Mass found in bladder

MeinMississippi

I had Grade 1, Stage 1 endometrial cancer and total hysterectomy with ovaries and Fallopian tubes removal in August after which I was told I was cured, and there was no need for chemo. Before my hysterectomy I was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection and treated with antibiotics. Since my surgery in August I've been treated for 7 additional UTIs. The kicker here is that every single infection has shown a negative urine culture which means no bacteria grew out of the urine sample and therefore there was no infection. I finally had a cystoscope done the day before Thanksgiving. The urologist found a small mass in my bladder. I go Thursday to get it removed and biopsied. I'm so nervous. I thought I dodged a bullet with the endometrial cancer and now I'm afraid I have bladder cancer. I told my husband I'm scared, but he says I just need to have faith in God that everything is ok. I do have faith, but I don't think I'm ok. I'm pretty sure if I get diagnosed with bladder cancer I'll have to do the chemo and that's making me a nervous wreck. I mean I don't have a diagnosis yet, but I know something is wrong. How do you go about calming yourself in times like these?  So many of you are so brave. What do you do while you're waiting days to find out what's happening with your body?  I think once I know I'll feel better. Especially if it's nothing (obviously). 

pinky104

Braveness

People have told me I'm brave, but I'm not.  You do what you have to do.  It's not what you want to do.  You have the choice of trying to survive or giving up and facing the consequences. It helps to have faith and it's normal to be scared.  I've found that the great majority of chemo nurses are wonderful people and going through chemo is as much of a social visit as it is a medical one.  All you have to do is sit there while they do the work.  Everybody reacts differently to chemo.  Some breeze through it, so don't automatically assume it will be awful for you.  My first time with cancer, the chemo wasn't bad at all.  It was definitely harder the second time around because the bone marrow doesn't react as well as it does the first time.  But given the choice, I'm glad I did it.  I'd rather do that than end up in some kind of terrible pain from the cancer later.  In six months, chemo will be all over with, hopefully, and you'll be the one giving other people advice. 

MeinMississippi

pinky104 said:

Braveness

People have told me I'm brave, but I'm not.  You do what you have to do.  It's not what you want to do.  You have the choice of trying to survive or giving up and facing the consequences. It helps to have faith and it's normal to be scared.  I've found that the great majority of chemo nurses are wonderful people and going through chemo is as much of a social visit as it is a medical one.  All you have to do is sit there while they do the work.  Everybody reacts differently to chemo.  Some breeze through it, so don't automatically assume it will be awful for you.  My first time with cancer, the chemo wasn't bad at all.  It was definitely harder the second time around because the bone marrow doesn't react as well as it does the first time.  But given the choice, I'm glad I did it.  I'd rather do that than end up in some kind of terrible pain from the cancer later.  In six months, chemo will be all over with, hopefully, and you'll be the one giving other people advice. 

Thanks for responding!  You

Thanks for responding!  You know I felt so great after my hysterectomy and then I was given the all clear so I figured it would be smooth sailing after that. I've just really needed someone who could identify with me to talk with. When I was diagnosed with the endometrial cancer I did all the reading and psychological preparation for what might possibly be in store. So naturally I was relieved with just having to have surgery and figured it was just a chapter in my life I could close.  I had my cystoscope the day before Thanksgiving and I was so busy preparing a large meal that I didn't have time to process the fact that I might be dealing with cancer again. I started processing last night and now I've gotten myself upset!

I'm glad you did your chemo too. Are you still doing chemo or are you in remission now?  I don't want to seem rude or insensitive, but when you were diagnosed the second time, how did you handle it?  I hope that's not too personal a question. Thank you again for answering. 

ConnieSW

You are right

Once you know you will feel better. The anxiety of being  in the uncertain dark is the pits. Your husband means well but he's not where you are so he can't really get it. Your fears need to be validated. I wish you good luck. 

