2nd diagnosis & waiting for CT scan

I think you mean the pre-op assessment where they check general health and do things like an ecg. When they did mine they found I had AF (atrial fibrillation) while doing a bicycle test. The anaesthetist was worried and my Urologist had to reassure her I was a good bet.

Just before the due date for the op, however, they found a clot in my lung so I had to start  injecting strong blood thinners which fortunately dissolved it so I could have my  cystectomy only a couple of weeks after that thevoriginal date. I'm taking blood thinner tablets for life. I'm afraid I don't know what a tavi is or whether that might be similar. 

The main area of concern may be age and how fit he is. My husband is 81 and had a knee replacement a year ago (he'd had a triple bypass 2 years before that. For the knee, they gave him a spinal injection rather than full anaesthetic and he was bounding around his room telling me what he'd heard during the op before I knew it.  (I'm nearly 73).

However, when worried or preoccupied he sometimes doesn't listen properly. I would focus on ensuring your husband concentrates hard on what they are saying to him and on showing them that he is fit enough to be treated. Cheerfulness and positive responses can help. 

Does he walk much? 30 minutes a day at a reasonable pace will help with breath and heart rate and put a twinkle in his eye. If the catheter is a problem, may be he could attach a leg bag while out and some loose cotton tracksuit trousers or shorts may be more comfortable. It will help his heart and  sound good when they ask him at the assessment how active he is.

Hope some of this is useful.

All the best,

Latestart

Thanks Latestart

I've tried to get him to walk more but he says the catheter feels like a needle sticking in him. The TAVI is an aortic valve replacement & he's been on blood thinners since 2012 because of DVT & PE. At his Pre-op assessment at end of April for his biopsy he had no problems & had a spinal anesthetic for that & once again anaesthetist was ok about him. Urology consultant always seems to be concerned about his heart but my daughter in law who is a cardiac nurse always says that they see patients with worse problems & managed them under general. I suppose I'm worrying before I know what we're facing but the last few years of coping with everything are just starting to take their toll on me. 

Your input was helpful thanks again 

Hi Sheffielder,Welcome to the group.I hope you will find some help and support here.I’m sorry to hear your husband’s cancer is back.Best wishes for the scan and assessment.Let us know how it goes.Jane 

Hello Sheffielder, I can't really add much as previous posts have given good advice. I had similar treatment diversions in 2017 i.e. tumour diagnosed after a flexible cystoscopy and CT scan, TURBT scheduled but a heart problem (mitral valve regurgitation) discovered during pre-op assessment. was confirmed by an echocardiogram appointment arranged for the day before the TURBT. During the admission production line at 7-30am the next day, the anaesthetist and surgeon received the results which caused them to cancel until they'd consulted with cardiology. I was told to get dressed and go home. Plan B emerged 2-3 weeks later and I had 2 weeks of medium dose radiotherapy which kept symptoms at bay for about 3 months. When they returned (bleeding), I deteriorated quickly, resulting in transfusions and an emergency admission after an ambulance ride. In desperation an emergency TURBT was performed as the transfusions were not keeping up with the losses. I'll always remember the anaesthetist. He was an NHS stand-by specialist, in his late 40s and spoke with a strong German accent. He quickly read my notes, listened to my heart and said 'that's no problem for GA,' gave me the knock out jab and 10 seconds later (it seemed) I woke up having had a reasonably successful TURBT. Most of the 7cm tumour had been destroyed by radiotherapy, the TURBT got most of the rest but they could not grab enough material for path lab analysis. A 2nd TURBT under GA was performed as a tidy-up a few months later. Still no path lab analysis but a CT scan showed no spread elsewhere. The heart problem meant chemo or BCG was too risky. So, on a palliative (treat symptoms as they occur rather than attempt a cure) regime since mid 2019, it's worked out remarkably well. I live independently at home, drive and generally try to enjoy my borrowed time. I'm 75 now. You may notice that each of us here may have taken different paths through this cancer thing despite having similar symptoms. I'm sure your husband will be in good hands whatever is decided. I wish you all the best. Ray xx  Apologies if I keep writing essays - it's all too easy on a laptop!!