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husband has been diagnosed with MIBC,
My husband has been diagnosed with bladder cancer and has said that after chemotherapy, which will be for 3 months, that he won’t let the surgeons remove the bladder which is what they have recommended be done. I respect his wishes even though I don’t agree with it. One doctor said that the chemotherapy might remove all the bladder cancer whilst the other said that he absolutely needs to get the bladder out and then a bag. It’s been a very traumatic time as it’s not long ago that I
Lost my younger brother to kidney cancer… has anyone any advice or experiences of their own that they would share? Thanks so much. X
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Hello @jurunado. My husband was diagnosed with a highly aggressive muscle invasive bladder cancer in 2019. He ended up wanting a cure after 3 years of repeated TURBT tumor removals post chemo and BCG treatments. He has a neobladder because he did not want an ostomy. He is happy with his decision but was quite adamant about not losing his bladder when this all started. All treatment has been at Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN. I recommend you seek out a referral for a large cancer center specializing in Urological cancer so that the best and newest treatments are provided to you. There are more chemo drugs approved now than when my husband was found to be a BCG failure. There seems to be more evolution toward doing everything to maintain the bladder now than 5 years ago. The neobladder surgery was a huge deal and unfortunately he had many complications afterward. It was all worth it to be cancer free today in his opinion. Your husband may change his view, and a lot depends on his type of cancer and how invasive it is. I assume there has been a biopsy done? Was it muscle invasive?
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1 Reaction@sepdvm Hi Sue.. thanks so much for your reply.. yes he had a biopsy and it is invasive
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1 ReactionAsk for EVP. Read about this patient and advocate for all of us: https://treffertinnovations.com/blog.html.
Hello! I was diagnosed with an aggressive MIBC two years ago (at age 54) My doctors (and second opinion) recommended chemo then bladder removal. It was my best chance at beating the cancer. I now have a neobladder but researched all the diversion options. Thankfully I was healthy enough for the neobladder though some are not. I'd suggest that he keep an open mind and take a look at the BCAN website. There is helpful information on the site and survivors he can talk to just to get a feel for the other side of bladder removal. I understand his concerns and it isn't perfect but he may be surprised at how others have adapted to their diversion choice. Biking, hiking, all the things!! I'm very pleased with mine! Good luck to both you and your husband!