Knothead...How are you?

So glad , Knot.

Echoing others, knot, very glad to hear there's no cancer in your house. And I feel certain your 'bride' must be very grateful to be able to take care of you, just to see your face every day. Y'all are obviously a peach of a couple and your friends and family are fortunate to have you both. Keep on keepin' on - springtime is right around the corner.

Oh Sal, so great to see you!!!! Best of everything in your new KY abode, and I'll hope against hope that you may stop in here from time to time, let us know where you landed and how things are going for you.

Also hope you've managed to find a somewhat more liberal area to reside!

Peace,
Linda L.

So good to see Sal posting . . . . . I miss the banter regarding our Wildcats so visit more often and GO BIG BLUE!!!

Thought I would resurrect this old thread and provide an update.

Following my surgery on Jan. 11 it was deemed a complete success as as of now the docs say I am cancer free which is wonderful. Life is more difficult with the urostomy but nothing I can't handle (nothing to do but STHU (shut the hell up) anyway! I won't go into those issues but it is far and away better than the alternative no doubt!
Ten days following the procedure I began suffering extreme nausea andmy wife took me to the ER who after realizing I just recently had bladder, prostate, lyph nodes, etc. removed, i.e., major surgery they transported me to Vanderbilt by ambulance. Arriving at the Vandy ER they evaluated me , did some scans and saw I had developed a hernia at the surgical site. I will cut to the chase here and bring it to the present day. I have a ventral hernia following the illial urinary diversion and it is driving me nuts to be honest. Painful? Not so much but extremely uncomfortable and a real pain in the butt to deal with on top of living life with this urostomy. Can it be repaired? Docs say it can be repaired but would be a very complex repair given the illeal urinary diversion is smack dab in the way to make the necessary repair! Docs initially discouraged me to follow through with repair but we agreed to come back in six months and we could talk. Six weeks later and recognizing that it has grown incrementally, I began to second guess my decision to postpone or never have it done at all. My own assessment was I will be six months older and it will get worse undoubtedly. The only upside was I am alive and can live a kinda shitty existence but the key word here is alive! Anyway after talking with my bride, who was initially opposed to doing repair, now recognizes my dilemma, a real conundrum. I made an appointment with the surgeons. It is set for August 15th pending my tests on heart and blood are within the bounds of safety. During our appointment the doc continued to stress the risks and I posed the age old question "If I were YOUR father, what would you do" and he simply reminded me that to not emphasize the risks would be borderline negligent but followed up by telling me to prepare myself for a difficult surgery and a difficult recovery. I just feel I have to do this because while life is stunningly magnificent I choose to make it more manageable and happy for whatever time there is left and I hope there is more.

Thanks yall!

Wow... thank you for sharing that. I'm so sorry for the difficulties. I wish i had something to offer... but i think that you know what's best... even more so than the doctors. I hope that you're in the best possible shape heading into such a complex operation. I'm guessing that they wanted that too. But a man can only take so much and it sounds like you're making the call that's best for your quality of life. My uncle had a similar radical prostectomy and has the same urinary setup. That was 20 years ago and he's doing quite well. No cancer... but he still has a slowly rising psa... which concerns them because as i said the prostate was removed. Oh well... i just hope for the best for you. Please let us know how the next appointment goes and the tests. Don't forget... they work for you..!!

Thanks very much for sharing more of your difficult story with us, knot.  And, while of course no one else can make the decision for you, it sure sounds as if you've arrived at a solid, well-informed choice, and I, for one, applaud you.  Please remind us closer to Aug. 15 so we can send you off to surgery with resounding good wishes for a much easier time than you or anyone else expects, and for the fastest recovery on the planet.   You deserve it all!

Just hate that you have to wait so long in discomfort, but seeing potential relief ahead must surely be of some help, yes?  

Thinking of you!

