HI Telemando,

I sincerely hope that your CT scan doesn't show up anything wrong and,  they don't find anything untoward when they carry out your surgery.

Please let us know when you get your CT results. Don't forget that we are here to support you now, as you have been for so many others on this site.

Kind regards,

Jolamine

Hello again; am just catching up.  Was delayed in coming home because I tripped and cracked a bone in my arm - nothing serious just I could not drive for a few days.  You are our Telemando without who I would not have felt so welcome here and from whom I learned a lot.  Whatever the outcome - and yes, we will wish and wish and wish it to be a good one - we will carry you as far and for as long as you will let us do so.  Will look out for the next upddate.  Annie

Thank you, Annie. That's so kind. I do hope your arm is well on the way to recovery. It sounds painful. 

I guess the next steps are to have a pre-op assessment and hear the results of the CT scan - and I'm not sure what order that's likely to happen.  I'll be sure to keep this thread updated. As always with cancer, the hardest part is the waiting. 

Update for anyone interested.

After a single episode (so far) of visible blood in my urine I had an urgent urology referral.  Previously I had a radical prostatectomy for early prostate cancer back in 2010 with my PSA being <0.1 (undetectable) since then.  I was 56 then; now I'm 65, overweight but not obese; never smoked. 

On April 23 I had a CT scan (urogram). I was able to get the results from my GP about 4 weeks later. The scan found only two significant items: a slight thickening of the bladder wall, and a 12mm (small) renal artery aneurysm. These may or may not require treatment at some future time, but probably not. Small renal aneurysms are often just left alone if they're stable.  

Two days later, I had a bladder cystoscopy.  This revealed a small growth inside the bladder looking like a pretty fronded seaweed. The doctor reassured me that this is too small to be invasive and is very curable by a TURBT surgery.  There is a small chance this is non malignant papilloma, but they're quite rare so it's more likely to be an early cancer.  Either way the treatment is the same and I won't know until the removed tissue is sent to the pathologist after surgery.

On May 9th I had my pre-op assessment, which was the usual check of blood pressure, heart, uring and blood tests, plus a general chat about my health.  No problems and I'm cleared for surgery. 

A few days later I was invited for a TURBT information session with a nurse. There were 6 of us present; 4 patients, plus 2 friends/family. She explained the surgery in detail, what will happen before, during and after the operation, and how long it will take to recover.  This is nowhere near as major as my previous prostatectomy so I'll probably only be out of action for a week or so.  

I now have a date for my operation: Monday June 3rd. Arrive at 11am. Hopefully I'll be home the same day. 

Onwards, I'll have the obligatory nervous wait for the pathology results, then at a minimum repeated flexible cystoscopies to see how the bladder is healing and whether or not the growth is recurring.  Unfortunately, recurrence can occur so I may need another TURBT down the line.  Apparently some people need several TURBT procedures, but that's a bridge I'll cross if and when I get to it. 

HI Telemando,

I'm sorry to hear that you still have no conclusive answer after this wait. I hope that what your bladder cystoscopy showed up is a benign papilloma. If it is an early cancer, it is reassuring that you have caught it early on and that it is very curable with surgery.

Regardless of all the assurances, I am sure that you will be worried about it. I sincerely hope that your  surgery goes well on 3rd June and, that your post-surgery pathology results will not show up any cancer in your bladder.

It's not good news that if it is cancerous, it can be prone to recurrence, but I hope that this doesn't come to pass.

I shall be thinking of you and, hope for the best news possible.

Kind regards,

Jolamine

Hi all

Well I finally got my pathology results back today and it was the best I could have expected. It's a low grade cancer, and they're confident they removed it all.  The only downside is that once you've had a bladder cancer then there's always a chance that you'll get another one, so I'm facing repeat flexible cystoscopies every few months, and if it returns then I'll need more surgery. Still, if I hadn't noticed the blood in my urine then I could have been in a much worse state, so I'm counting my blessings. 

I'm grateful for all the support I've received on this forum for what is now my second brush with cancer. Let's hope it's not third time unlucky! 

Hi Telemando,

Thanks for your update.

I am glad to hear that you have got your results at last. On the whole, it sounds like good news. It's just as well that you noticed the blood in your urineand have managed to catch it early on.

I'm sure that you won't be looking forward to repeat cystoscopies, but it's better than having to deal with a more aggressive form of cancer. I'm afraid that the fear of having a further brush with cancer never goes away - you realize just how possible it is when you have a second brush with cancer. I was initially informed that I had a non-aggressive form of breast cancer, yet within a year I had another bout. In the past 9 years, I have had a few scares, but fortunately, none of them have been malignant.

Instead of worryiing about third time unlucky, I sincerely hope that you don't have a third time! Life is for living, so try not to let this get you down.

Kind regards,

Jolamine

Hi I glad I saw your post re one stop shop, I'm due to arrange this tomorrow and my disabled partner will have to drive me as there is no direct bus, my concernn is should I be there for 4 hours who will look after her needs? At least now I know the possibilities I can try make arrangements thank you

Hi Hoxtonchris.  This is something you should mention when you make the appointment - say that she is your lift and you are her carer. 

I think that in practice most of the four hours will be spent in the waiting room, with things like flexible cystoscopies and CT scans only taking you away for 10-20 minutes at a time (MRIs are a somewhat longer, around 30 minutes).   So as long as your partner is happy to remain in the waiting room, you shouldn't be away from her for too long.

Just to remind you of my experience.  My appointment was later in the afternoon, and by that time there were no slots for CT or flexible cystoscopy, so I had to return on two separate occasions for those to take place.  Perhaps you should try for an early morning appointment?