TA1 and CIS over the years. Final was CIS with Stage 2 Renal Cancer.

Here is the summary of my journey:

During the course of my over 40 physical (I was active duty Army at the time) a nurse noted blood in my urine sample. This led to a Cysto in Feb 98 and a TURBT in Mar. The biopsy came back as TA1 TCC. After some discussion with the doctor we decided on a course of BCG.

Over the next 5’sh years I had a total of 2 BCG, 2 BCG with Interferon and 2 courses of Gemcydabine (hope I got the sp right on that one). In between were numerous TURBT’s, to be honest I lost count but it was between 15 and 20’sh. Throughout this time the tumors tended to be very surface TA0 or 1’s and the doc was reluctant to take the bladder.

I made it through all the treatments ok, but was recoverying from each round of chemo or surgery slower and slower. Still, it “beat the alternatives” as I would say.

During this time I retired from the Army, had a beautiful daughter and otherwise went on with my life. I learned to not push it during treatment and to not worry about it when I wasn’t in treatment.

Finally in Dec 02 during another TURBT the docs detected a mass in the Right Kidney. So an extra couple of days in the hospital to do a biopsy on the kidney. Even before the pathology came back the doc started setting me up for the kidney removal.

On the 23rd of Dec the path came back, low grade Renal and CIS in the bladder. The time had come for the “Big Surgery”.

I went in on the 26th of Dec and was under for 10.5 hours. My right Kidney, bladder and prostate were removed and a neobladder fashioned form the small intestine. Left Kidney connected to the neobladder and the neo to the urethra.

On the good side, the pathology following the surgery came back as a more aggressive Renal cancer but, nothing outside of the Kidney and Bladder. Best news I’ve had in 5 years.

I spent 20 days in the nospital because my gasto system refused to “wake up”. Once that got functioning again I was able to come home. Due to the extra time in the hospital I had all the staples out and only the SuperPub drain left in. A weeke later that was pulled.

I generally can go about 1.5 to 2 hours between bathroom breaks. At night is more like 1 to 1.5. I set an alarm for every two hours at night, but after the first night have woken up prior to the alarm and before leaking. Not 100% yet 100% of the time, but good enough I feel for where I am after the surgery (about 4-5 weeks).

Overall I am pleased with the course of my treatment. I have been fortunate to have the same primary Urologist for the whole time. (Normally the military moves the docs every few years). He has been wonderful and the staff at Walter Reed are simply amazing.

I countmyself very lucky. The cancer was caught early, I had access to a Urology and hospital staff that dealt with Bladder Cancer on a regular basis, and I had the support of my family, numerous friends, and my job throughout the whole thing.

Guess that about summons up my story in a nutshell. Hope this helps anyone out there.

Steve