It all started way back on Monday, February 24th ... Blood Clots in the Urine! Over a 10 Hour Period, about 10 Clots ... SCARED THE LIVING HELL OUT OF ME !
Saw my GP Tuesday am, Urine Sample ... Sent for Ultra-Sound, same Day ... Something ? in Bladder ... Referred to Urologist, Need Cystoscopy! Could not get an appointment for Consultation ... For ONE MONTH !
March 24th, consultation at Chesapeake Urology with Dr. William Dowling.
CT Scan Urogram scheduled 3/25 am. Definite Mass! Cystoscopy Done March 28th ... SCARY AS HELL ! Waited on table for 40 minutes - Doc had an 'Emergency' ... Little Dab of Lidocaine on the 'Head' and ... WHOOSH - He Shoves a Cystoscope straight up into 'Johnny' ! Then Doc, Nurse, and I watch Probe on Puter Screen ... Looked like a Sea Anemone ... Tubes vertically together, looking Hollow at tops ... BING! BAM! THANK YOU MAAM! Over in about 4-5 Minutes ... 2 Tumors Confirmed - MUST COME OUT! No Alternatives given!
Bladder Surgery Scheduled for May 7th . 11:15 am. Reprimand ... STOP SMOKING!
Doc said Most Bladder Cancers are in Smokers! I said: "At 73, have Never Seen a Poster in Any Doctor's Office!" Discomfort for a Couple Days ...
BLADDER CANCER SURGERY ... May 7th, 2014 . 11:15 am. Two tumors removed ... Larger the size of a 1" Cube ... Smaller - depth of 2nd layer ... Third layer is Muscle of Bladder ... NOT GOOD !
Although Knocked Out with Anesthesia ... And No Memory of Procedure ... Thank God! Something went terribly WRONG!
My Legs were Supposed to be Paralyzed ... They WEREN'T ! A Leg Jerk - Cutting Tool Moved ... PERFORATED BLADDER! Yeah, a HOLE ! At least that is what my Niece Bernie heard the Doctor say while I was in Recovery. I was still fuzzy and it did not register. Almost as if they wanted to Blame the Emergency on Me!
Because this happened, the Chemo Med ... Which was Supposed to SEAL the Sites ... Could NOT be Administered!
RESULTS ?
Catheter and Foley Bag Must Stay in Longer! 3-5 Days became 13 Days! NOW I Need a Cystogram Test Done on 5/19 ... Before Catheter can be Removed on 5/20! Discomfort of Catheter - 24/7 ! Except for Sleeping!
1st Night, May 7th, Up to Empty Bag, Every 1.5 Hours! WHY? Chesapeake Urology & Dr. William Dowling ... FORGOT to give me a Larger OVERNITE BAG !!! Niece, Bernie, a Retired RN, told me to call Them Thursday Morning! When advised, CU Employee said: "Oh No ... It Is Standard Procedure!" Bernie went and picked it Up! SLEPT THROUGH 6 HOURS THURSDAY! DUH ???
Burning of Urination, which is Uncontrollable, and Incessant ... Has caused me Extreme STRESS for 11 continuous days Now ... ONLY 3 More Days to Go!
Oxycodone HCL 5mg. every 4-6 hours - No Relief!
Acetaminophen - 1,000 mgs. Every 6 Hours - No Relief!
Other "Side Effects" ? Oxycodone causes Constipation ...
So 1 Senna Tablet Every Night at Bedtime to Soften ...
1 Ciprofloxacin HCL 500 mg. Antibiotic Daily ... Can cause Diarrhea and necessitates taking a Probiotic to replace destroyed Good Flora.
Uribel - Blue Capsule - Supposed to Reduce Inflammation ... Turns Urine BLUE !
OH ... Did I mention Bladder Spasms? Was told by Dr. D 5 Days Later, on Monday 5/12 ... To Be Expected! After 5 Days of Butt Discomfort when Sitting ... I DEDUCED MYSELF THAT ... My Enlarged Prostate had a Catheter in the Urethra ... Making it SQUEEZE Tighter while Sitting ... This Obviously RESTRICTS FLOW !!! Bought a Hemorrhoid "Donut Ring" Yesterday ... Helps Slightly ! Very Slightly !!!
