Sometimes decision making is tough particularly, when you are going to choose a doctor or institute for a major surgery to be done one of your beloved family members.

Mr. Pranab Kumar Paul, an old gentleman was moving around in different hospitals after being diagnosed with a cancer. He was not getting satisfactory response from anywhere. Mr. Paul and his family member came to my OPD 4 years back completely puzzled. Mr. Paul was having a bladder cancer and he was advised to get the bladder removed by previous doctors. All the previous doctors advised him for a Stoma bag to be fitted on the abdomen (Ileal Conduit) after bladder removal. Mr. Paul was not convinced and was not able to accept this treatment option and wanted something better.

On the evaluation, we found that he has an aggressive Bladder Cancer however in a curable stage. For this kind of cases removal of urinary bladder is essential to save the life of the patient. Usually after removal of bladder (Cystectomy), a new urinary passage is created and the patient has to use Stoma Bag (Ileal Conduit) for his rest of life. Recently, with the advancing techniques, surgeon first removes the cancerous bladder (cystectomy) through either a traditional abdominal incision or with a robot-assisted laparoscopic approach (robotic surgery) and then reshapes a section of small intestine into a sphere, which becomes the new bladder (Neobladder) and both the kidneys and the normal urinary passage are joint together with this. Neobladder is a better and more acceptable option for the select patients of Bladder Cancer.

With Neobladder, patient pass urine through natural urinary passage and they don’t require any collecting device or stoma on their body. Most of the patients are able to hold urine and pass urine completely like any other normal person. With the introduction of neobladder, the acceptance of this surgery has gone up significantly and we are able to save many more lives of bladder cancer patients. Over long time the cost of the treatment is also lower, there is no negative body image or disfigurement.

We counselled Mr. Paul about the need of removal of his bladder and the options of Neobladder. He was convinced & agreed to the plan. The surgery went smooth and he was discharged from the hospital within 7 days. The patient and the family members were counseled for the need of bladder wash and were instructed how to do it. Now it’s 4 years after his surgery and he is cured of cancer and having a normal life and enjoying what he loves to do, i.e., Poetry.