Hello and help

Gay
I know EXACTLY how you feel right now. So Do a lot of LIVING survivors of this damn cancer. You will hear form a lot of people soon. But THIS weekend there is a live meeting of many on this site near Washington D.C. So they will probably chime in on Monday.

But for now, you have me. Sorry.
I know this is about the same as getting hit in the head with a sledgehammer. But, your Physician is starting to put you on the track to survival. The procedures to get rid of this cancer are drastic because it is indeed and aggressive form.
It appears as though you are headed toward a radical Cystectomy (complete removal of the bladder). I went through this and that was 3 years ago. I am living a normal life thanks to the aggressive actions taken by my Dr.

This site has a repeating gong that says; Find the BEST people you can (hospitals and Doctors) and look at how many of these procedures they have done. You do NOT want an artist.... You want and assembly line worker who has seen everything and done it a hundred(plus) times.

Please take a deep breathe and get ready to take charge of your care. bladded cancer is usually aggressive (don't let that scare you) so you and your Dr. will be aggressive too.

Soon there will be lots of folks here who will ask a lot of questions, so they can help you get better. They will answer all of your questions and help direct you to the best care in your area.

You are very welcome here.

George

Hello
I have spent most of today trawling the internet trying to gather information after a terrifying hospital appointment yesterday.This seems to be the best source of information I can find.To tell you something about me I live in the north east of the UK I am 41 female with a 7 month old baby girl.During the pregnancy and since I had what I thought were dreadful bladder infections in the end my GP referred me to the hospital and I actually have invasive bladder cancer.Yesterday we were told its possibly T1 maybe T2 certainly high grade and that there are three sites within the bladder.
My consultant is taking the case to the cancer board but is recommending a cystectomy followed with chemotherapy depending on the pathology reports.His main query is wether I would be better to have the chemotherapy before or after surgery as its unclear how far into the bladder wall the cancer has grown.
My husband and I are totally in shock Ive cried pretty much continually since leaving my appointment yesterday the survival rates seem shocking and treatment seems pretty brutal.It would be good to here some positive stories and get a touch of reality on what to expect and also wether whats seing suggested seems appropriate.
Gay