Three Time Winner - Happy to help!

I am a 80 year old white male who has had bladder cancer 3 times since 2016. It returned in 2020 and again in 2022 and I have been clear since then.

Tumor removal and BCG treatments is what I have had so far. My VA doctor spotted something she didn't like in some blood work, had me do more labs that came out normal, but she still wasn't happy and had it done again - which is when they decided to go in and check. Three days later I was at the local VA hospital where they removed the cancer. I went through several BCG treatments both at the VA, and then when BCG was hard to get they got me scheduled for treatment at a branch of the local MD Anderson Cancer Center that did have it.

Four years clean and it popped up again, this time 2 tumors and one was high grade. Removed and more BCG.

Then in 2022, two years later it popped up again - another surgery and more BCG. I never had any issues with the surgery or the BCG - other than the sheer embarrassment of finding out there isn't one male nurse that does BCG treatments 😀

In my military group (I was Air Force for 30 years) I am the third one to have bladder cancer, the only one who didn't smoke or have any of the other causes they look at, and the only one who had it come back. Because of the "high grade" cancer in 2020 they had me do a scope every 3months for a year and a half (although I went every 3 months the first year and a half after the first occurrence, then 6 and finally got to a year when it came back again.

When I went for my 6 month scope a couple of months ago the doc said if the next one was clean I would go to scopes every 12 months. He also said that considering it hasn't come back in 4 years it was unlikely to in the future. I reminded him it was 4 years before it came back the first time. But I like the way he thinks!!! 😀 So for me, other than the surgeries and treatments, I have had it pretty easy. But if I can answer any questions someone might have I will be happy to respond. Best wishes to all!!! Brian