Today was my latest judgement day. Had a year off since last cystoscopy plus 3 BCG maintenance treatments. Have since sold our house and moved out of state, but Dr. Hopkins is still in Salt Lake City. So our first big trip since retirement was right back to where we came from a few months ago. We had a week of business related stuff to do, and I was able to squeeze in the cysto for today. Being busy is good, as you really don't think much or worry about the cysto. I was able to do a bit of deep breathing exercises this morning, and then we were off to the doc's office. With an 11AM appointment, we knew it would be late, and we had a pretty long wait in the exam room waiting for the event, which finally happened around noon. This time allows trepidation to build. How does one spell trepidation? Something like this:
Surprisingly this room is far less creepy than it was in 2008 when I had my first cysto in here. Then it was just a bench and an optical scope. No comfy exam chair and no hi-tech video system, lights, etc. Even so, one must spend the time somehow. The nurse was kind enough to give us a heads up when we were next in line for the doc, so I did not have to spend the entire hour semi-naked on the table. My wife gave me a gentle back and neck rub until the nurse came in and said we were next. Then I just relaxed on the table and played with the stress balls an thought happy thoughts for 15 minutes or so. The doc was relaxed, thorough and quick. "Looks good," was the verdict, rendering my ALL CLEAR. Now cancer free for:
We discussed next year's schedule and diagnostics. I'm on for IVP instead of CT scan, PSA, Cysto, and 3 maintenance BCG treatments. Scheduled the cysto for May 10, and will worry about the rest later. Going to forget about having cancer for a while. We went out and had an epic lunch celebration at perhaps the best restaurant in Salt Lake City, Pago. I highly recommend it!
Thanks for all your prayers and good wishes of support. God is good, all the time!
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