclined to bend a coat hanger into a hook that I could work under the lip and lift, but there are probably commercial step-on type mechanical devices akin to garbage can lid lifters out there. Just use a stick or bend at the knees, keeping the back straight. Heck, just leave the lid up for a few days. - One person indicated his hospital made him wear a pair of anti-embolism stockings the whole time he was there. He bought another pair when he went home and suggests considering doing the same. - Drinking straws - you will want some for the first week. - Plastic cups - they're lighter than glass - Extra pillows - for sitting up in bed and as arm rests at night and for the couch. - Velcro Foley straps - the walking bag can slip down your leg and pull on the tube. - A current phone list - one of contact people who must know, one of friends to come visit you, walk, and meals, shop for you. Spread the burden. - A few woman's (not a few women's- get them from one woman) menstrual pads - don't be shy, the big ones, they're smaller, cheaper than incontinence pads and can be added to the diaper and changed more often. -Travel bag - like a baby changing bag for when you go out or the keep women's pads in your pocket. - Viva paper towels - to help when wet - they're soft. - Toilet wipes - the first few times they're nice, along with baby wipes for everything. - To deal with the rash and itch consider getting tubes of Desitin and/or Butt Paste, both containing zinc oxide. - Diet plan - coffee is bad for bladder, eat more fruit, less meat, no cheese & bananas while on stool softeners. Diet and supplements are part of permanent recovery plan. - Look into a cancer society group such as "Man to Man" that meets monthly and go to a meeting before surgery. Repeated Advice: - Learn to roll sideways out of bed (rather than sit on the edge trying to stand upright). Practice before going to the hospital. - Walking is the best way to get your body ready and to recover. - Wait to see how bad your incontinence is BEFORE purchasing a lot of pads etc. but do buy a package of men's guards to bring to the appointment when the catheter is removed. Have a look around at what is available and compare costs before hand. - Kegel, pre-operation and post-catheter removal (not with catheter in) - Remember, what you are going through is TEMPORARY, in a few weeks you won't even remember the discomfort of some of this stuff! JP The single most useful item I had/have is the big bucket, with a handle and a fastening flip-top. With the top removed, it held my urine bag at home pretty much 24/7 until I removed the catheter. With the top on, it has been my odor-free (line it with a scented kitchen garbage bag) and dog-proof diaper bin for the past two years. A few bucks at WalMart. And the only pad I consider to be of of any use is the Serenity for Men. It's wider so I don't flop out of the side. I.P. Great advice. > Time after time I have extolled the virtue of boxer briefs. You just do > not want the catheter flopping around, moving in and out, etc., and the > legs on boxer briefs keep it nice and calm. I felt a bit silly mentioning such mundane things as briefs but you know I didn't know they even existed until after J's RP when I went to the men's underwear department looking for solutions. I never wore any special > pants - just some loose-fitting Dockers or the sort - and I went out in > public w/ the leg bag and no one ever knew a thing. One caveat: if you > are drinking beer it will get heavy fast. :-/ My worst recollection of the post-rp period is the image of my husband dressed in black, ill-fitting, sloppy-looking sweatpants and looking so sad. When he was able to put on his dockers it brightened his mood. He had the catheter in for a while (didn't seem to want to part with it) and went to work wearing his usual dress pants. No problem. (You think everybody notices things, but they don't). In this case you truly are what you wear and you know how you feel when you sit around in your pajamas all day. If the patient is up to it try to wean him from his pj's. > My primary advice is this - do not expect to be, do not act like, and > do not allow yourself to be treated like an invalid - carry on as > normal as possible, just be sensible. My brother was babied by his wife > and his recovery was much slower than mine. [We had RPs the same day!] > > It's not good to overdue it but I think a guy is entitled to a little babying, don't you think? If not then, when. (Are you sure there weren't other factors involved in your brother's recovery). Thanks for the great advice. Leah Thanks so much for the list -- it is a huge public service. Wish I'd had access to it. Remember the 3L's of prostate surgery: laxatives, laxatives and laxatives. I nearly got hit by a car trying to get spouse some magnesium citrate. It's a good idea to have a variety of laxatives on hand like Metamucil and whatever else doc recommends. Go easy on the bananas and the instant mashed potatoes. You will pay later. My husband got into the habit of drinking Ensure a couple of times a day after his rp and i'm glad about that. Have a lot of ensure handy in different flavors (duane