What To Expect When Recovering From Cystectomy
- Radical cystectomy, or the removal of the bladder, is a major surgery, and the adjustment period can be difficult. However, most patients report regaining their baseline quality of life by a year after surgery.
- The recovery period typically lasts about 12 weeks after the initial surgery at a minimum, and it can be longer as patients adjust to a new normal.
- Recovering from a radical cystectomy requires patients to adapt to a new way of storing and passing urine through a urinary diversion. In addition to physical recovery, this process involves learning new routines, adjusting emotionally, and gradually regaining confidence.
- While adjustments may be necessary at first, many people find that bladder cancer surgery does not prevent them from staying active and engaged in their lives. Patients can frequently go back to their jobs, travel, exercise, and more.
“I tell all my patients the first six months after surgery are going to be the roughest,” Dr. Piyush Agarwal, Director of the Bladder Cancer Program at the University of Chicago, tells SurvivorNet.
Read MoreThe First Months After Surgery
It’s important for patients to know that recovery after bladder removal is “not an easy thing,” Dr. Agarwal tells SurvivorNet.The early months can be physically demanding. Patients are healing from major surgery while also learning how to urinate in a different way, whether that urinary diversion method is a urostomy, neobladder, or continent pouch.
Daily routines may suddenly feel unfamiliar. Patients may need to learn how to manage a stoma, empty a pouch, or follow a new schedule for urination.
“You are going to feel the worst at times,” Dr. Agarwal warns.
Fatigue, frustration, and uncertainty are common during this period. Patients may also deal with pain and other physical symptoms related to the surgery. However, most patients find their bodies eventually learn new ways to adapt.
“The remarkable thing with the human body and the human spirit is that despite how low one might feel, by 12 months, almost every patient has adjusted to it fully,” Dr. Agarwal says.
Regaining Baseline Quality of Life
A major concern for many patients facing cystectomy is how the surgery will affect their quality of life long-term. Patients want to know when they will be able to work, travel, or enjoy social activities like they did before.
“When you ask [patients] about their quality of life, it almost gets back to their baseline 12 months after the surgery and the reconstruction,” Dr. Agarwal says.
In other words, while the months immediately after surgery can be difficult, many patients report that within about a year, they feel close to the way they did before their diagnosis and treatment. Most patients also feel, at the one-year mark, that they would choose the same surgery and reconstruction method they chose initially again, Dr. Agarwal adds.
Finding Emotional Support
While many patients adjust over time, facing cancer is a huge challenge and radical cystectomy is a major surgery. Some people need more emotional support as they take on these hardships.
“Sometimes some patients actually need additional help with antidepressants or counseling,” Dr. Agarwal says.
Major cancer surgery can affect emotional well-being in many ways. Patients may struggle with anxiety, depression, body image concerns, or fear about the future. There is no shame in reaching out for more emotional help.
Many patients work with counselors, psychologists, or support groups to learn healthy ways to process these emotions and build coping strategies.
Support from family members and loved ones also plays a critical role during recovery.
After Recovery: Moving On
Perhaps the most encouraging message for patients is that many eventually return to the activities that bring them joy.
“I have patients who get back to golfing, horseback riding, working,” Dr. Agarwal explains. “So really, you can almost do anything with any of these reconstructions.”
While adjustments may be necessary at first, many people find that bladder cancer surgery does not prevent them from staying active and engaged in their lives. Patients may go back to their jobs, travel, exercise, and participate in a range of other social activities.
Each person’s recovery timeline is different, but the overall trajectory tends to improve steadily. Dr. Agarwal encourages patients to keep the long-term perspective in mind.
“It’s certainly a change in the quality of life, and temporarily it’ll feel worse,” he notes. “I tell people there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
- What recovery timeline should I expect after radical cystectomy?
- Is there anything I should not do, eat, etc. in the first 6 months after surgery?
- What can we do if I am still feeling fatigue, pain, etc. months after surgery?
- Are there any exercises or routines I can do to help make recovery easier?
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