scared and confused

It is hard to advise any one.

I have invasive small cells carcinoma in the muscle of the
bladder. Did consult the Dr from MD Anderson Texas they are rated
number one in cancer treatment.

The Dr. highly recomended removal of the bladder based on
expierence with this rare cancer in the bladder 70% chance of recovery compare to chemo and radiation 50% chance.

It is a very serious operation and to tell the truth I'm scared and still undecided.

Good luck with your treatment what ever you choose.

Roger

There are great medicines now that help with the nausea. My mothers preferences in food changed so we adjusted to what she enjoyed. Ask your doctor about any types of food you should stress or avoid. For example, they wanted her eating lots of protein.

Good luck and I hope you have very limited side effects.
Vi

Hi Robert these are very scary times we are going through! please have faith and listen to what is said here in these forums. the folks here are super great and most important we are all survivors and so will you be as well. good lock and gods speed on your recovery.

Hi Robert,

As someone already said one of the usual chemotherapeutic regimes for bc is cisplatin (or carboplatin for those with compromised renal function) + gemcitabine and the other older but equally effetive is MVAC (methotrexate, adriamycin, vinblastine (or vincristine, can't remember which) and cis or carbo platin. MVAC is usually thought to have more side effects than GC. Your oncologist should be able to provide you with some medicines to help control nausea and vomiting. Most urologic oncologists regard radical cystectomy + or - chemotherapy as the treatment of choice for muscle invasive, non metastatic bc unless there are other factors that make that a poor choice. Best wishes,

jj

Hi, Robert, my husband has an advanced Stage IV bladder cancer. I come to this site not him. You will eat what appeals to you. Jim does fairly well with eating. His tastebuds act up sometimes. It's sort of funny for him in that the taste comes and goes and is at the back of his tongue. He tells me he chews things up at the front of his mouth so he gets good taste and then swallows fast so it doesn't stay on the back of his tongue very long. So far he has eaten pretty much whatever he wants to. Again, if he doesn't want to eat it, he doesn't. I have some Ensure on hand for the days where not so good. Also, always keep chicken noodle soup on hand for him. If all else fails that works. The meds for nausea have helped him a lot.

What kind of chemo are you signed up for? Jim is getting Cisplatin and Gemzar. As others have told you, this is a great site and the people really know their stuff! Keep coming back and often people here can help.

Carla

When you start the chemo, your doctor will likely prescribe medicine for the nausea. As to what will make you sick, I found that cold foods and foods that didn't have a strong smell were less likely to make me ill. The key is to eat anything you can once you begin the chemo.

Best wishes!