holding off a few weeks for surgery

dramamama said:

Waiting
Thanks I guess it is everyone harassing me that has started me worrying. Yes the stress of waiting is a problem, but I have a lot of kids counting on me and they help keep my mind off the whole thing. Thanks for responding.
Virginia

Waiting
Sorry to hear you are now a member of our RCC family, but glad your tumor was found early. I originally planned to have my surgery in November of last year but ended up having it in January of this year instead. My tumor was the same size as yours. I wanted it out as soon as I was diagnosed, but My doctor said there was no urgency because it was such a slow grower. Hope this helps.

LISAinTN said:

Hi
Hi Virginia,

I'm with Mike. I wanted that thing out of me asap and I too would have had surgery the next day if I could have. That being said, I did have to wait 4 weeks for my surgery appointment, so 7 weeks probably isn't that bad, but I still like to go with the old adage, "better safe then sorry". Given a vote/choice, I'll bet your students would rather you go in asap, rather then wait for their sake.

Blessings,
Lisa

waiting
Wait if you want to. In ten years, your kids will have just moved on. But any way....I love your name of Dramamama. Shows me you have a good sense of humor. It will go a long way!
Fox.

Texas_wedge said:

waiting
Yes, striking. My first thought was that GP had changed her name and then I wondered whether we'd gained a consultant from the sub-continent - Dr Amamama.

Drama,
Dramamama,

Do you teach drama or do you want to be part of the drama? Mine was 2.6cm on the CT and 4.2 cm when they took it out 8 weeks later. Did it grow? Who knows. The MRI and CT are 4 dimensional and not always accurate. In order to avoid any drama in your life get it out ASAP. The students will do fine in any event. Your surgery and prognosis is the most important thing. Thats my 2 cents worth.

Best wishes no matter what you choose,

Icemantoo

dramamama said:

Actually I teach drama and
Actually I teach drama and music and the commitment that I feel I must fulfill is a trip to NYC with the Jazz choir that over $30,000.00 has been spent on and it is too late to cancel and get a refund. I am the only staff member going (Lots of parents) and I am the only chorus teacher and the group is performing while on the trip. So I guess I can only hope that slow growing is slow growing. Thanks for all your replies.

NYC...
dramamama,

Have a great trip and don't forget to enjoy yourself. In your shoes I'd probably make the same choice, at 3.0cm you are catching it very early.

Keep us posted,

Gary

livealive said:

Personally speaking
DM - you determine your priorities. I am told of a renal vein invasion from a 2.5 cm tumor, so although I think Gary/Tex are right, there are always exceptions. I waited from 11/28 to 1/19 - considering holidays, finding the right doctor...but who knows ? They put me at stage 3.

I am not saying you change your decision, but while you are breaking a leg, at the bottom of your mind, will remain the truth of this situation, if you can handle it, fine. You need to see the pathology report to know what's in there, than can only happen once you remove the tumor.

My vote - get it out, the world can wait.

R.

waiting
IN September of 2011 I had pain in my abdomen. The doctor did a ct scan. It picked up a 'worrisome' mass at the lower pole on my right kidney and a possible spot on my lung. A second ct scan of the lung and an ultrasound of the kidney showed the same result.He told me to get a pulmonary doctor first. Which i did. He did a pet scan and nothing lit up. He then did a broncoscopy - the results were negative for cancer. He referred me to a urologist. By now, it was November. The urologist referred me to the radiology interventionist. He and I decided to do a biopsy. This was on Dec. 30. It was positive for papillary cancer. He referred me to a specialist in Chicago. That appointment was on Feb. 1, 2012. He set my surgery for March 27. He called me two weeks ago after I had my pre-op blood tests and xrays and resceduled for April 3. My tumor is 3.0 cm. I was already on the 'count down' til my surgery and like the others, I just wanted it out of me and to have this done and over with. Then I freaked out a little when it was rescheduled. But as others pointed out to me, it may be a good sign that they pushed it back - meaning it isn't urgent. I probably would have freaked out more if they would have called and said 'get in here tomorrow'. I have a well-reknowned Dr.and have been told I am in good hands. He is tops in his field. You should be ok if your doctor says so. I have been waiting since Sept. to find out what is going on and now to get rid of it. I, too, am a teacher and I am putting on a play today. I do the costumes, so if I had had the surgery right away, I wouldn't have fulfilled my obligation. Good luck.

Texas_wedge said:

Waiting - surgery or surveillance
My discussion earlier today with a highly expert consultant, following a board discussion of my case yesterday among a substantial team including a renal oncologist, radiologist and others, may be of interest to some here.

