polyp removal in dr office?

Hi everyone, I am so sorry I am not getting to you all till now. I appreciate all the opinions. I opted to have the polyps removed at the hospital. All is well until the next cysto in 3 months. Sheri

I shouldve been more clear. "1 Yr Cysto" = 4th Cysto since diagnosis and TURBT one year ago.

Even though I had an OK experience in having 2 tumors removed in the office, they were very tiny (pinhead size) and I definitely had local anesthetic instilled in the bladder and think I had a mild sedative as well to stay relaxed. My initial tumor two years prior was about the size of yours and removal was done under anesthesia as a hospital outpatient.

You need to talk to the doctor and make other arrangements (maybe another doctor!) if he's talking about burning out a polyp/tumor of that size in the office. Aside from the pain and discomfort of an in-office procedure with no anesthetic , a polyp/tumor that size needs to be carefully cut out in order to get do decent biopsy, which is very important. Cauterizing damages the tissues and makes biopsy analysis difficult if not impossible.

You mention having a one year cysto, which implies that you've been cancer-free for at least 5 years. Could you tell us a little more about your bladder cancer history? Given that this sounds like a recurrence, it's all the more important to do careful analysis for type, stage and grade as that will determine treatment recommendations.

Best of luck!

Ann

I have the same issue. Depsite wearing my lucky Green 4 leaf Clover Rugby shirt, at my 1 year cysto the doctor told me that he found a polyp the size of the nail on your pinky finger.

He then proceeded to slap an ice pack on my thigh (Whats that about?) and had the nurse fumbling around for some "tools". When I asked what was up, he said they were going to burn out the polyp immediately. (BTW ....this means no local anesthetic and nothing for nerves). I vehemently opposed this decision, offering to remove the cystoscope myself so I could leave. The doctor was visibly frustrated and annoyed, grumbling that I was making such a big deal over something so minor.

He rescheduled the appointment again for next week, to be done in the office without anesthesia and will administer a mild anxiety pill. I feel trapped. Am I making too big a deal out of this? Do I need to "Man up" and do this or should I seek a second opinion? I think my urologist is among the top in his field and I don't want to question his judgement but I'm just not sure I can do this.

Are thier other options?

A counter experience here, and I know people disagree. I had my initial small tumor removed under anesthesia as a hospital outpatient. The recurrence I had was two very tiny tumors and the urologist recommended removal in the office, with local anesthesia. I opted for that, and did not regret it. There was no pain during the procedure, and little discomfort afterward. As well as the local, they also had me take some kind of relaxant ahead of time, something like valium, and an anti-spasmodic med afterward. I like to avoid any kind of general anesthesia, even the mild kind they use for bladder tumor removal, whenever possible. I think the size, type, location, and number of tumors should be a partial guide as to whether it's advisable to opt for an in-office procedure. I've been all clear now for 5 years since removal of the tiny recurrent tumors.

Ann