I too, am a cancer survior...so far

I am 58 years old and have not yet had my wls. I just saw my wls surgeon yesterday (Valentine's Day). I was very impressed with him...he was very compassionate and listened to and answered all 16 of my questions, despite the fact that he was running over. The major cancer that I had was cancer of the right ureter. I had to have my right ureter and kidney removed. Thank God, the cancer had not spread beyond the organs. My Dr. even did a bone scan to make sure that it hadn't gone into my bones. I didn't have to have chemo (thankfully), just 3 month checkups. Unfortunately at my second 3-month checkup, the Dr. found bladder cancer. So it was another scarier moment, now what do I do. I had to have the tumor removed at the hospital and then when I was healed, start bcg treatments. These treatments consist of infusing your bladder with turburcolosis bacteria to help your bladder fight the cancer cells. (sounds weird, I know, but it worked). I've had no more recurrences of bladder cancer, so I am on a maintenance schedule of having 3 bcg treatments every 6 months just to make sure that the cancer doesn't return. I'm sure that if I lose all of this weight, it will help my body fight those nasty cancer cells that may want to show up. My mantra now is ...lose the weight and get healthy in order to fight the bad nasty cancer cells out there! I'd like to hear from any others out there who have had to battle cancer. Hugs and support, Jan

Hi Janet. I'm glad you posted here. I'm sure there are others of us who have battled or are battling cancer. I have been battling stomach cancer and have posted a few times, so you can always go back and read my posts. I'm glad that you are now cancer free, and I pray that you remain so. I know of someone else who had the same kind of treatment you are going through using tuberculosis bacteria. I'm so glad it is working for you. Let's keep posting when we can. It sure helps to share with others who are experiencing similar situations. Peg

Hi Peg, As you said, it's nice to hear from someone else who has or is experiencing the same situation as you. I'm sorry to hear about your stomach cancer. I hope that the treatments work for you. There have been many advances in the treatment of cancer. My mother passed away almost 12 years ago from uterine cancer and my aunt passed away from breast cancer about 13 years ago. So, as you can see, cancer runs in my family. All one can do is pray and hope that the treatments work. I will be thinking of you and checking out your profile and posts. Tonight, I went to my first support group for wls people. It was very informative and interesting. It was neat to meet people in person who have had wls. I will not be having my surgery until the end of May because my husband and I are planning a long vacation in mid-April to mid-May. I hope to continue attending the support groups as I feel they are a great benefit. Do you attend any support groups? Thank God for Obesityhelp.com...it has been a wealth of information and support. Bye for now. Hugs. Jan

Hi Jan. Thanks for the reply and well wishes. I have had two surgeries, and I hope that's all I have to have done. They did not find cancer the second surgery, but still removed the rest of my stomach since there were cells that were turning again. So far, so good. I will have to go in sometime late spring for another upper endoscopy and a CAT scan. I'm sure I will be doing that every year until the magic 5-year mark. It will be 2 years the end of April since I had my first surgery. Almost 2 years and counting! I just started attending support groups in January. It's nice to finally meet some people who have had WLS and to personally hear their stories. They are very inspiring. Well, I hope to talk with you again sometime. Take good care of yourself. Blessings, Peg