Friday

I can't be witty today I'm not even going to try. Steve had a doctor's appointment with the urologist today, he was still having problems with blood in his urine and he'd been passing clots and bits of tissue too, so the doctor (who has a surgery center in his office) went ahead and did a cystoscopy and an abdominal and pelvic ultrasound to check the kidneys. They found a tumor in his bladder. To tell the truth I was shocked. I fully expected the doctor to say it was just a particularly stubborn urinary tract infection and send us on our way. So much for medical intuition when I need it! I didn't even have the presence of mind to ask him how big the tumor is, but we'll find out soon enough, I guess. I did ask him if he did a biopsy during the cystoscopy, but he said he hadn't. Steve was in enough pain with the cysto and the instrument for taking a biopsy is larger, so he decided to just wait until he does the surgery to remove it, which will be on September 2. I'm still a little bit on the stunned side, I guess. I did some reading on the internet - which was a little reassuring. What I didn't find reassuring was that when you Google "bladder tumor" all you get is bladder cancer sites. Geez, aren't there benign bladder tumors? Steve said the doctor did tell him that he was going to have to come in for cystos every 3 months for awhile and then if the tumor doesn't recur, every 6 months for awhile, but he said he thought he and Steve would become very good friends. (ha!) In doing some research on the web it sounds like it's a pretty superficial type of malignancy, and come back time and time again. I'm wondering between what the doctor said and what I've read if that's what it is. If it is malignant, I hope that's what it is, the other types of bladder cancer don't sound quite as easy to treat and have a lower 5-year survival rate. (Did I really just write survival rate about Steve?)

Anyway, I'm scared, he's scared, but you know, you take the cards you're dealt and you play them, that's the way it is. You can't go back, you can only deal with what you have. So that's it for my Friday. Hope everyone else's was better!

We did get Meg to school yesterday and that was kind of fun. I think she's going to like Doane - and she's going to get a good education there. I got a very good feeling visiting campus and hearing from everyone - excluding some of the idiot parents in or orientation group, but that's for another post.

Later.