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Newly Diagnosed
Hello! My name is Holli and I am a 22 year old student in Oklahoma. A mass was found in my bladder on Monday and by Thursday I had a CT Scan and cystoscopy. Yesterday I was told that I had bladder cancer. The urologist has me scheduled Wednesday to have the tumor removed and he said he will burn off the area and insert chemotherapy directly into my bladder. Has anyone here had this done? What was it like? Did you have a good outcome? I’m still pretty in the dark on the type or stage of my cancer until the biopsy comes back. The closest thing I can come to describing what the tumor looked like was a sea anemone. I know nothing about bladder cancer and any research I have been trying to do was a little too overwhelming at this point.
I’m so glad to have found this forum and I appreciate any and all information anyone has and I would love to hear your stories. I would love to make some new friends here! Any support is good support. Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mother’s who are reading!
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6 Replies
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Holli,
How did your surgery go?
Ray, we’ll be thinking of you also and hope you get in to see a urologist soon.
Prayers are with both of you in OK.
Anita
Anita
Forum Moderator
Caregiver
Hi Holli,
I am also in OK and just found out today that I have a mass on my bladder. Haven’t been able to see a Urologist yet, but hopefully will in the next few days. I hope that you are doing well and will check back to see how you are doing! Lots of prayers and good thoughts for you!Ray
Holli,
There is a wealth of info on this site. Sounds like your tumor is a papillary (mushroom like) which is similar to what I had. That is 6 years ago. It is scary but, take one day at a time. The surgery to do a path report and take out the tumor is what many of us have gone through. Easy for me to say now but, after that all you can do is wait for the path report. Many times the surgery (TURB-trans uretheral resection of the bladder) will call for a second one to be sure “margins” are correct. As many others will write, this is often a treatable disease however, you want a URO that sees lots of this and he sure seems to be up the speed-a good sign. Also, a second opinion is often suggested.
Keep the board posted. Someone is usually watching for questions.
DX 5/6/2008 TAG3 papillary tumor .5 CM in size. 2 TURBS followed by 6 instillations of BCG weekly with a second round of 6 after a 6 week wait.
Holli,
The pain has not been too bad (from the caregiver’s point of view). Do take the medications that the docs prescribe you for pain for at least the first 24 hours. Doug has usually been able to use Tylenol after that, but each person is different, so listen to your body. Be sure to have some Pyridium for the bladder spasms.
Have the person going with you take a notebook and write down anything the doctor/nurses tell them. That’s also where I keep up with the times for the meds.
What have you got blooming in Oklahoma now? We have lots of beautiful iris blooming right now in East TN.
Best wishes,
Anita
Anita
Forum Moderator
Caregiver
Hi Anita! Thank you very much for your quick reply! Glad to know there are others out there going through this and that are doing well! My thoughts are with both of you. He said if all goes well I should be able to come home. He did mention that I may need a catheter for a week or so following the procedure. I’ve never had a catheter so I’m a little nervous about that. How was the pain in the following days? You mentioned to take it easy for a week so I will definitely try to take time off of work.
Holli,
Welcome to the forum. You have come to the right place! My husband, Doug, was diagnosed in 2001 and is doing well. What you have described sounds like what Doug has had done and the sea anemone is what his doctor explained to us also. Will you go home right after your surgery or will you be staying in the hospital overnight? Depending on the location of the cancer in the bladder, Doug has had both situations…and the doctor has been able to tell him ahead of time if he anticipates the need for a catheter afterwards. You will need to take it easy for a week after the surgery. So glad that your surgery was able to be scheduled quickly. The waiting is always hard. Best wishes to you. Hope your surgery goes well. Let us know how it goes.
Anita
PS Thank you for the Mother’s Day wishes.
Anita
Forum Moderator
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