Game Changer

    If you know my story, you are aware that I was diagnosed with Stage 3 bladder cancer in 2004, resulting in the removal of my bladder and subsequent creation of a new bladder, a "neobladder" from a portion of my small intestine.  This artificial bladder has served me adequately since my surgery but I've struggled with a persistent issue for seventeen years as a result of this life-saving procedure, i.e. incontinence or leakage of urine, especially at night.  As a result, I've had to sleep wearing an adult diaper practically every night.  

    I've tried a couple of medications to alleviate this problem without success.  At one point, I was put on imipramine (Tofranil) which is a drug used to treat childhood bedwetting.  However, this was stopped after several weeks without providing the desired result.  Within the past year,  another urologist attempted a more modern pharmacological agent, tolterodine (Detrol), but it also provided no help.

    In addition, I've attempted non-phamacologic ways to deal with the nighttime incontinence, e.g. emptying my bladder right before I go to sleep.  Nevertheless, the urine leakage has remained an issue.

    Furthermore, I've had some issues with some urine leakage during the day, making me wear a small pad underneath my undergarments.   Plus, the fear of urine leakage has caused me to wear dark pants only in case I wet my pants even the slightest amount during the day (not quite as noticeable when wearing dark clothes).

    However, in March 2020, I attended a urology seminar to obtain continuing education credits as a nurse practitioner.  During the course of the day, I spoke with one of the urologists and mentioned how incontinence has plagued me for such a long time in spite of several failed therapies.  He mentioned how having an artificial urinary sphincter might be of some assistance to me.

    What is an artificial urinary sphincter?  It is a surgical device with an inflatable cuff that fits around the urethra close to the point where it joins the bladder.  Basically it squeezes the urethra shut so that no urine can leak out.  In addition, a balloon device is placed in the pelvic area and a pump secured in the scrotum to control the opening and closing of the inflatable cuff.  If the patient needs to urinate, he squeezes the pump in the scrotum, thus releasing the pressure on the urethra for about ninety seconds and allowing the urine to flow.   

    Therefore, after pondering this decision for some time (mainly waiting for COVID issues to settle down at my hospital),  I underwent placement of an artificial urinary sphincter on May 20, 2021.  The surgery was done as an outpatient.  I was off work for about two weeks to recover.  The urology nurse practitioner later activated the device about four weeks after the surgery.

    What has been the result?  The artificial urinary sphincter has been an absolute game changer!  I no longer have to sleep with the embarrassment of a diaper.  I only leak a few drops at night (if any).  I do still wear a small pad, i.e. a "male guard", during the day because I sometimes have mild leakage when I cough or sit down in a chair.  However, the incontinence is about 97.5% controlled.  I couldn't be more happy about the results.  

    

    

Eulogy For My Father (There Are No Orphans of God)

         I've been away from my blog for a while due to other issues.  Today I buried my father, Benjamin Campbell, and felt compelled to share my eulogy from his funeral.

            "I’ve thought about this day for many, many years.  Once my father passed away, I knew I wanted to give a eulogy.   However, in giving a eulogy, I’ve discovered how I am so limited in time.

In writing about the life of Jesus, the Apostle John wrote in John 21:25, “...There are many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books which were written.”   In other words, John said he didn’t have the time nor the space to write about every deed or interaction that Jesus had when he walked on this earth.

In the same way, my sister, brother, myself, extended family or even you in attendance could certainly speak for hours about the ways Ben Campbell touched our lives.  Therefore, for the sake of time, I will only speak for a few minutes about my impressions of my father’s earthly life.

But in reviewing his life, I would say that my father lived a life of love.  Not that he would tell you “he loved you” (he was not a “touchy-feely sort of guy”—I think this was the residual effect of being raised without a father), but yet he was a man of many loves.  So, I feel compelled to mention some of the things which he loved and some examples, not necessarily in order.

