The Comedy in Getting My Port InsertedMy access journey has been a collection of stories all on its own - it has not been a pleasant journey either. When I went in for my radical cystectomy... By Liz Hiles3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
It's a Wrap! The 2021 North Carolina Bladder Cancer RetreatThis retreat originally started in 2008 as a picnic to bring people with bladder cancer together. Showing others they are not alone, asking questions in an open forum where nothing... By Linda Urbanski3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Are You Ever Jealous of Other People's Seemingly Good Health?It is strange but I have been thinking about this a lot lately. Why do some people really seem to suffer from one thing after another? Whilst others just seem... By Shirley Norris2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments3 comments
Getting HelpOne thing I wish I had understood earlier in my cancer journey (and life in general) is it is OK to not be OK. I've always grown up with the... By Brittney Tellekamp2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments6 comments
Interview with Basil: Managing Scope PainWe have talked extensively to the BladderCancer.net community about cystoscopies and managing the pain that sometimes comes along with it. Basil came to us with a new inquiry that we... By Editorial Team 3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
A Brief History of My Bladder Cancer: Blood in My Urine to a CystectomyI have been contributing to this site, BladderCancer.net, for a few years now. I have written many individual posts covering specific things I experienced over the past 9 years since... By Paul Hebert4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
Deals with God and Bladder CancerI grew up in the church. I was very active into adulthood. But somewhere around mid-life, I drifted away from the church. It wasn't an angry blowout or some monumental... By Guy Wheatley4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments7 comments
Setting BoundariesWhen I started sharing my story online, I never anticipated just how many people would start following along. In just a few short months I had subscribers, a partnership with... By Brittney Tellekamp3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
My Thoughts on Raising Ostomy AwarenessIronically, when I received my bladder cancer diagnosis, I had already been advocating and doing awareness campaigns around the topic of ostomies through the position I had at the time... By Liz Hiles3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
Changing My Medical TeamIn May of this year, I was faced with a difficult situation. Stay at the small cancer center I had moved to for maintenance treatment or transfer back to the... By Brittney Tellekamp3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Can We Talk About Sex After a Radical Cystectomy?This may be the hardest post I've had to write... It has to do with sex after bladder cancer, specifically after my cystectomy. I'm pretty sure I won't get through... By Paul Hebert4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments3 comments
Cheat Sheet: Bladder Cancer TermsImagine this: You are just recently diagnosed with bladder cancer, and all of the people you are talking to are throwing around a million medical terms a minute. For that... By Editorial Team 5 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
Coming Soon: World Ostomy DayHere in the US, we are fortunate to have an organization and national support to celebrate an Ostomy Awareness Day annually on the first Saturday in October. What many don't... By Liz Hiles3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
My Bladder Cancer Medical BinderWhen I was diagnosed with bladder cancer I suddenly found myself in charge of tracking, packing, and keeping so many different things with me at all times. Extra ostomy supplies... By Brittney Tellekamp4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
Life After Bladder Cancer?Are you surviving? Thriving? Or a bit of a 'hot mess' (like me)? I am not transitioning peacefully and calmly into living with cancer, and the after-effects thereof. I am... By Anita Brown3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments18 comments
Reading Labs and Raising Red FlagsI am always emphasizing that cancer patients should make a point to be the most educated person in the room. I don't mean you need a medical degree and know... By Brittney Tellekamp2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Cancer, Insurance, and YouEditor's Note: This article was originally shared by our sister site, LungCancer.net, and was written by Donna Fernandez. Did you cringe when you read the title of this article? I... By Editorial Team 3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
Going SoloCOVID changed how so many hospitals, cancer centers, patients, and their families have to approach treatment and procedures. A year and a half later, and most facilities are either strictly... By Brittney Tellekamp3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Take the Beyond the Cancer Diagnosis SurveyReceiving a cancer diagnosis can change life as you know it. While some treatments and side effects have become common knowledge, it is difficult to understand the true impact of... By Editorial Team 1 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Female Anatomy Changes with a Radical CystectomyLadies! Let's dish about the bits 'n' pieces. When I was heading into my radical cystectomy with a radical hysterectomy slated in September 2016, I thought I knew what I... By Liz Hiles4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments3 comments