sleeping a little better now

Josephine; Like everyone else on this site i am praying for you. But i have to say that life don't end with a diagnoses of cancer. If it did, i would have been dead in 1991, again in 1999, and once again in 2009. I didn't die, I went on to see
children married, grandchildren born, and yes many ups and downs. Thats what life is. Life didn't stop at each cancer for me, life became that much more precious after each.
Josephine you say you can't live moment to moment, but everyone
lives moment to moment. I have a line in a poem of mine titled
Things to be afraid of. There is a line in it that goes "Realizing that forever could mean only till today". We all only have until today! Cancer just makes us that much more aware of it!
As for your question, does anyone survive cancer? Yes many of us do. Are we the same people afterwords? I would hope we are better people afterwords. Did I like having three cancers? No,
but it's a lot better then many of my friend and loved ones who only got to have one cancer, and never had the chance to have a second. It's all in how one perceives things.
Wishing you the very best. Duke

Could you get hit by a truck tomorrow? YEP....will that thought prevent you from planning a future? How old are you?
Geez gloom and doom...and yes there are all kinds of cancer survivors out there.
If you don't want to go from cystoscope to cystoscope have them do a cystectomy and get an Indiana Pouch and cath 4 times a day. You probably don't like that plan either.
Look both ways when crossing the street!
Pat

i hear you all loud and clear. but living this way is not living at all. its only moment to moment or rather cytoscope to cytoscope test. i dont want any medications to cope,with a depressing thought about bladder cancer. i want hope for my future, iwant a future without this bladder cancer can this be so? i am playing the cards that were dealt to me i just dont want to play anymore. learning to live moment to moment as i have makes me a survivor and yes i admit i am a cancer survivor but does anyone ever survive cancer?

"Life is what happens when you are planning other things." I know how you feel. This cancer thing is a royal pain.
It is disruptive to my schedule and this 3 month checkup routine is making me crazy.

But, I accept this process as merely an inconvenience. I know it is easy to focus on the negative, but DO NOT let this dominate your life. Put the whole thing in perspective and schedule this disease as you would a dentist routine. I think it helps minimize the frustration.

Keep on planning and scheduling your future. But, be prepared for the disruption. Look forward to being in a changing environment and enjoy the ride.

sleep well

Sorry your cancer has just recurred. The cold hard reality of superficial bladder cancer is that there is always the possibility of recurrence - that's why we have to stay vigilent with follow-up visits - so that it stays non-invasive.

I was diagnosed 18 months ago, and I haven't gotten past a three month visit without having new growths. But I have learned to accept that cystoscopes and TURB-T's are part of my new reality. And yes, I still stress every time it's time for another cystoscope - or another round of BCG or Mitomycin - but not doing those things would only increase my chances of having an invasive bladder cancer.

So, you can adjust to the new reality that as long as you have a bladder - you have the chance for recurrence. But non-invasive tumors give us a reason to celebrate!

Rebecca