Surviving CancerThis section is a place to share stories about Surviving Cancer. Below are entries of those who have already shared their stories. We hope that you find their experiences helpful to your own situation. You may also Help others by sharing your story. To quickly access health information from your website's browser, download Bladder Cancer - Not me! 
I was diagnosed with bladder cancer 15 years ago when I was only 47 years old. It was found almost accidentally when my internist sent me for a sonogram because I was complaining of heavy periods. What showed up was a small tumor. I could hardly believe my ears when she told me. I had the tumor surgically removed and the urologist told me it was superficial and required only follow up exams for 5 years. (By the way, I was a heavy smoker and I guess that’s why I got this disease.) Anyway, after 4 years I moved and while I did find another urologist his personality was so sour, and since I was sure I was cured, I stopped going for checkups. Well, you guessed it–4 years later and 10 years after the first occurance, I saw blood in my urine. Again, I lucked out. It was superficial and again I only had to go for cystos every 3 mos. Lo and behold, we moved again a year ago — this time to another state which meant I lost my health insurance. I probably don’t have to tell you how many times I was turned down by insurers before I found a very high deductible plan that would take me. The first thing I did was find a urologist I can remember lying on the table and looking at the monitor attached to the cysto camera. I was dumb-founded by what I saw. There were two mushroom shaped growths. It had only been 2 years. How could this be happening? Amazingly they were again superficial. I am now undergoing BCG treatments. I had a round of 6 then a 3 month break, a round of 3, a 3 month break, another round of 3. This protocol will continue forever. It’s not a bit uncomfortable and a whole lot better than losing my bladder. Most of the time I feel just plain lucky. Occasionally I get scared that I’m doomed to get an aggressive tumor. I hate living with this. It makes me feel vulnerable and somehow damaged. I’m 62 now and want to live a lot longer. I’m determined to keep on top of this and I figure if I see the urologist every 3 months, he can always catch this thing while it’s managable. In fact, the first time I saw him he said “these bladder tumors are nothing more than a nuisance when you catch them when they’re small, but as serious as a heart attack if they are left untreated for too long.” So, if you’ve been diagnosed with BC, I guess I would advise you to make your urologist your best friend. Make sure you get yourself into his office every 3 months - even if you have to pay for the exam yourself (as I do until I meet the $5000 deductible). He/she can save your life.
May 2008
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