Serious concerns.

I see.  So the reaction was to the morphine and not the surgery itself.  That's what I thought.  Many are quite happy with morphine.  Still having pain a year later is indicative of something else.  Most people getting neobladder don't have any pain after about a week or so.  It really sounds like something else is wrong.   Hope it gets sorted out.  That is a long time to be on pain meds.

On 2/4/2009 pharm wrote:

 

Thank you so much for your response to my concern.  I wish my husband was going to have the same surgery you had because it sounds like they created a neo bladder for you.   My husband's doctor said he isn't a good candidate for a neo bladder because of the radiation he received about a year and a half ago to kill the cancer they found in his prostrate.  The intestine that they use to create the new bladder usually has been damaged by the radiation therefore cannot be used.   In his case they will create a small tube using  some of the small intestine and route the tube out of the  body and end in a stoma.  There will be a bag attached to the stoma which he will have to empty when full.  He goes in for surgery this coming Monday 2-9.  He's anxiously waiting to get this done because the waiting is emotionally exhausting. 

Barb   

Barb,

 Many folks are very happy with the stoma and bag.  Before I got the surgery I asked other patients what they recommend.  People with the stoma and bag recommended it, and neobladder patients recommended it.  So it seems that people are generally happy with what they get.  There are definite plusses to the stoma/bag.  You never wet yourself, no training of the new bladder is required, no wetting at night.  There is nothing that you can't do with the bag.  Even scuba diving is ok (I checked that out in case I had to get one). 

The surgery for that is MUCH shorter than the surgery to create a neobladder and there are much fewer risk complications. He should be up and around in no time after that surgery.

Best of luck to your husband (and you) for the upcoming surgery.

There is another site with a support group for bladder cancer patients and caregivers that has a LOT of great information and many supportive folks who have been through it.  AND...it's only for people.  I see a lot of pet discussion on this board mixed in with people.  It's from the American Bladder Cancer Society at: http://bladdercancersupport.org/

BTW, "Prostrate" means lying flat on the floor.  "Prostate" is the gland.  It's a common error.  :)

Mike

On 2/4/2009 mikemc wrote:

I had an RC in October of 2008.  I had none of the side effects that were mentioned.  I was in the hospital for an extra week due to the intestines not "waking up" properly (called an ileus).  Morphine was the drug of choice and maybe that can cause some of the other issues.   They ..."

 

I stand corrected.  I just talked with my wife and daughter and they both said I was kind of cranky and agitated for about a month after my surgery.  Could be over "losing" a bladder to cancer or being unhappy with not being able to control the new bladder, wearing pads, losing erectile functions, and those sorts of things......

Mike