I had a follow-up visit on Zoom with Dr Mossanen today. It was very short and sweet. He was very happy for me when he heard that my cystoscopy (last Thursday) yielded NO Cancer. He was in agreement with the plan going forward: round of maintenance of BCG in August with a cystoscopy. He did add that if things change, or cancer comes back, to contact his office to discuss options.
Fingers crossed. Hoping to enjoy the summer without this looming over my head.
More to come!
Good news does come in threes. No cancer/or lumps found in my mammogram; Biopsies came back as benign for the two polyps found from my colonoscopy; and today - no tumors or cancer found for my bladder cystoscopy.
After much prep work and medical tasks needed for today's procedure at Holy Family, Methuen, I had a 12PM check-in for my cystoscopy/biopsy and possible TURBT. Last few times they have been scheduled for 6AM so I was optimistic that today might have good results.
My sister Leslie provided my ride to and from, today. She was also happy that the appointment was mid-day so she too could sleep in. We arrived at the hospital at 11:45 and prior to her leaving we estimated the timing for best and worst case scenario. The best would be my having the procedure completed by 4 or so; the worst case I would be required to spend the night and living with the 'bag' for the weekend. Luckily, it was the best case scenario.
Inside, after checking in, I waited almost and hour and a half before being called. Once called, I was brought to my 'home' to remove my clothes, slip into the johnnie and be greeted and questioned by three teams: nurses, anesthesia team and Doctor Previte. Each asked me pretty much the same questions (that I aced). When Dr. Previte arrived, we went over the possibilities and the risks; had me sign off on some forms; then said he'd be seeing me soon.
Around 2:15, I was wheeled into the operating room. The medical staff operated like a pit crew where each had a specific task to complete. They were a well oiled machine. I heard one say, Dr. Previte has arrived. Another said, "Breathe deeply". I was out.
I woke up in the recovery room and noticed the clock said 3:15PM. I thought that was fast and was encouraged by that. My hand meandered to my privates and I had no catheter. YAY!
A nurse saw that I was coming to and said that the procedure went well. She offered some juice and cookies. I was still in a fog, but agreed to having them. Glad I did since I hadn't had anything since 11:45PM the night before. I noticed that Dr Previte was approaching, with a big smile and he said "I have good news. I found no cancer (tumors to scrape out). I'll see you in about 10 days to discuss the biopsy results and we'll start the three rounds of maintenance BCG in August."
Great news!
So my assumption is that the BCG worked. I fully expect that biopsy will still show cancer, but hopeful that the maintenance BCG will continue to work. Earlier conversations included this plan.
In the interim, I'll enjoy the summer-like weather and bask in this encouraging news.
More to come!
