new here

John, I sincerely hope that your TURBT went well, and that you were treated fairly and kindly.

Let us know how it went, and what happens when you call Vanderbilt.

Stephany in Iowa

John ... Vanderbilt at a glance does sound hugh and complicated but their cancer center is located separately and they will give excellent directions. I don't know your insurance but i know when mine says out of network it means i have to pay an additional l0% than if in network. And you might ask The Vanderbilt people if they are working with this insurance company to get them in network. That also happened to me when i went to Memorial Sloan and they did work things out with my insurance company. I hope for your sake that your company allows you to go to a comprehensive cancer center that deals with lots of bladder cancer.
Good luck today............Pat

Truly thank you all for taking the time to post here. I had'nt even heard the word "margins" before or considered asking which lab would be used. I have looked at Vanderbelt on the Internet but it is huge and complcated to me however I now have a name to start with and I can be resourceful from time to time. Vanderbelt is "out of network" on my insurance and so far no one can tell me how/if I can get around that.
I go in at 9:30 today for the TURB and I would love to cancel however as I have been bleeding for about one year and this is my second try at this test (1st try was at a community hospital in Smithville and it just didnt work out).
I will post the results when I recieve them and will be on here next Sunday (I didnt know) if for no other reason tan to chat with others who understand and who know more about all this than I do.
A bit of fear has me going in today, it has just gone on to long however thanks to the comments you all took time to leave I WILL be getting a second opionion in the near future.

Thank you all again,

John Blount

JB, we missed you at our chat tonight.....we wondered if you might make it. There was a good discussion. Maybe you can make it next week.

Stephany in Iowa

Hi, JB
Welcome to our group. You will find some very knowledgeable people here who have experienced what you are, and will be going through.
My Uro is very experienced with bladder cancer, usually easy to talk to, answers all my questions, and is a big believer in me using the Internet for research, in-fact gave me addresses for URO Today and the BLC Web Cafe.
After seeing him for 3 years, I was still convinced to get a 2nd opinion.
When I asked my Uro about this, he agreed and even gave me a recommendation at the top Cancer Hospital in Canada. My 2nd opinion did come back the same as my current Uro's DX. But now I know for sure my DX is correct. I no longer have that question in the back of my mind.
Based on a lot of experiences that I have read here on the site, I would recommend you get a 2nd opinion at a top Cancer hospital, where they have Uro's that treat bladder cancer daily.
I wish you all the best.
Jack

Yes, JB.....get thee to a second opinion. Cancel the scheduled stuff, and see a doctor who will TALK TO YOU, and explain to you, and answer your questions. Or if you decide to keep that appointment, before you go, call and get some questions answered, like how many have they done? to whom do they refer? Who will read the path report? Will they assure you that they get margins? Who will guide you through the procedure? Is there someone to talk to on Monday to answer some questions? If not, move on. Do not be afraid to travel a little. A few hours of travel can make a difference in your piece of mind.

I see that you already have the gumption to get your files, and pictures. Use that gumption to get another opinion. And join us on Sunday.

Also, troll through the files listed here....there are lots of answers and lots of stories.

And the doc who said that about the web is about 120 years behind There is a wealth of good information out there, and we have a lot of it here, gathered in one place. But the best of all is the contact with other people who are going through, or have been through, what you are experiencing.

First...you are no longer alone.
Second....you can come here anytime. Keep checking back for answers.
Third, ask us more questions, if you like.

Stephany in Iowa