Donna Faye

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. FDR

Mein, that quote is so true. The fear of the unknown can be the darkest hour. I have survived 2 bouts of cancer and it was by listening to the doctors, asking questions and seeking answers that suited me that got me through.  This group of ladies who walk the walk were so great during this last battle.  Faith is good but so is courage. Know that you live in a time when medical science is making strides and the treatments have gotten better. Yea, chemo can be yucky, but if I, at 77, can survive it, you will too if necessary. Be brave and imagine yourself Wonder Woman!!!

MeinMississippi

ConnieSW said:

You are right

Once you know you will feel better. The anxiety of being  in the uncertain dark is the pits. Your husband means well but he's not where you are so he can't really get it. Your fears need to be validated. I wish you good luck. 

Thank you so much!  It means

Thank you so much!  It means a lot to me that someone is listening. I'm so grateful to have found this board. The support is so great. I think it's hard for people who haven't gone through this to know how to relate to the feelings we have. It can be a helpless feeling because you really never expect it to happen to you. 

MeinMississippi

Donna Faye said:

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. FDR

Mein, that quote is so true. The fear of the unknown can be the darkest hour. I have survived 2 bouts of cancer and it was by listening to the doctors, asking questions and seeking answers that suited me that got me through.  This group of ladies who walk the walk were so great during this last battle.  Faith is good but so is courage. Know that you live in a time when medical science is making strides and the treatments have gotten better. Yea, chemo can be yucky, but if I, at 77, can survive it, you will too if necessary. Be brave and imagine yourself Wonder Woman!!!

Thank you for responding and

Thank you for responding and for your encouraging words. It's incredible that you've made it through cancer not once, but twice!  You definitely are a Wonder Woman!  I really just got caught off guard by this whole bladder issue. Once I got the all clear after the hysterectomy I put that chapter of my life behind me. Now I feel like I'm back to square one and the anxieties have all returned. I know this is stressful on my family too. They don't really know what to say. I'm just so glad I found a place where there's people who have gone through this and who do know what to say. Your support really does mean a lot!  

NoTimeForCancer

Mein, I know it is hard, but

Mein, I know it is hard, but try to take a breath.  Hugs dear one.

MeinMississippi

NoTimeForCancer said:

Mein, I know it is hard, but

Mein, I know it is hard, but try to take a breath.  Hugs dear one.

Thank you sweet lady!  You

Thank you sweet lady!  You always have kind words and it is sincerely appreciated!!

pinky104

Of course, I wasn't too happy to find out I had cancer again, and to top it all off, I had to have my surgery expedited because if I didn't, it would have obstructed my ascending colon, and I would have had terrible pain and probably could have died without the surgery.  I'd had symptoms for 3 years which felt like a return of my incisional hernia, and some of it was from my intestines growing into the mesh from the repair of that two years earlier.  A mass had been found in 2014, but after watching it with scans for a whole year, my GYN/onc had decided it wasn't cancer.  He wasn't sure what it was but said if it had been cancer, it would've grown, but it didn't until 3 years later, when it grew like crazy.  I guess it was a blessing that I only had days before my surgery so I didn't have time to dwell on it. 

I had chemo starting in the middle of May this year and finished it on Sept. 20.  I am in remission the second time around (the first time was 7 years ago) and my doctor told me I was very lucky to not only be able to have the chemo, as some patients with recurrences can't because it's so widespread, and lucky to go into remission right away.  Unfortunately, he also told me that he thought I'd be doing well if I have a remission of five years before it comes back again.  I read that with ovarian cancer, the remissions last shorter and shorter periods of time, and since my UPSC is a close cousin of ovarian cancer, I guess that applies to me, too.  I'm doing what I can to try to avoid that happening again, as I really don't want to have a third major surgery.  I was in the hospital for 6 days both times.  The first time, I  had my cancer removed and had my gallbladder and appendix out (gallstones were found in my CT scan).  The second time, I had two resections of my intestines (one for the cancer and one for the intestines that were growing into the mesh) plus the rebuilding of my abdominal wall.  My GYN/onc and a general surgeon operated on me together both times.  I'm taking Turmeric/Curcumin now which I didn't do before.  Tomorrow, I have a physical with my family doctor and I'm going to ask him if he will put me on Metformin.  TakingControl58 told me that Metformin will work on the majority of my 6 genomic mutations that were found in my Foundation One testing, so I figure it's worth risking the possible side effects to see if it will keep my cancer from coming back a third time.   

