BCG burned bladder

Les,

One point, superficial bladder cancer means that the cancer is NOT invasive....

Still after your update, I'm not getting this. How do you go from "Grade 0 - caught it in time" to a radical cysectomy?

Once again, superficial bladder cancer MEANs that it is not invasive.

What is going on here?

Have you gotten a second opinion yet???

Best regards,
Ro

Les,
Thank you for the update, we have a forum member Peter who had his surgery in Scottsdale, has the outside bag like my husband also has. He lives in that area and had great reaction to surgery and recovery. I will e-mail Peter so he can let you know where he went for his surgery. Nothing wrong with Mayo either, a second opinion by either would be good too!!
Ginger

This is a follow up to my 1st post. Where we are today after getting the lab report. I should add he was cancer free last fall and his spring check up indicated a reoccurance. That's when the second round of RCG started.

We met with my Dad's doctor this afternoon. He feels cancer is stage 1. He is recommending removing the bladder. He can do it but from the sound of it he would like him to go to Mayo. My Dad winters in Arizona so Dad is leaning towards having it done there instead of Minnesota. The doctor said his bladder has shrunk to where it holds little urine and will not expand. The doctor had tried to fill it last week with water, he said he put quite a bit of pressure on it and it would not expand. He doesn't know if it is from the treatment or the cancer cells that have died from the previous treatment round (6 + 3), and his latest second round he started in June, he only got through the first 6 doses. Doctor said he hasn't seen a bladder do this before. He says the report shows that the cancer is superficial, it looks like a shot gun blast or speckling of cancer inside his bladder. The good news is he doesn't think the cancer has gone past the bladder and the kidneys are working fine. However ever if the cancer has made it past the bladder, the operation could be lengthy. He recommended removal within 4 weeks. My Dad has a catheter and that has solved the burning but he is getting spasms he says that go up his legs and across his chest. The doctor have him something for that and he has some pain pills. Dad wants to get a bag vs a new bladder. So I guess I will switch to the "evasive forum". Any feed back would be appreciated.

Les

Les also ask your dad to sign paperwork so that you call the doctor's office and ask questions. Sometimes without permission they will not give out any patient information per the privacy act.
It is good to have someone who is not the patient able to get the latest information and help make decisions. Sometimes doctors talk to their patients too medically and it is hard for them to understand.
Good Luck!

My cancer was low grade stage 0 but because of the size 4 cm it was recommended that I have BCG

Joe

Les make sure you get a copy of that path report.....Pat