scope

Hi Pat,

The cancers you mention are all of different cell types so I don't think there's any risk of them being passed to each other.

I know that cancer pts aren't allowed to donate blood. And that lab animals are injected with tumor cells and they thrive quite readily. People aren't aware that these days we can 'give each other cancer' sexually by spreading the HPV virus, which causes cervical, testicular and anal cancer. And we thought AIDs was bad!

There has been investigation in the relationship between bladder cancer and HPV (Human papilloma virus), the western experts say no connection, but serious statistical connection has been found in Iran, where experts claim that yes, HPV causes bladder cancer too....We shall see.

For anything to actually pass to another, it would have to be either blood borne or sexually transmitted.

About the hormones....i had my estrogen patch on during surgery...now i use a Yam based Climara patch which bypasses the liver and directly into the blood stream. My docs obviously didn't think the bladder cancer was estrogen dependent. I am pretty sure i had this tumor for at least 3 years before diagnosis as i had rusty colored urine and my internist dismissed it and so did i...figured i wasn't drinking enough water...and i had no pain....and there's the rub...there is no pain with the cancer until its pretty far advanced. But at that time i was taking care of my son who had developed testicular cancer and was on some pretty lethal stuff. They do have a cure for that thanks to Indiana University...but i was the person who cleaned the bathrooms and i often wonder if i didn't come into contact with some cancer cells........i know..its not supposed to be "catching"........but still its in the back of my mind. Within 3 months of my diagnosis two of my best friends came down with cancer....one with colon cancer (She was 38) and another with breast cancer (48)......now thats quite a cluster don't you think?

You might want to ask your Uro about interferon, BCG failed on me but with interferon 50 mil parts and BCg 10 percent. I was cleared of any tumers and the high grade insitu was gone. I do other things also Like pray and others prayed for me. I also take isaic tea liquid, and a lot of herblelistic items. I was also sent in the direction to the best uro in MIchigan. Don

>well scope #4 today and well got clumps mmm round 4 of surgery and then round #4 of bcg only they are looking at a stronger dose. anyone gone to a higher dose???<<

Gee...no, I have never heard of anyone getting a raised dose of BCG, that is, unless you'd been getting a reduced dose before.

>Menopause is messed up with all this. I being 42 hormones aren't working-FEM and now looking at mmm what next. <><> gain-anyone stop the hormone and tough it out???<

I have to tough it out...had induced menopause at 43 for breast cancer along with big symptoms but because i had an estrogen dependent tumor was not allowed to treat the menopause symtpoms. 5 yrs later, treatment ended and (irregular) periods returned along with menopause symptoms but I can't take HRT because of the risk. So I just sweat it out, as you said. Lay naked in bed in the freezing cold, damp and clammy, it's the pits. But...it passes after about 5-10 minutes and returns every hour or so but mostly at night. It's do-able, I feel. No fun, but bearable. It sounds like yours is worse....I sympathise.

I agree with Rosemary that it's risky to take hormones when we have cancer. Since bladder cancer has been shown to respond somewhat to Tamoxifen (the breast cancer tx I had which suppresses estrogen and progesterone), it could be that it would respond to hormone activating therapy as well...no proof, just a hunch that says it could be a risk.

Cancer is almost always more aggressive in pre-menopausal women, so going into menopause could be a good thing (aside from those sweats).

Best,
Wendy

Hey Star,

When I was diagnosed last January, my periods just stopped....(I'm 52).
I haven't really had symptoms of menopause, no flashes, and just my normal 20 lbs overweight but that has been around awhile.

If I were you, I would be very, very careful about any hormonal strategies while battling Bladder Cancer.  When I asked the BC Specialist in Chapel Hill
point blank  "Is Bladder Cancer estrogen dependent?", his point blank answer was, "We don't know."

My Bladder Cancer and menopause all happened at the exact same time (though no telling really how long those tumors had been in there), so something in my gut tells me that it could (at least in my case) have something to do with hormones.  

Good, good luck and please keep us posted.
Rosemary

well scope #4 today and well got clumps mmm round 4 of surgery and then round #4 of bcg only they are looking at a stronger dose. anyone gone to a higher dose???
Menopause is messed up with all this. I being 42 hormones aren't working-FEM and now looking at mmm what next. I have bone scan/ ct scan/ upper GI coming up. My annv for cancer is feb 10th 06 and now my surgery is the 12th of feb mm how ironic to start over again. anyone got a time line like this? enlighten me on the meno thing nothing works especially the hey try this? Wet towel around my necks works best at this point and stupid fem just makes weight gain-anyone stop the hormone and tough it out???
Dr says it will get worse if I stop? only been 3 months with FEM. meno started 2yrs ago no period for 2 yrs. my meno 96% in those terms of stage. The cancer was growing for who knows how long before I went in feb so being 1/2 size of bladder and shedding cells all around the bladder my road is still a long so have been told.
ENLIGHTEN ME FRIENDS..........