vgau,
I think that many people live pretty normal lives (minus the cystos and other treatments). And superficial is certainly different than invasive.
I was first dx in March 2006 - 1 papillary tumor, non-invasive. Then had 4 tumors in Sept 2006 and 11 tumors in January 2007 - all probably the result of seeding from the first. The uro in 2007 did 30 min of mitomycin post TURB and then did a saline flush for 24 hours. I have had the regular 6 weeks and then quarterly BCGs since, and have been cancer free since.
I exercise regularly, drink moderately (mostly watching sports at a local bar), try to watch what I eat, and do not smoke. I do take cholesterol medicine and fully expect that something else other than bladder cancer will take me (hopefully many years from now). The regular check ups actually give me a little piece of mind that if I do have a recurrence, at least I will have caught it as early as possible.
Ross