Hello and help

Hi, Gay, I will chime in and tell you that the diagnosis isn't one of the best to receive and it came like a 20 lbs sledge between my eyes when my husband was diagnosed 7/13/10. We have weathered a radical cystoprostatectomy and 6 months of chemo and he is living proof that even at his late stage of the disease that you can live a full life with this terrible diagnosis. As we say, to date, Jim is LIVING with his BC not DYING with his BC and he is currently cancer free until proven otherwise.

I am so glad you found us here as it is a wonderful place to come and meet with people who have been there and done all that. Survived to tell about it and offer not just great information but support which has proven to be invaluable to me and Jim.
Stay strong, come back often and be well.

Congratulations on a beautiful baby!

Keeping really good thoughts going for you!!

Sara Anne

Thanks
I am starting chemotherapy hopefully in the next few days just waiting for the appointments to come through.We are trying to stay really positive I have a great consultant who is supposed to be at the forefront of treating bladder cancer in the uk .He thinks this is mt best option and I am hanging on to that.
Gay

Hello. My mother went through bladder cancer and although it has taken her years to get to the point where she doesn't have some sort of problem or another, she is living life to the fullest and enjoying every day. Hers was not as severe as many people, she was lucky. I didn't realize how many people were affected in so many different ways by bladder cancer until I started researching it.

God Bless.

Hi Gay (Dixie too)
I just want to point out to you that I am alive and well. Please don’t let the averages from web sites get you to thinking in a dark area. Although your Thurs. appt. will help determine your treatment options I had my Chemo prior to surgery and I’m now cancer free. Don’t get negative. I know it is real easy to think about the worse but it’s important to focus on the best possible outcome.

Hello Gay

I too live in the Uk and am familiar with your neck of the woods.

First of all may echo the others and say it was good that you found this site so quickly but sad that you needed to.

My own diagnosis was less than two weeks ago - we all react differently and just to assure you its quite normal to feel that is not happening its all a bit sureal.

From practical experience - the waiting for histology reports in the Uk is one of the most trying stages - the limbo of the unknown what ifs etc.

My advice is to take on step at a time - it may well be that your problem requires less radical treatment than some types of bladder cancers you have read about on the internet - remember they are other people's dignoses - yours hasn't been completed yet.

I very much appreciated the contact with others at this scary time - so feel free to contact me via pm if you feel the need - and as Pat pointed out it is reassuring that you live in an area that has a good reputation for cancer treatment - you know in the UK we speak of the postcode lottery when it comes to medical care - well it sounds like 'geordie land' (an affectionate term for the north east of england - for those who may read this in America and wonder what it meant) has come out near the top in that particular lottery -

take care - there are many who live with bladder cancer - the Uk Macmillan site has information and in many hospitals in the UK they have centres to help those who have all types of cancer - maybe it would be worth giving them a call they are there to help with the emotional not just the physical

dixie