PkrBum wrote:Wow... thank you for sharing that. I'm so sorry for the difficulties. I wish i had something to offer... but i think that you know what's best... even more so than the doctors. I hope that you're in the best possible shape heading into such a complex operation. I'm guessing that they wanted that too. But a man can only take so much and it sounds like you're making the call that's best for your quality of life. My uncle had a similar radical prostectomy and has the same urinary setup. That was 20 years ago and he's doing quite well. No cancer... but he still has a slowly rising psa... which concerns them because as i said the prostate was removed. Oh well... i just hope for the best for you. Please let us know how the next appointment goes and the tests. Don't forget... they work for you..!!

Appreciate your well wishes pkr and thanks for sharing your uncle's situation and his story is encouraging to me. It's unbelievable how many people are in such similar situations over a wide range of medical conditions, an enlightenment accorded to those who have spent too much time in medical environs!! LOL Thanks again!

RealLindaL wrote:Thanks very much for sharing more of your difficult story with us, knot.  And, while of course no one else can make the decision for you, it sure sounds as if you've arrived at a solid, well-informed choice, and I, for one, applaud you.  Please remind us closer to Aug. 15 so we can send you off to surgery with resounding good wishes for a much easier time than you or anyone else expects, and for the fastest recovery on the planet.   You deserve it all!

Just hate that you have to wait so long in discomfort, but seeing potential relief ahead must surely be of some help, yes?  

Thinking of you!

Thank you so much LL, what I didn't say is it is so freaking scary (for me) but the long shot chance, although remote, is by doing nothing I could end up in a wheel chair . . . . . not going to happen!!! Fingers crossed here.

Knot, I have no doubt that it's scary as hell, especially when the doc keeps repeating the warnings. Still, you've got solid reasons for proceeding (and yes, avoiding even a long-shot wheel chair is surely good reason in itself!). You are visibly strong in your resolve despite the natural fears, and that's so, so admirable, and evidence that you've made the right decision for yourself. Fingers AND toes crossed here!!

You do what you have to do! We will be with you in spirit and prayers!

RealLindaL wrote:Knot, I have no doubt that it's scary as hell, especially when the doc keeps repeating the warnings. Still, you've got solid reasons for proceeding (and yes, avoiding even a long-shot wheel chair is surely good reason in itself!).   You are visibly strong in your resolve despite the natural fears, and that's so, so admirable, and evidence that you've made the right decision for yourself.   Fingers AND toes crossed here!!

Thank you!

Joanimaroni wrote:You do what you have to do!  We will be with you in spirit and prayers!

Appreciate it joani . . . . . so much!

Just a quick update: I have enjoyed the summer convalescing with an occasional trip to our place at the Land Between the Lakes area which I enjoy immensely. We are planning a trip in October to return to the scene of the crime and will be two additional couples to share the experience with us. They have been our guests numerous times over the years and we are all excited about the prospect. My surgery is August 15th so I am thinking I will be able to travel by Oct. 18th. My wife called my attention to the progress on the new bridge and it sounds as though part of it will be up and running by October?? I check on the forum occasionally to see what's going on and the answer seems to be very little! With the loss of Mr. Oats it has just not been the same . . . . so many things are reminders of him but I still mourn his loss although I really never knew him . . . . totally odd but still the reality.

Glad to hear that. Best of luck w surgery... let us know how it goes.

Stay in contact Knot! Wishing you well with the surgery. Thoughts and prayers continue!

Knot, all the best with your surgery - will be thinking about you with fingers and toes crossed.
Presuming "the scene of the crime" is Pensacola Beach, how wonderful that your return visit is going to happen, albeit a little later than planned! Will hope for no pesky tropical events in October.
Yes, one of the two new bridge spans is just about complete, and traffic will be flowing both ways on it in early August, barring problems. It will be a little tight, with two eastbound and two westbound lanes, plus a center emergency lane, all on a single span intended to eventually have a total of three eastbound lanes plus breakdown lanes (not counting the bike/pedestrian lane at a slightly lower level).
Speed limit will be only 35 mph, supposedly strictly enforced by FHP officers, during the single span period which could be quite lengthy, given the bridge's planned completion in 2021 (not 2020 as originally scheduled).
Could be the old bridge will be in the process of being demolished (or will already be down) by the time you arrive. The second (westbound) new span will then commence construction.
Hope this is not way more than you wanted to know!
Knot, I'm sure we all miss Seaoat, but we have some great people still remaining here. Keep in touch and take good care!

