Just been told i have bladder cancer

Hi N19ULS . I've not had removal so not much help, but let me welcome you to the group. I am sure others will be along to share experiences. I do know there is a long recovery period which may not be conducive with heavy work. It may help if you let us know what you have done so far . Have you been offered any other treatment other than cystectomy? Best wishes.

Hi N19ULS, welcome to this friendly informative group, you will gets lots of help on here. I have not had bladder removal, did get offered it but choose the Bcg route.  I had Grade 3A PT1 with CIS. Diagnosed in 2022 and been on the Bcg since then after tumour removal. Was bladder removal your only option? 

Hey 19, 

I had an RC for T1 bladder cancer. If you go into the search bar and search Orillia, you can read my comments over the last 6 years, most are  pertinent  to some of the questions you have and will have. Orillia.

Hi. My husband had a radical cystectomy 8 weeks ago. His prostate, bladder, some lymph nodes and a kidney were removed. He left hospital after 8 days. He has recovered pretty well. No problem getting used to the stoma. In fact, it's been a lot easier than he thought. He still has some fatigue if he does too much I.e. walking round tesco and going for a long walk. But that's to be expected. I'd say that you need to talk to your consultant. Whichever route you take, you need at least 6 to 8 weeks for recovery after the op. 

If you do heavy lifting in your work, you need a consultants advice. If you're not sure, ask for another opinion. And talk to the macmillan nurses. They are brilliant. 

Good luck for your op.

I had neo - does take quite a lot of patience & determination to learn to use. In terms of heavy lifting, possibly different issues with each option. Some people wear a support belt with stoma, to avoid risk of hernia. With neo, might be a danger of incontiennce/leaks. 

Overall recovery time is similar for either op. I was able to start phased return to work at 3 months, but around 6 months before doing all usual activities & 8 months before shedding end of the day fatigue. May depend a bit what reserves you have - I'm quite slim so losing weight and muscle had quite an impact.