After numerous TURBTs and BCG treatment, my non muscle invasive bladder cancer morphed to muscle invasive, and I had my bladder removed at the end of November 2022. All went well, and I'm adjusting to my new situation - I've even named my stoma "Stella" since she's always with me and seems to have a mind of her own! I have had high blood pressure for a couple of years, and have been treated by my primary physician pretty successfully - a small dose of calcium channel blocker and unless I'm in the doctor's office (where my White Coat Hypertension takes off!) my bp has been pretty normal. A few weeks ago, however, I started to develop foot and ankle swelling and I think it's a side effect of the bp medication. The doc agreed that I should cut down the dosage, but wants me to supplement it with a diuretic. That's my question for you folks. Because I no longer have a bladder, and because I'm worried about overworking my kidneys, I worry about whether it's a good thing to take a diuretic and risk dehydration or taxing my kidneys some other way. I asked my doctor, who just stared blankly at me and said "I don't know, everyone reacts differently". That answer may have decided me on starting a search for a new primary care doc, but it didn't answer my questions about whether taking a diuretic when you have an ileal conduit and a pouch is actually safe...
Anyone out there have any experience with this? I thought perhaps I should contact my urologist? Or am I being silly and overly worried?
Thanks for any input!
