Blabber/prostate removal

If you can get as fit as possible beforehand that will help with the recovery.Recovery can be a bit up and down but judging from the posts on here men often recover faster than women.The thing to remember is to listen to your body post op and not overdo it else you take a few steps backwards.Tiredness is very common but energy levels will pick up with time.Will you have someone at home to help out for the first few days ? It’s best to have someone on hand if possible.I could manage home alone after a couple of weeks but my sister helped me at the start.I could wash and dress myself but was wobbly and weak walking.Best wishes Jane 

I was nervous beforehand but strangely calm on surgery day.

I was the same, Jane and even had a good sleep the night before! 

Sarah xx

I had to leave the house at 5 am but slept well the night before too.It was strange because I had been very apprehensive.

Snap! I think we were similar too Jane in that we had both been in a lot of pain for a long time and could see an end to that which helped! 

Sarah xx

I am married to a wonderful woman someone I know I can rely on. But thank you for the info.

Oh that’s good to hear.It’s just to have someone around when you first come out of hospital.

A lot of similarities Sarah even though our surgery differed.xx

 SarahH21 winkers60  my story was the same

Hi Engineer46.

I had a robot assisted radical cystectomy in January this year. I’m 78 and was told such major surgery at my age might take many months of recovery time. The first month or so after discharge from hospital were difficult as I learned to cope with several new things at once whilst drained of all energy. This is normal and to be expected after such major surgery.  By six weeks though my digestion settled down and I was able to sleep through the night for the first time in many years which I’m sure helped my body to heal. By eight weeks I was outside and walking a bit further each day and feeling well again.

Now about the Stoma. In the week before surgery you will meet a specialist stoma nurse who will indelibly mark your abdomen at the favoured point for the stoma outlet. They try and avoid creases or folds in the skin that may hinder the adhesion of stoma bags and they provide a set of instructions about stoma care post op. My stoma nurse is still in regular contact and quickly sorts out any problems or worries I have. She visited me twice at home in the first weeks to check I was coping and arranged a monthly supply of everything needed, bags, night bags adhesive remover, sterile wipes etc. so I never have a problem with anything at all.

After almost a year I am back to normal with the exception of a 15 minute bag change and connection to a night drainage bag. A word of caution though. You will get bag leaks initially until you master the technique of applying them correctly and you will need to look after the skin around the stoma so keep in contact with your stoma nurses. They are brilliant at what they do.

Hope this helps