... about getting it done more than with comfort or vanity.

The Brucillis two years ago did not help!

But we were going for nothing less than a cure. Two different cancers. Two major surgeries, two series of BCG, three surgical removals of tumors, it's been a serious row to hoe.

The Brucillis took the wind out of me for 16 months before a contagious disease doctor found it. I was close to giving up.

But, I am healthy again.

Several of the surgeries were for multiple tumors.

I had at least four six week courses of BCG. After the last six week course I had BCG maintenance treatments at increasing intervals. At months 3, 6,12, 18,24, 30, then at years 3, 4, 5 after which I decided to discontinue the maintenance therapy. I grew to hate those treatments.

I do annual cystoscopys now just to make sure I'm good. We started out at quarterly.

I'm wondering if you are doing the maintenance therapy. They called it Dr. Lamm's maintenance schedule.

... and wasn't of a kind that would respond to chemo or radiation. So right to surgery. I was offered the three options.

1. Save as much bladder as possible and use a catheter - I'm as uncomfortable with a catheter as you, it was the deal breaker.
2. Remove the bladder, build a pouch from skin and implant it and put a cap on it and urinate with a syringe. Uh uh. Nope.
3. Remove the bladder, the prostate, the tubes from the kidneys and harvest colon (which was a bit problematic because my lower colon had been removed previously) and replace the tubes with the colon harvest, create a stoma to vent urine into a bag.

The partial colon resection was extremely rough, but the bladder surgery was above and beyond.

I was fortunate. My socialist health care system has taken care of everything, timely, with care, and cutting no corners.

I am fortunate. Life is good. The learning curve with the bag has had it's embarrassments, but has been quite tolerable. I had trouble for a few months with feeling of having been mutilated. But that passed. I've had a bit of pleasure in showing young doctors the stoma when they'd never seen one in real life, the bag being of a higher capacity than the the badder has been convenient, and with the leg bag I can drive a long time with no stops.

More importantly: I am alive.

urologist wanted me to self urinate as in per your step 2 . i said forget it. my current urologist was rather miffed and is miffed that the bag was in me for that long as is my chiropractic dr. hes miffed too also. eggscllent on your part.

... TFG ain't shit compared to what we stared down.

... for advice and a word for hope. You were always there and you always had the info and the words I needed. Thankyou so much.

I needed to make this public. Thank you!

I've been moving my household and been off DU for the most part. It has been challenging physically and mentally. All versions of Murphy's law seem to have been proven.

You are welcome, but It is not necessary to thank me. I simply communicated my thoughts as to how I got through the tough times with my illness.

But that would imply you are done. You ain't done cook in' yet.

…good luck,

Really glad to hear it!

SO happy for you. Now ease on down the road.

🫶

So glad to see this.

I'm relieved to hear it

Glad for the good news!

I’m so glad DUers gave you strength and optimism! I’m so happy for you. Wishing you continued good health and many more years here on DU.

Been 17 years for me and I still get nervous at my annual screening.

... but cancer won't respond to that in a good way. Having people to discuss and share with, like the Cleveland music scene with you was good medicine.

I’m happy that we had something to connect over!



On edit:

Just for fun…..

https://www.cleveland.com/life-and-culture/erry-2018/07/156455cf60583/35-legendary-cleveland-agora-c.html

... a little too buzzed to remember.

Saw James Gang in Kent for $2.50 and $2.00 for a draft at Pirate's Cove in Kent. Sooo many concerts!

Joe and his band used to play at teen dances at the Episcopal church several blocks from my childhood home! Probably around 1969-70. James Gang days.

Here’s another fun link. This photo was a bit before my time however. But I sure know the place. Check out the van in the background they used to haul all their equipment, Lol

https://www.kent.edu/magazine/news/flashback-3

... when you got good, you got to play downstairs. Remember Wild Butter?

Their general sound seems kinda familiar, though. Can you elaborate?

Glass Harp, absolutely. Pride of Youngstown!

... they did a lot of covers (pretty good, but covers). they were an Akron/Kent band. Lacewing came out of the wreckage when their label dropped them. The keyboardist wrote and performed Disco Duck. The lead guitarist joined a big Colorado band, Buck.

