to remove his bladder or not!

[Liesl]

Hi, never joined a forum before so heres hoping i'm doing the right things. My husband was told he had cancer last week and we have had meetings and tests since then. Luckily it hasn't spread to the rest of his body but is in his prostate and bladder. He has had the prostate removed but now they are offering chemo followed by removal of the bladder. This is something my husband is unable to face and we were wondeering...do we go with this or is there an alternative (the consultants say this is the way its done). Are the herbal/alternative drops/medicines just a con or do they really work? We have so many other questions but don't feel they are being answered. For instance, we have only just found out how cancer cells are formed by looking it up for ourselves!!! Research is tiring and seems to contradict itself each way we turn. Any advice would be a huge help. He starts chemo in 3 days time. thank you in advance for just letting me voice my worries.

[Sailor]

Hi There As someone with advanced prostate cancer and a fairly dodgy bladder, I am more than happy to wade in here. Perhaps, I have chosen the wrong metaphor, but I am being serious. Firstly forget, herbs, alternatives, meditation etc. They are useful in that they can give you a feeling that you have some control back, but sorry, they won't convert a cancerous bladder to a non-cancerous one. There has been a lot of research done on your behalf already: If you go to www.prostate.org.au/.../pages/Advanced-Prostate-Cancer.html you can download the consumer guide for advanced prostate cancer. There is good information at: www.andrologyaustralia.org, www.prostatehealth.org.au and www.prostate.org.au. They will not give you a lot of information on the need to remove the bladder. There are several options here and I still have my bladder so have no personal experience. A stoma and external bag - if you go the the Stoma Association of Australia website http://www.australianstoma.com.au/ it will direct you to the nearest stoma association and you can get information from them. Elsewhere in this site MERKEL has talked about what they call a neobladder. Do a search for Merkel and read some of her early blogs. What they do is take a piece of bowel and use it to create something that functions as a urinary bladder. Is it too late for radiotherapy? Cheers Sailor ...Every master and pilot prided himself on knowing exactly how much way his ship was making. He knew the ship, he considered the wind, he watched the sails, he watched the water. In fact, it was a matter which just could not be explained to the landsman. A good sailor knew his ship, and that was all. E. G. R. Taylor

[Jules2]

Hi and welcome to the site! Hope you get something out of being able to share your journey. Sailor is a great one for prostate knowledge! Re alternatives, as a cancer sufferer i am a tad sceptical and yet if used alongside modern science can be beneficial. I would never use them on their own and you always need to consult with your onco people with what you can and cant use, specially if having chemotherapy. :) When i was having treatment i was a country cancer patient and there was a lady that had her bladder removed. She had bags and once she was shown how to use them correctly and change them, she coped really well. Julie