So here I am 2 months after getting diagnosed with bladder cancer and as you can imagine all sorts of questions come to mind. One of them is "how did I get it"? And of course that will never be answered. I do not fit the usual profile for bladder cancer: I don't smoke and never have. I'm also not a hairdresser nor someone who works with dye. But in my searches for causes and treatments for bladder cancer, I came across the possible link to the byproducts of chlorination. For example, see: aje.oxfordjournals.org/.../aje.kwj364. I know this has come in these forums (sample here: According to new study Chlorinated pools may lead to cancer - U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums), but what I haven't seen are reports of any other swimmers having bladder cancer.
Do you know of other swimmers getting bladder cancer?
I know this will never prove a link, and certainly by probability there are some of you out there, but I'm curious to know if there are lots of us or just a few. I've been swimming competitively since I was 7 and I'm now in my early 50's. That's a lot of time in the pool. I've mostly been in outdoor pools, but my college years included indoor swimming. Never, in all that time, have I ever heard any other swimmer mention bladder cancer. Am I alone?
The good news is that this was caught early and my prognosis is excellent. There is a small chance of progression which I rather not have (who would?!), but I'm lucky to have had it caught and treated early. I'll be competing for a long time to come. 400 IM today, in fact.
