Lost in Philadelphia

Just one more bit of advice....while it is important to take care of such issues relatively quickly, you do have time to think things over before you make a decision. Even a month delay will not make a big difference in a condition that has probably been in the making for years.

When you have all the facts, and if you decide to seek a second opinion and you get the results of that discussion, then you will be much better equipped to make some decisions.

Sara Anne

Wow...you are dealing with some issues. Will try to clarify what I can...

First, FISH tests are very useful, but they can show a lot of false positives...meaning that sometimes they indicate cancer when there is none. That is why they are not relied upon solely as a diagnosis, but biopsies are also necessary.

You say that you are scheduled for cystoscopy in a hospital? This test, where the urologist uses a small camera to look at the inside of the bladder, is usually done as an outpatient in the office. However, if you do have a complicated situation it may be done in the hospital. If it appears that cancer might me present, the urologist will schedule a TURB (transurethral resection of the bladder) to obtain samples to send to a pathologist for analysis. The TURB is done in a hospital under general anesthesia and you usually go home the same day. Only after the pathology report comes back ...and it can take a week or so...will a diagnosis of cancer or no cancer be made,

Since your situation is complicated by other issues, you might want to consider having an exam and second opinion at a center that specializes in bladder cancer. There are two located in Philadelphia....Fox Chase and U. Penn. Also, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore is one of the best and is not that far away, nor is Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC. On the other hand, Cancer Centers of America is a for-profit chain that is not known for specialty treatment in the bladder cancer area.

Wishing you lots of good luck

Sara Anne