Living With a Retracted StomaToday I am looking at the impact of living with a retracted stoma. If your bladder cancer treatment plan includes surgery to remove your bladder, known as a radical cystectomy...reactions1comment
Cancer: A Hereditary HangoverA cancer diagnosis in the family, I've come to learn, has long-term effects for more than just the patient. In the beginning, when I first received the news that my...reactions4comments
Reclaiming My NormalI have declared 2023 as the year I will reclaim my normal. In 2019 I was diagnosed with what should have been terminal bladder cancer. 2020 brought about COVID. 2021...reactions1comment
Truly Loving My Birthday Once AgainTo anyone who knows me well, I have always loved birthdays. I am writing this a few days before my 46th birthday. In fact, I always liked to think I...reactions3comments
The TURBT Before Chemo2021 rang in as most New Year's do. Instead of silly resolutions, we would forget days or weeks later, Mom and I were focused on her bladder cancer battle. ...reactions2comments
Urostomies: Sharing Our Knowledge with Each OtherI have often wondered if a urostomy is something that most healthcare professionals - doctors, nurses, physician's assistants, techs - know and understand. From the information I have gleaned from...reactions20comments
Community Views: Your Bladder Cancer VictoriesLiving with bladder cancer is never easy. But, thankfully, there can be wins and milestones worth celebrating along the way. As last year came to a close, we wanted to...reactions1comment
Dealing With Illness and Ostomies: Late Night ThoughtsDo you have late-night thoughts? I think we all do at some point. There is always a night you can't sleep for one reason or another. It could be a...reactionscomments
The Art of a Phone CallI recently discussed how I could offer support while living overseas. Living abroad and being unable to physically be there during my Mother's cancer journey was difficult. But I did...reactions4comments
Supporting an Ostomy Bag: Adhesive Removal Spray and Barrier FilmI am back for my final part to take a look at another couple of additional ostomy products which may help you on your ostomy journey. Today I am going...reactions9comments
Offering Support: Being There When You Can't Be ThereIf someone you love has been diagnosed with cancer, you'll obviously want to support them in every way possible. If you live locally, you can offer support in many ways:...reactions6comments
It Has Been a While!It has been a while since I last wrote anything, and that has been due to my physical and mental health. I found life so overwhelming that I retreated into...reactions2comments
COVID With an OstomyAfter 3.5 years of managing to avoid COVID-19 - it finally got me. Having avoided contracting COVID-19 up until now was probably partly due to luck. However, for the most...reactionscomments
Getting the Bladder Cancer Message to CongressAs you may have read, I had many plans for Bladder Cancer Awareness Month. One of these was reaching out to my local member of parliament (the UK's rough equivalent...reactions6comments
Well, They Didn't Tell Me THATMaybe we can blame it on the emergency surrounding my surgery, and maybe we can say the post-op complications were taking precedence. But before and even after my surgery, I...reactions11comments
Self-Care: Acceptable and NecessaryFor me, self-care was never a thought. I was so caught up in taking care of everyone around me that taking care of myself was relegated to having hot coffee...reactions2comments
In America: What's That?The In America survey is now closed. A bladder cancer diagnosis is a shock, but what can make it more difficult is the lack of information and research available for...reactions2comments
Supporting an Ostomy Bag: Flange Extenders and Ostomy PowderHi again. I am back to look at another couple of additional ostomy products that may help you on your journey. Some people need support in the early days while...reactions8comments
Coping With MusicMusic has always been an integral part of my life. Even as a baby, my parents said I was always dancing and bouncing whenever there was a tune playing. As...reactions2comments
Being OpenIsolation is debilitating. Be it physical or emotional. Feeling like you are alone or the only one going through what you are going through is brutal. Being open about your...reactions8comments