DECISION TIME is approaching. (A month ago I accidentally posted here under "newly diagnosed, but I am 21 months past diagnosis.) I'm 62, male, and my doc is now "strongly" urging me to have it all out: bladder + prostate. And she seems to be steering me AWAY FROM a neobladder. So, anybody have anything to say about neobladder vs. ileal conduit vs. Indiana pouch? Naturally, I'm thinking the neo is the most "natural" of the three -- but what about daily maintenance and infection rates and all that? Also, one thing I don't get is that if the other types of diversion mean no more urine flow through the penis, what happens then? Does it close up, get infected, something else bad? I still plan to get another opinion (at Yale) for the possibility (I realize it's unlikely now) of salvaging my parts thru radiation and/or chemo. The docs seem to favor the BIG OP, but they're looking at survival rates only; not at quality of life. Anyway, God bless whoever started this forum.
