Now what?

Hi, Meredith.

Although I live in Connecticut, I grew up in Anchorage, so thought I would chime in. I too have just gone through this and came out with a Ta. But I too feel unsettled, and am uncertain about the future.

For what it’s worth, some of us are lucky enough to have slow-growing tumors that do not penetrate the bladder wall. But I do not think that makes us frauds — just momentarily lucky!

I do miss Alaska. Hope you have time to enjoy it.

I don't know Meredith.......so they zapped the second lesion with a lasar....just wondering why they didn't path that one too. Will assume they knew what they were doing....but i'd ask anyway. But then i tend to drive them nuts with my questions anyway. Sometimes the smallest lesions are the most lethal...at least in my case...and i only had one teeny tiny lesion......very nasty guy. I passed one clot about the size of my entire bladder .. never figured out how my body did that.....same way i guess we can expell 8lb kids!!! Pat

Meredith...was the second lesion also biopsied? Pat

Wow, what a story! You are a cancer survivor, don't doubt it. You've had to face your mortality and all the horror of a cancer diagnosis, no matter how non-aggressive that tumor was. You still have the responsibility to follow up forever, and can never forget this experience.

Sure, eat more broccoli, just make sure it wasn't washed in pesticides. Same with water, water is great but make sure it's pure and not full of arsenic or you'll be making things worse.

The most important thing is to come to terms with this diagnosis and the changes it has wrought in your life and psyche and then try and become as happy as you can. That's the biggie.

Wendy

Meredith,

You asked my first question, too: do I HAVE cancer? am I a survivor, am I cured - exactly where do I consider myself? I had a very large TaG1 tumor also, after 2 episodes of wine-colored urine in 18 mos. and I consider myself young, diagnosed at 47. Non smoker, no chemicals, too.

Seems because this cancer has a high recurrence rate (hence the vigilance, lifelong, that we will need to take), but a low progression rate (tends NOT to progress into an invasive type), that we still should consider that we have cancer, until we go several years without a recurrence. I was just diagnosed in Dec '05, and it hasn't come back yet. Red Cross won't let me donate blood until I'm 5 years cancer-free... now we probably had our tumors growing in us for YEARS, and thought we were cancer-free - and I was giving blood every six months during that time - isn't that scary side note? :-[

Anyway, those on this board will tell you that the Beast will rear its head, most likely, sometime again in our lives, so in our own heads, we should consider we HAVE cancer, and read, read, read - digest and absorb all you can, and take from it what YOU can do to change your lifestyle. But as far as sharing the info with anyone, it's a matter of personal preference to say "I have bladder cancer",, or "I HAD bladder cancer".

I too don't want to say I'm a "survivor", as I don't feel like I survived anything! 8-) Neither have I "fought cancer"... all I've done is let someone poke and peek every six months, and pee in alot of cups, really, other than the initial surgery.

But keep coming here and reading - it's informational, and truly inspirational to read everyone's stories, and their ways of coping, no matter what grade or stage their cancer is/was.

Stay strong, remain fearless!

Lauren

Meredith,

Welcome and congratulations on good report. Please take a look at the front page of the web site for information about your stage and grade and what can be expected.

About life style change, let's just say it's been discussed a lot around here. But for instance, some of us take supplements, some drink green tea and eat brocolli. I personally like herbal teas. Your Doctor gave some very good advice about keeping the bladder flushed with lots of good filtered water.

It sounds like your job will make it hard to get a sound protocol in place, and it may well just take some good daily or weekly preparation on your part.

A very, very important thing is diligence with your follow up cystoscopies.

We may never know why we are the ones to get this cancer. For a lot of us, especially the females who don't smoke, it just doesn't make sense. BC has most often been considered, "An old man's disease." :o

Anyway, I took a Benedryl and it's time to retire. I'll probably look at this post tomorrow and say... :-/

But I just wanted to make sure you were welcomed.

Your friend,
Rosemary