Life Changing

maxdog

Hello,
I am a 48 year old female who had a abdominal ultra sound for gallbladder pain and a kidney lesion was discovered. Followed up with a CT scan w/ and without contrast...still not sure if its solid....MRI confirmed solid renal mass 2.1cm. I immediately researched RCC and top docs/hospitals in the Philadelphia area. I met with a urologist and in the same visit, I scheduled my partial nephrectomy for July 31, 2011. I am being realistic and upbeat about my diagnosis and the upcoming surgery because I've been going through testing since March. Each time I had a test, my life flashed in front of me...worrying about my husband and children...the future....sooo, when the final word that the "lesion" was solid, I felt strong and decided to hit this thing head first. I do have pangs of sadness and fear at times, but I know that I was lucky to find the lesion early and I am grateful. I went for CT/chest, bone scan, and kidney function test over a week ago and lastly on the 24th, I have pre op blood work and EKG scheduled. Throughout this emotional roller coaster, I am realizing what is important to me in my life. I've decided to scale down to part time work, I am looking at my relationships with others differently and am looking forward to 8 weeks of R&R....(less the pain of the surgery.) I have a large family and lots of friends to support me, but most of all I have God in my life who will always be by my side. I hope in the future I can be helpful and encouraging to others through my experience.....right now I'm putting on my seatbelt and waiting for the ride to begin!

icemantoo

Time Travel
Maxdog,

According to your post your surgery on July 31, 2011 was almost a year ago. At 2.1 cm you should have no trouble having a full and complete recovery and be back to full time work if you want to after your 8 weeks of R&R. On the day after your real surgery (August 1, 2012) it will be the 10th Anniversery of when they took my little bugger out. While I can't sugar coat the surgery and the recovery, looking back it was a mere bump in the road and 10 years from now you can be the 10 year survivor and I will be the 20 year survivor. Faye across the street from me is at 17 years already and she is only 81. I am trying to get her to join us online, but she does not like the internet.


Icemantoo

adman

Same here....
Max dog,
I was diagnosed on 06/12/12 with an approx 6.2cm tumor on my right kidney (Stage 1). I received the preliminary pathology on Thursday and I was told that It appears to be a non-aggressive grade. Mine was found by a random CT scan due to a hernia operation I had scheduled. A miracle indeed!!!
I had a radical (RN) this past Tuesday after getting 3 opinions and educating myself on this new challenge very quickly. I have went thru a myriad of emotions & also see this as an opportunity for me to reconnect to life & what is important, what I want, need, etc. All normal I believe. I think it's the person that doesn't see it in this way that should be questioning themselves. For me that includes a 'creator', but it doesn't have to. I'm talking about connecting and appreciating, all universal concepts.
I've had a great outcome thus far. I came home after 2 1/2 days and am resting and improving every day. The little things like a first BM yesterday means so much. Basically, smelling the flowers. For me this is huge. I have not been a 'glass 1/2 full' guy in my life, I pray that this continues to change and this is a new beginning for me. I also pray for you. I know you will be fine. God Bless!!

Pacer412

Max dog,
I was diagnosed
Max dog,
I was diagnosed with a 2 cm tumor in my kidney on May 30. I have know two ppl that were also diagnosed with the same thing two years ago. They both has a partial kidney removed, no chemo or radiation...cancer free. I, also, had a partial on June 18th, and was informed that all margins were clear and the cancer is gone. Less than a five percent chance of reoccurrence. I am very blessed that it was discovered by accident. It happened so quickly and was over with so quickly that I don't think that it has even registered yet. Good luck to you.
Sue

maxdog

Pacer412 said:

Max dog,
I was diagnosed
Max dog,
I was diagnosed with a 2 cm tumor in my kidney on May 30. I have know two ppl that were also diagnosed with the same thing two years ago. They both has a partial kidney removed, no chemo or radiation...cancer free. I, also, had a partial on June 18th, and was informed that all margins were clear and the cancer is gone. Less than a five percent chance of reoccurrence. I am very blessed that it was discovered by accident. It happened so quickly and was over with so quickly that I don't think that it has even registered yet. Good luck to you.
Sue

Encouragement
Thanks Sue for the sharing the info with me. From what I am reading, it is a good thing that this was caught by accident. When I went to the urologist, I knew what I had to do and I just scheduled the surgery without a blink of an eye. I read the statistics and type of surgery that could be performed and it was exactly what the urologist offered. I am a nurse and often see the end result of not being proactive with ones health issues. I must say, I'm not looking forward to the surgery. How is the recuperation going? How many days in the hospital? I was told 3-5....Im shooting for 3...I'll feel more comfortable at home. I hope each day brings more strength and healing.

maxdog

adman said:

Same here....
Max dog,
I was diagnosed on 06/12/12 with an approx 6.2cm tumor on my right kidney (Stage 1). I received the preliminary pathology on Thursday and I was told that It appears to be a non-aggressive grade. Mine was found by a random CT scan due to a hernia operation I had scheduled. A miracle indeed!!!
I had a radical (RN) this past Tuesday after getting 3 opinions and educating myself on this new challenge very quickly. I have went thru a myriad of emotions & also see this as an opportunity for me to reconnect to life & what is important, what I want, need, etc. All normal I believe. I think it's the person that doesn't see it in this way that should be questioning themselves. For me that includes a 'creator', but it doesn't have to. I'm talking about connecting and appreciating, all universal concepts.
I've had a great outcome thus far. I came home after 2 1/2 days and am resting and improving every day. The little things like a first BM yesterday means so much. Basically, smelling the flowers. For me this is huge. I have not been a 'glass 1/2 full' guy in my life, I pray that this continues to change and this is a new beginning for me. I also pray for you. I know you will be fine. God Bless!!

Thanks adman
Thanks adman for sharing and your encouraging words. I know what you mean when you said you had to educate yourself on this "new challenge." The wild range of emotions were escalated for me because I am a nurse and I work in hospice. I started to have every symptom, ache and pain and all it was my mind racing and STRESS. Once I started relaxation techniques (youtube yoga moves...lol) I calmed down and am feeling fine. I never had any "kidney" symptoms. Wow, you are 5 days post op and supporting others! What I am focusing this week (1 week prior to surgery) is just relaxing and reflecting on what is best for me. I'm a wife, mother (of 16, 18, & 20 year old) and now its time for ME. This situation is also huge for me and changing I will do....keep in touch with your progress. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers and wish that each day brings strength and positive thoughts.

foxhd

maxdog said:

Encouragement
Thanks Sue for the sharing the info with me. From what I am reading, it is a good thing that this was caught by accident. When I went to the urologist, I knew what I had to do and I just scheduled the surgery without a blink of an eye. I read the statistics and type of surgery that could be performed and it was exactly what the urologist offered. I am a nurse and often see the end result of not being proactive with ones health issues. I must say, I'm not looking forward to the surgery. How is the recuperation going? How many days in the hospital? I was told 3-5....Im shooting for 3...I'll feel more comfortable at home. I hope each day brings more strength and healing.

life changing
Boy, it sure is a shock to ones self to be confronted with a cancer diagnosis. My radical nephrectomy was in march 2011. I was fit and strong. Weight training 4-5 x week, running 3 miles every other day for years. At 59, I had just told my wife that I was feeling like I was in my 30's again. That same night I developed tremendous pain and was peeing blood. 7.5 cm stage 3 tumor was removed a couple days later. My 35 years as a physical therapist prepared me to know that someday something would probably kill me. I didn't know what but both my mom and sister had kidney disease. I did well with my recovery until several months later when they found fairly extensive mets in lungs ,liver, lymph nodes and then bones. Then reality hit home. I had only a few months to live. I cried a little bit then. No bucket list for me. I needed to stay strong for my family. I am one of the fortunate few who may still beat this disease. I qualified for a clinical trial of MDX-1106. It has eliminated 80% of my tumors over the last 6 months. I am again very active. I exercise and run, golf and spend much time on my Harley. I'm here to baby sit my grandaughters 2-3 times a week. I joke, I offer insight, I listen, I console. I think about cancer continuously yet it does not run my life. I live each day as if I am going to be here forever. No sense of urgency. No mental stress. I guess the point is that it has become a way of life. Some people are short, some are italian, we have cancer. I guess the coping becomes easier and you are able to move on. So...Good Luck to you. And welcome to our board. There is always a lot of helpful information and experiences to share here. Fox.

Pacer412

maxdog said:

Encouragement
Thanks Sue for the sharing the info with me. From what I am reading, it is a good thing that this was caught by accident. When I went to the urologist, I knew what I had to do and I just scheduled the surgery without a blink of an eye. I read the statistics and type of surgery that could be performed and it was exactly what the urologist offered. I am a nurse and often see the end result of not being proactive with ones health issues. I must say, I'm not looking forward to the surgery. How is the recuperation going? How many days in the hospital? I was told 3-5....Im shooting for 3...I'll feel more comfortable at home. I hope each day brings more strength and healing.

I spent only two days in the
I spent only two days in the hospital. The pain really wasn't too bad after I came home. I couldn't sleep in a bed so I spent most of my time in a recliner. I'm five weeks out and just have some soreness in my side, but I am extremely tired. That seems to be the only problem. Even though you may feel well after five or six days, don't over-do. It's hard, but you really need to do it. My Aunt, who also had a partial, was up walking a lot and sitting in a stiff chair b/c her daughter was in the hospital. About 10 days after surgery, she ended up in the hospital again for clots. Just be patient and you will be fine.