My Father

Thank-you all for your responses and kind words.

A bit frustrated - our urologist had wanted to us to proceed with removing the bladder as she felt the abnormalities in my father's pelvic area were some kind of infection or inflamation. So instead of booking a bone biopsy, she referred us to a rheumatism specialist. This particular doctor gave us his opinion that it was not arthritis, rather the cancer, but has ordered another cat scan in order to confirm. I'm not too familair with what exactly falls in the parameters of a rheumatism specialist - would he be able to give me a diagnosis on the bone cancer if it's spread - would he be able to treat? I'm a bit confused and it seems that nobody is available for answers..

Hi Mark,
I'm sorry about your father's diagnosis. Whether or not to remove the bladder in the face of bone mets is a controversial issue, and much would depend on the doctor's choice and the general health of your father, but in my experience chemo is given instead of surgery in case of spread. Stage IV bladder cancer is not curable but is not an immediate death sentence either. There are many issues to consider, a lot of which are covered in WebCafe's metastatic pages that Pat linked to.

I wish you and your family well,
Wendy

Karen,
In a previous post Mark wrote about his dads age 67, and a history of smoking and drinking. Check back and theres more info on his past posts..he is in Canada
Ginger

Hi Mark,

Can you tell us alittle more about your Dad? Age, general health (other than the cancer of course).

Also where is he being treated?

I for one always recommend a second opinion. Preferably at a MAJOR Cancer Center that deals with Bladder cancer. If you give us an idea of the area you live, someone is sure to come up with a reccomendation of a great hospital in your area of the country...

My thoughts are with your family...This is a tough road...
Karen

Mark,
I am sorry to hear of your fathers recent concerns with bladder cancer and possible metastisis.. my husband is 67, he had an r/c to remove his bladder last Sept 14th, 2007. He to was a smoker but as I have found out here on the forum many with b/c are non smokers, in fact health conscious people who work out etc. In our case my husband has fully recovered with an outside bag, no cancer elsewhere so no need for chemo or radiation...who knows what causes this horrible disease, lifestyle may be the culprit for some. For your dad keep a possitive outlook, it is so important, if he is able to have an r/c and he is not metastisized he will prevail, but he needs help along the way..emotionally. Keep us posted on his journey, so we can be of help to both of you.. I am not knowledgeable enough to talk about his treatment if he is indeed metastisized, many others are here on the site, my thoughts are with you in any case!!!!! Ginger