12-hour Operation for Neobladder

well call me mister lucky... my rc/w neobladder lasted about six and a half hours... i was a couple of days in icu, more because my doc just felt he could keep a better eye on me in there... when i came home from the hospital i had about four tubes in me as well, but in about five weeks they were all out... i had a quadruple bypass operation two months before my rc, and i have to say, it was a walk in the park by comparison, but i'm healing well about three or four months post op, and i'm glad to hear you're doing well... walk + walk + walk... = healing.. be well... m

Glad your doin well,,see you on chat next Tuesday at 8pm....chatGene

Got home this evening. Actually, it is amazing in a way, my surgeon had told me a week to 10 days and that was when he was assuming 7 hr operation with little or no Intesive Care. The operation was so long followed by a couple of days in Intensive care and he told me again that I could have gone home last night in his opinion (we wanted to be a little more healed).
He again told me that I am coming along very quickly.

So right now, I have four tubes. Lower site is a foley catheter (fun fun fun) and the upper site has a collection of 2 ureter stents and a tube to the neobladder. They are draining through an ostomy pouch into a larger tube. So, externally, its two tubes.
One problem with the upper site is that it was positioned for access to the neo and ureters, NOT for optimal ostomy positioning. Therefore, keeping the wafer going is a bit of an issue and over the past few days had a lot of changes, even by the ostomy nurse. Thankfully, that is only for a few days as the doctor is planning to remove the stents next week, leaving only the tube to the neobladder. That will take away the need for the ostomy connection and just connect to the foley's tube and only one bag.

Actually I have not had much site pain, just the gas and pressure pains. One strange one was that I am a CPAP (air mask) user when sleeping and was told to bring it to the hosp. We tried it about four days after the operation once the nasogastric tube came out and I had it on for about three hours before the pressure it added to my system (through the stomach) had me in a lot of pain. Off it came and stayed that way for the rest of my time in the hosp. Not sure whether or not to try it again tonight or just wait a couple more nights.

Will,
Good goin, glad your on the other side to recovery. Take it easy, have any issues we can help with we are here for ya...Ginger

Thanks everyone for the good thoughts, words and prayers.
Things are moving along (at times, the most painfully have been the gases through my healing intestines.

IV disconected. Down to two major tubes.

WOW! 13 hours. The human body really is amazing. I hope Will has an uneventful and fast recovery and puts that BlackBerry to good use soon.

I would like to add that all hospitals, big or small, have Social Services department and they will always arrange a "discharge plan" which will include home visits from VNA (Visiting Nurses) for wound care, stoma care--whatever the patients needs are. Unfortunately social workers are another profession where they are over worked and have huge case loads. It is important to ask to speak with one early on so that when it comes close to discharge time there is already a plan in place.

As far as the private room I urge everyone to ask for one. Often we have been given one without asking. Recovering can be so much easier without a roomate.

Sending my hope for a fast and speedy recovery!