Mum diagnosed with bladder cancer & having bladder removed - anyone able to offer any insight as to what to expect?

[britsabroad]

My mum (73) has been diagnosed with bladder cancer and is scheduled to have her bladder removed in a few weeks. I live overseas but will stay with her for the first 2/3 weeks post op - can anyone offer any insight as to what to expect? Any experience of this? Any tips I can pass on to her? What help she may need in the first few weeks and after. Shes not one to make a fuss and down plays everything so I feel like i've been a bit naive about it all when it's actually a big op/life changing op. I just want us both to be prepared and to get myself in a place where I can best support her.

Has your mum had her operation yet? My dad had bladder cancer and a radical cystecomy around five years ago. This removed the cancer and he has had no evidence of disease since then, which hopefully provides some reassurance!

He was optimistic that he’d be out of hospital quickly - they estimated 10 days post op, and he was aiming for 5 but actually home after 7. It is a considerable operation, he was under for a good 6 hours or so I believe, and although he was sitting up and chatting the next day. His op was on the Wednesday, we were allowed to visit the next day when he seemed well but on the Sunday (so four days later) I was surprised by how unwell he seemed. This was a blip though, and he turned a corner soon after.

I imagine your mum will have district nurse out daily to begin with to help with changing dressing and the practicalities of having (what we fondly call) the bag? My dad now has his own bathroom set-up and I think he prefers to be the only one who uses it, means he can have all his kit lying out. We got him a little unit to keep in the bathroom, for all the accessories, and a notepad to keep track of medications etc.

sending you and your mum lots of love - I hope her op Is straightforward and she has an easy recovery. remember my GP friend saying that if she had to choose a cancer, bladder would be the one she’d pick because it can be treated so effectively.