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bladder surgery
Hi Everyone,
It’s been a while since I posted. I had my bladder removed on March 1 at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Phila. The care I received was outstanding. Everyone was very professional, caring and compassionate. Exactly what I needed.
I was able to have robotic surgery with a very skilled surgeon – Dr. Lea Viterbo.
It has been almost 8 weeks since the surgery and I am still trying to get used to everything I have to do now to take care of myself. I have had a rough time accepting this, both emotionally and physically. The idea of walking around for the rest of my life toting a plastic pee bag is not high on my wish list, but staying alive sure is!!
I am gradually learning to do what I have to do. There have been some bumps in the road, like the day several of my friends from my school came to visit. We were having a great time talking and laughing until I excused myself to use the bathroom. When I got in there, I discovered that I had a major leak and was soaking wet. Needless to say, I did not announce this to my friends, but after they left, I fell apart.
I still get upset when something comes up that I wasn’t expecting, for example last Saturday when I fell and broke a bone in my foot:( The emotions are still fragile. It is my husband who has to deal with all of this, and he is beginning to fray around the edges. I am an emotional Italian and he is a stoic mixed breed! He would anything I need, but he has gotten to the point where he cannot handle my crying jags.
We are seeing a therapist to try to work through this, but it is still a work in progress.]
I think I’ve taken up enough of everyone’s time, so I will leave you with the slogan I made up while I was still in the hospital: “Life is a curve ball. You have to learn how to hit it!”
Mary -
3 Replies
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Mary
Congratulations on living!
Your recovery is going as well as can be expected. There will always be rough spots in the road and that sense of humor is soooooooooooo important.
And remember that husband of your is going through it all too! So keep him in the information loop all the time.
I remember the month after surgery was filled with a great leap in status every day. I made progress in leaps and bounds.
And then the progress slowed and those damn imperfections cam into the picture. Those little things that really begin to piss you off(pun intended)
You remember………. In the hospital you just had Major surgery and you were in Major recovery mode…… But what finally got to you when you kinda lost it? For me it was the tiny needles they used to draw blood or give me a shot! Just a little thing, but it really got to me !!But back to you.
I remember going into a form of depression after about a month. I wasn’t healing at the same rate as before….. I started letting the little things get to me. When I had an oops! I would really get upset. When I thought about this happening for the rest of my life….. I got depressed.
This is quite normal. but you can’t let it overwhelm you. Yes your life will change in many ways. And there will be embarassing moments (you already know that) Soon You will be able to laugh instead of cry, I swear.
It will get easier and your routine will have those moments taken care of in a jiff.Try and laugh at least 100 times a day! Include your husband in the laugh in.
I sincerely wish you the best in your recovery. And I hope you find humor in every day.
George
Light a man a fire and he is warm for an evening.
Light a man ON fire and he’s warm forever.08/08/08…RC neo bladder
09/09/09…New Hip
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New Man! [/size]
“Life is a curve ball. You have to learn how to hit it!” Your post tells me you are already way down the road to beating all of this. While some of us haven’t had to have a cystectomy, we walk the journey with all in beating this. Post anytime and we will be listening.
DX 5/6/2008 TAG3 papillary tumor .5 CM in size. 2 TURBS followed by 6 instillations of BCG weekly with a second round of 6 after a 6 week wait.
Mary, I am glad to see that the surgery went so well and that you are recovering. Not surprising that you have hit some bumps in the road. First, this is MAJOR surgery and it takes a lot out of you, emotionally and physically. And then there is all the “other stuff.”
It is wonderful that you are getting some emotional help. Just remember that you WILL get through this and there is a lot of “good stuff” waiting ahead for you.
Sara Anne
Diagnosis 2-08 Small papillary TCC; CIS
BCG; BCG maintenance
Vice-President, American Bladder Cancer Society
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