Dad's bladder cancer is back for the third time. Managing all the moving parts when he doesn't live close by is a challenge.

Over the past 2 years we've come to accept that his type of cancer (Non-Invasive Low-Grade Papillary Urothelial Carcinoma) isn't a cancer that we will treat and be cured of, but rather one that we will have to battle for the rest of his life.  

This realization has meant learning to actually LIVE with the cancer, knowing it will be coming back. 

We've also learned that the key to this type of cancer, which WILL continue to come back, is to pay close attention to the dates he receives treatments and results of the treatments in order to optimize the treatment timing.

I have access to his medical information in his online medical portal but I was finding it very hard to get the information I needed to really keep track of what was happening with this cancer. There were just too many other things in there that made it hard to just track the cancer dates.

Knowing that is a common issue with online medical portals, I did for him what I recommend to my own patients and their families: I made a timeline with all of the tests and treatments related to his cancer. It's a digital document that I can pull up on my phone and I also send it to my Dad and sister as things change.

Since Dad's cancer is back, we're trying to figure out how to do all the necessary testing (pre-operative testing, cystoscopy-guided biopsies) to allow him to continue with his winter travel plans to escape the cold, dreary Upstate New York winters by escaping to South Carolina and Florida. 

But, because his cancer is coming back faster than we'd hoped, his doctor is considering a different schedule for getting his treatments so he's getting them more often. Based on his lifestyle, this is likely going to require him to have a medical team in more than one place, which takes this cancer experience to a whole other level of challenging.

That said, I WANT Dad to have have two medical teams. I want him to feel like he has the freedom to be in more than one place. I know that for a lot of families, the thought of this is downright daunting. But in this video, I'll walk you through: 

-How I track Dad's medical tests and treatments in one document

-Why it's important to keep all of this information in one easily accessible place (printed or digital)

-How I spoke directly to a point-person in a medical practice down here to facilitate moving his care down here (and got all the information I needed in less than 10 minutes!)

AND you can even grab a customizable version of the form I use to track all of Dad's bladder cancer timeline by downloading the document for yourself by clicking this link: ►► https://www.thecaregiverinstitute.com/testsandtreatmenttimeline

I hope all of this is helpful for you so that you can better understand our bladder cancer journey and you will be able to prevent unnecessary complications in your own.

As I always say, "Hope in medicine, but never trust in healthcare" to care for your loved ones. They need you to be their advocate and with this form you can organize their cancer journey into one place so you'll have all the information you need in the palm of your hand. 

Love, Cheryl