Agent Orange=Vietnam

My husband was also in Vietnam 68/69 and has been battling bladder cancer since 2002. He has never smoked in his life. In the Army, he was in a Chemical and Biological Warfare unit, but carried water to hospitals in Vietnam. In 2003 he had the bladder removed and replaced with a neo-bladder. The cancer has since gone to the bone and within the last couple of months, it has eaten away the bone in his hip.  He has gone from working a full time job in Nov. to not being able to walk with the aid of a walker, all in the space of a couple of months. He has had BCG x2, radiation, and is starting a second round of chemo.  He was also found to have Prostate cancer, which was removed during the bladder surgery.  Sandy 

On 1/9/2007 Donald T. wrote:

My husband was also in Vietnam 68/69 and has been battling bladder cancer since 2002. He has never smoked in his life. In the Army, he was in a Chemical and Biological Warfare unit, but carried water to hospitals in Vietnam. In 2003 he had the bladder removed and replaced with a neo-bladder. The cancer has since gone to the bone and within the last couple of months, it has eaten away the bone in his hip.  He has gone from working a full time job in Nov. to not being able to walk with the aid of a walker, all in the space of a couple of months. He has had BCG x2, radiation, and is starting a second round of chemo.  He was also found to have Prostate cancer, which was removed during the bladder surgery.  Sandy 

I was wondering how your husband is doing today.

My father in law had been diagnosed with bladder cancer and had his bladder removed sept. 11, 2006.- within 6 months he had been complaining of his legs hurting.- He went into the hospital on Wednesday of this week, and was diagnosed with cancer on the bone - same cancer that went from bladder to bone.- He had 1 treatment of radiation.- on heavy meds for pain, they said they were going to put a block in the muscle of his leg to divert pain?-  Well anyway- tell me about your experience, how things are going- Thank you- Hope all is looking brighter.

Hi,

 I am sorry to hear that your father-in-law also has had bladder cancer.  My husband has had 10 radiation treatments and will have chemo #3 this Wednesday.  He was taking morphine when he got home from the hospital.  After the radiation and the first chemo treatment he stopped taking the morphine. He is very depressed, because of all that has happened. Otherwise, he is doing fine.  The doctor requested an appointment on Tuesday, so I am wondering what is going on. His next appointment with the doctor was supposed to be in March, after chemo 3 and a set of bone scans. 

 After he had the bladder removed, he was fine for about 16 months and then it came back as a spot on his lower spine.  They radiated the spot and another one showed up.  This time they radiated the new one and gave him chemo. That was last summer.  In Dec, he was having major leg pain. They thought that he might have a hip fracture. The scan showed that his whole left hip was full of cancer.  It seems like it is so aggressive that when ever you stop it in one place, it shows up somewhere else.         Keep in touch and let me know how things are going with your father-in-law.  I hope that he was found relief from the radation treatments.

Sandy