read has a "generic" version.) Also, I hauled out the blender and bought 2 recipe books on making "smoothies" to have a little variety. Do patient a favor and bring his favorite bedroom slippers to hospital upon discharge. I remember spouse trying valiantly to get into his loafers and it's not worth the trouble. On way home from hosp. I was advised to give the patient a rolled-up towel to sit on. The hospital was out of towels at the time so we had to make do with sheets. I was given 2 huge shopping bags of medical supplies when we left the hospital and I laid them out on a little tray table next to his bed in neat piles so he wouldn't have to go spelunking for the right bandage. If you have room in your bathroom you might want to set up a table or other "way station" for the patient to put things on while he's changing cath, drain, bandages. If you feel really overwhelmed by all this you can ask the hospital social worker to arrange for a visiting nurse (covered by ins.). We had one the first 2 days and J. just shooed her away! But if your mobility is limited or you're alone you might consider it. The problem with special pants is that if you go to a pro hiking shop to buy them they are prohibitively expensive. I was lucky to find something similar in dep't store. You should remember that the list Joe compiled allows for every contingency and it's likely you won't even have many of these symptoms. My husb. didn't. I disagree with Joe on one thing. Do get yourself a treat, maybe a cd or dvd that you have been wanting or other gifft. It's okay you baby yourself a little bit. (better yet to be babied) Like Joe said, this discomfort is finite. You won't remember it six mos. later. Good luck to all of you. Leah > I >I compiled this shopping list of paraphernalia that would be good to have > on hand when you get back from surgery. I started the list in September > 2001 before my own operation based on responses I got to a request here > for > suggestions. > Thanks to all those who helped put this list together way back then. I remember seeing that list before but didn't save it. I'm glad I didn't! It might be appropriate for US folk but in our experience it's way over the top for Brits. > I am not a doctor and this is NOT medical advice! (However, I AM a > geologist so maybe this qualifies as a form of geological advice...) :-) > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > (walking) > bags - that will be provided by the hospital. Spouse wore his everyday jeans. There was nothing indiscreet. > - I have found convertible hiking pants (pants whose lower leg can be > zippered off to create a pair of shorts) to work wonderfully well while > wearing a catheter. While he had the catheter (nine days from surgery) he wore a pair of pants without a fly - not boxers, neither of us like them. At night he wore his normal nightshirts - they are far more convenient at any time than pyjamas. > - A five-gallon plastic bucket is very useful at night as a receptacle for > the large night bag. The bucket may become your constant companion around > the house. Get a square one if you don't already have something else. Five gallons - even US gallons - is a bit ambitious! The night bag was adequate, after the catheter was out he used a glass bottle we happened to have from The Good Old Days and a 2 pint jug. That was while he slept downstairs, afterwards he just got up to go to the lav, which is on the same floor as the bedroom. > - "Invalid" cushion (looks like an inner tube) They are not advised in UK because of the risk of bed sores. Instead Spouse used a piece of foam when sitting on his dining chair, but only for three days, after that he was comfortable without extra padding - he is very thin. in fact he's more comfortable sitting now than he was before the surgery. > - Antibiotic ointment/lubricant (Polysporin, for example) for where > catheter > exits (some had this supplied by their hospital). Some recommend a > water-based lubricant such as KY Jelly but that tends to dry out quickly. > Get gauze 4X4 pads to apply ointment. He didn't need anything like that. > - Alcohol swabs to clean the catheter at the tip of the penis (single use > wipes designed for cleaning the skin before an injection). He used baby wipes. > - Over-the-counter stool softener That wasn't necessary, he once used a glycerine pessary, that's all. > - Get a haircut and trim your toenails before surgery LOL! Spouse has long hair and a BIG beard :-) Nothing would persuade him to cut them! > - Place a chair by the bed with the back facing the bed. Use the chair as > a > bedrail to help you get up. Use the seat as a bedside table to hold some > of > the things you want to keep handy. Spouse was only in bed for a couple of days, he was assisted in and out of bed by the hospital nursing staff. > - A plastic sheet to go under the bed sheets and protect the mattress once > the catheter comes out. That wasn't necessary because he had adequate pads - very little leakage anyway. > - Have enough easy to prepare food on hand for 2-3 weeks Or a wife! > - Book(s) you've been intending to read Trouble is, there are too many things to do in a day to have