Paul Meyer 2014
Paul Meyer is a local farmer and family man from West Point. He came into the Dinklage Clinic in October 2012, for his annual physical like any other year. What he was not ready for was a phone call stating, “I think you need to come in to talk.” After a recommended biopsy, Paul’s fear was confirmed; he had prostate cancer. In January 2013, he underwent a Robotic Prostatectomy in hopes to remove all of the cancer. He returned home and became very ill; unable to keep anything down and becoming very dehydrated, Paul returned to the Medical Center in Omaha where they discovered a hole in his colon. His body went into septic shock and Paul was in the ICU for two weeks in a drug-induced coma. “My kidneys and liver were starting to shut down and they weren’t sure I was going to make it.” Paul acknowledges the Wellness Center in West Point as a contributor in saving his life. “I think since I came into Wellness so much before all of this happened, it kept my heart strong enough to keep going.” Following a colonoscopy, it was time for Paul to get his strength and endurance back and he also required extensive wound healing therapies. “They were going to send me to Immanuel in Omaha or Madonna in Lincoln, but I wanted to be closer to home; one of my nurses told me, ‘They can do all that in West Point.’” Paul then came to the St. Francis Memorial Hospital for about three weeks to begin overcoming multiple obstacles set in front of him. “I’ve never liked the word can’t. You can always try, but don’t tell me you can’t.” He received Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy; “I couldn’t walk, lift anything, and had no strength. I was also confused from all the anesthesia and had to learn to manage a wound vac. Having therapists locally made all the difference.” Following three weeks of intense therapy, he was able to return home with the support of his family. Paul is a very motivated patient and an inspiration to the therapists and other patients as he continues working out 3-4 times a week. “You’ve just gotta keep trying, attitude is 99% of recovery.”
