Welcome!
If you are reading this, you may be trying to decide to post or not post.
Guess what? Either way works!
I am just a user/participant on this site and I have been posting since my original bladder cancer diagnosis in 2006. As of this posting it is 4 years and 7 months ago.
If you can find what you need by using the search (and Advanced Search) features, then you are getting good information from people who have "been there--done that".
On the other hand, the folks here tend to be pretty nice and fairly informative.
If you (or a loved one) have been recently diagnosed with bladder cancer, you are not alone and there are a lot of folks here that are happy to help with information and our experiences.
We tend not to bite anybody's head off, unless of course you have bladder cancer and have decided you are going to treat yourself by going on an all broccoli diet, or by taking some vitamin, or by dancing naked under some crystals you hung over a doorway! Then we may be a bit aggressive.
No question asked is a stupid question! The quest for knowledge and understanding is to be applauded and we (the other users here) want you to have as much information as possible so that you can get the best treatment for yourself and put bladder cancer behind you as quickly as possible.
According to Cynthia (head of the ABLCS) we get about 1000 people signing on as "Guest" and just browsing for each person who visits here and actually posts something.
You don't have to post your picture, use your name, or anything else that would identify you if you prefer to remain completely anonymous. The things we would ask (because they make a difference) are your sex and your general location. Location helps folks to recommend the top urologists and hospitals that may be near you who have lots of experience with bladder cancer. Your sex matters because, depending on your situation, the options available to you which have the best outcomes and fewer complications are different for men and women.
Doesn't matter what your religion is or if you don't have a religion, believe or not believe in God (or Gods). Race doesn't matter, nationality doesn't matter, political affiliation doesn't matter. While some races get bladder cancer at a higher rate than others, the treatment options are all the same.
Please don't let your questions go unanswered. We may not always know the answer, but there are many here who actually help point you to research which may help answer your bladder cancer related questions.
If you find your answers and are happy with them just by searching without posting, then that's great. If not, please post.
Everybody who posts here came here at one point and had to decide whether to post or not. Nobody comes here with all the answers (or even all the questions they should be asking). We don't expect you to either.
So the answer to the question posed is: Do what works for you! If you are a little nervous about posting, go ahead and give it a try. If it works out for you, great. Give a little time for responses. We're not the 911 emergency line (number for U.S. folks since it is different in other countries) so we typically are not responding in seconds or minutes. However, most questions get responses in time.
We can't diagnose your situation but we can help you understand it and we can help you with questions that you may want to ask your doctor.
To the thousands who read without posting: Thanks for reading. We hope what we've posted has been helpful to you. At any time, feel free to just get crazy and ask a question or two now and again.
To those who monitored from the sidelines for a while but now do post here: Feel free to reply to this message with why you didn't post for a while and what value you got out of doing so.
My feeling is that people get more than questions answered on this site. I think for some, it can be a bit cathartic to just get your situation written down somewhere instead of all bottled up inside.
Best to ALL!
Mike
