Initial diagnosis

Today I was diagnosed with bladder cancer.  I intend to chronicle this journey on this blog. 

About me:  I'm 49 years old, married to Jennifer to 28 years, and have 4 children, ages 23, 20, 16, and 13.  I've generally been in good health; I don't smoke or drink, and have no apparent risk factors for bladder cancer.  Professionally, I am a partner at a big DC law firm, specializing in patent litigation.   I am active in my local church congregation, teaching Gospel Doctrine to the adults in Sunday School. 


On Saturday evening, November 12, I noticed some blood in my urine.  It happened twice that evening.  The second time, a small piece of mucus-like tissue came out, and I had no further blood after that.  That's not right, I thought.  I had just had a complete physical in June 2011, and aside from being overweight, had no adverse issues.   In July, Jennifer and I started a diet, and by November had lost nearly 50 lbs.  I wondered if the blood in the urine could be something related to the diet.  On Nov. 13, I emailed the doctor who I had consulted for the diet, then flew to Memphis for a hearing Monday morning.

After the hearing, my diet doctor responded to my email and said that nothing in the diet could cause the blood in the urine, and that i should to go to a urologist.  I called my primary care doctor, got a referral to a top urologist, and made an appointment for the next day.

On Tuesday, Nov. 15, I had my initial consultation with Dr. Fred Hendricks, who is associated with GW Hospital, who did a complete exam and sent a urine sample for testing.  He also scheduled me for a ultrasound on Friday, Nov. 18, and a cytoscopy on Nov. 22.  The ultrasound revealed a distinct papillary mass in my bladder, about 5 cm by 1.5 cm.  The radiologist didn't want to tell me anything more than that, so of course I Googled it as soon as I came back to the office and found that  I may have bladder cancer.

On Monday, Nov. 21, Dr. Hendricks' office called to say that the cytoscopy would not go forward on Nov. 22, but instead he wanted to have a consultation.  We met today, and he said that the urinalysis confirmed that I had transitional cell carcinoma.  Dr. Hendricks recommended that I have a transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT), which is done via endoscopic surgery through a Foley catheter threaded through the urethra into the bladder.   We scheduled the surgery for Thursday, December 1.  Dr. Hendricks was optimistic that the tumor could be removed, then I would have my bladder washed with several rounds of BGC -- an anitimmunsuppressant that would kill any remaining cancer, then I would go on my way with regular checkups.  Ok, I thought.  No big deal.  But still . . . I'm going to do some more research into this.