Welcome! We have all been where you are today, so understand your feelings.
First: urine cytology is NOT exact and is notorious for "false positives" (indicating that cancer is present when
it isn't). It does give an indication that the situation needs to be looked at a little more closely, which is what you
are doing.
Second: assume you are having cystoscopy exam in the urologist's office this afternoon. He will be looking with a small (very small:laugh: ) camera. His experience will give him a good idea of what might be going on, but if he sees something that looks like a tumor or cancer he will need to do a biopsy to determine for sure. This would be done as an outpatient under general anesthesia and he would send samples of the bladder tissue to a pathologist for analysis.
ONLY AFTER THE PATH REPORT COMES BACK (and it can take up to a week or so) will the urologist and you know exactly what the diagnosis is. It could be low grade (slow growing), high grade (rapidly growing), non-invasive, or extending into the muscle. The treatment options depend of course on the diagnosis.
Most bladder cancer is found early and does not result in removal of the bladder. There is no point in stressing out about that when the odds are that it will not occur. Even if it does many here on the Forum lead very full lives without a bladder.....scuba diving, race car driving....
Please let us know what the urologist says...will be thinking of you!!
Sara Anne