Hello. My father had his CT scan today after being diagnosed with two tumours in his bladder. He is booked in for his op in 10 days time. Will he be contacted before that with the results or will they only do that if it’s spread and if not, just wait till the op. Just trying to understand what this little wait is about. This is my first post so would love to hear from anyone. Thanks
Hello and firstly let me welcome you to the community and our corner of it. Sorry to hear of your father's diagnosis, but be aware bladder cancer can be treated successfully and many of us are here to tell the tale. The CT scan is standard procedure to give them a clearer picture and to check there is nothing else going on. The op is called a TURBT (resection of bladder tumour). The tumours will be shaved away under general anaesthetic. Sometimes it is just a day surgery or overnight stay. A biopsy will be taken and sent off for analysis. This will determine a stage and grade. The stage (T) is how far the tumours have progressed and the grade (G) is how aggressive the abnormal cells are. It takes about 2 weeks for results. These results determine the next step. The earlier these things are caught, the better. There is usually a follow up consultation to discuss the results. Any further questions, pleas ask. There is a wide range of experiences here. I hope it goes well. Best wishes.
Hi Edward. The CT scan is usually precautionary just to check if anything else is going on. Your father will not be given any information on the day of the scan as it has to go off to be analysed by others. This usually takes a week to ten days. The scan is more use for future reference as they can compare any future scan to see what changes there are. Prior to the op, the surgeon will sit down with your father to explain the procedure. If the scan results are in, they will be discussed. The anaesthetist will also speak to him first. Recovery depends on how deep they have to go, but in general, people are up and about within 24 hours. Some people take a bit longer to get over the anaesthetic than others. Just need to take things easy for a few days and drink lots of water to keep things flushed out. Your father will wake up with a catheter in. This stays in until the urine runs clear. For a few days afterwards it can be quite painful when peeing. Described as like peeing broken glass, but this gradually subsides. Hope this helps. Best wishes.
Hello . The surgeon should sit down with your father prior to the op. to explain the procedure. You should be allowed to sit in. This is when to ask any questions. They should have he CT scans back, so ask if it seems to be confined to the bladder (which is good). Also any indications from earlier tests as to how developed things are. They may not be able to answer until after they have gone in. The doctor will have better information post op.
The anaesthetic is brilliant. A needle in the back of the hand and the next thing you are waking up in recovery. I had no problems with the anaesthetic, but a few people have some after effects. My first TURBT, I was in for 4 days, but the two follow ups, I went on my own. Just needed to be picked up. The hardest part is the couple of weeks waiting for the biopsy results.
If he goes down in the morning, there is a good chance he will be out the same day, but it would be best to prepare for an overnight stay just in case. Slippers, dressing gown, drinks and toiletries. They usually give you a cup of tea and toast after you wake up. Best wishes.
