Hi II'm female 53 and Ive just been diagnosed with bladder cancer. I'm waiting for a TURBT, I'm in pieces. How can I keep upbeat to look after my 13 year old daughter. I can't eat and or think positive/expecting the worst.
Thank you for coming here and sharing your story. I am sorry to hear you have just been diagnosed with bladder cancer and are waiting for a TURBT. The news must have come a bit as a shock to you and it's normal that having just been diagnosed it is difficult to process everything at this stage and it must be hard to manage to concentrate too on looking after your young daughter. It's the waiting phase for treatment to start that can make everything seem so bleak with the uncertainty that goes with not having been able to ask all the questions that are springing to your head at this stage but I hope that you will feel a little better once treatment starts and that you can talk to your specialist before and talk things through or ask any questions you may have.
Our nurses are also available on this free number 0808 800 4040 - their helpline is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm so don't hesitate to get in touch with them at any point - it may help to ask them for additional information and get a bit more of an idea as to what to expect.
If you find that your appetite is not improving, get in touch with your GP and mention how low the news of the diagnosis has made you feel. Your doctor will be able to help you feel a bit better I am sure so don't suffer in silence if you feel you are struggling to think positive at the moment. Coming here on this forum will hopefully be a comfort too as you will meet others who have found themselves in a similar place before and who may be further along treatment and will be happy to share their treatment stories and experiences. I have had a little look around the forum for you for others who have been diagnosed with bladder cancer recently and found for example KARENessex 's bladder cancer thread - this member was last month waiting to have the operation and was feeling worried at the time so feel free to reply on that thread and share your own story if you would like to do so. I also remember Peter9611 's New Bladder Cancer Diagnosis thread which was posted at the end of January so feel free to drop a line there too if you would like to connect with others with a similar diagnosis. Those are just a couple of examples but there are many more and you can look up past relevant threads on the forum by typing keywords like 'bladder cancer' in our 'search forum function' at the top of the page.
I hope this helps a little and I just wanted you to know you are not alone and we are all here for you anytime you need to talk. Keep us updated on how things develop for you - I hope that you won't have to wait too long for an appointment date for the TURBT.
