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date set for RC surgery
Posted by vgau on June 8, 2009 at 8:37 pmThank you everyone for all the information you are so willing to share. After much discussion my husband has decided to go ahead with RC surgery with a neobladder diversion. We plan on staying in the San Francisco area for at least 3-4 weeks or until his catheter is removed. We are incredibily lucky to have Dr. Badri Konety performing the surgery. He is apparently leaving UCSF shortly (I am not sharing information that is not already known) so we are thrilled he will be his surgeon. Can someone explain what I should expect for his post-op care? Will he feel like walking outside or should I load up on DVD’s? Appetite sensitive or should I plan on taking frozen dinners and stocking up our apt’s freezer? Problems taking a shower or will he need assistance? I really don’t have any idea how independent he will be when he is discharged from the hospital. We plan on coming home after the catheter is pulled but from all these posts that seems like the time the real work of bladder training begins. Any input on how to make his post-op time most comfortable would be greatly appreciated. jf
Dx 10/5 Non Invasive PapillaryWebs replied 15 years, 7 months ago 5 Members · 9 Replies9 Replies-
Seems like these guys have covered most everything. Just have a few things to add.
I was in the hospital for 12 days because my bowels would not wake up. The day after they woke up they sent me home. We picked up a milkshake for me half way through our drive home (100 miles). Not to be to indelicate the shake moved through fast and I barely made it out of the car before my bowels forcefully ejected it. Be careful what you first put in, and what you are wearing and where the nearest restroom is.:blush:
Also before you leave they may want to remove the staples. Ask them how they will be securing the wound so it does not reopen. Mine reopened in several places and led to a very long recovery time. :angry:
Know that we are thinking of you.
Webs
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I believe recovery at home is a lot harder emotionally than physically. I think you need a caregiver (24/7)with while you have the suprapubic catheter(the one in the abdomen) in. My husbands needed to be flush frequently and this was something I had to do for him. When clog someone needed to be there at that moment even though it didn’t happen often. I was glad my job was flexible that I could be off the first 5 weeks. I was surprized that they didn’t inform us of this. At the hospital definitely see if you can stay at bedside. The nurses seem to appreciate having someone to assist with basic care needs(not to mention your husband). My husband could not have any water for 4 days and scant amounts of ice chips. Be very catious, too much ice or water can lead to an ileus (which is a blockage in the bowels, he would then need a tube in his nose along with a longer hospital stay.) It’s actually nothing by mouth until your passing gas which can take 3-4 days.Ice chips in scant amounts for your dry throat. They may put cups of ice and water in front of you but don’t cheat however tempting it is till the doctor OK’s it. Walk early, the first day,and walk as often as you can stand it your whole time there. It seems scary to move with all the tubes but is the best/safest way to recovery. This is the # 1 cause to help your bowels start moving to be able to pass gas. (Remember your bowel has been cut into so it takes longer than most surgeries to recover. I believe this is the # one reason this surgery has such a long hosital stay.) Having a caregiver definitely increasing the amount of walking you can do. It’s a time consuming event. You most likely wil have three urine bags and a sore abdomen to deal with. Getting up and down is the toughest part. Once your up walking it isn’t so bad. You may want a snack for the hospital room for you. What I would bring is a pair of good plastic slippers,sturdy ones, not the flip flop kind. These can easily slide on and off the feet and can be worn in the shower if you wish and easily washed. You don’t want to walk around the hospital and bring those germs back to your bed.I’ve seen people wear the cloth slipper socks and walk the hallways and them jump back in bed with them on. I wish you and your husband the best.
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I had Morphine post-op with a button I could push when I needed it. Sometimes I needed it faster than the button would allow (15 minute interval) but usually not.
Checked my records and it seems I was in for 13 days due to the ileus complication.
Got off the morphine a few days before getting out of the hospital and was on something that was mostly tylenol mixed with oxycodone (I think).
Mike
Age 54
10/31/06 dx CIS (TisG3) non-invasive (at 47)
9/19/08 TURB/TUIP dx Invasive T2G3
10/8/08 RC neobladder(at 49)
2/15/13 T4G3N3M1 distant metastases(at 53)
9/2013 finished chemo -cancer free again
1/2014 ct scan results….distant mets
2/2014 ct result…spread to liver, kidneys, and lymph system
My opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of ABLCS or anyone else. I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV.GuestJune 9, 2009 at 5:50 pmAnd another thing I remembered. You will want to ask about pain management in the hospital. I had an automated epidural pump. No pain in the hospital unless the pharmacy was late with a refill cartridge. In that case they gave me something called dilauded (sic). It worked well but sent me back to the 60’s :) The epidural was kept on for about 10 days. At that point I only needed some vicoden for a day or two and then nothing.
Happy to help! Keep us in the loop.
My wife bought me a few pairs of tie string pajama pants and they were great. Some comfy slippers are good to pack.
Pack a laptop with wireless access so you can let us know how things go and ask more questions. :) It seems most hospitals have free wireless access in the rooms these days.
