@jurunado My husband was diagnosed with MIBC in January of 2025. His Oncology doctor and surgeon told him to have 3 months of chemotherapy, Gemcitabine and Cisplatin. I was with him as he received the chemo and he did very well. The doctor gave him anti nausea medication and he was still able to work at his desk job…he is an accountant. He was 64 at the time. After the chemo ended in April, he had a Radical Cystectomy at the end of May 2025. The surgeon took his bladder, prostate, etc out and checked all his lymph nodes…thank God none had cancer. The next day he was up and walking around the hospital. He was happy that the surgery was over! I was with him in the hospital for 7 days. The nurses taught him how to attach a pouch to the stoma….a small piece on intestine below his belly button. It was very easy. The surgeon did a fantastic job. The pouch/little bag , has never fallen off and it is very easy to learn. He chose this diversion because he didn’t want to use a catheter at night with a neobladder. After 7 days in the hospital….he was able to go up and down the stairs…take walks with me a few times a day….he was feeling so much better and relieved that it was all done with. My husband worked from home for a couple of months…he got bored …and went back to the office.
With Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer it is strongly advised to get a radical Cystectomy because the cancer spreads into the fatty tissue and then spreads to organs. Bladder Cancer is Relentless. It needs to be stopped by radical surgery. I tell you this because the operation is not as bad as we thought. My husband only needed Tylenol for the pain …the first few days after surgery.
He is doing everything he did before the surgery…bike rides…jogs, walks, hikes, swims, etc. The surgery was a blessing in that it saved his life.
He goes every 6 months for a cat scan with contrast and MRI. So far, praise God he is cancer free…No Evidence of Disease(NED) and we are so grateful.
He had robotic surgery and it was amazing just how the surgeons have perfected the little stoma with the pouch attached. No one can see it …but my husband is quite proud that he was able to do it. There are bladder cancer survivors that have a group….they go swimming in the ocean…I live close to the beach…and actually show off their diversions…some have a stoma with a pouch…or a neobladder….indiana pouch….they are very grateful for this diversion and choose to show it off and go swimming …..once a week in the summer.
Please talk to your husband about the radical Cystectomy….the cancer has not left the bladder and that is a blessing ….he will qualify for the surgery. Many don’t qualify and it is not a good outcome.
Please contact me…message me through this platform if you need to talk or have any questions. God bless your husband and I pray for total and complete healing X Rose