... was seeing a guy walk in wearing a Navy Pea Coat. He had two shopping bags, one had a urine bag, the other a colostomy bag. He ignored the symptoms, they are easy to ignore until too late. His bladder cancer metastasized and went to his colon. He could have been me, he even looked like me. He was stoic in desperate situation with a not too much chance for relief.

I had a colon cancer removed about two years before, after starting treatment for bladder cancer. Fortunately for me they were not related.
But I knew: I did not want to be him and all of a sudden I stopped whining about the BCG treatments, which are HIGHLY unpleasant.

Having DU to support me through my travails meant everything to me.

and wishing you everything good.

That's some really good news.

Well done!!

You fought and you won, marble falls.

So happy you have some peace now from this.

Kudos for going through ten years of it ! That’s so long. I really hope you weren’t sick for so long

... I was rarely disappointed: they could make me feel terrible. Then about two years ago I got sick from Brucillis that went for over a year before they figured out what it was - everyone felt it was a urinary infection that almost turned into sepsis twice. That actually was harder to deal with than the cancer. Finally VA put an infectious disease specialist on it, she found out what it was in a couple of weeks and cleared it up in a little over a month. Sixteen months of misery. The last few weeks before Dr Shou found the disease, I was figuring I was just failing from age and racing to the grave. That was as close as I came to giving up.

Thank G*D for my socialized health care system.

So glad to hear, well done.

Here's to the rest of a wonderful life!

but hopefully the next 10 will be better than you could have imagined!

... it certainly changed my priorities. Life is good!

Must be such a great relief. Congrats!

... that came along with it.

I feel great.

No more treatment means go out and enjoy life!

Thank you for sharing this wonderful news! I took a few days break so this is wonderful to come back to!

and like a family, we are here for each other.

I've lost two siblings to cancer, and two ex husbands, and several friends...I'm glad you're here.

I've survived a heart attack (NSTMI - Broken Heart syndrome), a brain aneurysm, and the removal of half of my thyroid! I can't sing anymore, but that's okay!

... someone else in a deeper manner. That's a blessing more of us would benefit from - the appreciation of other's voices, not the loss of one's own.

"This is the way".

Still have my peacoat from the 70's, In box somewhere. Wife says I have more coats than any man on Earth. I tried my peacoat on when I turned 50 and while I could still button it, I could not fit a shirt underneath. haha

Good on you MF, hey I just noticed that. Funny.

... last night - $400+. I'll settle for a black scarf and the Blue Jacket's Manual. I can find a good used copy for under $5.00. The scarf is getting close to $100 the last time I looked, and looking this morning I can't even find one.

For Xmas this year. Only half way through but interesting read so far. Dramatically different that mine from 76 or there-a-bouts. The 42 version is in hardback and mine paperback but both have names stenciled on front cover. I will stop there for now but if you want more info, shoot me a pm.

Hoping you get some much-needed rest.

... having MIRT was a motivator, even if my contribution lagged.

Thanks to all for sharing your stories. Cancer sucks out loud.

... cancers into a nuisance by the end of the decade.

Congratulations on winning a long and hard fought battle. All the best to you in the coming years.

Live your life to the fullest!

But yes, congrats. And as you said up thread--despite all you went through, you're alive and functioning and carrying on.

That's a very good thing. May you have many good years ahead, marble falls.

I am so glad that you have this cancer under control.

and that, I understand, is NOT good. It tends to return over and over again. I just finished the initial 6 X BCG; my follow-up cystoscopy is on Feb. 6. I will do just about anything to keep my bladder. In fact, if giving it up is the only alternative, I may choose to check out instead. That is not the quality of life I want. I'll soon be 69. Maybe that's enough.

... it has a learning curve, mostly minor embarrassment.

PLEASE message me. I needed two DUers to talk to me and it made the difference.

Three cheers for you, marble falls!! You are a warrior!!👏👏🤗

DU is such an amazing place!

Thanks for keeping us posted along your journey, marble falls. So glad to hear the good prognosis!