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My dad was just diagnosed with bladder cancer
My dad was diagnosed with bladder cancer on July 13th 2017. We have just seen the Dr who confirmed tumors on his bladder wall. One tumor is golf ball and one tumor is low lining to the wall. We have scheduled surgery to remove the tumors next Wednesday. I do not know if its cancer tumors or benign tumors, so we are all waiting. My dad is very old school and so I’m trying to get all the information i can about BC, the operation, recovery and stages/ grades so we are prepared and know what to ask during the difficult time. Im purchasing a recliner for my father to sleep in after surgery but im not sure if it’s needed? Hes been having terrible headaches and leg spasams that bring him to tears and often find him walking the yard all hours of the night to try to relieve leg cramps. Has anyone experienced this? id this due to the cancer? Should we be checked to see if it’s in his bones? This is very new to us. Thank you for all your help
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7 Replies
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I got a prescription from the doctor.
Can you put a phone call into his doctor and tell them about the cramps/spasms and how severe
they are for him? If they don’t know about them. I would take it from there and most likely, they would do
some lab work . I wouldn’t give him anything especially with a pending surgery unless, prescribed by his own
doctor.But, headaches too can be caused by dehydration. I think it is important his doctor knows about this. Talk to the doctor.
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Thank you! Yes, he’s scheduled for removal on Wednesday.
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Where do you get your potassium pills? Should I wait to get him some until after surgery?
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Thank you for your advice! I will try a heating pad on his lower stomach to see if it helps.
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Momtogirls,
“Hes been having terrible headaches and leg spasams that bring him to tears and often find him walking the yard all hours of the night to try to relieve leg cramps. Has anyone experienced this? id this due to the cancer? ”
While I do not relate headaches to the side effects of bladder cancer, the rest of your description has an all too familiar ring. Others have noted similar trouble.
Immediately PRIOR to the first appointment with a urologist, side effects of what became to be known as bladder cancer hit hard. Frequent need to urinate, inability to urinate, blood in urine, and extreme bladder spasms. The spasms caused pain in the abdomen and both legs. Getting comfortable or sleeping was nearly impossible, except when the spasms would lessen for a while. Up and walking, constantly changing position, up all night until so tired that sleep was all but impossible while waiting 4 days for an appointment.
The best explanation given was that the bladder spasms were putting pressure on adjacent nerves. Very uncomfortable – in retrospect, I should have gone to the ER instead of waiting.
Lying on the back and placing a hot pack (warm) over the bladder helped, and followed by massaging the area over the bladder also helped with later bladder spasms producing the same leg and abdomen pains during treatment. Relaxing the bladder spasms was my key to lessening the side effect. WORTH A TRY.
ALWAYS talk to dad’s care team with any and every problem, issue, concern or fear. It is the care team’s job to get dad through this difficulty. They can’t help if they don’t know.
Thanks for being there for dad.
Best,
Jack
6/2015 HG Papillary & CIS
3 Years and 30 BCG/BCG+Inf
Tis CIS comes back.
BC clear as of 5/17 !
RCC found in my one & only kidney 10/17
Begin Chemo; Cisplatin and Gemzar
8/18 begin Chemo# 3
Begin year 4 with cis
2/19 Chemo #4
9/19 NED again :)
1/2020 CIS is back
Tried Keytruda, stopped by side effects
Workin on a new plan for 2021Oh, leg cramps are horrible. I get them in my toes even. I can speak about mine and the cause.
I am on a water pill to lower my blood pressure and in turn it causes my Potassium level to be low.
So, the doctor prescribes a potassium pill for it and that, seems to be the fix-all for the cramps.The doctor would probably do a blood-test to check for it. It would be worth mentioning the leg
cramps/spasms to the doctor. Those things are just too painful.
So sorry to hear about your dad….I assume that they have scheduled him for a TURB (transurethral resection of the bladder) where the tumors will be removed and sent to a pathologist for an exact diagnosis. This will include whether it is cancer or not, what kind (there are several types of bladder cancer, but the most common is urothelial carcinoma or transitional cell, and how far it has progressed. It will also tell whether it is high grade (rapidly dividing) or low grade. If you go to our Home Page and click on View All under the topic About Bladder Cancer you will find a wealth of information.
The TURB will probably be done as an outpatient under brief general anesthesia. Depending on the extent of the resection, he may or may not have a catheter for a day or so and may very well go home the same day. He may be uncomfortable for a day or so, but should be back to normal pretty soon. It is not usually very extensive surgery.
I have had two of these and by the next day was back to normal…however, I did not need a catheter.I doubt that your father’s leg problems and headaches have anything to do with the bladder. Symptoms of bladder cancer are usually related to the bladder….urgency, feeling like a UTI, for example. Many elderly people do have leg spasms and I would push his primary care physician to find the cause and a remedy.
Your father is very lucky to have you by his side. Please feel free to ask any question that you still have or that come up in the next few weeks.
Sara Anne
Diagnosis 2-08 Small papillary TCC; CIS
BCG; BCG maintenance
Vice-President, American Bladder Cancer Society
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