This is my first post and I'm two weeks out from beginning chemo.
I've been diagnosed with a rare bladder cancer: squamous cell carcinoma of either d2 or d3 staging. I'll undergo 12 weeks of MVAC, take a month to recover, have a full hysterectomy and bladder removal, and I'm considering either an "Indiana" pouch or a neobladder. I'll be getting my chemo treatment at home in Montana as directed by Mayo and going back to Mayo for surgical procedures.
My name is Chelsia. I'm a 35 year old female. Yep, I was a smoker for about 23 years. I quit in 2008. Other than that, they are really not sure how I got this thing, as it's only seen in Egypt?!
I'd assume that I'm not the only one out there with this since my Mayo doctors said they see a few a month, but typically in much older patients, thus they are treating my case aggressively because apparently my body can take it -- ie: I'm healthy. I'm not necessarily looking for other people who have had this type of cancer, but that would be awesome.
I'm looking to connect with community, have folks to talk to about their experiences, and not rely solely on my partner and primary caregiver. I do have a tremendous support network through distant friends and a smaller pool where I now live, but I'm hoping that I find some community here.
It's been a long time since I participated in a forum (2002, maybe?), so I'm entering back into this weird flash-back realm where my community is a little more condensed.
I think I'm in the right forum.