D - Day for Catheter

Its been a week already since the big op and tomorrow the man get to have the catheter that has been sharing our bed and his leg removed.YAY!
We removed the bandages from his incisions today...just to have a look.
I also got to watch a part of a taped radical prostatectomy on the computer (from a medical site)and they showed how the prostate is removed via the incision made just above the belly button. Totally amazing.
The man has a stitch in three of the incisions and three stitches in the other two.
Wow again...
All of us will now have our very own pads in the bathroom cabinet..the man will have his, I will have mine and our daughter will have hers.
Life is not back to normal..yet
I am just tip toeing through.

Facing the demons.

The man is HOME! YAY!!!!
The op is now over and we await biposy results.
I felt such intense happiness when I first saw him waiting in the entrance of the hospital when I went to pick him up on Thursday night.
I could finally see him, feel him and touch him.
It was good.
He is recovering well.

I am unaccustommed to feeling such fear. But the fear of losing my life partner was just way too intense.It really messed with my mind.

The man was truly the brave one.He went into it head long. There was no other option in his mind and I am astounded by how he has come through. Always a joke ready. Always seeing his predicament as being minor compared to the plight of others who are having more serious health issues.

We also did manage to collect the appropriate medicinal provisions from the Queen Victoria Markets before departure i.e.Polish jam donuts, almond croissants and other assorted cakes and pastries to assist in the man's recovery.
Again, thank you to you all...for your kindness and concern.
Thank you for your support and caring.

Signing off for a while

Hey folks..
Letting you all know that I will not be blogging for a little while...somehow the words are just not comming.
Will be back soon.

Inspirational thought of the week!
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK..THEY DON'T DO IT VERY OFTEN.
Oh so true.

I have been at my spot at the mall for 35 days now and have been abused for stealing the seating at least once, but mostly twice a day.
Today was no different..only the techniques have changed, cause the same people are coming back to abuse me.
Firstly, it was the blatant, "where have you put our seats!"
Now they have come back and see that I am still there, so they pretend they are going to buy a calendar and come up to me and ask " how long are you going to be here?" followed by " you know our seats used to be here".
But the best is when they come up with their trolleys and stop right in front of my desk..sigh heavily, grab at their backs in fake pain,gasping.."Oh God, I do't think that I can make it any further..if my seats were STILL HERE, I would be able to sit down!!!!" loudly enough for me to hear them.
Subtle eh..freaking old farts...
I hope Santa takes all their dentures on Christmas Eve and flushes them down the toilet!That will fix em...
The Jeweller right next to us got robbed today...some guy just walked in and lent straight over the counter with a shop full of staff and people and proceeded to take two items worth about $10,000 off a back wall display!
He was out of there before anyone could do a thing about it...lovely.
Must have been doing his Christmas shopping..

Serious Mary Meltdown!

Had one serious meltdown yesterday...it was bound to happen at some point..needless to say that there will be more. I have promised 'the man' to stay strong and send positive energy his way..and I will try. I promise.
Good thing that I had a bottle of Bach Rescue Remedy under the desk at work. I think I had half a bottle yesterday but the bloody stuff works.
It's getting busier now at the Square. People are buying 5,6,7 calendars at once rather than the one or two that they were getting a few weeks ago.They are much happier to part with their money now that Christmas is only 6 weeks away!
Went to Rose Cottage tonight and was part of a super fantastic drumming circle held by Larry, Michelle's (arty farty Mary)partner.
What a hoot - I am sure that the whole of Waratah new what we were doing.
I played with a gong for most of the night and irritated everyone...and I got to have a go of Larry's super duper bongos. Wow!!!I loved that.There were 17 of us going off...thanks Larry - it really lifted my spirits and I am sure it had the same effect on everyone else.
I am sure there will be pictures being posted on the other blog sites as I write.

One month down - two to go!

It has already been one month since I started Calendar Club. My, how time flies when you are enjoying yourself..
I can handle it much better when I am busy but when it is slow I lose my will to live.It is so boring, I have nothing to do and know that I could be using this time to be vacuming at home, cleaning, ironing,shopping, cooking, hang on....maybe I should just enjoy the boredom?
"The man" has nine days and had to go and buy some slippers and a dressing gown for hospital saying that it would be inappropriate to get around in an old t shirt and tracky daks in el posho expensivo hospitalo!
So he went and brought slippers with Bart Simpson on them....Classy, very classy.
We are having some 'final meals' with friends this week cause after that the man wants to be 'left alone' for a while to recuperate in peace. Understandable.I wish I could do more for him, but will be stuck at Charlestown Square being bored.

Barramundi Man spotted!

