Surgery on 2-18-09

kenrichards

I had a 1-inch tumor on my left kidney that was removed on 2-18-09. I was told they caught it very early and that I have an excellent chance to never have cancer again since it was so small and had not pread within the kidney. I probably will lose my job out of this, and it was a very nice job in Iraq, but at least I get reasonable disability for about six months if necessary. More important, I realized I need to live for Christ rather than waste my life with vain desires and selfish interests. Last Saturday, I led my youngest daughter to Christ and confirmed my other daughter had already received Christ with the help of my mother and stepfather. My son was already saved as a boy so I am very happy now. Kidney cancer was responsible for my reconnection to Christ in every way rather than pushing him to the the periphery of my life as I had been doing. If I live another forty years they will be infinitely more productive than the last thanks to this experience. I never felt so mortal even after serving multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Every day feels like a blessing now and I take nothing for granted.

God Bless you all and I pray for your swift recovery. No matter what happens, I pray for God's peace and grace to touch your lives even in the midst of tragedy like kideny cancer.

Ken

bangormom

Hi,
You are most definately
Hi,

You are most definately blessed, and I want to thank you for your service to our country.

Has your doctor discussed any follow up scans? You'll want to keep an eye out for reocurance, it can happen, we all pray that it does not but watching out for a return is wise. How was it discoverd? Did you have any symptoms ( back ache blood in urine)? Just curious, I had no symptoms, all I had was a swollen lymphnode just above my collar bone, and it all went down hill from there. I do pray everything goes well for you and your family.

Maryann
prcc stage 4

mbates09

Congratulations and Thanks for your Service
I appreciate what you have gone through with the kidney surgery as I am now 14 months post-op myself for radical nephrectomy (traditional) and feeling fine. One of the best bits of advice I got from a fellow cancer survivor was to get an oncologist rather than continue with my urologist, which I did. I go every six months for CT scans of my chest, abdomen and pelvis to make certain it is staying "gone". I have every hope that it will. I know that I too was preserved for a purpose larger than myself, and I thank Heavenly Father daily that I am alive. When I see my scar in the mirror, it is a badge of victory over a very frightening time in my life, when I really learned to completely turn my life over to Him and He has completely directed my path. I have lost my job and I am still doing fine and have prospects in the offing for an even better job than I have ever had, utilizing knowledge and skill that I have had but have never been able to use professionally.

The best of blessings to you and thank you for your service to our country as well. I do not know which I would fear more, war or illness, so you have had a "double whammy" to deal with and I commend you for your good attitude.

kenrichards

bangormom said:

Hi,
You are most definately
Hi,

You are most definately blessed, and I want to thank you for your service to our country.

Has your doctor discussed any follow up scans? You'll want to keep an eye out for reocurance, it can happen, we all pray that it does not but watching out for a return is wise. How was it discoverd? Did you have any symptoms ( back ache blood in urine)? Just curious, I had no symptoms, all I had was a swollen lymphnode just above my collar bone, and it all went down hill from there. I do pray everything goes well for you and your family.

Maryann
prcc stage 4

Thank you and yes, I am very blessed and will never forget that
I will get follow up scans at the VA since they are practically free and will keep an eye on things. God has been very good to me and I can never forget his blessing including how it was discovered. I simply had flank pain and thought I might have kidney stones etc. I was always a little unsettled with stools so I was looking for perhaps irritable bowel etc. The VA doctor keep looking until he found it on a CT Scan. Bless his heart and Praise the Lord is how I feel.

kenrichards

bangormom said:

Hi,
You are most definately
Hi,

You are most definately blessed, and I want to thank you for your service to our country.

Has your doctor discussed any follow up scans? You'll want to keep an eye out for reocurance, it can happen, we all pray that it does not but watching out for a return is wise. How was it discoverd? Did you have any symptoms ( back ache blood in urine)? Just curious, I had no symptoms, all I had was a swollen lymphnode just above my collar bone, and it all went down hill from there. I do pray everything goes well for you and your family.

Maryann
prcc stage 4

I will pray for you Maryann
Maryann,

I will pray for you and my God give you strength to face whatever it is you have to face and take away the pain. I pray God blesses you and keeps you and carries you through as long as you want to be here on this Earth. And when you are ready, I pray God carries you in His arms and keeps you comforted the entire time. You are not alone and I assure you God is watching over you. Make sure you accept Jesus as you personal savior, if you have not already, and be ready to spend eternity in his loving arms. Amen my sister and God bless you!

Ken

kenrichards

mbates09 said:

Congratulations and Thanks for your Service
I appreciate what you have gone through with the kidney surgery as I am now 14 months post-op myself for radical nephrectomy (traditional) and feeling fine. One of the best bits of advice I got from a fellow cancer survivor was to get an oncologist rather than continue with my urologist, which I did. I go every six months for CT scans of my chest, abdomen and pelvis to make certain it is staying "gone". I have every hope that it will. I know that I too was preserved for a purpose larger than myself, and I thank Heavenly Father daily that I am alive. When I see my scar in the mirror, it is a badge of victory over a very frightening time in my life, when I really learned to completely turn my life over to Him and He has completely directed my path. I have lost my job and I am still doing fine and have prospects in the offing for an even better job than I have ever had, utilizing knowledge and skill that I have had but have never been able to use professionally.

The best of blessings to you and thank you for your service to our country as well. I do not know which I would fear more, war or illness, so you have had a "double whammy" to deal with and I commend you for your good attitude.

Good advice and I will take it
I will get regular CT Scans and do my best to stay ahead of this so it never gets ahead of me again. I would prefer avoiding any future nephrectomies because one was enough but it is better to do it early rather than later so I have to be ready for that possibility. I had to get my knee scoped last Friday and I was very apprehensive about even that surgery after experiencing the kidney operation. Fortunately, not all operations are as painful!!!!! Thank Heavens. In the meantime, my mother has Stage 4 cancer and almost checked out yesterday thanks to a reaction to her chemo. We had everyone praying we knew and she staged a full recovery from the attack. Of course, she still faces the effects of cancer without much left to stop it but she was not ready to go just yet. She is much braver than I will ever be and she loves Jesus so much. She is sure she will be in his arms within a year. I pray that God blesses and keeps her and spares her the pain. He can take her to her home in Heaven but I do not want her to suffer....

Again, God is strong enough to do anything and His will is going to be done. Amen

Ken