Recovery Time

I am scheduled for Oct. 19th. and my surgeon, who originally was at Sloan Kettering and is now in a major medical center closer to me gave me the exact same reason for the external bag. Because of the location of my tumor I could not have a neobladder which he would have done but he and another surgeon both said the external bag would be better for me than the Indiana Pouch. It's probably a good thing I am not getting the Indiana Pouch because for some reason at times I call it the Dakota pouch which makes my family laugh. There has to be some bright spot amongst all of these coulds...right. One of my big concerns right now is how on earth do you drink all of that Go Litley the day before?
Listening to everyone on this board is so helpful because it gives you the "if they made it, so will I" attitude. You are all wonderful.
Jean

LindaW :Thank you for your note. We decided on the external bag as it appears to be less complex, shorter surgery, and less potential problems from infection and GI. All three doctors reviewed the various options and let us decide. We have selected Sloan Kettering for the operation scheduled on Oct.4. We are overwhelmed with wonderful people like you helping us cope with this diagnosis.

Nanaca

Hi, Nanaca,
In your first post, you mentioned your wife would have an ostomy.  Will  this be a stoma for an ileal conduit with external bag or a stoma for an internal continent pouch or has your diverson choice changed now that you have visited several academic centers?  What I am curious to know iis if the three teaching institutions you subsequently visited were in agreement to the type of diversion your wife should have and which of the diversion types were recommended.  

This is definitely a complex surgery so I am very glad to hear that you have thoroughly researched your options and the surgeons available to you. There is a rule of thumb that says that it takes one month for each hour under anesthetic to get back to your normal self again. Although I was fully recovered in most respects in the 6 weeks normally mentioned as the recovery time, I found that rule of thumb to be rather accurate for completely being myself again. I found that I became tired much easier the first few months after this surgery and still fall to sleep more easily than ever before in my life. I do recommend walking as soon as possible after surgery. Your wife will need assistance the first few times, and it can be a real hassle with all the tubes and bags.However, it is very important to walk. She should try to increase the time and frequency of her walks each day. I am wishing your wife a successful surgery and a rapid recovery. I am also wondering where your wife will be having her surgery. Please let us know when her surgery date is set.

My best to you and your wife,
LindaW neobladder 2/2002 Indiana University Med Center Indianapolis

I think it was very wise to get as much information as you possibly could to help you make a decision that you all feel comfortable with. What kind of procedure have you decided on. I talked with the surgeon this morning and am leaning towards the outside bag for many reasons but I will not have surgery until the beginning of Oct. so he said I still have some time to decide.
I am also eating well, taking lots of vitamins which they say I have to stop two weeks before surgery and of course prayer and the support of so many wonderful people on this board help make this whole process easier to bear.
Best wishes....Jean

Hi everyone: We decided to delay the operation until early Oct. We now know recovery time will be from six weeks to two months. The surgery is very complicated and as a result we went to three major teaching institutions to ensure that we have the correct procedure from all three and we also evaluated the surgeon who would be performing the procedure, his nursing staff and the frequency of similar operations weekly. We also attended thr first seminar on bladder cancer given by the Urological society of America. This was very helpful. Although we had to extend the time for scheduling we were abale to build a very high confidence factor for everone including the family by agreeing on our selection. Will let you know how it turns out. Now we focus on diet, some excercise and of course prayer.

nanaca

Jean, my husband and I are attending the AUA meeting in Maryland next Saturday, September 9th. I am wondering who else from blcwebcafe may be attending. Certainly I will report back pertinent info from that meeting. My thoughts and prayers are with all. Rosie