Bladder Cancer Surgery

Question: My dad had bladder cancer surgery (no insurance). We are waiting for the bill. How much should we expect?

Answer: Whatever the estimates are, the hospital will usually negotiate a 35% discount for self pay and help him with a payment plan. They knew in advance your dad didn't have insurance and the hospital will help out with the bill. Bsherman, you don't happen to live in a different country than america, do you? If you do, you don't know what you're talking about everytime you insult our healthcare system. If you live in this country, shame on you. You put your own country down every chance you get. I for one am very glad I'm able to take advantage of our wonderful doctors and the knowledge they bring with them.

Question: Interferon treatment for bladder cancer. BCG treatment. Bladder surgery? I have bladder cancer. To date it has been non-invasive. I am about to go for my third bladder resection of low grade cancer. I have multiple tumours again and am confident it is non-invasive. I have had one eight week treatment with BCG. My urologist is recommending I begin another BCG treatment with Interferon added. I guess my question would be if anyone out there has had Interferon could let me know what to expect. I'm not in panic mode but those fears are present as my father passed away in 1985 from this same cancer.

Answer: I got interferon this way. - Try Vitamin C therapy. A few years ago a cancer specialist came out with a paper that said the best cancer/infection fighter found to date was Interferon. At the time it was $15,000 a gram. The paper also said that Interferon was a by-product of the natural breakdown of Vitamin C in your body. Shortly after that the FDA tried to make Vitamin C by prescription only. Guess why? The FDA has the RDA for Vitamin C set at 64 mg a day, just enough to ward off scurvy. Linus Pauling, who got a Nobel Prize for his work with Vitamin C and a second Nobel Prize for Organic Chemistry, said that 1000 mg a day should be the minimum and 2000 mg a day if you are sick or smoke. He played tennis almost daily until the day he died at 96. Personally, I got sick twice a year for 2 weeks at a time, for more than 20 years, with something to this day the doctors have no idea what it was, but for a week in the middle of those 2 weeks I was flat on my back. I started Vitamin C therapy once I gave up on the doctors. I took enough to be asymptomatic for those 2 weeks. Too much and I got diarrhea and too little and I got sick. Within a narrow range, and it followed a bell curve over those 2 weeks, I was not sick. At the height I was taking 40,000 mg a day and 300,000 over the 2 weeks. After 2 years of that I have not been sick since – more than 15 years. Vitamin C acts as a natural diuretic so you need to drink a lot of water and watch your body in total, but my kidneys did not dissolve as the doctors predicted, or get massive kidney stones as other predicted. I did not dissolve my bones as some predicted or completely calcify my joints as others predicted. I had no side effects at all. It might be something to consider.

Question: MY husband will get surgery for his bladder Cancer . will the new insurance take over? we are on Cobra and It will expire in October. My husband has a new job and he can get insurance there but I wonder if it will take over his problem.

Answer: Insurance especially health have pre-existing clause. With these in mind, the new insurance may not cover. The insurance provider of the new company might grant coverage only certain level. However, Pre-existing condition clause can be waived by insurance company provided with compliance of insurance's own guidelines. But, you can still continue your husband's coverage with Cobra. Just contact your provider about your option to continue coverage. These means that you need to pay the premiums by yourselves. And could also mean a higher premium if the existing insurance is a group insurance because you will be forced to convert it to a permanent plan or if they allow an individual term plan. Contact the insurance provider of both companies. And we'll see how it goes. Sometimes, Technical stuff can be resolved by proper coordination, consideration and reconsideration. Put your concern into writing so that you have documentary records of your requests. They may be requiring it anyway.

Question: Is there any medical tratment for bladder cancer other than surgery? Carcinoma type 4. I am looking for alternate options

Answer: I believe there is one, yes.

Question: Is there anyone with words of encouragement I can send to my Mom who was just told she has Bladder Cancer? My mom had emergency surgery last week and they removed a large tumor from her bladder. She was told the other day it was Stage 2, Grade 4 Cancer. Surgery will be needed and she will have to leave the state to have this done. (Sloan Kettering, NYC). Anyone with short messages of support or stories to share in a positive way will be helpful. I will copy and paste these messages into a private web site we have started for her. The "journal / website" was started so that friends and people who care can leave comments during this quite scary time. My name is John. Her name is Ann. Please sign off with your first name and where you are from. I am hoping we get some positive feedback from all over so she feels (knows) she is not alone out there and this is a battle which can be won. Thank you all.

