Part Two: Diagnosing Bladder Cancer

My husband, Dr. T. Stacy Lloyd Jr. was one lucky guy. His doctor was a very knowledgeable physician who knew that there was a connection between smoking and bladder cancer.  This pulmonary internist was also a colleague of my husband and had always seen Stacy with a pipe in his mouth.  When Stacy got a bad bladder infection, the doctor gave him cipro for a week. But when the infection did not clear up, he immediately referred him to an urologist.

What an odd question, you might ask? 

Bladders like many other bodily organs and functions are taken for granted until there is a problem with them.  My husband, Stacy, a retired physician, was diagnosed with bladder cancer this summer. He strongly suggested that I write about why everyone should  “love” their bladder.

Most people equate smoking with lung cancer, but not many people equate smoking with bladder cancer. The American Cancer Society (ACS) states that “the greatest risk factor for bladder cancer is smoking.” 

Our family experienced something last week that no family should experience.  My husband had surgery for bladder cancer and the family gathered round.  Three of his five children were there before and during his surgery, along with a daughter-in-law and son-in-law.