Sincere gratitude to you all for your support. I must emphasize that when I post an update it is not an opportunity for me to whine , , , , , hate the thought but I'll stay in touch. Today I am taking back my brand new iPad, not for me.

Knot, I'm sure that no one considers your updates whining. Nothing of the sort! Did you consider Seaoat's updates as whining? No! He was simply sharing his experiences with long-time cyber-friends, for the benefit of whoever cared, or for whomever his information could eventually help. Your posts are viewed the same, I assure you.

Would be very interested to know what you didn't like about the iPad. My son gifted me and his m.i.l. each with a discontinued H-P tablet at his wedding a number of years back, and hubby and I tried to get used to it but just couldn't seem to get the hang of it. Too heavy on the fingering, probably. Also, we couldn't update it because it was obsolete, so eventually found some our favorite websites unreachable, plus it began to lose the ability to retain date and time. Just frustrating, and we gave up and stuck it on a shelf.

We really don't need it anyway - my desktop (and my husband's laptop, handy in evacuations) are sufficient.

So what was your beef with the iPad?

RealLindaL wrote:Knot, I'm sure that no one considers your updates whining.  Nothing of the sort!  Did you consider Seaoat's updates as whining?  No!  He was simply sharing his experiences with long-time cyber-friends, for the benefit of whoever cared, or for whomever his information could eventually help.  Your posts are viewed the same, I assure you.

Would be very interested to know what you didn't like about the iPad.   My son gifted me and his m.i.l. each with a discontinued H-P tablet at his wedding a number of years back, and hubby and I tried to get used to it but just couldn't seem to get the hang of it.  Too heavy on the fingering, probably.   Also, we couldn't update it because it was obsolete, so eventually found some our favorite websites unreachable, plus it began to lose the ability to retain date and time.   Just frustrating, and we gave up and stuck it on a shelf.  

We really don't need it anyway - my desktop (and my husband's laptop, handy in evacuations) are sufficient.

So what was your beef with the iPad?

From my brief encounter with it I can say it is truly a quality product (no surprise). When I found out I could only text with people who have an iPhone that's a deal breaker to me. Like you guys I don't really need it and it cost around $425 . . . . . BUT . . . . . I am going to get a Samsung tablet which costs a third. It has a 7" screen, long lasting battery and will do the trick for me. My bride has a Samsung phone, Samsung laptop and a Samsung tablet. They are so convenient . . . . makes using a laptop unnecessary except if we need to print something. Don't need it but so convenient so what the heck, right?

Oh, what the heck for sure. Enjoy! But we are dinos here and don't have smart phones either (just flips). We're mostly homebodies and just don't need mobile tech devices.

An old friend back home in VA emailed me recently that she wished I texted because the messaging back and forth is fun and faster (than email). I wrote back and told her, with all due respect and affection, I didn't wish to be tethered to a phone all day. That's how I see it with so many people, walking around with their noses in their smart phones, even here on this beautiful beach - totally missing the world around them.

But never mind me - as I said, a dino - but a perfectly happy one.

Enjoy your tablet in better health!!

New PNJ.com article tonight says speed limit on the bridge APPROACHES will be 35 mph, while the actual bridge speed limit will be the same as currently - 45 mph - except strictly enforced. (We'll see.)

That's how I see it with so many people, walking around with their noses in their smart phones, even here on this beautiful beach - totally missing the world around them.



LL, I totally agree with you as I'd take the beach any day. These devices are handy but troublesome (for me) but although I have a smart phone it sits on my nightstand more than anything. One of the things I really really like is my ability to keep track of appts in the calendar and while I am at the confessional I do enjoy texting immensely. .

knothead wrote:while I am at the confessional  I do enjoy texting immensely. .  

So, apparently, do millions of others.  

Do you think you (and/or anyone else here) could please articulate for me the great attraction of texting?  I'm seriously interested to know why it's so addictive for so many. I just don't get it. What puts it head and shoulders over emailing, for instance, much less actually talking on the phone?