time to concentrate. He took Travels with Charley to re-read and I bought him another for while he was in hospital but there wasn't much time. > - A cordless phone and up-to-date phone list We used an intercom phone for during the night, in case he neded to contact me. He did, once, to ask where the Diclofenac was. > - Suspenders may be helpful, in place of a belt He had to borrow some braces (suspenders) forom a son until the soreness of the abdominal scar went - about four days. > - Two dozen inexpensive white washcloths (in a big bundle) > - Some of the little plastic, stick-on hooks to put in the shower etc., > for > a place to hang the bag or simply the pail, placed outside the tub. Spouse removed the bag and put the stopper on the pipe while for the few minutes he spent in the shower (he hates baths). > - A watch or interval timer to remind you not to stay sitting too long. > The > small kitchen timers would work for this and to prompt you to get up > periodically at night if you need to do so. His bladder told him when to get up! > - One person indicated his hospital made him wear a pair of anti-embolism > stockings the whole time he was there. He bought another pair when he went > home and suggests considering doing the same. Spouse was glad to be relieved of them. He hates them, so do I. > - Drinking straws - you will want some for the first week. He drank from a sports water bottle, didn't want anything else but plain water for a couple of days. After that, when he was up, he could manage normal cups or glasses. > - Plastic cups - they're lighter than glass ... but are easier to knock over. > - Extra pillows - for sitting up in bed and as arm rests at night and for > the couch. Good idea. > - A few woman's (not a few women's- get them from one woman) menstrual > pads - don't be shy, the big ones, they're smaller, cheaper than > incontinence pads and can be added to the diaper and > changed more often. We were provided with those by the District Nurse service - but he didn't need them for more than a few days. We have a lot left over and I don't need them any more :-( > - Diet plan - coffee is bad for bladder, eat more fruit, less meat, no > cheese & bananas while on stool softeners. Diet and supplements are part > of > permanent recovery plan. Why eat different food from normal? A good diet is essential for good health all the time. Coffee, once a day for us, is a treat. > - Wait to see how bad your incontinence is BEFORE purchasing a lot of pads > etc. but do buy a package of men's guards to bring to the appointment when > the catheter is removed. Spouse was provided with guards when he went for his Test Without Catheter. He only used one. > - Remember, what you are going through is TEMPORARY, in a few weeks you > won't even remember the discomfort of some of this stuff! That's very important. Spouse was back to normal in a very short time. He rode his beloved scooter for the first time yesterday (retropubic radical prostatectomy on 12 September). He had to begin driving before he should have done because I had toe surgery last week and can't drive! It all seems a long time ago ... the only evidence is a very neat scar and the impotence - we're working on that :-) Mary > >I compiled this shopping list of paraphernalia that would be good to have > > on hand when you get back from surgery. I started the list in September [quoted text clipped - 180 lines] > > Mary Thanks Jim for your interesting list. I shall present it to my prostate cancer support group at the next meeting. I'm sure they will enjoy it. I wish someone had told me about the ointment that I should have used with my catheter. The post op catheter was the most agonising thing I had ever experienced. I just dreaded the day it was to come out...it had been so painful for 12 days...however the nurse refused to listen to my pleas for a local antiseptic...so out it came...with very little pain...thank goodness. This was over a year ago now and time has lessened the agony I then felt. My PSA is also now neglible...and hopefully it stays that way...Thanks again > >I compiled this shopping list of paraphernalia that would be good to have > > on hand when you get back from surgery. I started the list in September [quoted text clipped - 180 lines] > > Mary >> >I compiled this shopping list of paraphernalia that would be good to >> >have >> > on hand when you get back from surgery. I started the list in September >> > 2001 before my own operation based on responses I got to a request here >> > for >> > suggestions. >> It might be appropriate for US folk but in our experience it's way over >> the >> top for Brits. >> Spouse wore his everyday jeans. There was nothing indiscreet. >> At night he wore his normal nightshirts - they are far more convenient at >> any time than pyjamas. >> Five gallons - even US gallons - is a bit ambitious! The night bag was >> adequate, after the catheter was out he used a glass bottle we happened [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >> same >> floor as the bedroom. Thanks for the reminder as to why I plonked the ding bat.  SignaturePSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins PSA .1 .1 .1 .27 .37 .75 EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 (4 mo), 12/03, 4/04, 09/04, 01/05, 5/05, 10/05, 2/06, 6/06 PSA .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 .145 Casodex added daily 07/06 PSA <0.04 Non Illegitimi Carborundum Hello Steve, You wrote: > Thanks for the reminder as to why I plonked the ding bat. I don't know what that means, but god it sounds dirty. At first I thought "plonk" was a type of treatment for pca and "that dingbat" referred to your prostate. Apparently i was wrong. please explain? I wanted also to congratulate you on your test results. It gave spouse and me a lift. You know there are no coincidences! It was just a few weeks that ago that we were involved in a heavy-duty discussion about Religion and you staunchly defended It, a lone warrior. You took the the slings and arrows like a man. I call that "Grace under pressure." God noticed. This series of events has practically made a believer out of me! As it is written: (Psalm 91) "For he has yearned for me and i will deliver him. I will elevate him because he knows my name. He will call upon me and I will answer him, I am with him in distress. I will release him and bring him honor. With long life will I satisfy him and I will show him my salvation." Hope so. >> Non Illegitimi Carborundum What in the world does the above phrase mean? Continued good luck to you. Leah (nothing in this note is meant to be sarcastic) > >> Non Illegitimi Carborundum > > What in the world does the above phrase mean? "Don't let the bastards wear you down." >> >> Non Illegitimi Carborundum >> >> What in the world does the above phrase mean? > > "Don't let the bastards wear you down." I thought it was 'grind' you down. > >> Non Illegitimi Carborundum > > What in the world does the above phrase mean? "Don't let the bastards wear you down." Hi, Leah >> Thanks for the reminder as to why I plonked the ding bat. > > I don't know what that means, but god it sounds dirty. > At first I thought "plonk" was a type of treatment for pca and "that > dingbat" referred to your prostate. Apparently i was wrong. please > explain? plonk (plonk) vt. -ed, -er, -ing; to disregard by rule; to ignore; pay no attention to In other words, my email program allows me to block a sender (highlight the message, go to "message" in the tool bar, and click on "block sender"). After that, I don't see any of her messages. I usually reserve plonking for the more aggregious folk, like a self-professed racist we had here a few years ago. But, when someone can criticize Joe (Price)'s list of important stuff, they show themselves to be so irritating that I could not stand to read her crap anymore. I currently have two people on my blocked list, since I let IP back in :-) > I wanted also to congratulate you on your test results. It gave spouse > and me a lift. Thank you ma'am. I don't think I knew Johnathon's age, but otherwise, he is starting this trek similar to me; double-digit PSA and Gleason 7. > You know there are no coincidences! It was just a few weeks that ago > that we were involved in a heavy-duty discussion about Religion and [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > God noticed. This series of events has practically made a believer > out of me! I've had a lot worse thrown at me in my life. As the old saw goes, "but words will never hurt me." But, keep this in mind. I don't pray for myself. Even when I pray for His assistance in this battle, it is only to allow me to live long enough to make things easier for my wife to live after I am gone (I need another 4.4 years of health). I bring that up hear not to brag, but only as proof that if prayer caused the sudden drop in PSA, then it was the prayers of others. And, if that is the case, then I am not alone. But, at 6'6" and 330 pounds, you just can't see them behind me. > As it is written: > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Hope so. Thanks, Leah. That was nice. >>> Non Illegitimi Carborundum > > What in the world does the above phrase mean? Latin for "don't led the bastard grind you down"; the "bastard", of course, being prostate cancer. > (nothing in this note is meant to be sarcastic) Not once did I take it as such. SignaturePSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins PSA .1 .1 .1 .27 .37 .75 EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 (4 mo), 12/03, 4/04, 09/04, 01/05, 5/05, 10/05, 2/06, 6/06 PSA .