If you have read my blog over the last week or two you will know about Barramundi Man. He comes every year, does a swoop of the stand and then heads straight for the "Models" section to have a good perve. He is always dressed the same way year after year, in a hat with sharks teeth around the edge,or a nothern territory cap, a barramundi T- shirt and shorts and a lurid look on his face.
Well, yesterday was the day....like clock work.
Then there's the young guy, a few sandwiches short of a picnic who wears his tracky pants up around his armpits colorfully co-ordinated with a hawaiian print shirt who pretends to look at every other calendar until he thinks I cant see and then goes to have a good perve at the models section, gets sprung and walks off with a stiffy...ewwwwww!!
Then there are the morons looking for calendars of Pomeramiams, Laksma Ashpos, Dovermans,Westfield Highfield Terriers,and several other dog breeds that I have to translate to make some semblence of sense out of...pure joy!
On the other side of the fence 'the man' got a free sample pack of nappies to try for his period of incontinence that he faces when he comes out of hospital - He modelled one for me and I told him that Michael Jackson used to pay good money to wear ones just like that......until he got sprung.
Life is a box of chocolates, isn't it?!!

But it's so expensive!

The conversation went like this....
"How much is this guinea pig calendar?"
"It's $21.95".
"$21.95?!!But that's so expensive....well, they do love their guinea pigs...but it's so expensive..are you sure that's the price?".
I turn the calendar over and show Mrs. Tightarse Pensioner the RRP on the back.
"Yes..that's right ...it's $21.95".
"I normally wouldn't spend so much on a calendar..but they do love their guinea pigs".
Waiting....waiting...
"I would not normally pay so much for a calendar...they own guinea pigs you know."
"Mmmm"
Another customer approaches with a purchase.
"Is his calendar also $21.95?"
"No, his is $23.95 - he has a 'Hot Buns' Calendar (female models).Maybe you would like that one?"
"Oh no.....I normally don't spend so much on a calendar...It's so expensive..
Mmmmm....$21.95"
"Mmmm"
"Well, ok then..I guess I will buy it then - I am being so extravangant! $21.95 for a calendar!!"
Smoke is seen comming out of my ears!!!
She pays...she leaves mumbling.."so expensive"
I guess she will go home, have a Bex and a good lie down.

Life is one big box of calendars

Well, I know that I am being tested by the arseholes at Calendar Club, cause they have chosen to see whether they can break my back by sending me three pallets of calendars this week, that's over 1000 kilos and then another pallet of 102 kilos which was dispatched today.
At the moment I am putting in 12 hour days, and thank God for the help of my mother in law and 'the man' who are bravely pretending that all is ok and that the world has not gone mad!!
So forgive me for not blogging on a regular basis for the next week, I will be in the garage with my 1000 kilos of calendars finding a vacant orifice to place them in.
I could think of a few orifices I would like to put them, but I would have to send them back to Melbourne, which would mean I would have to spend extra money.
Meanwhile, sweating out operation countdown and slowly tying myself in knots.

Hi Tech Surgery

How much would you pay to see your loved one well and free of disease?
Everything that you had? Yep - without a doubt. You would do it in a heartbeat!
So this is why the man is going to Melbourne to have his surgery. Professor Testicleremover is THE BEST - he invented the bloody machine that is going to be used to do the surgery - he has a world patent on his wall, along with a signed photo of George Bush Senior and various other famous people, including the Packers who thank him for his work and dedication.
He uses a technique called robotic surgery (not done in NSW).
A huge robotic device enters the body through 5 small incisions in the stomach area and the professor sits about a metre away with his head in a huge microscope thingy that allows him to manipulate the robotic arms to cut and stitch with the utmost precision.
What this means is that there is a greater chance to preserve the nerves that run near the prostate and are needed to insure continence and erection probability in the future.
As the man is so young, he has a good chance to regain all uses given time.For every man it is different - but definately harder the older the patient is.
The other type of surgery is what is called open surgery, where the doctor makes a large cut in the lower abdomen or near the anus and goes in through muscles and such and causes a lot more damage to nerves and tissue in the process.
The second type of surgery is much more invasive and recovery is a lot longer.
We envisage the man going in on Tuesday 21st November ( yep - that's D Day!) with one day in recovery and he is up and ready to travel home by Friday. Totally amazing and achievable all going well.
The result?
We don't know until a byopsy is done at the time of surgery - then we will know if all the cancer has been taken or whether the man will require further treatment as in radiotherapy or hormone therapy.
This this is not the end of the story - this is the beginning.
We need to get through this stage to get to recovery stage and then take it day by day - incontinence pad by incontinence pad!
I just want him alive and home so that I can continue to breath.
At the moment I feel drained and tired.The man is holding up and is much stronger than I am. I crumble like a hysterical mad woman and cannot bear to think about it all for too long.
Our short time in Melbourne was great - even though the Victoria markets were closed we made due with a trip to a Greek cake shop to buy a dozen creamy, chocolatey, delicious cakes..yum. Part of the man's therapy, of course!
I love Melbourne - must go there more often.
To all of you who have sent their wishes over the last few days and have waited for info, we again thank you!
I have felt so much heartfelt support from you all that it is truely uplifting.
The man has been overwhelmed and is also very thankful.
Our love to you all.