Does anyone else feel like a "cheater" when they say survivor?

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  • North Dakota Gal
    North Dakota Gal Member Posts: 1
    edited October 2017 #22
    "Survivor"

    I am two weeks post surgery to remove my kidney cancer.  I also questioned the legitimacy of my "cancer survivor" designation, as I went in for surgery feeling pertty doggone good, and I've been pretty lucky post surgery - I've felt better and stronger each day.  I figured my surgeon did all the tough work, I just lay there and recovered.  

    My cancer was discovered after a fall from a horse 8 weeks ago resulted in a subdural hematoma and three broken ribs - and a life-saving CT scan of the pelvis.  I  had more pain recovering from the broken ribs and concussion than from the kidney surgery. It's been a difficult 8 weeks, I'm glad that I was able to take the time off of work and concentrate on getting better.  

    I am cancer free and will have the follow up CT scans every 3 months.  I guess that makes me an official Cancer Survivor.  

  • ImNotDeadYet
    ImNotDeadYet Member Posts: 244
    #23
    I've been thinking about this post for a bit now

    It's a term I struggled with at first, but eventually came to embrace. I generally don't say that I've 'survived' cancer, as that seems a bit overly confident. However, I figure that as long as I'm alive, I'm surviving cancer.

  • Steve.Adam
    Steve.Adam Member Posts: 463 Member
    edited November 2017 #24
    foxhd said:

    People have said this many times.

    They say they don't really think that they are survivors. Because others aren't so lucky. Hey, Congratulations! For people like me who hope to hang on as long as I can, I could not be happier for all of you. Please don't squander your good fortune. The rest of us need your karma. We do this together.

    Lucky lucky lucky

    Fox, i can tell you that I feel very lucky.

    I don't know what it means to live a good life, but I'm working on it.

    Thank you for being around.

    Steve.

     

  • randyradiohill
    randyradiohill Member Posts: 68 Member
    #25
    Survivor...oh yeah!

    We've all survived.  I had my surgery a little over a week ago and even though the tumor was very small (2.7cm) it had broken containment.  My margins were negative, nothing in lymph nodes or surrounding fat.  Even though my surgeon is very positive, I am wondering in the back of my  mind if I still have cancer cells running thru me only to show up somewhere else.  It's early in my recovery I know, but the scans are going to be scary.  Yep, we are definitely "survivors."

  • klj15
    klj15 Member Posts: 38
    #26
    I also felt this way. After

    I also felt this way. After reading all of these posts, I think it's safe to say that we are not alone in feeling this way, but we are all definitely survivors! Some of us will have a longer and tougher battle to fight, but we all have had (and some still have) cancer, and we are living and surviving the disease every day. None of us are free and clear or healed 100% like people think because our surgery worked and we had clear margins. Our cancer can come back at any time. We all have worries and anxieties from scan to scan, blood draw to blood draw. We are definitely surviving this challenge!

  • Mandakf
    Mandakf Member Posts: 11
    #27
    Super Blessed Survivor

    Im a 42 yo woman that had partial robotic nephrectomy for a deep 4cm tumor near collecting system October 9th.  Completely Asymptomatic, Incidental diagnosis August 22nd.  I feel like if I had to get cancer I’m blessed to have received a diagnosis while it was still confined to kidney and treatable.  I’m blessed that the surgeon was able to save my kidney given the location and depth of the tumor.  The time waiting for surgery was rough.  The surgery recovery was a lot harder than I anticipated.  

    I know what you mean about feeling like us RCC peps don‘t have it as rough as some other folks with cancer.  I think by talking about RCC and being a “survivor “ brings awareness to Help people look at what’s happening with their body.  

    When I got my diagnosis I went to the ER because I had some severe lower abdominal pain that I couldn’t shake.  I went into work and waited 12 hours before I finally went to the ER.  I thought it was appendicitis so finally went in.  ( it was a burst ovarian cyst, the bleeding was causing the pain.) If I hadn’t gone to the ER I would still have that nasty tumor growing Inside me.  Sometimes your body will help bring the problems to light.  

    When I first got my diagnosis I did not want to tell anyone.  Now I tell everyone.  I’m so thankful 

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