Answer: Sloan Kettering is one of the best places to be for cancer. Let your mom know how much you love her as often as possible! Tell her to visualize her body fighting off the cancer (this is proven to be helpful). Give her all the support she needs right now and let her know that you KNOW she is going to beat that nasty ole cancer! And most importantly tell her to not be afraid to complain of discomfort, pain, fear, frustration with the whole thing! She's only human and you want her to express herself through this awful period of her life. Once she gets better make sure you give her time to still be emotional. It ain't easy, but luckily she has a son that loves her, which goes a long way! Good luck to Ann!

Question: bladder cancer? my sister underwent surgery about 6 months ago and they found cancer, they claimed to have gotten it all, but now she has had some more symptoms, and the doctors say it is back. what can she expect to experience, what is the best way to handle this.

Answer: Bladder cancer is one of the cancers that can tend to relapse, even if the initial surgery removed the entire tumor. The treatment would depend on where the cancer has come back and what kind of surgery she had initially. If she didn't have her entire bladder removed and it has relapsed in the bladder wall again, a radical cystectomy (complete removal of the bladder) may be necessary. Usually folks may need to wear a pouch on the outside, or large surgery centers can construct a neobladder to allow them to urinate more naturally. Because bladder cancer is relatively rare, and the surgery may be complicated, she should go to a major cancer center for treatment. Also depending on the stage of the cancer, chemotherapy maybe important as well. Radiation therapy is usually not a part of treatment for bladder cancer unless in special cases.

Question: List of Hospitals in Louisville KY. in 1973, I need to get my Husbands Medical record of a Cancer surgery.? We have to prove his Bladder Cancer for a claim about Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam.

Answer: Those medical records are gone now. If it was Lousiville General Hospital, the whole hospital is gone. Check with the doctor that did the surgery if you have his name. List of Hosptials: http://anywho.yellowpages.com/sp/co/anywho/aw_ypresults.jsp?q=Hospitals&rType=headingtext&id=2&p=1&v=3&t=0&st=KY&s=2&ci=Louisville&_requestid=75403

Question: Is there an alternative for gall bladder surgery? I have been advised that there may be further complications after the gall bladder surgery. i.e. the stones may return, and that you are more susceptible to have a bowel cancer. Is thre an alternative way

Answer: Agree with other answer. Had my gall bladder removed entirely cos I had stomach ulcers and one of them pierced the gall bladder and .....6 weeks in intensive care etc etc etc. Just have the whole gall bladder removed, no problem, you can do without it, a little like the appendix. Don't worry. Personally, up until now, I have never even noticed its gone! I asked if I should be careful with diet etc and the Doctor said "Not really, just get on with your life". Ok?

Question: Are there newer treatments for prostate & bladder cancer for older people.? My grandfather has prostate cancer that has spread to the lung and eventually the bladder. He was going through chemotherapy and radiation successfully until they discovered the bladder cancer. His doctor said if he was younger that he would try surgery but that isn't an option because of his age. I was curious about robotic surgery and found this article from 5 years ago: http://www.fightprostatecancer.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5651 The guy in the article was 86 years old and weak with a heart that was pumping at only 5% the strength of a healthy heart. I am curious if there is anything even better after 5 years that can be used for prostate and bladder surgery.

Answer: Prostate Cancer in it's early stage (confined to the Prostate Gland) can be successfully treated with surgery, including Robotic Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy. When the cancer has spread to other areas of the body (metastasis) surgery to remove the Prostate is ineffective, because surgery does not remove all the cancer. In late stage Prostate Cancer common treatments would include Radiation along with Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) or Chemotherapy to slow the spread of the disease. It sounds like your Grandfather has a good Doctor who is taking care of him with the best treatments available right now. With treatment, men with late stage Prostate Cancer can survive for several years. Sorry to hear of your Grandfathers diagnosis, continue to support him with your encouragement and continued education about Prostate Cancer and available treatments.

Question: Do you know anyone who had bladder cancer and had to have a Cystectomy? A Cystectomy is where the bladder is removed and part of the intestines is used to construct a new bladder. If you know someone who has had it done, please tell me how the surgery went and how long they took to recover. Thank you.

Answer: As a nurse I have worked with patients with bladder cancer. I only took care of them while in the hospital so I can't tell you about the after care. Sorry. The least amount of hospital time I have seen post surgery was 8 days. The longest I have seen was 28 days.

