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Other Care (Home care): I would like to thank my home health folks for helping me get through all of this. Without them I don't think my recovery would have been as quick as it was. As much Grief as I gave them they never gave up on me. Any questions I had, they answered honestly and made me feel like they really cared and you know what? I know they did. Thank you to all the fine people at AlaCare Home health
The Home Health Care and Hospice care folks are great. God bless them for what they do. I couldn't do their job, but I'm glad they do what they do. We used them twice for Hospice care for Mom And Dad.
Hope your doing well. Welcome to the site, let us know if you need help with anything around the page. And feel free to join in the conversations.
Greg P
3x Survivor
Team WhatNext
Community Mgr.
Celebration (The Cancer is gone but the BCG continues.): I have had 6 cystoscopies now and The Cancer is still gone. How many more rounds I have left I have no idea. I am not quite 100% yet but close enough for me. I have went from almost dying in the operating room to full freedom again. I am still on Disability and will be until the Doctor tells me different but there is nothing I cannot do today that I could not do before all Of this. My wife never once believed she would lose me and The Good Lord never gave up on me and here I am. I never had a chance to give up on me and wouldn't even if I could have. Life is too short and Family too precious to ever give up on life.
Side Effects (Fatigue (tiredness)): Once I started the BCG the effects were minimal at best. Usually the first 24hrs I sleep alot but then it's back to life as usual. Thank God that my treatment is local and not injected through the blood or it might be a lot worse then it has been.
Drug or Chemo Therapy (BCG directly into my Bladder.): After my initial Colonoscopy I was set up for 6 weeks of Chemo. They would pull my catheter out, Insert another, fill my bladder with BCG and put in another catheter and send me home.After that 6 treatments I waited 3 months then go in for another colonoscopy. NOTHING. The cancer was gone.Now the fun begins. Even though the Cancer is gone I have to go through Maintence chemo. # weeks of treatment and wait 3 months for another colonoscopy. After the second colonoscopy I was finally able to remove the Catheter for good.The Ostomy bag on the other hand was a different story. I finally got my Family Doctor to refer me to the same Doctor who put it on and see what he thought. He gave the green light for it to go provided everything looked good. 1 year to the day he put the bag on, He took it off. Praise God
Procedure or Surgery (Surgery): I went into the Hospital in Birmingham in Sept and finally the cancer was removed from my body. I was ecstatic. The Doctor told me after surgery that it was the easiest one he had done and had gotten everything out that was there. When I asked about the Catheter he said to wait and make sure it takes before we consider taking it out. When I asked him about the Ostomy bag he said lets wait and see. After all I had been thru, a few more weeks would not matter. Within 24 hrs I was home again and getting stronger by the day. I had home health come out 3 times a week for rehab and told them to push me as hard as they could and never let me give up. True to their word they didn't. If not for the Catheter and Ostomy bag I would have felt like a new man.
Procedure or Surgery (Long-term catheter): After almost 3 months I was released from the Hospital. I was so weak I had to be carried into and out of my house. I got no rehab while in the hospital. I went to see the Urologist a couple of days later. I was using a walker but having to rebuild my strength again it was a long and painful trip. I looked the man in the eye and asked him if he had ever lost a patient to bladder Cancer. In 29 yrs He honestly believed I was gonna be his first. That's when he told me that he was passing me off to another Doctor in Birmingham who would complete my surgery but until I got my strength back it would have to wait. I asked him to remove the Catheter but was told since the Cancer was still there a catheter was for the best.This was in July of 2012. In Sept I finally saw the Specialist in Birmingham and surgery was scheduled.
