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First, I have a couple of anniversaries to note:

September 12, 2011 – Two Month Anniversary of my first bicycle ride (7/12) after a nine month medical leave
September 20, 2011 – Four Month Anniversary of the day my prostate was removed

And then, this is how things are going on the bike:

My comfort in the saddle is finally getting manageable and the amount of energy I have post-ride is a lot better than before.  I can do longer rides without too much struggle and the 9 mile morning/evening commute is getting a little faster all the time.  I can take the pain of a hard effort better this week than last, and the recovery time seems to be a little shorter too.  All of that is really good news!

On the flip side; Man is it depressing how much fitness I still don’t have!  If a glass of water is my level of fitness, and FULL is where I was nine months previous to July 12th; I was EMPTY.  Up 16 pounds, soft jello-like muscles, and no cardio to speak of, I was just empty.  Nothing to offer but a new reality to endure.

Currently, the fitness glass is either half-full or half-empty, depending how you see things, and filling slowly.  I have lost 6 pounds and the cardio is on its way back.   The soft jello-muscles are slowly transitioning their way into the hard-working pistons they were – way back in October, 2010.  And, as an added plus, my resting heart rate is down around 58 bpm.  Good news!

“Think of what you want most, then become it”.  June is when I began thinking.

When Doc said I could begin walking, I walked.  If you read this bLog while I was recovering you know I walked several times and each time was better than the time before.  I remember the first time I couldn’t get down to the end of the street without having to turn around and practically RUNNING back home to get in to the bathroom!  A week or two later, I was down the street and around the corner for a 3 mile walk.  After that a 7 mile jaunt.  When you dedicate your life to a thing, nothing is terribly difficult!

After the first post-surgery PSA blood test I was told I could ride, so I rode.  And it hurted me….but I hung in there anyway.  And I rode every day for as long as I could handle the pain.  I think the first ride was about 12 miles.  After my neck muscles allowed it, I was back on the bike for a little longer ride of 18 miles.  After my butt stopped feeling like I had left the saddle inside it, I was out again for more.  I don’t recall the progression now, but suffice it to say I rode EVERY chance I got.  And while I was not working, it was so easy!

After one month of riding as often as I could, on August 15th, I was back to work.  After three months off (two of which were all about healing, the final about getting strong), I was back on the job.  Which is when the bike commute began anew.

To refresh your memory, the bicycle commute takes me along the top of a really flat and paved levee for 3 miles before dropping on to our local river-hugging bike trail.  Fully paved, lined, and marked for runners/walkers/bicycles there are no cars or motorized vehicles of any kind on any part of this ride, and that goes for another 4 miles.  Then, I pick up another levee on the other side of the river that winds over to the downtown area where I integrate on to an actual road for a half mile and find myself at work with 9 miles logged.  It is a nice ride of 30 minutes and it doesn’t hurt all day like it did one month ago….which is really good news because I turn around and go back the same way after work, and do this every workday!  I make the commute as difficult as I can handle by keeping constant pressure on the pedals, and about half-way thru going into Time Trial mode for a dose of true effort.  The commute is anything but mundane and it helps make me strong again.

Work is the thing I do between rides.

Health Stuff

Just yesterday I went to Vampire House where they drew blood from my arm again.  PSA test and hoping for zeroes.  Results next week….wish me luck!

And OK boys and girls, this is the serious part.  If you don’t want to know the details about what happens when a doctor removes a man’s prostate, read no further.

Seriously….if you don’t want to know, stop reading.

I’ll wait.

{insert music here.  Use the theme from “Jeapordy”}

OK, if everyone is gone who should be/wants to be gone, and the rest of you are interested in the embarrassing details, here you go:

Peeing.  This WAS a problem.  And I did not think it would ever get back to normal.  They did the surgery and left a catheter in to allow the urethra to heal.  They cut and reattach this pipe during surgery.  After ten days they removed the catheter and I was certain I would never control my pee again.  Maybe I wouldn’t be able to…wow, there’s a thought. Or maybe I would be in that awkward 10% of folks who never get that control back.  Wear diapers?  Ugh, THERE’S a lifetime of embarrassment!  What a bummer it is to even THINK like that!  Fortunately I did not need to harbor those thoughts as it became less and less of a problem to control starting/stopping and when/where for the next session in front of the porcelin.  Today I have about 99% of that control back and have little concern knowing it will completely heal the way it should.  I’ll put a check in the box marked “Success” for that problem.

Erection.  Nope.  None to report.  It is easy (and disappointing) to report this as the one malady I currently endure.  This was/is a concern they prepare you for and they also seem to think it will work itself out over the first year or so.  I guess the nerves – even though they were spared during surgery – take time to heal.  I guess.  Fantastically, my wife is very supportive and has no concern either way.  And really truly, me too.  I mean, I don’t NEED an erection, but it is still weird I don’t get them anymore.  After a lifetime of success, failure is the new reality.  So I’ll put a check in the box for “Hopeful”.  Not a complete failure yet.  They say it needs more time.  And apparently, thanks to the surgery, I’ve got that.  Thanks doc!