I started seeing blood in my urine at least a month ago. I actually saw red and orange in my urine much longer ago. I attributed that to eating beets, vitamens and such. A month ago there was no reason for it and I wiped blood with a *nice* pretty good sized clot (anyway good sized for coming out of that little tube). Well, I don't have any health insurance, nor any money for doctors. I go to a free clinic where I have a yearly appointment, no primary care. I get most of my prescription meds for free there (used to get all of them free, now I pay $6 a month for my Metformin). So I waited to see if I would do it again the next day. It tapered off and seemed to go away. Well on February 28 I started peeing blood with a vengeance. I went to the ER and they did a CT with contrasting IV and found a mass in my bladder. The Dr. there said it looks like they caught it early enough to have good results with treatment. He wanted to admit me, but the Urologist said no. I went to see him the next morning and he told me I had malignant bladder cancer until proven otherwise. Another appointment was made to do a cystoscopy on the the 12th. He still calls it malignant cancer until proven otherwise. He said I needed surgery and soon. I heard him count like 3 or 4 spots with one of them being large enough to bring a comment on it's largeness. He is willing to work with me paying whatever I can whenever I can. Good thing the macro-bids presc. is going to put a good stress on the Walmart card. $83!!!!! No sub given. The hospital they tried for the first time was real funny. They were wanting a pretty good percentage of $20,000 before the surgery. HaHa, I told them if I had to do that than I would just have to die. The Dr's staff person then went to Roper and they have a charity foundation which apparently I qualify for so I'm set up for surgery there on the 29th of April. It's to be a cystoscopy TURBT surgery. Probably will be done and home by the evening or night of the same day. That is unless the Doctor wants me to stay over for observation for whatever reason. Anyway, I've been researching the stuff and am not happy with the information of the common recurrence thing. I may have to go back to the Dream Center and accept that I will have to ask for rides if I am feeling to tired and in pain to get there by bus. I have Fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis in like 10 spots throughout my spine, mostly between my shoulder blades and in my neck. Fun, fun, fun!!!! Anyway, glad to have found this site. I think I will be needing encouragment and lots of information.
