my wife and i found out today that she has a mass on her bladder. she is 47 years old.?

Question

anybody out their going or gone through this ? we know we have to start with uroligist for biopsy but not sure what happens next. any info would be of much help - thanks

Answer 1

It's too early to tell, until you get lab results back.

She probably will be facing the biopsy, followed by some kind of surgical procedure to remove the mass, and (if necessary) to reconstruct the bladder.

Both of you should be active participants in any decision-making. If at any point you have doubts, feel free to seek a second medical opinion.

There are some important things that she can do on her own.

If she smokes, she must stop immediately.

She should ask her doctor and/or a dietitian about dietary issues, like whether she should drink lots of water, or take cranberry juice, or avoid foods with added chemicals.

Here is some information from the Internet:
"When a bladder mass is detected, diagnostic exams are conducted to determine whether the mass is benign or malignant. Exams may include a pelvic exam, abdomen/pelvis ultrasound, abdomen/pelvis CT scans, cystoscopy, and/or cytology on bladder washings and/or urine. Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer among men and the ninth most common among women in the United States. Most bladder cancer patients are not a risk of developing a life-threatening cancer, as most bladder cancers are not rapid growing and are treatable without major surgery. As with all cancers, early detection is vital."

Read the full article:
http://www.unmc.edu/dept/urologicsurgery/index.cfm?L1_ID=-1&L2_ID=13&CONREF=30

If you want to read more, check out these Google search results for websites with "bladder mass" in the title:
http://www.google.com/search?as_q=bladder+mass&num=10&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&as_occt=title&as_dt=e&as_sitesearch=&as_rights=&safe=images

Good luck!