My Year with Cancer (ePub)

I was diagnosed with small cell aggressive urinary bladder cancer in late 2017. Julie and I interviewed medical oncologists, nurses, physicians, radiologists, and urologists at four major hospitals in New England to understand the type and extent of cancer and to get answers to our questions.
Getting answers was like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. No single physician had all the pieces of the puzzle. They might have one or two pieces on the board but there were a lot of empty spaces. It was up to us to find all the pieces, put them on the board and make sense of what the pathology reports, imaging analyses, and doctors' opinions meant.
I read technical medical journal articles about cancer, surgery, and survival rates. After consulting with friends, doctors, and wife, I decided on a treatment plan that was best for me. It's not that I did not trust what one physician recommended or what another practitioner would advise but I wanted to control my body myself. I needed to find out about options like surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, side effects, and life-long consequences.
My journey is different than your journey. This journal contains my experience, not yours. You must find your answers to your questions. This journal is not a medical advisory and cannot be used as a recipe or formula to prescribe treatment. In no way does it supersede the advice of your physicians. Ask questions and get advice from as many people as your time allows.
This is my cancer journal. "My Year With Cancer". It's a patient's story. It's a journey I took with the help of many people. I hope it helps you on your journey.
Ten percent (10%) of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society.