4 days ago, on Wednesday, another New Experience ... Bloating in the Upper GI Tract ... and tremendous GAS in the Lower Bowels ... It was Bad! My First Day Back at Work ... 3 days Lost Work Cost me about $200. Bought some Gas X - Over the Counter ... It Helped a Tad!
May 19th, had a Cystogram done at Franklin Square Radiology. Doc took pictures and said Bladder Not Leaking!
Tuesday May 20th at 8:30 am, appointment to remove Catheter. Dr. Dowling answered my 8 questions. Told me he wanted to go IN again in 1 month and do a Biopsy. If okay, then needed treatment of BCG med - Once a week for 6 weeks, would require Catheter & Foley Bag Again! I was not pleased to hear this. If Not okay, might need major surgery, Bladder Removal, and a Bag All my Life! This scared the Hell out of me! More Stress Added!
He left the room and a lady/nurse? Came in, inserted syringe into catheter plug and siphoned out the saline solution. Then she said: "Are you ready?" Before I could even think or respond, she YANKED that thing out very rapidly! IT BURNED LIKE HELL!
There will be Follow-Ups, Et Cetera, to Watch ... But No Details Given as Yet.
SUMMARY:
Thus Far, Co-Pays Have Cost me over $500.00.
In Fact, the Largest Co-Pay of $300 + had to be PRE-Paid or CU Would CANCEL Surgery !!! If That Isn't "Rubbing Salt In The Wound" I Don't Know What Is !!!
OH, Yeah, were there any other 'Problems'? Their little orange Ipad for Patient Data Entry ... Doesn't properly update with their Website ... Which is really 'Screwed Up' ... Messages left on Wrong Phone Number ... Email messages - Can't Retrieve Easily ...
On Thursday morning, 5/22, I called Chesapeake Urology to complain again about unending burning - the day the Catheter was removed Dr. Dowling said: "That will all Go Away!" It Did Not! He was off, so I was scheduled to see Dr. A. Shah. A lady came in and did an UltraSound on Bladder and said was emptying fine.
Then Dr. Shah came in, I explained in detail about the burning again, he said it was 'normal' for what I had been through, and it would subside. He prescribed yet another med, Phenazopyrid 200 mg. 3X daily. This has helped slightly, but still Burning after 21 days! It makes urine bright ORANGE!
POSTSCRIPTS:
1. Have had Severe Diarrhea for 3 Days!
2. This Caused Burning Hemorrhoids ... Never had a Problem with them for 73 Years! Bought PREPARATION H ... slight relief. Still applying.
3. How do you assign a Value on ... PAIN - SUFFERING - STRESS ??? LACK OF SLEEP - WORRYING - LOST WAGES ???
I AM NOT A "HAPPY CAMPER" !!! Decided to get a 'Second Opinion."
Now waiting for a consultation with an Oncologist, Dr. A Hussain at the University of Maryland Hospital. Referred by my Daughter's Friend, Christine, an employee there.
When I called UofMD on Friday, May 23rd, did intake on phone with Garry. Was told they needed Medical Record to be Faxed before scheduling a consult. When I called CU, was told they could not release without SIGNED permission.Went immediately to Kinkos and faxed same to CU, attention Michelle, Dr. Dowling's secretary. Monday was Holiday. Called Tuesday, Michelle was OFF.
Today, Wednesday May 28th at 10:40 am, Michelle just called to advise she just Faxed records and received confirmation.
ADDENDUM ...
"To Be Forewarned Is To Be Forearmed!"
Did the Tumors Grow Recently? Did it Take 50+ Years of Smoking?
Would I Have Had another 5-10 years of Life without the Surgery?
What is my Current Prognosis?
I HAVE NO CLUE !!!
FOOTNOTE:
UROLOGICAL PROBLEMS REALLY PISS YOU OFF !!! *** NO PUN INTENDED ***
(C) - TKH.
