worried about neo-bladder

Hi Pat,

Thanks for the encouragement. Actually, Dr. Schoenberg did give a list of referals. Many are Neobladders. I guess I'll have to start calling them. I'm just worried about a posible bad outcome. I'm kind of crazy about not wanting to self-catheritize. My wife tells me I'm crazy.

Mike

Hi Mike...well you've chosen a Great doctor in Dr. Schoenberg..he does tons of neo-bladders and nerve sparing if you qualify. I would ask him to have some of his neo-bladder patients call you with their experiences...I know with the new privacy laws he can't just give you a list but he can have them contact you..that could ease your mind or maybe even change it. Zachary has had great success with the neo-bladder and he was also done by a great surgeon in DR. Stein at USC/Norris.
I think most of the incontenence issues come from the women who have a shorter urethra..just harder to hook it up successfully.
Pat

Hi everyone,

After being diagnosed with t2-3 bladder cancer in July,07, I started Chemo in August, with surgey planned for the 2nd week of November. I've just completed my first cycle of C/G chemo at my local hospital, Abington Memorial Hosp. The first weekend was awful, but the nagging stomach pains now are tolerable. I'm having the radical cystectomy at John's Hopkins and am under the care of Dr. Schoenberg. I choose him over the doctor at my local cancer center, Fox Chase Center center. I hope I made the right choice but he seems like one of the best out there. It was a relief to come to terms with the many choices of doctors and treatments and move forward with the inevitable.

Anyway, I'm 58 years old and in excellent health and fitness.

I'm really worried about a neobladder. I have read all kinds of possible complications and occasional incontinence. I intellectually know that 90% of men don't have all the problems and that often, the only ones who communicate have problems. This is common on many issues on the net. It seems like most men opt for this option but I don't understand why. Wearing pads at night and occasionally catherizing myself is not attractive to me at all.

Frankly I've been going to the bathroom at night much more often than every 4 hours, so the idea of continent urinary diversion with some kind of pouch and a catheter doesn't sound so terrible to me. Maybe it becomes tedious after some time?

Can someone help me with what I'm missing here? Is my timeframe too short? Am i worring about the wrong thing? There are many other things to worry about.

Thanks, Mike