father in-law recently diagnosed

Hi wendy,
I probably used the wrong word- no he did not have his kidney removed- I am not exactly sure what is wrong with his left kidney but it is not functioning like they would like it to ( this is after his 2nd TUR)- they were going to put a stent in but didn't he now has a bag which is temporary.
If he has an RC - which it looks like that is what he is leaning towards then they would possibly remove it then.

Hi Patti,

I'm confused, a nephrostomy is a kidney removal, I thought. Do you mean he's had some other kind of kidney disease, they are afraid of complications and want to remove it to be safer? What was wrong with the kidney?

If in doubt, seek out a second opinion or third, from the best uro-onc surgeon you can find.

Wendy

Thanks to Jean- your experience has given us some insight.


Does anyone know or have experienced kidney malfunction with bc? my FIL had a nephrostomy (left kidney)and the Dr. is thinking he should remove that kidney if my fil has the removal of the bladder? he (fil) doesn' have to do that but they are afraid it will shut down completely and then they will have to do something with his kidney..down the road

Patti,
I am 72 and had my RC 6 months ago. From the time you are diagnosed to your final decision is a very difficult time and this board made it bearable for me. I thought about the chemo/radiation route but after a lot of research and reading Cynthia Kinsella's story (look at Cynthia's corner) I decided on the surgery. She is a much younger woman and gave it a good fight but ultimately lost her bladder anyway. From what I read the outcome is much better with bladder removal. Yes, it is difficult to wrap your head around all of it but this board really helps. Those who go before you have all kinds of helpful advice and it really helped me make my decision just reading all the stories everyone had written. There is an older gentlemen in Canada named Keeta who comes on once in a while and he had an RC and is doing very well. Others my age are also doing well so if your FIL is healthy he will do well.
I was caregiver for my granddaughter and greatgrandson before my surgery and was very active. My strength is coming back slowly but surely and my 6 month Cat Scan results were good. I had my moments but all in all life is good.
If he does decide on the RC make sure you have a really good surgeon who does a lot of these operations.
I wish you and your family strength as you make these difficult decisions.
Blessings....Jean

thanks so much for the responses! and for the info you provided wendy.If we have more questions I will ask.
we will know more in the next week or so. We will look at the posts specifically for men too, thank you.
patti

Hi, welcome on behalf of your father in law, who is lucky to have you.

Lately there have been articles published saying that the elderly have higher complication rates after bladder removal, stressing the importance that one be in very good general health to qualify for this surgery. Given the fact that most blc occurs in the elderly, they'd better have some good alternatives!

The chemo/radiation/"combined modalities" treatment your FIL desires is a very rough protocol, many scopes and follow ups, a lot more coming and going to the cancer center, and also requires that a person be in very good health otherwise, plus the tumor must be solitary, not blocking a ureter and preferably in the dome of the bladder. There are strict qualification criteria. We have a page here:
blcwebcafe.org/combinedmodalities.asp

All the being said, the patient's choice should be the first concern. I just hope he's in good shape and can benefit from whichever treatment he chooses with the least trouble possible.

Wendy