Full of Anxiety....Trying to Stay Positive

12 years 11 months ago #37629 by LilBit4
Replied by LilBit4 on topic Full of Anxiety....Trying to Stay Positive
Thought I would update everyone and to thank you once again for all your kindness. Reading through all the posts has been very helpful...knowing that others have been down the road I am traveling and knowing that I too will survive this journey.

To Pat: On Thursday, I sent Dr. Schoenberg an email and received a phone call from him within minutes! Unbelievable! I traveled to John Hopkins on Friday and met with him. He now has all my records and I will be sending him my pathology slides this week. He did recommend I have chemo (Gemzar & cisplatin) prior to RC. I will be meeting with an oncologist here in Delaware this week and Dr. Schoenberg will be in touch with him.

Sooooo, the journey begins! Frightened...yes, however, I feel better knowing that Dr. Schoenberg will be there.

If anyone has had this chemo before their RC, feel free to fill me in on what I can expect! :S

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13 years 1 week ago #37393 by jimswife
Replied by jimswife on topic Full of Anxiety....Trying to Stay Positive
LilBit, so glad you are doing things that you enjoy. Spring is a time for renewal. Whenever you feel nervous or edgy just come here and know we will be here to help you through this! Stay well!

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13 years 1 week ago #37392 by LilBit4
Replied by LilBit4 on topic Full of Anxiety....Trying to Stay Positive
It is a beautiful sun filled day here and I am taking a little break from putting in some spring flowers...one of my favorite things to do in my spare time!

Once again, thanks to everyone for your knowledge-filled posts. Each and everyone here has shown such kindness and it is a blessed feeling to know you are here to help me on this journey. Along with God's help, I know now I WILL get through this!

Huggsss to each of you...jimswife, Motomike, Mike, CatherineH and all the others who have taken time from their lives to ease the stress and fears.

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13 years 1 week ago #37391 by CatherineH
Replied by CatherineH on topic Full of Anxiety....Trying to Stay Positive
Hello... Welcome to the site. I understand your anxiety and admire your determination to educate yourself and trying to maintain a positive outlook despite being scared out of your wits. That positive thing was pretty hard for me in the beginning because the more I read, the bleaker it sounded. I didn't find this forum until a few months after my surgery, so I pretty much went it alone in the beginning. These wonderful people here have helped me stop dwelling on the "C" word coming back and I am ever grateful for that.

The main takeaway from this forum is that BC is very treatable as demonstrated by so many here that stay around to help others work through their fears and answer questions. I know it is very difficult choosing the direction to take for your treatment when faced with multiple options by your doctors. As everyone has already said, please don't despair over any topic, questions, or just needing to talk to someone who's been there... there is a wealth of knowledge and experience here at your disposal.

Best wishes... Catherine

TURBT 1/21/10 at age 55
Dx: T2aN0M0 Primary Bladder Adenocarcinoma
Partial Cystectomy 2/25/10
Vanderbilt Medical Center
Nashville, TN

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13 years 1 week ago #37390 by mmc
Lilbit,

The "Reply" function replies to the overall thread of the conversation and not the specific post that you reply to. You are not doing anything wrong.

So, when you post a reply, you can reply to each of the folks in just one post, rather than having to do multiple replies.

Best,
Mike

Age 54
10/31/06 dx CIS (TisG3) non-invasive (at 47)
9/19/08 TURB/TUIP dx Invasive T2G3
10/8/08 RC neobladder(at 49)
2/15/13 T4G3N3M1 distant metastases(at 53)
9/2013 finished chemo -cancer free again
1/2014 ct scan results....distant mets
2/2014 ct result...spread to liver, kidneys, and lymph...

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13 years 1 week ago #37389 by motomike
Replied by motomike on topic Full of Anxiety....Trying to Stay Positive
You have some really knowledgeable folks in your corner to advise you. I’ll just ad a couple of points from my personal experience. My doc gave me a choice of short (4 months) keymo or almost 7 months of radiation with keymo. I felt pretty unsure about radiation so went for the short and have been cancer free for 11 months following my RC. I lost over 25 lbs but my docs agreed that with my elevated blood pressure I should try to keep that weight off.

There are a number of smiling faces here with the bag so we can advise you if that is the direction you and your medical team take.

I found it helpful to take notes at doc appointments.

Lilbit: love that name.

I'm 70, retired heat/air contractor. After 4 months of keymo ileal conduit (IC) surgery removed bladder & prostate May 2010

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