Anyone Stage 4 and still working?

donna_lee

Stage 4-still Active cancer? or Dx'd with Stage 4 from the beginning. Two different situations. In 2006, it was Stage 4: Had Right Kidney, set of nodes under it, L Lobe of liver, plus several biopsy samples taken of rest of liver…and a congenitally defective gall bladder and duct remove in the same 11.5 hr. surgery. When I was able to drive without problems, I went back to work. Wait 1 year & C.T. comparisons showed a node enlarging, had a biopsy and a 4 hr. surgery to remove it. The same story a year later, but had a PET scan to confirm and another 4 hr. surgery.

Since 2008, I've had uncountable CT's/Pelvic U.S. with Chest X-ray/ labs for blood and urine/many visits to Oncologist, Internist, Nephrologist, etc. I still work a 6-8 hr. day at 82 yrs. The good part is that after 2022, my oncologist sent a letter saying he was retiring, and he was turning my care over to my other docs to monitor as it was determined I didn't need to see an oncologist at this time. YAY.

Treatments and drugs available have changed sooo much since that time. Progress is good.

All I can do is wish you the best…and all of you who happen to click on this post. Survive the best way you can.

donna_lee

klarsen316a

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1721197#Comment_1721197

Hi Donna! That’s great that you don’t need the oncologist anymore. I have stage 4 kidney cancer in my right kidney with nodules in my lung. My diagnosis was in June 2024. The nodules have not changed in size or anything so they monitor them with CT scans. I cannot have surgery on my kidney because I donated my left kidney in 2003 to my sister, therefore I am dependent on treatments and meds. I am on keytruda every 3 weeks and take Lenvima every night. Lots of other meds too for blood pressure, anxiety and depression too. I still work full time as I don’t feel I need to stop yet. I do work from home so that’s a bonus. My manager understands my situation and is really great about it all. I have seen shrinkage of my mass in the kidney of 1.22”, so something is working! I haven’t given up hope on this yet, but the treatment road is tough sometimes.
Wishing you all the best in your journey on this! Hugs to you!

donna_lee

Glad to hear the meds are working. When I started this road in 2006, the two drugs they had were still in testing phase and the Med Oncologist at the University Hospital working with them did not recommend I use them. Sorafinib and Sunitinib. They have finally recognized they should only be used to shrink tumors, but it does not kill the cancer. Every 3 month monitoring with CT caught the single node enlargements two more times and they were surgically removed. Since 2008, there have been lots of tests. No Oncologist any more, but I've been seeing a Nephrologist for about 4-5 years. He's concerned about BP, and has a urinalysis done along with blood work. My eGFR bounces around the 3 (+ or -). Staying hydrated is tops on my list of daily activities…lots in And lots out.

I'm proud of you for donating a kidney. During the second hospital recovery time, an R.N had just come back to work after donating one to her dad.

My husband knew I had RH- blood and he had the same A- type and made the grand gesture that he could donate to me. (doesn't always work out with the other things that have to match), but he ended up with borderline CKD later.

In the past three years, I think he gave up on taking care of the various other problems he had (there were several), and he died from a balance issue and hit his head on the concrete floor. He was knocked out and probably had a brain hemorrhage when I found him a few hours later on 1/1/24 He had just turned 81; I was anticipating something happening within the next year, but not that.

Life throws some fantastic curve balls. All we can do is live the best way we know how…and keep trying to move the football down the field.

All best wishes, donna_lee