Living

Over the years, we have had countless conversations in our community about what we wish people knew about life with cancer. We have talked about the things that others so...

Fighting cancer is usually seen as a physical fight. Your body is being attacked and through medicine, surgery, and sometimes brute strength, you fight back against the disease. Medical teams...

Sometimes, it feels like we are surrounded by technology. Apps, devices, trackers, and gadgets are everywhere! In this digital age, though, everyone has a different level of comfort using technology...

In late spring of 2019, I knew something was up. I was experiencing what I thought were heavy periods and spotting along with fatigue and just constant discomfort that ranged...

Pain can be classified as an “invisible” symptom. Unlike a broken arm in a cast or a bleeding wound, pain cannot be immediately seen. Because of this, it is possible...

At the end of this month, February 2021, I am officially 4 years from the end of my treatments. I have not been in active treatment for FOUR YEARS. Sometimes...

There’s a lot of health information available on the internet these days. From personal blogs to online magazines to government websites and beyond, advice about your health is at every...

Nothing about my bladder cancer journey has been typical. Most patients, at least here in the US from what I've read, receive chemo first and then have their radical cystectomy...

So many aspects of the initial part of my cancer journey are blurry. There was too much pain, too much confusion, and way too much medication to remember things fully...

Ostomies are strange things. I’ll admit when told I would be getting a urostomy, I had to immediately google what it was and I was dumbstruck. A piece of intestine...

Patient advocacy is a cause near and dear to my heart. This task is most often handed to the patient’s caregiver, meaning their spouse, close family, or parents, sometimes even...

For many people, cancer is the worst fear of all. Often, just the word cancer leads people to imagine hair loss, chemotherapy, nausea, and other physical symptoms. However, the physical...

Those who undergo bladder removal surgery (a radical cystectomy) to treat their bladder cancer are faced with another decision: which type of urinary diversion should they choose? From the ileal...

No, this is not a case of opposites attracting. (For those who may not know, reference to Paula Abdul's 1988 hit "Opposites Attract.") Today, we're talking about follow-up appointments. When...

I participate in a lot of online circles for bladder cancer and the topic of what comfort items are must-haves comes up quite a bit. What to take to the...

Immunotherapy feels like the new kid on the block when it comes to cancer treatment. And in the world of medicine, it really is. Keytruda was approved for use in...

Having a team of supporters during your cancer journey is extremely beneficial to your physical and mental health. As I stated in a prior article, building this team is of...

More often we tend to hear of people struggling to keep weight on while going through cancer treatment. Chemo and radiation can cause lack of appetite, nausea, and fatigue, all...

I’ve heard many people talk about “survivor's guilt,” but I never really experienced it - that was until just recently. Earlier this year, I found out that a very dear...

Three years ago, BladderCancer.net was born, creating a unique online space for people living with and caring for bladder cancer to connect. Since then, we have published over 700 articles...