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Triton . Hi Dave and welcome to the group. Good to know things have moved so fast for you. Not had this procedure myself, but others here have and I am sure they will be along soon to help. Best wishes.

Hi Triton,Welcome to the group.Feel free to ask any questions regarding the surgery as a few of us have been through it.It’s a friendly supportive group and we are all here to help.Best wishes Jane 

Hi Dave

Wishing you the best of luck with your Cystectomy next month! I had my RC operation on 25th September. The only advice I can offer is perhaps a little bit of physio to strengthen your core before the Op. I’m sure the operation will be successful & you‘ll find coping with your stoma surprisingly easy.

Best wishes 

Gareth

P.S. I’ve done a BLOG documenting my entire treatment journey. If you’re interested have a look at the blog section on here - My Treatment Journey (non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer)

Hi Dave,

Had bladder and some lymph nodes removed nearly 2 years ago. Found everything surprisingly straightforward and recovered quite quickly. The physio is a good idea, my hospital had me doing it before and afterwards. Walking as much as you can especially in a park with slopes and good views helps too. Don't sit still too long - keep moving and push yourself a bit, though if tired stop.

Mentally I was so pleased to survive the op I was already fairly cheerful. An optimistic outlook helps too. Stoma etc takes a little time but the nurses are really helpful both in hospital and back home. Supportive underwear was a must for me - bags full of urine are surprisingly heavy! (You no longer have the urge to urinate so can forget to check.)

Join the Urostomy association if you want to 'meet' others in the same situation. Otherwise I bet you already know people with stomas, there are plenty about but no one knows because we're busy doing other things and not thinking about the bags we wear.

Back to normal life, new normal, depends on whether you need other treatment and how you take to things. By about 6 months, my husband and I suddenly realised we were back to doing what we always used to do.

Hope all goes well

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