Also, he should pack his own razor. Those hospital razors tend to lead to stitches or using enough toilet paper to stop the blood that he’d run out. Going to be using plenty of TP anyway (for what it was intended).
Be sure to MAKE him walk, even if he doesn’t want to. It can prevent complications (like I had). Ask the nurses about that walking business. They can tell you experiences they’ve had with those that “Didn’t feel up to it” versus those that “Did it anyway”.
Pack a book or two for yourself. He’s going to be in and out of it and you’ll want to have something to do instead of sitting and staring. :D
Best of luck!
Mike
Age 54
10/31/06 dx CIS (TisG3) non-invasive (at 47)
9/19/08 TURB/TUIP dx Invasive T2G3
10/8/08 RC neobladder(at 49)
2/15/13 T4G3N3M1 distant metastases(at 53)
9/2013 finished chemo -cancer free again
1/2014 ct scan results….distant mets
2/2014 ct result…spread to liver, kidneys, and lymph system
My opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of ABLCS or anyone else. I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV.You guys are lifesavers! Now I have a better idea on what to expect and have already changed what I had planned to pack. Gonna stick to sweat pants and tee’s for him. I will make a complete list of final questions before we leave. Thank you again so much. Really appreciate you taking the time to help.
Jeannette
Dx 10/5 Non Invasive PapillaryGuestJune 9, 2009 at 4:26 pmJust occurred to me when reading Mikes comments. You might want to have your dr give you some leg bags. You can change in the mornings to that and in the evenings go back to the big bag. You will have to empty the leg bag a couple of times during the day but I found it does give you better mobility. I found I was better mounting them below the knee, but again that is an individual thing.
You also might want a pair or two of some very loose tie waist pants. Much easier than your regular clothes for a couple of weeks or so.
By the way, for me the chair wasn’t to shower with but to find something steady myself with and sit down when trying to soap my legs. I would expect you can be in the shower right away.
Had my RC in October of 2008.
I was showering, standing up, after about 7 or 8 days. I had a complication (ileus) so I was in the hospital for 11 days and I probably would have been showering myself earlier if not for the complication.
Everyone is different so if your husband is not up for it at the time of discharge from the hospital, then you might want to pick up one of those shower chairs at the drug store.
Movies would be fine and can be in addition to walking which is VERY important. Don’t over-do it on the walking but at least twice in the morning, twice in the afternoon, and twice in the evening. If going outside to walk, then don’t go a long way. Just go out of the house, a short way in one direction, back past the house a short way in the other direction, rinse and repeat. Even walking up and down the driveway is good because it is always a short walk to get back inside.
Work on a good way of attaching the catheter bag to make it easier to walk. If you rig up something to hang it from the belt, be sure you use something long enough so that it stays low enough to work. Don’t just let it drag behind. ;)
For meals, small and frequent and nothing too crazy. I wouldn’t go for the hot pepper dip and big steaks. Things easy to digest and easy on the system. Bowels do get angry after this surgery when they realize that somebody swiped a segment to get promoted to bladder duty. Not sure if the remaining bowels are jealous or just miss the segment removed, but they do make a fuss. Stool softeners are typically recommended.
The intestinges will have been sown or stapled back together so you don’t want to overtax them with large quantities of food. Most likely, he won’t feel like eating large quantities of food anyway.Hope this helps!
Mike
Age 54
10/31/06 dx CIS (TisG3) non-invasive (at 47)
9/19/08 TURB/TUIP dx Invasive T2G3
10/8/08 RC neobladder(at 49)
2/15/13 T4G3N3M1 distant metastases(at 53)
9/2013 finished chemo -cancer free again
1/2014 ct scan results….distant mets
2/2014 ct result…spread to liver, kidneys, and lymph system
My opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of ABLCS or anyone else. I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV.GuestJune 8, 2009 at 9:19 pmI had my catheter removed about 10 days after my hospital release. Be certain you don’t leave without a supply of sterile water and syringe to irrigate the catheter. I guarantee you will need it. I found that walking with the catheter was very uncomfortable. However your husband may find different results. I also found it difficult to concentrate enough to watch movies for awhile.
I tried eating sensibly although my wife still doesn’t believe ribs is a food group. Seriously, I would take it very easy in the beginning since his colon will be very sensitive to what he puts in it. Expect loose stools for some time.
Regarding showers, I suppose everyone is different, I didn’t need any help but I did need a chair in the beginning. That lasted for several weeks until I was comfortable and confident enough to shower without it.
My biggest shock was after the cath was pulled, just how much urine poured out. Assure him, it will get better. In the meantime, for the beginning anyway, go to a good medical supply store for heavyweight disposables and male guards in addition, I found some of the tape on’s at night helped along with absorbant pads. Some folks will suggest using what are known as condom catheters to really eliminate alot of those early problems. You may want to try it.
Watch out for fevers, urinary tract infections are common. the loose stools and squeezing to get urine out can lead to hemmoroids. I found out the ring of fire was not the countries of the pacific rim.
The most important thing to remember is that whatever you are experiencing, we have too. Ask, Ask, Ask. You will receive many suggestions from this group. Keep them handy
LeeH
RC March 2008
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