And Another Surgery Today……

Sometimes medical issues announce themselves with symptoms. Other times, they are discovered almost by accident. In my case, a bladder tumor was found because doctors were looking at something else.

During an unrelated CT scan looking for fragments of an IVC filter that was removed a year ago, an abnormal area involving the bladder was noticed by a sharp eyed Radiologist. It was not the reason for the scan, but it was significant enough that it needed to be investigated further. A follow-up scan continued to show the abnormality, which led to a referral to urology.

Getting a Direct Look

The next major step was a cystoscopy, a procedure in which a small camera is passed through the urinary tract (Very OUCH!) so the urologist can look directly inside the bladder. CT imaging can show that something appears abnormal, but the cystoscopy provided a much clearer answer.

There was a tumor in the bladder and it was starting to block one of the urinary tracts from a kidney.

Once the tumor was actually seen, the process moved fairly quickly. Rather than continuing to watch it or spending a long time on additional testing before treatment, the priority became getting into surgery and removing the tumor so that it could be sent to pathology.

Surgery

I had surgery on September 8, 2026, to remove the bladder tumor. The procedure went well. The surgeon’s initial impression afterward was that she was able to remove what she could see and did not have to go deeply into the bladder muscle. That is encouraging, but the important answers will come from pathology.

While I was still in surgery, chemotherapy medication was placed directly into the bladder. This is intravesical chemotherapy, meaning the medication is delivered locally inside the bladder rather than being given as systemic chemotherapy through an IV.

For now, there is no point in getting too far ahead of the pathology report. That report should provide the information needed to determine exactly what the tumor was, its grade and depth, and whether additional treatment or surveillance will be necessary.

The Immediate Recovery

I came home after surgery with a urinary catheter and collection bag. The current plan is to keep the catheter in place until Monday, September 14.

I am off work during the initial recovery period. The current plan allows me to return to work on September 14 on desk duty only. Assuming recovery continues normally, I am scheduled to return to full duty on September 22.

Those dates give me a basic framework for the physical recovery, but the larger medical picture will become clearer once the pathology results are available.

An Unexpected Detour

The remarkable part of this experience is how it started. Nobody ordered that original CT scan because they were specifically looking for a bladder tumor. Something unexpected appeared on imaging, the doctors followed up on it, the cystoscopy confirmed what was actually there, and the response shifted quickly from investigation to getting it removed.

There are still unanswered questions, and pathology will determine what happens next. But as of today, the tumor has been removed, the first treatment has been given, and recovery has begun.

For now, that is enough of the story to tell. The next chapter can wait until there is actual information to put in it.