Question: I went for my pre-cancer liver surgery 2weeks ago removing 2cm of my liver and gall bladder.? until now i felt breathing difficulty and tightness of my wound making me immobile and weak. WHY? Also what are chances of recurance, if it do recur, is it another surgery need to perform? How to avoid reacurance to happen? pls. exlpain

Answer: I am glad that you are post-op safely. Difficulty breathing and tightness around that are will exist, as with all sugeries and in due time hoewever will wane away. However if it is a sharp tightness, or you feel severely congested (in the chest) when breathing you need to go to your doctor immediately. You could have torn the stitches, could have internal bleeding or some other condition internally. Check yourself for any pools of purple skin around the area of the sugery to check for intenal bleeding hwoever go to a doctor. As for chances of recurrence, depends on how you got the tumor, cirrhosis or due to some other factor? Usually once sugery is performed and the tumor is excised the recurrence is low unless it has already metastasized. I doubt that is the case now, (or else you would know). For now, rest assured, inform your doctor of your symptoms and take some electrolytes (pref. Gatorade) for your weakness. ~ M.R.D

Question: Question about early detection of bladder cancer? My grandpa just went into the hospital and the doctors believe he has bladder cancer. We won't get test results for another week, and I'm scared out of my mind. He's had frequent urination for as long as I can remember, but just found blood in his urine for the first time last week. He had surgery yesterday and the doctor found a marble-sized tumor. Is this considered "early detection" or are his chances of survival low? Anyone who knows something about cancer, please help me understand this!

Answer: He has likely had prostate problems for many years causing the urination problem. It is common when men get older. Blood in the urine is the number one symptom for bladder cancer. The size of the tumor is really no indication of how bad the cancer is. It is the depth of invasion that counts for the majority of it. Most bladder cancers are superficial and treated relatively easily, rarely is chemo or radiation used. Although 80% of them do recur they are usually still superficial when they do.

Question: how many young people survive bladder cancer? My 28 yo son has bladder cancer caused by working on F16 fighter jets he is angry because i will not go on holiday tomorrow the hotel was expensive and he thinks we deserve a rest .I dont think its correct for me to go 10 days after he had surgery his girlfriend lives with him and his sister is next door is tere something wrong with me and my husband my daughter said we should go please give me you opinion

Answer: In general most people with bladder cancer survive and about 80% recur. However, younger people do tend to not do as well as older people with cancer overall. How this may reflect on your son is impossible to know without any information. What kind of cancer is it? What is the grade and what is the stage? These are the things that determine treatment and prognosis. As far as your holiday goes. I think you should go. I assume the surgery he had was a TURBT? That surgery isn’t bad to recover from. I see elderly people do it all the time. If you stay you are only giving into mother’s guilt and really helping no one. If he needs anything he has enough people around and it will only make him feel worse if you stay. He will likely be recovered by the time you are back.

Question: What is this lower abdominal pain after surgery for removal of gall bladder? hello. i am male, caucasian, 35, BMI 27, active person. i had my gall bladder removed by keyhole surgery about 4 months ago. there was only a small amount of pain after the surgey. this was mostly around the entry points. this pain went away after about 6 weeks. ** however, in the last month or so, i have started getting some quite painful feelings in my abdomen. they are located on the lower left-hand side of the abdomen (front near groin and same place at back) and this pain carries down further into my testicles. this pain is almost constant now and, on my scale, about a 2 or 3 out of 10. it feel like a pinching/minor-stabbing/cramping sort of pain. i am also getting other similar pains on the front RHS of my abdomen and in other places, but not as regularly or as intensely. it seems this pain has to be in the bowel. i am worried about cancer, but am hoping it's some sort of digestion issue or other as a result of the gall-bladder removal. what do u think? thanks.

Answer: i had my gallbladder removed ,and had to see the doctor again and found out i had small amounts of scar tissuehad to have surgery so my advice is go back to your doctor and get an ultra sound

Question: What stage of bladder cancer is this? Please help.? Hello, my great grandfather was diagnosed with bladder cancer about a year ago, and due to his old age, he decided not to go about getting any treatment beyond surgery to try to remove the mass (which wasn't successful). Now he is having bloody/mucusy discharge when he urinates. He is in constant pain, which is exacerbated by trying to urinate, despite high doses of Percocet. What stage of bladder cancer does this sound like? I know that it is at least stage III, as that's what he was originally diagnosed with. Thank you so much for any help in this matter!

Answer: stage ııı. my uncle was a bladder cancer too. my uncle had the same diagnoistic. he got surgery operation. but he didnt get ill. after this with natural treatment he got very well.he absoulately isnt ill now.ı mean my uncle. centaury is the solution.

Question: I have a hysoscope and d and c surgery planned and the doctors comment was we do not think it is cancer but we? need to the reason for your problem. Does that mean he could suspect cancer? My bladder has fallen and i have not had a peroid in a year. My blood work shows i am not menaopausal. Could there be something in there that has pushed everything down?

Answer: could be endometrosis. that will cause changes in cycles, etc.