I am so happy to have found this site and as I read your stories, my heart goes out to each and every one of you.
My husband was just diagnosed with bladder cancer last week, although grade and stage is to be determined (surgery next week). You all are so informed and educated and I'm doing my best to speak your language. I hope this doesn't scare anyone, but my dear Mom died of bladder cancer. Her situation was very unique in that, during subsequent discussions with her doctor, she had very tiny clots in her urine and refused diagnosing the reason (you'd have to know my Mom and her denials about anything serious or scary). She never told any of us. My Dad was coping with (and eventually died from) prostate cancer at the time so it was just like Mom to keep the focus on him and deal with her issues later. By the time she was diagnosed, her cancer had metastisized and she passed quietly with us at her side.
Getting back to my husband, he went in for diagnoses in December after noticing one or two very small clots in his urine two months prior. My first question for those of you "in the know" is...is it possible to have cancer without noticing blood in the urine? In other words, could the tumor have been growing without his knowledge? We both had standard urine tests for insurance purposes in April of '07 and no report of any microscopic blood in his urine then. This is a question about timing...is 2-3 month delay in diagnosis a long time for bladder cancer?
My second question, if you'll indulge me, is his tumor is about 1.5cm, with another slightly smaller one next to it noticed during last week's cystoscopy. I read about tumor "size" and don't understand if it is significant or not, as well as number of tumors.
Thank you all so much for your support. I have to consider my husband's diagnosis separate from Mom's, but truly could not keep food down last week out of fear...it's been paralyzing. Whatever you all have to cope, I don't seem to possess and you are all amazing. My husband's urologist seems very good--invited me in during the cystoscopy to point out the tumor and answer questions--but new questions pop up.
You are all incredibly brave and an inspiration for hope.
Thanks, Debbie