Hi All,
Just an update. I had the cystectomy at OHSU on March 28th, and I am currently at home recovering. The surgery itself was successful and I am progressing as planned. The only problem encountered is they did find CIS in the ureter margin. They removed as much as they could in order to make the attachment, but there is still a likelihood of cancer. Other than that, I am feeling pretty well aside from the incontinence, which was expected once they pulled the Foley catheter out. I still have the SP catheter in for bladder maintenance and it will be removed in a few weeks once the bladder starts to expand and I my muscles heal enough to support it.
I was pleased with the robotic surgery. I was able to get up an walk almost immediately and have been walking a few miles every day on my treadmill. The biggest issue so far has been with digestion. As you can imagine, taking part of the bowel to build a new bladder is not without challenges for the digestive system. I've been dealing off and on with Ileus, which is a blockage of the intestine. It is something that usually resolves itself, but it can be quite uncomfortable.
One other tip for people who undergo Neobladder surgery. Make absolutely certain your supply chain for the bladder maintenance is well understood prior to the surgery. They will send you home with enough material to get you though a few days. However, what I found is that you wind up doing more irrigation than the recommended twice daily, and the supplies do not last as long as you would expect. I've made few runs over to my Kaiser Urologists office to get supplies to tide me over while waiting for the medical supply company to deliver. It is just something you probably don't want to deal with after the surgery.
Thanks all!
Vince