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I had my operation (their words not mine) taking biopsies on Monday 1st October and got out yesterday (2nd).  The visual looks good and there is a pink patch which looks to the experts as if it is a reaction to the BCG and nothing sinister.

This is obviously great news and in three weeks time I will get the lab results and the next steps which I hope will be to go on to a maintenance regime of BCG and regular scopes under a local not a general.

I am continuing writing my blog which is coming up to one year old now.  Whilst it is perhaps getting a little mundane or even ordinary now it still

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were do I begin, Mum & Dad made the 3 hour journey on Monday so that dad could begin the bowel prep on Tue, Fasting from Mon night, he began the bowel prep on tue, tue came & went, up early and of to the hospital for a 7am start. My sister & I got on the road around 4am & arrived just after 7am, he hadnt gone anywhere yet so we were able to see him before he went in. They called him in & both mum & he went in. Whilst in the bed waiting the anathesist came in & said, so your in for your bi-op, mum said know I think its a little more serious than that, he said no your in for a bi-op. He then

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Hello Joe

Just thought I'd ask you how the cystectomy went.. Urologist seems to soft soap it. Piece of cake blah blah blah.  Thought maybe I could get the real scoop from someone who went through it.

I also have 3 grandkids 9,6,3, and I also was a trucker, but only in my early years.

Glad to hear you are 'cancer free'.  It must feel good to hear those words.

Mike

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Pet scan was taken some time ago and showed negative in bladder even though
we knew there was cancer inside.  Apparently Pet scan is not always
effective inside bladder.  In any event because of 'incorrect' negative
showing, insurance has refused to pay bill for another.

Anyway it doesn't matter.  I will have yet another cystoscopy, and wait four
weeks for another MRI.  Hopefully it will show that tumor is still shrinking.
If not I'll have to choose between the rock and the hard place.  (cystectomy
or hospitalized chemotherapy)

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Ok so my MRI results are in and the plot thickens.

Pelvic and abdominal MRI's reveal no involvement anywhere else in my body, and a
70% reduction in tumor within the bladder.  Cause for jubilation?  That's what
I mistakenly thought.  BUT, cancer is still there, at least that's the way it seems,
even an MRI can't tell for sure.  Neither can a pet scan.
 
According to my urologist the fear is it begins growing again, and outside of
cystectomy the only attack he can offer is another heavy dose of chemo.  This time
requiring hospitalization 3 days a month for 6 months.

According to the radiotherapist

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Hi All,
I am new to this forum, my father was first diagnosed some 15 years ago with bladder cancer, he had had some symptoms 19 months previous to this diagnosis & had tests done, doc said things were fine, when he seen a different doc (for work check up) 18 months later & mentioned that he had had the symptoms 18 months previous, his new doc asked did he see a specailist? He said NO. So new doc sent him of to specialist. The specialist viewed the scans taken 19 months previously & could not believe he was 99.9% sure he waslooking at a bladder tumor & they had even circled it. So hence he was

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hello again - Waiting for a scheduled MRI to determine results of all this radiation and chemo.  Tumor is necrotic or dead but that doesn't mean I'm cancer free.  There probably is residual cancer in bladder.  Doctor suggests another cysto after MRI, and if cancer is present - another TURBT - I told him no on the Turbt as I have had six already and it always comes back.  In fact I read somewhere that it always seems to come back after Turbt for everyone.  Why go through it again??  Doctor agreed on revisiting this issue after MRI results.  I wonder if any of you have an opinion on my

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Hello again

Latest round of radiation and chemo complete.  Side effects horrific - CT scheduled for 7/9/ and more blood work. Another cystoscope also.  Will see what progress has been made then.  Just looking forward to being treatment free until then, and waiting for the side effects to

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Part IV

My urologist returned in January. He was unaware of what had happened until I spoke to him. His response was that he was not concerned about the stricture. "The important thing was to be sure that there was no cancer." I fully understood his focus on the cancer but was unhappy that that focus appeared to be distracting him from dealing with a problem that made me miserable and which I wanted to be sure would not recur. I answered, "I'm glad you're not worried about the stricture, but I am!" He assured me that he would treat the stricture with laser at the next cystoscopy. A urine

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Part III

When you learn that you have cancer, it changes you for ever. Every clean bill of health is a celebration, and an invitation to go back to living, but... waiting once more for the ticking time bomb, waiting for the other shoe to drop. And then, there are complications of treatment that never let you forget.
I thought that my bladder cancer was the worst thing that ever happened to me, but I was wrong. Two years ago, just after my mother's 83 birthday, she developed leukemia. She quickly went from an independent woman with her own apartment and car to assisted living. Her doctors were

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