First of all, he loved the Lord and served Him through His church.  He was saved at a young age, later became a deacon/Sunday School teacher and was an integral part of church committees over the years.  He was faithful at church until his health began to fail.  Yet, a couple of examples come to my mind.  I remember one time when I wanted him to play golf with me but he had to refuse because he was tied up in projects at his church.  One time he spent several hours spraying Round-Up on the pavement of the parking lot at South Roebuck Baptist Church because he wanted to kill all of the grass which was sprouting up on the parking area.  On another occasion, he couldn’t play golf because he had to help unload food from a truck which his church was using to support a local food bank.  Mind you, he was in his eighties but he still wanted to help unload these most likely heavy boxes of food.

He also dearly loved his family and wanted to provide every opportunity for my siblings and I to succeed.  I remember one time we were picking blackberries at my uncle’s house in Honoraville, Alabama and my father tried to make this as easy as possible.  If you’ve ever picked blackberries, you know how these bushes can scratch you with their thorns.  However, what Daddy did was try to mash down the bushes as much as possible so we could get to the blackberries without harm (and hopefully scaring off all of the snakes).  This is a beautiful picture of what he was always doing for us in life, trying to lessen obstacles so we could reach the blackberries in life.

He loved children.  He especially loved his grandchildren and great grandchildren.  He also loved children in our neighborhood as we were growing up on Seventh Avenue South in Crestwood.  I remember one time he was working from his office at home and a couple of girls down the street named Stephanie and Angie would visit him while he was working.  Well, Daddy decided he would make a special treat for these girls so he invented a bubble gum tree.  He took some bubble gum and taped it to a bush so the girls could come by and help themselves to the bubble gum tree.  However, one time he told Angie to get some green apple gum from the tree (it was round and green) but Angie refused saying it wasn’t “ripe.”

He loved pets, especially cats.  As a matter of facts, cats always seemed to find him.  As we were growing up we always had a dog and several cats, perhaps a reason why all of us in our family are so fond of pets.  One of our neighbors even commented at one time how she wanted to be one of the Campbell’s pets based on the love they received. 

 He loved people in general.  I remember him saying how Mama Glenn would give away her last nickel to someone in need.  Daddy was the same way.  He always sought to help people in any way possible.

 He also loved limited foods.   He especially loved peanut butter and watermelon.  At one time, he mentioned he wanted to be buried with some peanut butter at his head and a watermelon at his feet (or vice versa).  In relation to this, he was somewhat inflexible in trying out new foods.  How many times we were embarrassed when we went to an Italian restaurant and he would tell the waitress he wanted “United States food.”

Finally, as you may be aware, Daddy’s father died when he was three weeks old after being stung by countless number of bees while trying to retrieve honey from a tree.  As a result, Daddy’s mother Dovie sent Daddy along with his brothers and sisters to live in the Masonic Home Orphanage in Montgomery to provide their care during the Great Depression.

There is a great song written by Joel Lindsey and Twila LaBar (sung by the Christian group Avalon) which I think sums up Daddy’s life to an extent, how he loved others and how God took care of him.  It’s called “Orphans of God.”

 

'Who here among us has not been broken

Who here among us is without guilt or pain

So oft abandoned by our transgressions

If such a thing as grace exists, then grace was made for lives like this

 

There are no strangers, there are no outcasts, there are no orphans of God

So many fallen but, hallelujah, there are no orphans of God

 

Come ye unwanted and find affection

Come all ye weary, come and lay down your head

Come ye unworthy, you are my brother

If such a thing as grace exists, then grace was made for lives like this

 

There are no strangers, there are no outcasts, there are no orphans of God

So many fallen but, hallelujah, there are no orphans of God

 

Oh, blessed Father, look down upon us

We are Your children, we need Your love

We run before Your throne of mercy and seek Your face to rise above

 

There are no strangers, there are no outcasts, there are no orphans of God

So many fallen but, hallelujah, there are no orphans of God

 

There are no strangers, there are no outcasts, there are no orphans of God

So many fallen but, hallelujah, there are no orphans of God' 

So, Daddy, you may have been raised in an orphanage, but you never were truly an orphan.  Throughout your life, you were surrounded by your siblings and extended family, children and their spouses, grandchildren, great grandchildren coupled with the countless neighbors, church members, and golf buddies who loved you dearly."