I spent Sunday night (12/27/15) at a hotel across the street from the hospital so that I could arrive bright and early at the hospital at 7AM for my 9AM surgery. I had spent all of Christmas Eve baking Christmas cookies, and I had a tin of cookies with me for the surgical team. There was nothing remarkable about the prep for the surgery. Everyone was very professional and very good at their job. They gave me something "to help me relax", and then it was time for me to wake up in the recovery room.
The surgery itself took 4 hours. Waking up wasn't much fun, but as soon as I was alert they were able to provide effective pain meds. I spent a couple of hours in recovery, and then waited another couple of hours in recovery for a room to be ready for me.
When I made it to my room, three of my daughters were waiting for me. It was good to see them, though I was still groggy. Even though it was the same day as surgery, the nurses helped me out of bed and had me walk once around the hospital floor, just to get me moving again.
Some of my visitors left soon after for the long drive (3+ hours, in bad weather) back to Bement, IL. My oldest and youngest daughters stuck around a little longer, long enough to be there when the surgeon stopped in to check on me. He gave me some of the details of the surgery, remarking both that the lymph nodes removed during surgery were not visibly affected my cancer, and that the prostate itself looked healthier than he had anticipated, based on the biopsy report. He did tell me that he got one of the Christmas cookies that I brought with me that morning.
Unfortunately, Bement picked up several inches of rain on Monday. I didn't know about it at the time, but when Alyssa, my 17-year-old daughter, got to the house (by herself), she found a few inches of water in the basement, and the pilot light out on the furnace. Sadly, she was stuck with quite a mess at a very inopportune time. I'm proud of the way she handled the cleanup.
Tuesday I was on my own in Chicago, and I managed enough laps around the hospital floor (13) to complete one mile. Pain management was very effective, and I have no complaints.
Wednesday morning I confirmed that I would be released that afternoon. I got lots of instructions on taking care of myself. The bandage over the incision and the drain tube were removed. And then I got to take a shower. That made me feel a lot better.
My friend Mark and my oldest daughter Tia drove up that day to pick me up and bring me home. The drive was uneventful, and I was home by 7PM.
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