Cancer Recurrence
I had a radical cystectomy in November of '23 followed by 12 months of immunotherapy (novolumab). My diagnosis was muscle invasive bladder cancer, which once my bladder was removed, it was also found in my prostate.
I haven't had any long term discussions with my oncologist, specifically recurrence scenarios. I'm 48 this year, which makes it a big more difficult to predict, but just curious if anyone else has had a similar discussion (regardless of age)?
My problem is, my cancer had gotten so bad that it shutdown a kidney, so they removed it during my cystectomy. As a result, I'm also left with Stage 3b chronic kidney disease.
If the recurrence likelihood is high, I wanna do more now with my son and wife. I know they always say to make the most of your time with or without disease, but that's easier said than done. I don't want to wait until it returns to wish I would've done more in the years following my surgery.
Sorry for the heavy topic. I'm new to this community and I hope it's a great resource for me moving forward. Thank you!
Hi
welcome to our community! I hope you find lots of support and information here. We are so glad you opened up to us so honestly, this is a safe space to share and vent whenever you need. I can understand your concerns and my heart truly goes out to you. I am sure this has been so difficult for you and your family. I can't even imagine what you are going though. While I hope our members respond here with their personal experiences, I wanted to share this guide that offers a lot of information, I hope this is helpful: https://bladdercancer.net/living/recurrence-fears-and-anxiety. Please keep us posted on your follow up appointments and how you are managing. Sending strength to you and your family. Jill, bladdercancer.net team Many thanks for the resource, much appreciated.
