Hi All - Thank you for letting me join.
My mum is 73 and yesterday she had an ultrasound which showed a large tumour in her bladder. They are going to schedule her for a TURBT but have told her it’s bladder cancer. I wasn’t at the appointment (I live in a different city) and both of my parents are a bit shellshocked so I don’t want to hit them with a load of questions but I have so many.
My mum has always hated anything medical. She started to feel unwell about 18 months ago but refused to go to the doctor, which means this has likely been growing for some time. She’s now at a stage where she feels weak and tired most of the time. She’s lost a lot of weight. She was forced to finally go to the doctor when she started to pass large blood clots in her urine.
At her appointment they told her that as well as having the TURBT they would need to check her liver and lungs. Would I be correct in thinking that this means they think it’s metastatic or are they just covering all bases?
My head is whirling. As there is so much I don’t know, my brain is filling in the gaps and that’s scaring me.
Im also trying to work out how best to support my mum. She is trying to be outwardly strong to my dad but has told me privately that she’s terrified and doesn’t think she’s strong enough to go through this.
Hi ClogHogad205d and welcome to the group although sorry to hear about your mum. Good to know she is finally having treatment after being unwell for some time. A TURBT procedure is usually done in day surgery, but prepare for an overnight. An upper body scan is standard to check there is nothing else going on. Biopsies will be taken and there will then be a few weeks wait for results. These results determine the next step. I hope all goes well. Lots of experience here so feel free to ask anything. In the meantime it is important mum drinks plenty of water to flush any blood or clots out. Best wishes.
