I had my bladder reconstruction/repair surgery on October 19, 2016 by Dr. Charles Secrest, Good Shepherd Hospital, Longview, Texas. This is his speciality and I think very highly of him. He's a good ole Texas boy with a wonderful personality and bedside manner. He made me feel very comfortable from the start.
He gave me several options about what kind of surgery I would be facing and said he wouldn't know which until he got in the actually look at the bladder. Right before the surgery, he did tell me that the good news was that from the last sonogram I had, my kidney was not longer showing a blockage and was working perfectly. So, that was really good news.
During the surgery, done vaginally, he said (in layman's terms), he took a slice of skin from one side of my vaginal wall and used it as a patch on the bladder. Then took another slice of skin from the other side and did a second patch on the bladder. Used his special "double hitch" stitches to stitch it all up. He said he did a really good job, and then it was up to me to let it heal. I had to go home and do absolutely nothing for a month. I would not sit in a chair or lounger. I could recline on the bed or I could recline on the sofa. He said I was to lift nothing, and reach for nothing. He told my husband that he had to do everything. He did tell me I could get up and walk around the house, but he did not want to me get out of the house..like get in the car and go anywhere. He said getting in and out of a car was the worst thing I could do. So, I followed his instructions completely. My husband was a real trooper. He really took care of me. Of course, I was able to shower, etc.
I had a super-pubic catheter during this time, which was a real nuisance, but no pain was involved.
I just returned from Longview for my month follow-up last Wednesday. Everything was healed, the bladder looked wonderful to the doctor. He said there was no leakage. So, he took out the super-pubic catheter and told me to take it easy for a few days and continue with my life. Said he would like to see me in three months. Yea! What a wonderful day.
I will continue with my three month follow ups on my no cancer diagnosis, and then I am thinking 6 month, etc. for a few years. I'm not sure. I am continuing to listen to my guided imagery CD fighting any cancer cells that might try to reappear and will continue to life my life. I am a very blessed person and I have much to live up to for the blessings that have been bestowed on me.
If anyone is diagnosed with cancer, I highly recommend the best doctors you can find, and please check out "guided imagery" to go along with it. I do believe it was the guided imagery that finished what the medical doctors could not do. And a positive attitude is 110 percent important. You can beat it, but it is not a walk in the park. It does take work.
I am glad to report all my good results to everyone. In October last year when I was mis-diagnosed with bladder, I was very fortunate to find this group. You allowed me to stay in the group even thought I had vaginal cancer and you and your support helped me a lot. As it turned out, I still had the bladder problem from the cancer treatments, so it was wonderful that I found you. Thank you all for your support.
Henri
Topic Author
