Great Experience at Moffitt !!

Hi Joe,

Thanks for the info. Fortunately, I've had very little pain since day 3 so I'm continuing to stay as mobile as possible without getting fatigued. The exception is when I need to cough hard, which I try to avoid. This is not a good surgery for someone with sinus drainage. (God forbid I should have to sneeze).

The doctor said the earliest I could go back to work would be 4 weeks, light duty. If I feel strong enough at that point, I will. No heavy lifting until eight weeks out.

My concern at the four week point is achieving some level of bladder control (catheter comes out of neobladder at 3 weeks).

Best wishes,
Dan

I came home 6 days after my RC and had a hell of a time just getting up my steps and I wish you the best but that is down right crazy driving a car after this surgery. You just never know when you could cramp or feel light headed or whatever. I was told no heavy lifing, no driving and a few other things it's been awhile but to definitely get rest. God forbid you got into an accident and it wasn't your fault 6 days post op that ain't going to feel too good. I would take my time to recover and you will be back in the swing of things soon enough. I hear you with your job and insurance but you have to take care of you first and this recovery ain't no picnic. I know this I found out real fast life is more important then any damn job or car or whatever. It is about you and getting better and your family. They tell you once you get cancer your life is never the same and how true this has turned out to be. Good Luck,Joe

Dan you bring up a good point about the insurance...i hope someone will deal with these people in the next administration. I see pro's and cons on national health care which is great if you're having a baby or have something relatively minor but when it comes to treatment for cancer on any level its seems to be a huge issue in countries with National Health Care...its very uneven. I don't know the answer thats for sure.
I wish you a speedy recovery.......Pat

Dan,
Its very nice to hear you had a good experience with the staff at Moffitt.
I will say Pat has a good point, driving is out of the question for 6 weeks.Our surgeons concerns about driving was that if you had to react to a situation you may not react soon enough, therefore causing injury to the whole surgery area. Lifting of course also a no no,, but a slow pace is the ticket for the first month. Normalcy would be a bowel movement without trying for my husband..
Maria had a dreadful experience there, the forum is a place to relate these things so others can make up their own mind..please keep us informed on how its going, theres alot to recovery, have any questions don't hesitate to ask!! We have all been there. Keep in mind its only March 21rst...how did your caregiver feel about your driving to the beach?
Just curious!
Take care Ginger

Hi Maria,

Yes, I have read all of your comments about Moffitt and about your more recent experiences at another institution.

I certainly agree with your observation: "You will find people on this website can and will have good and bad experiences with the same doctors/hospitals"

In fact, you may find this additional info amusing:

My urologist, who is highly respected in this area, referred me to Moffitt. I live closer to Shands, so I asked if he would make a similar referral to Shands. He said that he would, but that he would not make that choice for himself because he found the results better at Moffitt, on both the administrative and treatment levels. That's the only reason I went to Moffitt instead of Shands !

I guess our results couldn't be more divergent!!

Best wishes,
Dan

Hi Pat,

Pat,

Yes, of course they provided discharge papers, and I am following them explicitly. The primary physical constraint is "no heavy lifting"

Although I wouldn't dream of trying to ride a lawn mower, driving a vehicle with "power everything" doesn't seem to provide much stress.

My goal is to incorporate a little "additional normalcy" every day. As long as I don't get sore or fatigue, I think it will provide me with a high quality recovery.

The only stressful thing I'm doing is an occasional cough (due to sinus drainage which I had prior to surgery).

On the issue of insurance, I've made it my business to have continuous coverage with good insurance since I was 17 (now 60). I wish there was universal care, but there isn't, so I faced that reality a long time ago. I have had to constrain my career several times because of insurance. I would have retired several years ago, but could not due to insurance. As soon as I can, I have to go back to work or I will lose my insurance. I work for a small company (too small for me to be protected by federal law). They can't afford to continue to pay the premiums unless I go back to work. They are very nice people, but their finances are tight. There are only six covered employees. If the insurance company raises the rates next year due to my illness, we could all be without insurance next year. Is this fair after mainting insurance for 43 years? Obviously not.

Thanks & best wishes,
Dan