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 .145 Casodex added daily 07/06 PSA <0.04 Non Illegitimi Carborundum But, when someone can > criticize Joe (Price)'s list of important stuff, they show themselves to > be so irritating that I could not stand to read her crap anymore. Now who might that be? (^_^) I too thought the criticism of a well-put-together list was intensely irritating . . as well as crass and insensitive, and redolent of someone living in the Dark Ages. M > I usually reserve plonking for the more aggregious folk, like a > self-professed racist we had here a few years ago. But, when someone can > criticize Joe (Price)'s list of important stuff, they show themselves to > be so irritating that I could not stand to read her crap anymore. I > currently have two people on my blocked list, since I let IP back in :-) I didn't read it as criticism - just a item by item commentary on how the list applied to her personal experience. I don't have a problem with that at all. I didn't need all of the stuff on the list myself. I also have no problem with anybody putting anybody else on their personal "blocked sender" list for whatever reason they have. >> I usually reserve plonking for the more aggregious folk, like a >> self-professed racist we had here a few years ago. But, when someone can [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > else on their personal "blocked sender" list for whatever reason they > have. I didn't block her recently. I was just using it as an example of why I blocked her originally. I don't recall what put me over then. It was months ago. And, maybe it was just innocent commentary. Since I've blocked her, the only version I saw was the version someone else edited. So, I could have had the wrong impression. >> I usually reserve plonking for the more aggregious folk, like a >> self-professed racist we had here a few years ago. But, when someone can [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I didn't read it as criticism - just a item by item commentary on how the > list applied to her personal experience. That's what it was - and it might have more relevance to people in UK because of our different system of health care, I think we're in hospital longer than those in USA. > I don't have a problem with that at all. I didn't need all of the stuff > on the list myself. I also have no problem with anybody putting anybody > else on their personal "blocked sender" list for whatever reason they > have. Nor have I :-) Mary >> I didn't read it as criticism - just a item by item commentary on how the >> list applied to her personal experience. > > That's what it was - and it might have more relevance to people in UK > because of our different system of health care, I think we're in hospital > longer than those in USA. Just to add another twist to this... - I'm Canadian, not American :) JP >>> I didn't read it as criticism - just a item by item commentary on how >>> the list applied to her personal experience. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Just to add another twist to this... - I'm Canadian, not American :) I do apologise, sincerely. That's akin to calling me (a Yorkshireman) a Londoner :-( I've no idea of health care systems in Canada but the list you gave indicated that your health service isn't like ours. I really do apologise. You don't seem to be holding it against me ... Mary Hi Joe and all who responded. I love this list. Paul is set for surgery on Monday. I am going to ask him to read over this thread. It is helpful. We went out and bought 5 pairs of boxer shorts and now I read the boxer briefs are better....we have those already. I am nervous about Monday...maybe not much Monday as what comes after Monday. The first hurdle get Paul safely through surgery and then one day at a time. Thanks a million for all your support and invaluable advice. Lisa > I compiled this shopping list of paraphernalia that would be good to have > on hand when you get back from surgery. I started the list in September > 2001 before my own operation based on responses I got to a request here for > suggestions. > Thanks to all those who helped put this list together way back then. We hope everything comes out okay for you and Paul, Lisa. Please come back as soon as you can and let us know. Thanks, Jean > Hi Joe and all who responded. I love this list. Paul is set for > surgery on Monday. I > ... I am > nervous about Monday...maybe not much Monday as what comes after > Monday. It would be easy to advise you not to be nervous but I was. I lost all my confidence, I rely on my husband to be my rock, my stability, without him I was nothing. The following day will be happier although still stressful, the day of surgery will just have to be lived through, I can't give any advice or comfort. > The first hurdle get Paul safely through surgery and then one > day at a time. That's the best attitude. It will get better. By now, almost nine weeks after Spouse's surgery, things are almost 100% back to normal and everything seems a long time ago. I'll be thinking about you, Hugs, Mary > Hi Joe and all who responded. I love this list. Paul is set for > surgery on Monday. I am going to ask him to read over this thread. It [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > suggestions. > > Thanks to all those who helped put this list together way back then. Hope all goes well for you and Paul. Keep us posted.j Leah Thank's again Joe for posting the list. It is a godsend and helps everyone. It can't be posted too often...it's wonderful. Best to all, Ron B. Chicago Good luck Paul and Lisa, this brings back bored-in-memories from almost 4 years ago. I remeber finally walking outside after several days inside, raising my arms and declaring "I have re-surfaced. Good luck again. Rich Best wishes to you, Paul and Lisa. We're all here for you. Ron B. Chicago |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.