Bill,
I am also retired from the Army, but I have Tricare Prime as my insurance and I use civilian hospitals. Although I feel you in many cases can get very good care from a VA Hospital, I would also question their ability to provide the type of surgery you need. You most definately should get a second opinion (once you know where they're sending you to and for what type of procedure), and that second opinion should come from a totally different institution not related to the first. In other words outside of the VA system, if that's at all possible for you to do.
The Bladder Cancer WebCafe is an excellent source of information on the subject of BC, and can refer you to other resources on the subject as well. Most important is for you to get all the information you can, and don't let them frighten you into making a decision before you're ready. Talk to other patients if you have the opportunity, such as on this site, or I understand there's an email discusion group associated with the WebCafe as well from the Home Page.
Keep us informed as to what's happening, we're interested in helping whenever we're able to. Different people respond to different types of questions, as we're none of us in the same situation. But we do want to help, so keep in touch.
Lou Graham
