Dad 4 days post-op Neobladder...what to expect now?

16 years 5 months ago #8684 by Zachary

The water drinking part was difficult for me as well. Water is... well, it's boring. There's no way around it.

How I made it more palatable was to add just a small amount of my favorite things--ginger ale, dr. pepper, lemonade, cranberry juice. Just having a little flavor made it a lot less tedious.

"Standing on my Head"---my chemo journal
T3a Grade 4 N+M0
RC at USC/Norris June 23, 2006 by Dr. John Stein

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

16 years 5 months ago #8683 by dadhasbc
Thank you all for your posts. My mom and I have been talking about the nursing care involved with my dad, and I think she will be ok with it now, I think she really just didn't know what to expect. I forget being in the "know" when it comes to medical things that these things can be quite shocking for those that are not familiar.

So, these are my thoughts. I will be there to help with the nursing care as much as I can, I went shopping for supplies, and I'll just try to be there. I have two young children myself, so I can only do so much. I think I just need to be there to support both of them, and to let her know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Right now, Dad is in a lot of pain, I'm a little concerned about his nursing care he is receiving at the hospital, and they certainly do NOT appreciate any questions from family members...grr. A little knowledge can be a bad thing, and I happen to know what "high creatinine in the abdominal drain" means, and yet they treat me like a child. Nurses in Canada are not a particularly happy bunch right now as our government has really made it difficult for them to do a good job as they have a huge patient load, and crazy hours.

They are not trying very hard to get my dad up and about, I had him up twice yesterday as he is now at least travelling to the bathroom now that his bowels are moving again.

I'm looking into home care, to see what is involved in that, and I'm hoping we will be able to arrange something for a few weeks. I'm going to try and talk to a social worker at the hospital, and also see if I can be involved in the the training at the hospital before he goes home.

I'll keep you updated on his progress!

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

16 years 5 months ago #8680 by jrod1220
Yes, he is on a "reasonably" high fiber diet but since he is Hispanic he insists on having his white rice with his meals!!! LOL [there is no changing him at this stage]

The fluid part has been a little difficult because he does not like to drink water. If he is having 3 glasses a day that is a lot. I got him all flavors of Crystal Light to try and see if that helps the water situation. We shall see......it's not easy.

Everything else is going very welll. He is gradually gaining back his strength and his appetite. He lost a lot of weight during this past year and now he needs to gain it back. My mom is doing a great job of feeding him all her home cooked meals. She is an awesome cook! ;D

Thanks for all your responses.

Jackie

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

16 years 5 months ago #8671 by momof4
I know that the pain meds cause severe constipation on their own too. I am sure that the surgery along with the meds make it unbearable at times....A good stool softener (a few times a day not just once!) helped my husband through as far as the pain med induced constipation. He would take one or two colace tablets everytime he took a pain med. (ask your Dr. First please) Good luck to your family...I am sure that things will look up soon! Give your Mom an extra hug, being a care taker is exhausting work!

Karen

Caregiver for my Wonderful Husband Angelo, who has Metastatic Bladder Cancer.

Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

16 years 5 months ago #8667 by Zachary

I'm going to assume that he's not only taking fiber, but he's on a reasonably high-fiber diet with lots of fluids.

I had much the same thing--constipation and diarrhea the same day. My surgeon said this was not uncommon and could take a year or so to settle down.

Your dad's intestines might be delicate like this for a while, but his situation will improve.

Other than that, it sounds like he's doing great and is progressing nicely.

Zach

"Standing on my Head"---my chemo journal
T3a Grade 4 N+M0
RC at USC/Norris June 23, 2006 by Dr. John Stein

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

16 years 5 months ago #8666 by Stephany
Actually, any kind of pad would work....I even used "puppy pads" when I ran out of towels. And now, nine weeks post-surgery, I am just using a flannel backed table cloth that I put under the sheet, flannel side up, for softness. Then, if there's a leak, it doesn't go through to the mattress.

My husband is still using a timer to wake himself up every four hours, so he won't leak, but it's getting better and better.

I am so sorry to hear about your Mom....I, too, come from a family where only my mother was "allowed" to get angry. Turns out she is bi-polar, and after getting her on meds at age 80, she's mellowed out. Hope you don't have to wait that long! (grin)

Stephany in Iowa

Is there a support group in your area she could hook up with?

Stephany in Iowa

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Moderators: Cynthiaeddieksara.anne