I am writing this article well after the fact – on Sunday, the 7th of August, 2016, almost 2 years after my ‘radical’ prostatectomy surgery.
It’s partly due to the long wait for pictures of ‘da Vinci’ that Dr. Morash had been working on for my website. They finally came through ‘from the cloud’ a few weeks ago on the 27th of April, 2016.
I give Dr. Morash a lot of credit for his persistent effort to get these pictures for me. Early attempts were aborted due to focus problems with his mobile phone. The final images showing the da Vinci robot and Dr. Morash’s expert ‘human’ surgical team in action were shot and produced by a very good commercial photographer, Trevor Lush. His website, a work in progress as he said, is at http://www.trevorlush.com/Trevor_Lush/About_Me.html
These images were taken well after my encounter with ‘da Vinci’, with the good help of a ‘proxy’ patient whose name is anonymous. I had no idea that I would be creating this website at the time – and so, was totally unprepared then to document the process in photographic detail. However, once the idea of this website took hold, I made it my objective to fill in the visual gaps in my story as best I could, taking many shots in and around the hospital – with kind permission from all participants and with due respect for everyone’s personal privacy.
There was more than enough opportunity for this ‘catch up’ picture taking while I was in Radiation Therapy, four months after my surgery. I was camped out for six and a half weeks at the Rotel motel on the Ottawa General campus for my daily treatments – more about this, later!
This article – ‘Appointment with ‘da Vinci’ the Robot’ tells the story starting from the day before and up to my arrival for surgery on Tuesday, October the 7th, 2016. Preparation for the operation and my meeting with Dr. ‘da Vinci’ will be told in a following article in the making … including the intriguing pictures from Dr. Morash I spoke of above.
Here goes …
Waiting ‘patiently’ at home in Merrickville for the ‘da Vinci’ call on October the 6th, 2014 …
As promised, somewhere in the mountains of pre-op documents, the phone suddenly rang out …
“Terry at tOH calling – Get your butt into the Critical Care Unit tomorrow at 6:00 am!”
“da Vinci is waiting … ”
Well, not quite in those words, but pretty emphatic!
Lots and lots of preparation had been undertaken, as I understood more later. I sure wouldn’t want to miss the ‘launch’ after all of that – or would I ?
My brothers, Don and Chris, were thankfully on board to help me through the days before and after the surgery. So, I was sure to make the appointment one way or another!
Early to bed tonight, after my 8 glasses of water during the day and zero solid food after midnight. Nothing more to do after many weeks of planning, tests, doctors’ appointments, gathering paraphernalia needed after the surgery, making lists and more lists, and packing the essentials for the ‘trip’ … lists, how-to after surgery brochures, PJs, toiletries, slippers, robe, glasses, meds (none for me – no longer needed without a prostate!), contact info, wallet (ID), hospital ‘green’ card, OHIP card ($$$ insurance) – what did I forget ??
… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz …
… buzzzzzzzzzz – alarm goes off – far too early !!!
Up and at it at 4:00 am – ugh!
Two more glasses of water, 90 minutes before ‘check in’ – check.
No breakfast – check.
Loose pants for after the surgery (room for catheter bag – what?) – check.
Bring all items on the list – which list? – OMG there it is! – check.
Wake up my drivers – check.
Set up the GPS for brothers to find the hospital in Ottawa and their way back home – 80 km away – check.
GO …
My prostate leaves home for the last time.
“Sigh!”
“What will it be like?”
I’ll tell you later …
Stop at Timmy’s (short for Tim Horton’s for you under privileged non-Canadians) for coffee, for the drivers only! – check.
… and stop for a pee for Tim – check.
Arrive at the Ottawa General Hospital – where to park?
Not to worry. I have it down pat from all the many preparatory visits for the past few months.
Turn into the main entrance off Smyth Road, turn right onto the ring road, and immediately left into the parking lot entrance …
Grab the parking ticket, wait for the gate to raise – of course – then drive up the ramp …
… and into the building – headlights ON so you can avoid adding more patients to the emergency ward …
Drive around and around, and around a few more times to get all the way to the roof of the garage – I like to be on top of it! Besides, it’s usually pretty full in all the lower levels, and pretty empty up top!
“See! I told you …”
Now, down the elevator with the brothers and all of the paraphernalia …
Down a pretty smooth ride to the ground level …
Hang a left toward the front entrance of the hospital – the view below is a later picture taken from the stairwell – turn right at the first passage (underneath the Emergency ramp) and proceed straight ahead to the revolving doors on your right again – this leads you into the Cancer Center.
Keep going – don’t give up yet – you’re almost half way there.
The old prostate’s hours are numbered … won’t be long now!
Now, just walk all the way down the long hallway through the Cancer Center,
past the Wall of Honor on the left,
under the spectacular skylight above,
and out through the exit doors at the far end …
There it is – the main entrance to the ‘Critical Care Wing’ – where ‘da Vinci’ awaits in the surgical ward!
By the way, I could have spared you the twisting journey from the parking garage, since there is an outside parking lot just ahead through the portico and on the left – but you may have missed out on the ‘Wall of Honour’ and a last bit of exercise before the surgery – and you will probably need to know in the future how to get to the parking garage anyway, when you may very well return in the Winter for follow-up and further care.
My ‘walk’ continues to the ‘Surgical Day Care Unit’ of the Ottawa General Hospital as I recall events in the next article: “My Prostate – There It Was – Gone!”