BCG

A few notes on my first BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (aka Pumping a live Tuberculosis Virus up my dick (Ok, it's not TB, but similar, actually used as a TB vaccine (but still nasty ass shit)))).

Anyway, was nervous about having to hold my urine in for 2 hours, turns out that when you have bladder cancer, you pee a lot. Excessive urination is a symptom of the disease, but is also a symptom of just about every treatment/imaging/diagnostic they have thrown at me so for.

The good news is that it was actually easy to hold. And (fingers crossed, wood knocked) so far I don't have much in the way of side effect. Just a bit tired, and woozy.



I'm finding that editing posts is working better in some ways than making new ones.

Started to feel worse as the week went on. Very tired and waves of nausea. Feeling better now, but had a rough few days. And man, my work productivity is in the shithole. :(

Cancer

So, I have cancer.
I am going to be talking it here for a while mostly as a way of sorting it out for myself. Since it is 2018, nobody reads blogs anyway.
But I'm sure I have friends and family still reading blogs like its 2003.

Anyway, first things first, er, middle things first?
Diagnosis:
Stage 1 Bladder cancer, High Grade, multiple sites, one of the sites has had multiple tumors.

And now the timeline (I'm thinking I will update this post):

• October 5, 2013: I had blood in my urine after a run.
• October 5, 2013: Urinalysis showed blood, all else normal.
• October 7, 2013: Blood tests, normal.
• October 9, 2013: More blood tests, normal.
• October 10, 2013: CT Scan - "Unremarkable CT urogram".
• October 13, 2013: More blood in urine + pain.
• October 21, 2013: Cystoscopy - "Slightly engorged vessels in prostate/sphincter, to tumors. Clear efflux"
• --- Time goes on, more blood off and on, told not to worry about it ---

Early 2017: Changed health care provider to blue shield

• February - March 2018: Start to have blood in urine after every run
• March 21, 2018: Blood in urine after run, and continuing blood after every urination. Sometimes with clots - Fun!
• March 26, 2018: See urologist.
• April 4, 2018: CT Scan - "Lobulated hypervascular mass arising from the posterior surface of the bladder on the right measuring 25 X 15 X 12mm"
  
• April 26, 2018: Cystoscopy - Tumor noted.
• May 4, 2018: Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TURBT):  "3-cm papillary bladder lesion on the right floor of the bladder",  "There were also numerous satellite lesions surrounding this", "another papillary lesion that was subcentimeter lesion along the left posterolateral wall of the bladder"
• May 4, 2018: Pathology Report - "HIGH-GRADE PAPILLARY UROTHELIAL CARCINOMA, INVASIVE INTO LAMINA PROPRIA"
• May 17, 2018: Postoperative appointment - Received diagnosis. Treatment plan: 6 week course of immunotherapy. BCG directly to the bladder. Starting after the bladder heals from surgery.
• June 12, 2018: White blood cells in urine (Staph infection from catheter).
• June 18, 2018: BCG Treatment #1 - not much for side effects
• June 25, 2018: BCG Treatment #2 - AKA how to explain to the painting crew who speaks mostly Spanish that my toilet will be toxic for 30 minutes after I pee.
• July 2, 2018: BCG Treatment #3 - 
• July 9, 2018: BCG Treatment #4 -
• July 16, 2018: BCG Treatment #5 - Oh, joy blood clots in urine
• July 24, 2018: BCG Treatment #6 - 101 fever by the time I got home, abdominal pain threw the night. Things better in the morning. Blech!
• September 7, 2018: Transurethral Inspection of Bladder and Biopsy - No tumors noted, 3 samples taken.
• September 21, 2018: Large blood clot, and dark red urine.
• September 27, 2018: Biopsy results in, no cancer detected. On a 3 month check up schedule.