Welcome to the club you didn't want to join!! And sorry to see you here.
First, some advice. STOP and take a deep breath. I remember when I was first diagnosed and I came home and thought "now I know what I am going to die from."
Well, I didn't and I won't!!
You won't know exactly what you are facing until the pathology report comes back after the TURB. Many bladder cancers are "low grade" which means that they do not have a high probability of spreading rapidly. As far as the diagnosis in the ER goes, even some doctors don't realize that WOMEN can get bladder cancer so it is often a long time from the appearance of symptoms to a diagnosis.
As for bladder removal, yes, it IS a cure. But it is usually not considered if the tumor is low grade and shows no signs of spreading. There are other ways to treat it...frequent cystoscopy, and careful watching. The bad thing about low grade bladder cancer is that it tends to come back. If it is high grade, but shows no signs of spreading, there are still ways of treating it without removing the bladder. IF it comes to bladder removal, even that is not the end of the world. Many people ....many members of this Forum...are living full and active lives without their bladder.
As I said at first, please don't panic. I know that is hard!!! You won't know for sure what you are facing...even if it IS cancer for sure...until after the TURB and the pathology results.
Please feel free to ask any questions that come to mind....
Sara Anne
