Ian just try to look at it like this you hit a snag and it's fine to get a tad spooked I to this day even though I am cancer as of now still get scared about things. I get a pain somewhere after you have cancer you relate everything to that and that is not always the case the pain could be just a pulled muscle but we tend to think the worst. Positive things will always come to positive people this is how I tried to view it and that helped me. I don't drink anymore because I can't so I live one day at a time and that is exactly how I treated this cancer, keep it simple. Everybody has different degrees of fear or pain but if you just hang tough and you are already because your talking about it everything will work out. Hang Tough, Joe

Hi Ian,

I really like the replies you've got so far..this is a great forum. I like Dr. Warren's reasoning too. "sadism" heheheh.

Sorry, I"ve been offline for a few days and here you are with a recurrence. That stinks. Was it a single tumor?

I think I've mentioned (numerous times) that I don't do needles or procedures without a dose of valium to keep me from bolting or panicking. And I have them on hand for those 'stress attacks', don't use them everyday but nice to know I can lean on my little crutch if needed. Actually, it's not a crutch to use something to fight anxiety when cancer is the source. It's not so easy to have an ax hanging over your neck.

I do think the timing of your procedure, 5:45, might have something to do with why the uro withheld the numbing gel...doesn't it take 15 minutes to work? Hmmm....

Ian, you will be ok. Part of the trouble with recurrent Ta,G1's is that family and friends under-estimate the stress of it because you look fine, walk around. Don't look sick ...But as most of us here know, the quality of life goes down tremendously when one has had a bladder tumor, it has a huge impact on things but it is not apparent, so it's hard to get the sympathy and understanding needed.

I would think that this upcoming TURB will be a heads up to your sisters and friends to take your diagnosis as seriously as you and we do. Yes, your prognosis is excellent and this condition will almost certainly not kill you. But it's still a cancer diagnosis, a prognosis and never a guarantee. Tim is the perfect example, one of those -5% that progress in stage from Ta,G1 after 14 yrs and living proof that it is still survivable so long as you follow up with a good doctor. As you are.

I'm generalising-but mostly our family and friends follow our lead-if we want to talk about our cancer journey, they will listen. But others coming out and asking for details is much more rare, in my experience. Maybe this is a time to tell your sisters about how this is effecting you. Then they can have the opportunity to repay the support you've given to them after they had a cancer diagnosis.

Sorry you weren't up to getting away and taking that trip to the sea...but it's cold and gray. Maybe it's best you're home.

Do whatever you need to do to stay sane. Go see a movie? Out for a bite, the pub for a Guiness?

Take care my dear.
Wendy

And yet, "No, we don't do that here" doesn't give a reason. If he said, "We've found it doesn't help" or "It could cause such and such problem" that would be an answer. So what is his reason, sadism?!? Yes, the cysto with a flexible scope is tolerable without lidocaine gel, but when the pain is minimal to absent, it's easier on the patient, decreases anxiety for the next one, improves recovery time, and makes the procedure easier for the doc. Unless he's got a better reason, the only reason I can think of that a urologist would omit the lidocaine gel is that he has to take the time to put it in and then wait for it to work.... and I've been through too many uncomfortable cystos because my urologist was in a rush. I see no excuse for that kind of treatment.

Ian, I've been scoped twice, by two different doctors. Both of them used lidocaine or some-such numbing lubricating gel.

It wouldn't hurt to ask for it. I'm not trying to practice medicine, but if there are no side-effects and it alleviates discomfort, why the heck wouldn't they use it?

Zach

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