Home Forums All Categories Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Heading back for another hernia repair.

  • Heading back for another hernia repair.

    Posted by mmc on June 9, 2010 at 10:30 pm

    Back in November, I got three incisional hernias repaired along with getting the kink out of my small intestine where they removed the section for my neobladder. Well, the intestines are doing great ever since (knock wood).

    However, I did have one of the three hernias come back and I’m in between clients now at work so I am off to the hospital to get it fixed.

    Since they hope to not be messing with intestines (except checking for adhesions at the hernia location) I have requested epidural instead of general and we’re going to try for laperoscopy instead of full open.

    They have some plactic mesh they can use now with screws to attach it to the muscle and then in 6-8 weeks the screws dissolve. Cool!

    Anyway, already told them NO FOLEY. I will bring my own condom catheters to the party. Not going to run into THAT problem again with the clogged Foley stretching my neo to 1000cc. I figured if they screwed it up again I’d wind up with a neo that requires emptying once a week. Not a pretty site would I be! :O

    If all goes according to plan, I will be operated on tomorrow and home on Friday. Every darn time I get put out for surgery it just takes forever for my intestines to wake up. Hoping this won’t be another one of those!!!!

    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.
    Mona replied 14 years, 8 months ago 13 Members · 23 Replies
  • 23 Replies
  • mona's avatar

    mona

    Member
    June 14, 2010 at 12:28 pm

    Glad to hear you are doing well after the surgery,
    Mona

  • mmc's avatar

    mmc

    Member
    June 12, 2010 at 11:41 am

    Thanks everyone. Doing better today. The “no pain meds” approach is a pain! However, I am convinced that I’d still be in the hospital otherwise. Had gas the same night as the surgery and before it took forever to get intestines to wake up no matter what I did.

    I’m taking Aleve now and slept well.
    Walking around helps take the edge off. Wish it wasn’t raining so much so I could walk a bit outside. House is not quite as big as the hospital hallways for walking. They did remember me at the hospital from my marathon walks back in November.

    Five little spots this time in terms of incisions to do the repairs but I have to confess it hurts just as much as if they had done full open. I suppose that it a guess on my part as last time I partook of the morphine to keep the pain away and this time I opted against that.

    A year ago or so I would have thought someone crazy if they turned down pain meds. What’s the point of having such great medicines if you don’t use them? That was before having to two serious problems with post-op ileus though. Changes one’s perspective.

    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.
  • humpy's avatar

    humpy

    Member
    June 12, 2010 at 10:54 am

    Welcome home Mike. Glad things went well. Jim


    Age 54
    T1NOMX,Grade 3 Urothelial CIS (Carcinoma in Situ)
    Neobladder 5/19/2009
    Prostate Capsule Sparing
    U of M Hospital, Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • melodie's avatar

    melodie

    Member
    June 12, 2010 at 2:51 am

    Mike,

    So glad to hear you are doing well and on the road to a speedy recovery. Those hernias are bad – I’ve never had one (thank God)but my mother-in-law has suffered with one for years; she’s 90 so they didn’t want to do anything about it. She had an RC done when she was 80 and the hernia developed about a year or so later.


    Melodie, Indy Pouch, U.W.Medical Center, Seattle, Dr. Paul H. Lange & Jonathan L. Wright
  • vgau's avatar

    vgau

    Member
    June 12, 2010 at 2:38 am

    Not surprised that things went well. Congratulations and enjoy being home for the rest of your recovery.

    Vi


    Dx 10/5 Non Invasive Papillary
  • kcnorthstar's avatar

    kcnorthstar

    Member
    June 11, 2010 at 10:42 pm

    Mike,

    Glad to hear things went so well and you can go home!
    Take it easy for a while and heal fast.

    KC


    Age 59
    DX Jan 2006 – T1B G3
    RC – Neobladder June 2006
  • nix's avatar

    nix

    Member
    June 11, 2010 at 7:55 pm

    WOW! Good for you, Mike! Nothing like your own home to rest :laugh:
    Enjoy your weekend – I am happy you are finished with this! Now find something else to occupy your time :)

    Nancy


    Nancy S
    Ta CIS
    dx Ta 11/06
    dx Ta CIS 10/07
  • mmc's avatar

    mmc

    Member
    June 11, 2010 at 7:47 pm

    Going home in 15 minutes. No narcotics at all.


    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.
  • gkline's avatar

    gkline

    Member
    June 11, 2010 at 5:56 pm

    Mike

    I leave you alone for one week and “look what happens!” You go and get yourself into another Hospital visit deal.

    Seriously, I am glad you are doing well and they didn’t screw anything up!
    Now…. Get home and relax for a while. We can safely play in the street on our own for a while.

    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
    =
    New Man! [/size]

  • leeh's avatar

    leeh

    Member
    June 11, 2010 at 3:44 pm

    Glad everything went well and hope you are at home by the time you read this.

    Since these hernia’s which we didn’t have before are not uncommon, why are they occurring. It seems to me that it would be a less than workmanship methodology when they are closing us up after the big show or perhaps once the “star” surgeon is done they turn it over to a 2nd tier surgeon.

    It seems common enough to be a systemic problem somewhere.

    Lee

  • dukel's avatar

    dukel

    Member
    June 11, 2010 at 4:28 am

    Mike;
    Glad to hear that things are going okay for you. Hope you are
    able to get everything working and get back home.
    Wishing you the best.
    Duke

  • mmc's avatar

    mmc

    Member
    June 10, 2010 at 11:06 pm

    Surgery went well 2.5 hours and they didn’t have to open me up. Turns out there were at least 5 hernias. Doc sad he quit counting after that.
    Epidural worked but they also put me under. No pain narcotics though so hoping for the best

    In my hospital room now. Did not get Foley and everyone at the hospital now knows why. Next person in this hospital with a neobladder should thank me as I am teaching all the nurses about neos. :)

    Anyway, I feel great as long as I don’t try to sit or turn. :)

    Probably go home tomorrow or Saturday.

    My main hernia was the size of a fist Lee. I wouldn’t worry about a small one but do use the binder.

    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.
  • leeh's avatar

    leeh

    Member
    June 10, 2010 at 9:00 pm

    Apparently this hernia thing is fairly common. I’ve got one alos, that only shows up when I try certain exercises. No other symptoms. I asked my urologist about it at he suggested getting a wrap around thing to use when I exercise, which seems to work fine.

    Should I be more concerned about this?

    Lee

  • sara.anne's avatar

    sara.anne

    Member
    June 10, 2010 at 5:40 pm

    Well, things must have gotten boring again and you just had to stir things up for excitement!! Hope that an easy fix cures your boredom and you can settle down again!!

    Seriously, Mike…wishing you an easy time.

    Sara Anne


    Diagnosis 2-08 Small papillary TCC; CIS
    BCG; BCG maintenance
    Vice-President, American Bladder Cancer Society
    Forum Moderator
  • 's avatar

    Guest
    June 10, 2010 at 2:40 pm

    Good Luck Mike!

    Hopefully you’ll be home for the weekend with no complications and the bowels working well.

    We’re pulling for you!

    Andy

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