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Radiation question (with background info)
My 93 year old dad was misdiagnosed over last 5 years and had a few benign tumors removed from bladder by old school urologist who never communicated with us. Combo of Dad not wanting to deal or tell us anything and very poor management by one man show doc.
A resection was done last fall once dad was a bit safer getting out with covid restrictions(and he had been peeing blood and also had retention…) Doc had told him it was likely kidney stones and dad told us that.Seemed unlikely, but iia world I was terrified to take my parents out, much less even visit them here we are.. ……Dad had told us that he was uncomfortable and I finally was able to take him for what I thought/was told was to be a lithotripsy.
That’s what we were “told” so imagine my surprise when doctor called from a not great hospitat ( Privileges revoked elsewhere we later learned) and said “Your dad is having a hard time coming out of anesthesia- oh, and we took a piece of a tumor out.. what should we do with him? He doesn’t want to go home with a catheter… ”
WHAT? and WHAT?? ( I rushed out there and said he has to spend night- my 90 year old mom can’t handle this.)Anyway I guess said doctor wanted to go back in and remove more and install “something” in his bladder for six weeks and he would be fine.. I said “BCG?” cause I have been learning all along ( he was surprised I has a brain in my head.)
Anyway my dad did not follow up . My brother is angry, but I can’t really blame my father after all that. And he “fired” him after a lifetime (too long) of loyalty…He even wrote him a polite formal letter saying he needed to part ways.
He met with a great oncologist and had a decent PET scan, and started monthly immunotherapy. Also saw a new GOOD urologist who is very committed and caring. He did a second TURB and it is muscle invasive.
Bladder removal would not work at this this age and with this person. Dad just wants normal urination.. He is besides himself. SO has been receiving radiation of bladder for 16 days to help stop bleeding and kill left over cancer cells. He is generally miserable with side effects. He will have a CT scan tomorrow to see how things are going and meet with urologist.Sorry for ramble- I believe “standard practice is 6 weeks of radiation/five days a week. We are halfway thru, but not sure he can handle the urination frequency, bowel effects etc. Oh and he gets massive UTIs which I know he is getting when he gets super crazy angry at us. Hard to tell if still bleeding as he takes azo tablets.
Blessings to all of you amazing folks, So helpful actually to simply write this out.
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