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Everything seems to be going well. Next check cistoscopy due around October.

Only problem is getting back to full fitness after chemo and radiotherapy. It takes a while to get strength back but I'm really convinced the treatment route I went for was the right one for me.

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Hi all. I was on this site, reading and posting, back in 2004, early 2005. I had my first experience with bladder cancer in June 2004.

Female, age 47 then (50 now)

Single 3 cm tumor, T1 (almost T2a, but dodged that bullet by a fortunate layer or two of cells), grade 2/3. TURBT on June 4, 2004 & quit smoking the night before surgery, haven't touched one since. Re-TURBed early July to be sure the muscle wall was not involved. No invasion of the muscle wall.

Began 6 weeks of BCG, in August 2004, but had such horrible bladder spasms and pain from it, the dose was reduced. Although I managed to make

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I can only say that I wish I had found this site around 6/22/06.  It’s wonderful to hear the stories of others and read through the forum links.  BC is not well known so when I found out, I truly felt alone.  Since everyone has their own tale and no two are alike, I thought I’d share mine with you.  If it deems posting, I’d be happy to hear from anyone with any question.

I’m 45 yrs old and pretty active though smoking has always been a tough nut for me to crack.  I did quit for 2 years at one point but since I had been on and off using nicotine lozenges to help out.  Any way, June of ’06 I

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Yes, in virtually every case, some mass was removed and sent to pathology.

Only in 2005 was significant muscle involvement found with a 4cm tumour in the dome of the bladder. The recommendation was bladder removal (as there had previously been some prostate involvement).

I had to push hard to find out about the non surgical options. I was spending my time living in both the UK and the USA. Reviews with the team at Mass General in Boston indicated that the none surgical route might not be a possibility because of the location of the tumour and the history.

Review with Velindre Hspital in the UK

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Now September 2006. No recurrence of tumour. 62 this week and just starting a new business involving lots of international travel.

The only real problem remaining from the radiotherapy is the effect on our sex life although Cialis helps quite a lot there.  :o

So far I am really pleased that I didn't follow the initial recommendations for bladder removal. Let's hope it remains so.

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(continued)

So now it has been time to try to get a grip on the nature of my peculiar visitation of the disease. It presents a bit of a quandary. If it had been TaG1, no dilemma: keep the bladder, pursue a disciplined maintenance program, and outlive the disease. If it had been a T2G3, say, also no dilemma: the result, probably sooner rather than later, is going to be a bladder removal and reconstruction in order to defeat the cancer before it can progress beyond the bladder and become life-threatening. But a TaG3? Which side of that will prove to be the fundamental characteristic of the

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Yes, 17 years with recurrent T1. I have had around 40 TURBs.

Tumours have been on different spots in the bladder. The last one grew fast in the dome at the top of the bladder.

Up till then they had been persistant little tumours but had been caught before they'd got into the muscle. when this bigger one was diagnosed the recommended course of action was surgery but looking at the statistics, it looked like combined modalities offered about the same survival rates and so I went that way.

Of course it means that we still have every chance of recurrence so will need looking at every 3 months.

Good

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Finished radiotherapy with minimal side effects then I've waited 3 months for first examinaion to assess results. Completed yesterday and surgeon's report was "all clear". Really good news. I had resisted the surgical approach and chosen the radiotherapy/chemotherapy approach. Too early to say what long term results will be, but the first signs are very encouraging. The tumour was in the top dome of the bladder with deep muscle invasion. After 17 years of treatment, this is the first "all clear" I ever

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[quote]My husband was diagnosed in Feburary after having found a large amount of blood in his urine.  He went to the emergency room in our small town.  They didn't even examine him, just took a urine sample and said it was a urinary tract infection.  Went to the urologist the following Tue. Had a CT scan.  He has had a cyctoscopy and was at T2, grade 3 according to pathology report.  Doctor wanted him to have a partial cyctectomy.  Had this done March 10.  Went back on March 20 to get catheder out.  Doctor told him cancer is now thru the bladder.  Staged at T3, grade 3.  Told him he didn't

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Four month follow up  story... Bob Stump

It is now four months since I underwent radical cystectomy, during which my bladder, prostate, many lymph glands, and whatever Dr. Hrebrinko selected was removed.  He observed after the surgery that it had gone well, that it had taken less time than he'd expected.   He had built a neo-bladder and had hopefully been successful in nerve sparing when removing my prostate.  I had an anesthesia which included many tiny tubes implanted in my spine carrying the anesthetic - for a nerve blocking strategy about which the doctors at Shadyside Hospital (UPMC) were

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