Radical Open Naphrectomy

icemantoo

Karin Lee said:

Kidney Tumor
Hi Shel,

I went into the ER on the 25th with severe stomache pain. While I was there they discovered I had Diverticulitis, Huge Gall stone and a tumor (9cm) on my left kidney..What a shock ..I thought I was the picture of Health....I have been to the Urologist ...I also have been to the Surgeon that is also going to remove my gallbladder at the same time..I have had a bone scan and a Chest X-ray (Thank God they came back clean)...4 Drs..have looked at my CT and they think it is contained...I will feel better after the Pathologists looks at it...have any of you had treatment if they decide it is contained? I am having my surgey the 10th..Not soon enough for me..I hate having that THING in me...The funny thing I quit smoking 21 years ago..I DON'T HAVE ANY OF THE CHARACTERISTICS THAT SUPPOSEDLY CAUSES KIDNEY CANCER...I am nervous..I am scared but I feel so relieved that all my CT's look good...Please Pray for me

Nervous, Scared
Dear Karin,

Of course you are nervous and scared. We all were when we got back our CT resuls and were told we had Kidney Cancer and than right out of the gate we are told we have to have major abdominal surgery and you are told you have some excess baggage as well.

I have never smoked and I got it anyway. From your picture I was a few years older than you which did not make things any easier for me. My surgery was 9 and 1/2 years ago this week. The good news is that Nepherectomys have been around for years and it is not as complicted as brain surgery or spinal surgery. The new stuff with the Laproscopic, DiVinci and partial are for those with smaller tumors. Mine was 4.2 cm, laproscopic and a radical Nepherectomy.

The point is that there is no way of sugar coating the surgery or the days and weeks that follow, but where it is contained you are cured. Just follow up tests to make sure it does not spead and then over the long run watch your Kidney function numbers and blood pressure and see a Nephrologist if necessary. I believe if you read my posts you will find a weath of information, straight talk and humor mixed in.

Our prayers are with you. Take it easy on the Superbowl food as you need to prep the next day. Let us here from you a few days after.



Best wishes,

Icemantoo

braswelm

Karin Lee said:

Kidney Tumor
Hi Shel,

I went into the ER on the 25th with severe stomache pain. While I was there they discovered I had Diverticulitis, Huge Gall stone and a tumor (9cm) on my left kidney..What a shock ..I thought I was the picture of Health....I have been to the Urologist ...I also have been to the Surgeon that is also going to remove my gallbladder at the same time..I have had a bone scan and a Chest X-ray (Thank God they came back clean)...4 Drs..have looked at my CT and they think it is contained...I will feel better after the Pathologists looks at it...have any of you had treatment if they decide it is contained? I am having my surgey the 10th..Not soon enough for me..I hate having that THING in me...The funny thing I quit smoking 21 years ago..I DON'T HAVE ANY OF THE CHARACTERISTICS THAT SUPPOSEDLY CAUSES KIDNEY CANCER...I am nervous..I am scared but I feel so relieved that all my CT's look good...Please Pray for me

Discovered
Karin,
Almost everyone on here discovered their kidney cancer by accident. In my case it was a routine physical that showed blood in my urine.
Had lap radical nephrectomy on 11/23, 7.8 cm, tumor was contained, no further treatment, just CT scans every six months.
I went back to work within 5 weeks, though the first 10 days after surgery can be rough.
There appear to be many theories on the cause of kidney cancer, but I too had none of the characteristics.
Keeping a positive outlook is important. Feeling nervous and scared is normal for all of us. Stay tuned to this forum, there are some great folks on here.
We will pray for you. The morning of my surgery, my prayer turned into a 'mantra' that I kept repeating....wisdom, peace, courage, strength.
I pray the same for you.
Mike

MikeK703

Karin Lee said:

Kidney Tumor
Hi Shel,

I went into the ER on the 25th with severe stomache pain. While I was there they discovered I had Diverticulitis, Huge Gall stone and a tumor (9cm) on my left kidney..What a shock ..I thought I was the picture of Health....I have been to the Urologist ...I also have been to the Surgeon that is also going to remove my gallbladder at the same time..I have had a bone scan and a Chest X-ray (Thank God they came back clean)...4 Drs..have looked at my CT and they think it is contained...I will feel better after the Pathologists looks at it...have any of you had treatment if they decide it is contained? I am having my surgey the 10th..Not soon enough for me..I hate having that THING in me...The funny thing I quit smoking 21 years ago..I DON'T HAVE ANY OF THE CHARACTERISTICS THAT SUPPOSEDLY CAUSES KIDNEY CANCER...I am nervous..I am scared but I feel so relieved that all my CT's look good...Please Pray for me

Kidney and gall bladder!
Hi Karin,
Your story sounds similar to mine -- went to the Urgent Care Center on the weekend with pain and the CT scan found a large gallstone and, of course, the kidney cancer. I had the gall bladder and the kidney removed during the same surgery. That was 18 months ago. No further treatment was necessary. I'm doing just fine now and I'm sure you'll be okay also. Nobody knows for sure what caused their kidney cancer. I gave up smoking 30 years before getting it. Could have been that, could have been a number of other things. I'm grateful that my gall bladder started acting up; otherwise, the cancer would not have been found so early.
Best of luck
Mike

lawmanmike

Karin Lee said:

Kidney Tumor
Hi Shel,

I went into the ER on the 25th with severe stomache pain. While I was there they discovered I had Diverticulitis, Huge Gall stone and a tumor (9cm) on my left kidney..What a shock ..I thought I was the picture of Health....I have been to the Urologist ...I also have been to the Surgeon that is also going to remove my gallbladder at the same time..I have had a bone scan and a Chest X-ray (Thank God they came back clean)...4 Drs..have looked at my CT and they think it is contained...I will feel better after the Pathologists looks at it...have any of you had treatment if they decide it is contained? I am having my surgey the 10th..Not soon enough for me..I hate having that THING in me...The funny thing I quit smoking 21 years ago..I DON'T HAVE ANY OF THE CHARACTERISTICS THAT SUPPOSEDLY CAUSES KIDNEY CANCER...I am nervous..I am scared but I feel so relieved that all my CT's look good...Please Pray for me

So sorry to hear...
Hi Karen - I am so sorry to hear your news - it can definitely be very scary - but it is amazing what doctors can do these days and their ability to cure you of this cancer is very real. It is great news to hear that the tumor is contained in the kidney. My surgery was about 3 weeks and the tumor was fully contained in the kidney as well. All scans were good pre-op and the pathology after surgery confirmed it was contained in the kidney with good margins all around the area they excised so they are effectively calling it a cure. Of course there will be the regular scans for the rest of my life to be sure but I am cancer free. The surgery and recovery with an open procedure is pretty intense but it is completely manageable. Just make sure to clear your plate before surgery and arrange for help after. You will be feeling much better after the first week and if you are like me you will see improvement everyday - hopefully with the knowledge that you are cancer free! Best of luck to you - you are in my thoughts and prayers!