My Mum has bladder cancer
Discussion
After finding blood in her urine, it's been confirmed this morning, that my Mum has bladder cancer.
The consultant has done a CT Scan, and a camera, and has said that it looks superficial and is optimistic that their is minimal muscle invasion.
He intends to 'scrape' it away, and depending on how deep he has to go, it may well be done with after this procedure.
However, she's my Mum, and as such, I'm not embarrassed to say, that I'm worried about her. I don't fancy losing her just yet and wondered if anyone on here had any real life experience on this and could offer any advice, support, etc.
Using Dr Google just presents a bigger problem, and is not my desired route for info/support seeing as it lists every possible prognosis without able to input specific facts relavent to my mums diagnosis.
I guess I'm here to talk! Concentrate on the facts, and see if anyone has some real life experience.
The consultant has done a CT Scan, and a camera, and has said that it looks superficial and is optimistic that their is minimal muscle invasion.
He intends to 'scrape' it away, and depending on how deep he has to go, it may well be done with after this procedure.
However, she's my Mum, and as such, I'm not embarrassed to say, that I'm worried about her. I don't fancy losing her just yet and wondered if anyone on here had any real life experience on this and could offer any advice, support, etc.
Using Dr Google just presents a bigger problem, and is not my desired route for info/support seeing as it lists every possible prognosis without able to input specific facts relavent to my mums diagnosis.
I guess I'm here to talk! Concentrate on the facts, and see if anyone has some real life experience.
Big Al. said:
Sorry to hear this, never like to hear the word cancer in any shape or form, I'd suggest you talk to her dedicated Macmillan nurse they have a wealth of information and will talk and explain how to manage things in plain English.
Not much more I can add really.
Thanks Big Al.Not much more I can add really.
I don't think she has been assigned a Macmillan nurse just yet, or if she even will be, as they are unsure as to how aggressive it is until they go in. Unless I'm mistaken here? I don't really want to ask her to be honest as she will probably not want to talk about it.
You can request assistance,
This may help as a starting reference.
http://www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-suppor...
This may help as a starting reference.
http://www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-suppor...
Wot e said.
Your hospital probably has a cancer support centre so you could probably register and speak to someone there. If Royal Berkshire is yours (I checked your profile) then click here: http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/wards-and-service...
Your hospital probably has a cancer support centre so you could probably register and speak to someone there. If Royal Berkshire is yours (I checked your profile) then click here: http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/wards-and-service...
I'm sorry to hear your news and hope your mum makes a full recovery. It does sound like your mum has been diagnosed early which is a very, very good thing.
I was in a similar position 20 years ago when my dad was diagnosed - at the time he worked in the Middle East as an aircraft engineer and decided to ignore the symptoms (blood in urine and difficulty passing it) until his next visit home which was months away. After some tests his diagnosis was confirmed (the tumour by then was the size of a golf ball) and I remember being devastated by the news - they removed the cancer but ultimately my dad underwent a urostomy/bladder removal and since then he has been absolutely fine. I was chatting to a woman a few months back who told me she had bladder cancer 10 years ago and again she has been fine since. From what I understand it's one of the more treatable cancers so I would try and be as positive as you can be.
Best of luck.
I was in a similar position 20 years ago when my dad was diagnosed - at the time he worked in the Middle East as an aircraft engineer and decided to ignore the symptoms (blood in urine and difficulty passing it) until his next visit home which was months away. After some tests his diagnosis was confirmed (the tumour by then was the size of a golf ball) and I remember being devastated by the news - they removed the cancer but ultimately my dad underwent a urostomy/bladder removal and since then he has been absolutely fine. I was chatting to a woman a few months back who told me she had bladder cancer 10 years ago and again she has been fine since. From what I understand it's one of the more treatable cancers so I would try and be as positive as you can be.
Best of luck.
Its not the death sentence that it used to be. Its understood and there are good specialists out there. chemo has come on leaps an bounds.
if it can be removed before its spread then there is a good chance she will survive a good few years more.
speak to someone about it plenty of advice out there
if it can be removed before its spread then there is a good chance she will survive a good few years more.
speak to someone about it plenty of advice out there
My late stepfather had bladder cancer for over 12 years. It was his heart that got him at 86 years old.
They would every six months or so fill his bladder with a pipe up his chap with BCG, as in the the TB vaccine. This makes your bladder an inhospitable place for the cancer to live. He would be checked periodically and the treatment worked fine. He had to hold on as long as he could when he got home and sit down to pee when he did. Your mum will probably be happier about that than he was.
I am sure this could be explained more eloquently and accurately by another but that was my understanding of it.
From seeing him with his treatment I would say bladder cancer is a better option than many.
Hope your mum gets on OK.
They would every six months or so fill his bladder with a pipe up his chap with BCG, as in the the TB vaccine. This makes your bladder an inhospitable place for the cancer to live. He would be checked periodically and the treatment worked fine. He had to hold on as long as he could when he got home and sit down to pee when he did. Your mum will probably be happier about that than he was.
I am sure this could be explained more eloquently and accurately by another but that was my understanding of it.
From seeing him with his treatment I would say bladder cancer is a better option than many.
Hope your mum gets on OK.
Thanks for all the replies guys, it's comforting to read real life experiences.
Today obviously being Mothers Day, I've spent some time with her and until we know more, largely ignoring it. Which I think is the best idea right now.
On Tuesday we will know when she is attending for the op. And will know more then as to how invasive (if at all) it is into the bladder.
Fingers crossed.
Thanks again, it's funny how just typing it all out on here and reading replies helps to deal with it a lot. And we're by no means facing awful news or anything, and hopefully never will, but when its cancer it can be pretty frightening.
Today obviously being Mothers Day, I've spent some time with her and until we know more, largely ignoring it. Which I think is the best idea right now.
On Tuesday we will know when she is attending for the op. And will know more then as to how invasive (if at all) it is into the bladder.
Fingers crossed.
Thanks again, it's funny how just typing it all out on here and reading replies helps to deal with it a lot. And we're by no means facing awful news or anything, and hopefully never will, but when its cancer it can be pretty frightening.
So today we have been told that she is going in for the op on Monday 30th March.
She was expecting sooner, but the consultant is away next week so booked it in for then. We are assuming that the fact he hasn't asked someone else to do it in his absence means he's happy to wait a week.
Fingers still firmly crossed.
She was expecting sooner, but the consultant is away next week so booked it in for then. We are assuming that the fact he hasn't asked someone else to do it in his absence means he's happy to wait a week.
Fingers still firmly crossed.
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