HorseLvr

MeinMississippi said:

Thank you so much!  It means

Thank you so much!  It means a lot to me that someone is listening. I'm so grateful to have found this board. The support is so great. I think it's hard for people who haven't gone through this to know how to relate to the feelings we have. It can be a helpless feeling because you really never expect it to happen to you. 

I know what you mean about

I know what you mean about not expecting it. Being a former smoker (quit 18 years ago), lung cancer is always a worry, but I never expected to have to have a biopsy for uterine cancer. Nobody ever told me I was high risk until now.  

MeinMississippi

pinky104 said:

Of course, I wasn't too happy to find out I had cancer again, and to top it all off, I had to have my surgery expedited because if I didn't, it would have obstructed my ascending colon, and I would have had terrible pain and probably could have died without the surgery.  I'd had symptoms for 3 years which felt like a return of my incisional hernia, and some of it was from my intestines growing into the mesh from the repair of that two years earlier.  A mass had been found in 2014, but after watching it with scans for a whole year, my GYN/onc had decided it wasn't cancer.  He wasn't sure what it was but said if it had been cancer, it would've grown, but it didn't until 3 years later, when it grew like crazy.  I guess it was a blessing that I only had days before my surgery so I didn't have time to dwell on it. 

I had chemo starting in the middle of May this year and finished it on Sept. 20.  I am in remission the second time around (the first time was 7 years ago) and my doctor told me I was very lucky to not only be able to have the chemo, as some patients with recurrences can't because it's so widespread, and lucky to go into remission right away.  Unfortunately, he also told me that he thought I'd be doing well if I have a remission of five years before it comes back again.  I read that with ovarian cancer, the remissions last shorter and shorter periods of time, and since my UPSC is a close cousin of ovarian cancer, I guess that applies to me, too.  I'm doing what I can to try to avoid that happening again, as I really don't want to have a third major surgery.  I was in the hospital for 6 days both times.  The first time, I  had my cancer removed and had my gallbladder and appendix out (gallstones were found in my CT scan).  The second time, I had two resections of my intestines (one for the cancer and one for the intestines that were growing into the mesh) plus the rebuilding of my abdominal wall.  My GYN/onc and a general surgeon operated on me together both times.  I'm taking Turmeric/Curcumin now which I didn't do before.  Tomorrow, I have a physical with my family doctor and I'm going to ask him if he will put me on Metformin.  TakingControl58 told me that Metformin will work on the majority of my 6 genomic mutations that were found in my Foundation One testing, so I figure it's worth risking the possible side effects to see if it will keep my cancer from coming back a third time.   

Wow...you have really been

Wow...you have really been through a lot. That's an interesting theory about the Metformin. Isn't that a diabetic drug?  It's worth doing though if it will keep your cancer from coming back. Also, I still think you're brave and I'm glad you're here to share your experience. You are helping people like me who have no idea who to turn to. Thank you for that. You are a blessing!

Cass83

Hang in there!

The waiting and wondering "what if" is hard, but what helped me was looking up scriptures on peace, and on healing, and praying them, memorizing some (it is harder than when I was a kid!) and letting God's peace help me through it all. He really does give the peace that passes understanding. I had never had surgery before my total hysterectomy, couldn't imagine having chemo or radiation, yet God walked with me through it all, with the peace that passes understanding. Until you feel it, it is hard to imagine, but it is so real! He will be with you, lean on him. Praying all goes well tomorrow too!