Sunday, October 20, 2024

Back to being a pirate Oct. 20, 2024


I’m posting old journal entries from more than a decade ago, neglecting to mention that in the midst of my connection with our poet, I came down with a seriously enlarged prostate – which had an unfortunate side effect.

I went to a urologist in the Peninsula City, but before I could get a full evaluation, he had a mental breakdown, and I found myself unable to pee a night, and unable to hold it back during the day – not to mention other things I could not do (which apparently explained one of the issues I had with the poet back then.

The new urologist feared cancer, but after a biopsy, he determined the prostate was massive, but not malignant. He said surgery might be needed, but feared that the one problem I had might become a permanent issue if he cut into the prostate. So, he medicated me – giving me a capsule that helped me pee at night, and a small blue pill that was supposed to help reduce the size of the prostate.

For a time, it worked. I could pee at night and could hold it by day.

Then, in late 2020, I developed a double hernia – which required immediate surgery – the aftermath of which was total blockage, and the need for me to wear a bag (I won’t say where the tube had to go that fed the bag) until I could undergo prostate reduction surgery. For several weeks, I walked around (covering my beat) while wearing the bag, a few times stopping off at the local ER so I could empty the bag.

I felt incredibly old and disabled. The surgery apparently worked, and I no longer needed to take the pee pill, but continued on the small blue pill that kept the prostate from growing out of control.

In the meantime, my urologist retired, and I started being treated by his partner. Last week, I got a clean bill of health from him, but I mentioned that the prescription for the little blue pill at un out – I unfortunately called it that. He told me there was no problem and sent the prescription to my pharmacy. When I picked it up last week, I discovered the pill was not small or blue, but assumed he had prescribed a different version – that was until I suddenly found myself hobbling around on a third leg. Obviously, what meant as a little blue pill differed from what I meant – but it apparently what I needed for more than a decade.

One time after eye surgery years ago, I looked like a pirate because of the patch I had to wear over one eye. Now I walk like one.

arrr!!!!


email to Al Sullivan

 


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