* CONTINUATION * Tuesday June 10th ...
Since Thursday 5/22, the burning and frequent urination continued, the only difference was the orange urine color. I called CU on Wednesday, 6/4, after 13 more days of no relief. Dr. Dowling called back and instructed me to stop by to pick up some more "samples" and to leave a urine specimen to be checked. I did so, in the morning, before going to work.
The free "samples" were 3 packets of Myrbetriq, 7 pills in each. They are Supposed to control Urgency, Frequency, and Incontinence. I took the first pill as soon as I got to work.
Within a few hours, Dr. Dowling called to tell me I had a UTI, and he faxed an Rx to my pharmacy, where I worked. This prescription is CEFDINIR 300mg - 10 pills - take 2/day for 5 days, it is another Anti-Biotic ... which caused the Diarrhea to return again, prompting the need to use both PeptoBismol and Preparation-H again. More aggravation and stress!
Upon learning of my current situation, my Niece Bernie, a retired R.N. immediately told me that 90 Percent of people who have had Catheters in wind up with a Urinary tract Infection - and a Urologist should surely Know That!
They should have tested my urine Much Sooner!
By Wednesday night, 6/4 ... the CRAMPS STARTED! Awakened from a dead sleep with cramped Left leg, from knee down to toes, the Calf was like a rock ... within minutes, the right leg did the same thing, almost crippling me, and scaring the hell out of me. After struggling to get out of bed, trying to massage my legs, and forcing myself to try to walk, I got to my cell phone, and Googled "cramps."
After some extensive reading on 2 sites, I determined that I was probably Dehydrated. One site described an exercise to help relieve the calf muscles. Upon conferring with Bernie, I needed to get some Electrolytes, or Potassium in me. I bought 2 big bottles of Gatorade on my way to work Thursday morning. That morning, while driving (I deliver prescriptions) ... first my right hand Cramped up. After pulling over and massaging it, the cramp decreased. I got back on the road, and shortly thereafter, the left hand cramped. DAMN!
8 ounces of water, then 8 ounces of G-Ade. I repeated all day long. Cramped legs again, Friday night. They subsided over the weekend, but the diarrhea continued. Been taking 1 chewable wafer of probiotic ACIDOPHILUS with Lactis, each day to restore Microflora. Over the weekend, both the Frequency and Burning seemed to improve and a few times I was able to get as much as 3-4-5 hours of sleep. Much better than 1-1.5 hours.
Well, at 7:30 am TODAY, Tuesday, 6/10, a severe cramp in Right leg woke me from my sleep. It took about an hour before the calf muscle finally relaxed. I had taken the Final 10th pill of Antobiotic on Monday morning, and the 7th Myrbetriq pill in the evening. While typing this additional data here, I found the Patient Information sheet inside the box.
Guess what IT says?
Possible side effects:
INCREASED BLOOD PRESSURE -
The Urologist KNEW I WAS ON TWO MEDICATIONS FOR THIS! It jumped 30 Points!
COMMON COLD SYMPTOMS ( nasopharyngitis )
Been sneezing for several days, and runny nose!
URINARY TRACT INFECTION !!!
HELLO? Is this making Sense to anyone?
Taking an Antibiotic for Known UTI .... PLUS .... a sample that could CAUSE IT ???
DO "PILL-PUSHERS" EVER READ THE 'CRAP' THEY PRESCRIBE ???
FOOTNOTE:
On Sunday, in an effort to improve my diet, I spent $113.00, purchasing fresh fruits & vegetables, QUINOA - Metamucil - All Bran Buds (with Psyllium seed husks, Wheat & Oat bran ... and more). Having my first small bowl right now (at) 9:32 am.
Suffice it to say that I have No Confidence in Chesapeake Urology, nor Dr. William Dowling,
BUT what else can I do while I WAIT another 13 Days for my Consultation with Dr. Hussain?
WHAT A COUNTRY !!!
Tom Hyland
Oh yeah, by the way, as a Published Author, in 11 years I have over One Million 'visits' on my website at Authors Den. This True Story will be posted there!
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