Post Op care for cystectomy

7 Laps the day after surgery? Personally my greatest feat was figuring out how to get out of bed and forget about standing up straight...but then if your morphine pump isn't working I guess it could be a deterrent to doing much of anything. The only thing that motivated me to walk was the incessant dinging of that stupid IV i was hooked up to that never shut up and the nurses could have cared less so i'd walk down to the nurses station and stand there dinging away just to see if they would actually look up from their paper work.....usually not....but a loud rendition of "Oklahoma" did get their attention.
Pat

I was encouraged, no told, to walk even more than that. Yes, the first day after surgery was 7(laps around the urology floor) for me and then they told me 14 the next day. I increased to 21 the following day and finally was doing 28 or more a day by the time I left which was exactly a week after my surgery. They told me, don't know if it is true, that 14 laps equaled one mile so I was doing 2 miles. When I went home, I continued my walking and recovered very quickly according to my doctor. One of the reasons I walked so much was because I had problems sleeping. If I got up and walked 2 or 3 laps, I could sleep for maybe 2 hours and then I would get up and go again. I never saw anyone else walking in the wee hours so maybe I was a bit crazy but walking sure helped me. I also had less time to think about my troubles.
Balihigh

I know some folks have RCs coming up and I found this post-op care instructions from University of Michigan.

Thought it might be helpful to post here.

I put the above quote here because it is SO important and I learned the hard way why it was so important. Now, whenever people ask me about RC, I stress walk, walk, walk after surgery.

The link talks about post-op from ileal conduit, but it's pretty close to the same for other diversions. There are variations of post-op care by facility and doctor, but this gives a good description of what to expect post-op.

www.med.umich.edu/1libr/urology/postcare/cystect&ileal.htm

If you get a neobladder, you may have ureter stents that have tiny tubes that either will come out of the urethra alongside the catheter tube or they make come out of your body in a different location. Mine were through the urethra. (Sounds scary, but it doesn't hurt. Surprising how much it can stretch and yes, it will go back to normal after all that stuff is removed).

Also, there will be a one or more drains from near the incision site, but that is described in the linked article.

Anyone who has an RC coming up....I wish you all the best and speedy recovery.

Remember....no matter HOW much you don't feel like it, WALK AT LEAST 6 times a day! The more you do, the sooner you will get better, the more you will reduce the chance of problems with intestines, and the sooner you will be getting back to normal.

Also...for men, it is common for scrotum swelling after the surgery. Nobody told me about that and I was pretty shocked by just how much swelling. If you notice any swelling, elevate the area with a pillow. There is a lot of fluid in your body after surgery and it has to go somewhere. Apparently (QUITE apparently to me) the scrotum is a place the fluid is apt to go.

And guys, don't bother reading the part in the article about sexual activity. It's going to be a while, since they take the prostate when they remove the bladder. Even with nerve sparing it can be 6 months to 3 years to return to normal if you don't use other means of assistance in the interim.....

All the best,
Mike