84 y. old male: radical cystecomy or not?

13 years 11 months ago #31296 by Patricia
Replied by Patricia on topic 84 y. old male: radical cystecomy or not?
Daisy...here's that article i was talking about with invasive bladder cancer. I would show it to Dr. Soloway though i'm sure he's aware of it.......worth a shot
www.urotoday.com/287/conference_coverage/maratona_urolgica_2009__bladder_cancer/maratona_urolgica_2009__management_of_muscle_invasive_disease__session_highlights08182009.html

its free to register and read
pat

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13 years 11 months ago #31144 by Daisy
Replied by Daisy on topic 84 y. old male: radical cystecomy or not?
Dear Harleygirl and Melodie,
Thank you for sharing your experiences. We will keep them in mind. On Thursday Dr. Soloway will go in to look at the tumors of my father-in-law, and then we'll hear what he has to say.
Best, Daisy

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13 years 11 months ago #31143 by Melodie
Replied by Melodie on topic 84 y. old male: radical cystecomy or not?
Daisey,

Sounds like you have one of the top doctors so I think your father-in-law has an advantage and moreso if he is fairly healthy.

My mother-in-law at age 80 had an RC, ten years ago. She was told by her doctor she could get a neo-bladder and so that is what she decided on...in my opinion that was a mistake. I think he misled her but then again, I wasn't there at the appointment. Anyway, her heart stopped twice and the doctor had to stop after about 9 hours of surgery. They told her to go home to recover and to return and they would finish. But the surgery was so hard on her that she refused to return. She has been totally incontinent for the last ten years, wearing depends and having to change them every 2-3 hours around the clock. She would have been so much better off getting the bag.

Melodie, Indy Pouch, U.W.Medical Center, Seattle, Dr. Paul H. Lange & Jonathan L. Wright

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13 years 11 months ago - 13 years 11 months ago #31134 by harleygirl
Replied by harleygirl on topic 84 y. old male: radical cystecomy or not?
Daisy, sorry to be posting on this matter so late but I have been out of the country for 3 weeks and am just now catching up on the forum.

My Dad had RC at the age of 80 (he is now 83). He was in relatively good health except for the bladder (and, it turns out prostate) cancers. He wasn't big on exercising but he was in pretty good shape for his age. The day before his surgery he was up on the roof cleaning out the gutters!

He had complications with his surgery and had to go back into the hospital a second time the day after he was released and had to stay even longer the second time than for the original surgery. I think it was because we didn't know to seek out a highly experienced surgeon who did this operation on a regular basis although what happened could have happened with any doctor perhaps.

Dad has the ileal conduit and pouch. He also has stents in both ureters which are changed about every 3-4 months. He gets UTIs from time to time. It was really tough going for him at first especially with getting his bowels to work again (an ileus was one of the complications he had.) Also, the surgeon did not remove Dad's urethra and the cancer came back there so he had to have another surgery to remove that. He has been through a heck of a lot since being diagnosed. At one point, he questioned whether getting the surgery had been the right thing to do. I'm convinced it saved his life.

His surgery was in April of 2007 so we are approaching the 3-year mark soon. He has adjusted, I suppose, but he has never been the same, energy-wise, since the surgery. It seems as if he aged overnight. For the first time I can ever remember, he seems to act his age now.

We had to talk to a few doctors before we could find one who would operate on a man Dad's age, but they are out there. Maybe you should get a second opinion.

Best of luck to you and your father-in-law.

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14 years 1 week ago #31004 by Patricia
Replied by Patricia on topic 84 y. old male: radical cystecomy or not?
Daisy..here is one report of radiotherapy alone..no chemo..thats a tough one also..
cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=14010121
pat

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14 years 1 week ago #31003 by Daisy
Replied by Daisy on topic 84 y. old male: radical cystecomy or not?
Just wanted to let you know that Dr. Soloway thought that my 84-year old father-in-law would be to old to go through a radical cystecomy. He will now go in in early April to look at the tumors himself, and then decide on a chemo/radiation approach. So let's see.
Thanks, Daisy

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