Hi Andy,
My husband was diagnosed with bladder cancer last August 1. He was 28 years old at the time. He had blood in his urine & was treated for a bladder infection with antibiotics. After completing the antibiotics, the blood in urine returned. He then had a CT scan where they discovered he had a tumor about the size of a tennis ball. Upon discovering that, he had a procedure (can't remember the name) where they go in & get part of the tumor & figure out what it is (like a needle biopsy, but that isn't what they called it). Without even sending a sample to the lab, the doctor told me it was cancer.
My husband went through 4 rounds of chemo and then had his bladder removed. He received a neobladder, which is a bladder made out of part of your small intestines. Now, just a little over a year past diagnosis it is almost like it never happened.
I think that early detection is very important in overcoming this horrible disease. It is important to pay attention to things out of the ordinary and seek medical attention ASAP.
Are you having symptoms? If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to try to help answer them. This board was extremely helpful to me during my husbands ordeal, especially in the beginning when everything was so scary and foreign to me.
Good luck. Stephanie