Cystoprostatectomy

Hi Willow 29 . I've not had this op so not much help, but please let me welcome you to the group and say I am sure someone will be along to help. Best wishes.

Hi Willow 29,Welcome to the group.I’m sorry to hear your partner isn’t doing too well.What sort of problems is he having ? Hopefully the men will be along to help you soon.I’m female but had my bladder out 3 years ago.It Is a big operation and it’s usual to feel very tired and weak afterwards.Best wishes Jane

Morning 

He won't eat and yesterday he vomiting a couple times which was uncomfortable for him. I know it's early days but I was wondering how long it would take for him to be feeling a little better  x

Hi,Sorry to hear this.The vomiting may be due to the anaesthetic,medication like morphine or that the bowels are taking time to wake up.It’s not uncommon to lose your appetite and not be able to eat.I tried to walk/shuffle every day to get the bowels working.Appetite may be patchy for a while.I was given a diet sheet to take home.I had to stick to a low fibre diet for the bowels.Gradually I introduced more of my usual diet.It’s better to eat little but often at first.My sister looked after me for the first few days when I came out of hospital as I was very weak and tired.Recovery does take time.I was really unwell before the surgery so it did take me a long time to recover.I felt very much better after 3 months and by 8 months I was able to go back to caring full time for my mum.I’m sure the men will tell you all about their experiences.Some of them recovered much quicker than I did.Feel free to ask any questions as there is a lot of experience here.Love Jane 

I was nauseous post op - had a fan blowing on me all the time which helped. Eating is often not allowed for a few days anyway, but he might be given special nutritious drinks to help speed recovery. They will probably get him out of bed & shuffling a few steps - if he can continue this, it will help wake up digestion. I am told chewing gum helps too. 

Recovery is gradual but there can be some setbacks in the first days. I felt too weak to lift my arms at first, but after 7 nights in hospital I went home & was able to do all my own personal care. Once he can eat, little & often is the key (even a couple of spoonfuls every couple of hours) as well as a little more walking each day, with plenty of rest in between. Hope all goes well.

I started off on the sugar free chewing gum and the fortisip and fortijuice drinks.When the bowel wasn’t working I was nil by mouth for a few days.

Hi Jane 

Thank you so much for the information hopefully he will feel better in a few days and his appetite will resume soon. X

I hope so too,let us know how things go.Love Jane x

Hi, I went through this almost 9 years ago -- from memory I was allowed two small yogurts a couple of days after surgery - once the bowel starts to work food intake will improve.  I was told by the surgeon that a Cystoprostatectomy was "the largest operation we perform "-- almost six hours and two surgeons - so it will take a while to get back to normality -- but here I am , still waking up in the mornings !

Hi Willow 29, Sorry for the late reply but I haven't logged on to the site for a while. I had this operation 9 months ago and for the first week I was intermittently very unwell, including loss of appetite and vomiting. This improved from 7 days after surgery and from then on it has been gradual improvement with some minor hiccups along the way. I had an infection about 3 months after the operation and a few aches and pains during the following months.

How is your partner now? Is it getting any better?

Best Wishes