Hey Tim & Kathy,
Thanks for thinking of us. The consultation went well on Tuesday. Dr. Koch said the tumor responded well to the chemo & it is now half the size as it was when we started. He feels confident that Shawn will be able to receive the neo-bladder, unless there any any unforseen circumstances. He does think he will be able spare nerves on his left side, but not on the right. Also, the tumor is sitting on the base of the prostate, therefore they will remove that as well. Did they remove your entire prostate or just part of it? Surgery is scheduled for January 6. They offered to do it before Christmans, but we opted not to spend Christmas day in the hospital. Dr. Koch also wants to "fatten" Shawn up a little more before the surgery, as he thinks he will lose more weight. Did you lose a lot of weight?
Dr. Koch explained the surgery and what to expect. A great deal of what he stated was very similar to what you experienced. He sounded confident that Shawn would come through the surgery and recovery well.
How is your recovery going? I am curious as to how you are doing now. My husband is very anxious to get back to a normal life as soon as possible. One of the first questions he asked the doctor was how long he was going to be off of work. Please give me an update on your progress so I can share your recovery experiences with him.
Thanks again for thinking of us and for all of your information.
Steph