What is Life like after Bladder Removal?

I had my bladder removed 8 years ago. My cancer was ready to break through the bladder lining which would have been game over. I was fortunate to have one of the best surgeons at Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto On. Who did a marvellous on me even removing my prostate as well that was infected too.
At first i was frightened but knew I had a second chance at life.I go once a year for a complete scan and there is no reoccurrence of the deadly disease. Wearing a urine bag is no big deal. Its better than the alternative.
My advice. Go for it. Hope this helps Foss

@bajaman Hi I am just beginning this journey and have been researching the different options. I am leaning to the neobladder also meeting with my surgeon this Thursday. can i ask your age ? i am curious because of the incontinence. is more prevalent in men over a certain age ? as i am 58 . does age have a bigger factor in continence?

@mikev ... I am 72. I don't know what is typical regarding ongoing incontinence or age variability. You have an age advantage and not all people have this problem. Best of luck on your journey 🙏

@bajaman
Thank you, I hope things keep progressing forward for you and life treats you well!!

@mikev Hi Mike. I'm 75. Which ever way you go will work. If I was your age, I might have gone with the neobladder. I wanted to go the ostomy route because of the learning factor. The thought of self catherization did not appeal to me. You hopefully have a lot more years ahead of you. Not having to deal with ostomy appliances and being able to urinate naturally is a strong issue for the neobladder. Either way, I hope for the best for you.

I had my bladder and prostate removed +7 years ago. My Surgeon who is one of the best at Sunnybrook hospital didn’t recommend the neo bladder so went with the removal of both. So glad I did as I have been cancer free for 7 years now and get a yearly scan and tests done. At first it was frightening wearing a bag but soon got used to it and now is second nature to me. Before surgery I suffered severe urgency with my urine,getting up 3-4 times a night to pee.
Now I can sleep the night through with no interuptions and feel much better.
I use Coloplast products along with a overnight bag that holds 2 ltrs of urine.Enough to last the night. I change my day bag usually once or twice a week and my overnight one maybe every month. Very satisfied with the results. Good luck whatever way you go. Its not the end of the world. Hopes this helps you. Foss

@bajaman New to this All, I've had my First Surgery to Remove the Tumor, Which was Cancerious,
Now, this Monday I go in again for more Exploring ( I Guess )....I dont know what to do, I'm Confused about it All,..at 62 and live by myself,...My Doctor told me the Bladder and Prostate are a Good Possibility to Be Removed...I am Devastated by this All....I dont know how to handle any of this...
Rerouting my Urine System and have the Bag is just blowing me Away....I dont know what to do with this issue....Please Help.

@daddyroxx2025
Okay let's calm down and take a breath. I'm going to tell you that I am two and a half years now with a neo bladder and I don't really think about it's too much because I am operating more or less the way I was before the operation. I did not get a bag but I know people that are using a bag and they have adjusted. This is not a death sentence my friend but some adjustments are necessary. My doctor at Mayo told me that I probably also have to get my bladder removed or otherwise have ongoing BSG treatments and be continuously worried about whether the tumor would reappear. He said that getting up near bladder was "the definitive solution". I am continuously tested and I am officially in remission. My only real inconvenience or problem now is night time incontinence but I can live with that. I still need to wear a diaper at night. But otherwise life goes on and I'm not compromised much. After 2 years I was able to enjoy sex again and otherwise lead a normal life except for the incontinence issues which really now are only a night time problem. The issue here if you are stage 2 which is that is what it says in your profile you are at the point where you might want to consider bladder removal. (I also had my prostate gland removed at the same time avoiding again another future problem in my opinion). I'm trying to tell you here is that you won't notice much any change in your day-to-day feelings about your intestinal area as you won't notice much difference having a neo bladder versus your original bladder. I think obviously the main point is to minimize the chance for cancer recurrence in some other organ in the body which may not be so easy to remove. The surgeons are magicians these days and I can't even tell where my penetration was in my bowel as I have no visible scar. I know the operation sounds scary and I have to say there is a long recovery period afterwards but in the end you can kind of go back to your normal life. So take heart my friend, this is survivable and I recommend you seriously consider complete bladder removal especially if it is recommended by your doctor.

Dude,...I am Stunned and Shocked by All of This,...I dont know what to Do,
I am Single, live by myself, Work at Fleet Farm in Wisconsin...at 62, I'm an Average Guy,....At 62, I've done everything that I wanted to do in Life,
This Cancer Killed my Dad when he was 51,...Bile Duct Cancer, 6 months he was Done,...I saw this Process and Saw him Die,...I do not Wanna die, having to go through some Major Operation, then the Chemo Starts, then the Pile of Pills...and then Bathroom Issue, I'm Single, there is No Wife or Girlfriend to Help....Dude,
on Monday I have the Second Surgery,
if it has Spread,...I am F@@ked,.. I dont think I can go through all of that, and then the End Result is Death,...To stay alive a Few Extra Weeks....
I'm Sorry I'm laying this on You,...I am Stunned,...😳

@buri BCG eliminated all signs of cancer in subsequent biopsies, but then I enrolled in a program that scans my blood for circulating tumor DNA and it showed that there is still cancer in there somewhere. Working through that now, but have to recommend the ct-DNA test.