The Consultant (the associated medical school was recently rated number one in the UK) commented that these days the policy is not to routinely operate on tumours smaller than 3cm. It is well known that the human body constantly generates tumours which are effectively coped with and eliminated by the immune system {strangely, I recall writing something to a similar effect on a thread here only the other day}. The intelligent approach is therefore, in most cases, to watch an identified tumour for a period without engaging in probably gratuitous invasive procedures. Some tumours will disappear completely, some will shrink, some will remain the same size for years with no indication of malignancy. Should there be signs of adverse developments, and certainly if the tumour changes, e.g. by becoming larger, then surgical intervention is called for.

That highly informed commentary may make the decision more comfortable for the likes of dramamama and offer some solace to Raj about the "pseudotumour" that was not reported to him for a couple of years, although it was plainly wrong that he was not informed and given the opportunity to make the decision himself as to how to react to the discovery. (Since in Raj's case the path report showed grade 3 it seems to me unpardonable that he was not informed earlier.)

1.9 cm malignant
Hi Tex,

While I agree that dramamama is making the right decision to hold off on surgery for a couple of months, I'm not certain it is wise to leave these masses unattended until they reach 3cm (assuming they are discovered earlier). Having had a partial nephrectomy for a 1.9 cm malignant tumour, I'm very relieved to have had it taken out at Stage 1 (Grade 2).

My urologists said it would be perfectly safe for me to wait and check the complex cyst in my upper left kidney in 6 months. Based on my MRI and CT scan, my differential diagnosis was oncocytoma with no indication of malignancy (it didn't turn out to be as innocent as it looked). While it is possible that I could have lived much longer with the tumour without risk of spread, I was already experiencing extreme fatigue -- a symptom that has disappeared since my surgery. That tells me there was something systemic going on. Do these tumours really just disappear spontaneously?

In terms of dealing with the stress and uncertainty of learning that I had cancer, it really helps me to know that they got it early and that it was fully encapsulated. And of course what happened to Raj was unconscionable.

I really hope your board discussion went well and that you have found a good strategy for managing your own care as well. It sounds like you have the best of the best on your side.

One Lucky Girl said:

1.9 cm malignant
Hi Tex,

While I agree that dramamama is making the right decision to hold off on surgery for a couple of months, I'm not certain it is wise to leave these masses unattended until they reach 3cm (assuming they are discovered earlier). Having had a partial nephrectomy for a 1.9 cm malignant tumour, I'm very relieved to have had it taken out at Stage 1 (Grade 2).

My urologists said it would be perfectly safe for me to wait and check the complex cyst in my upper left kidney in 6 months. Based on my MRI and CT scan, my differential diagnosis was oncocytoma with no indication of malignancy (it didn't turn out to be as innocent as it looked). While it is possible that I could have lived much longer with the tumour without risk of spread, I was already experiencing extreme fatigue -- a symptom that has disappeared since my surgery. That tells me there was something systemic going on. Do these tumours really just disappear spontaneously?

In terms of dealing with the stress and uncertainty of learning that I had cancer, it really helps me to know that they got it early and that it was fully encapsulated. And of course what happened to Raj was unconscionable.

I really hope your board discussion went well and that you have found a good strategy for managing your own care as well. It sounds like you have the best of the best on your side.

Hi OLG
I was interested in your comment about extreme fatigue. I have been sooooooo tired. Since I get up at 5 am, I have had a policy of going to bed at 9 to get my 8 hours. I was finding my bed time inched up to 8 o'clock, then 7 o'clock. Then I found that when I got home from work, I just wanted to skip supper and go to bed. I had a feeling that this small tumor might have something to do with it. Also, I am just lethargic, when I am awake I have no get up and go. Can't seem to get anything done. I teach junior high students, but I have done for 15 years. I used to go in on the weekend to organize for the week, but can't seem to get motivated anymore. On the weekends, I sometimes sleep 10 to 12 hours on Friday night. Often a nap on Sat. or Sun. Bottom line, I am tired of being tired. Just a year ago I taught school during the day and had a part time job at night and on weekends and still kept it all together. I am hopeful with your post that I will get my energy back!

One Lucky Girl said:

Fatigue
Hi j-rod,

Yes, the fatigue was highly unusual for me too and is what ultimately sent me to the doctor. I walked in and told her I was embarrassed to be taking up her time because I wasn't sick, just way too tired. She was wonderful and told me I was absolutely right to have come. I had blood work done and requested an abdominal CT scan at the same time (I just had this idea I couldn't shake that there was a tumour somewhere). I did in fact have low iron, but that is normal for me. I received a total dose iron infusion, which helped a little, but didn't take away the fog from my brain.

I am four weeks post-surgery now, and although still recovering, feel as bright as a button. I hope (and believe) you will have the same positive outcome.

Anaemia and fatigue
These are both things most of us have to contend with after what we've been through (though I must admit I've never had either, for which I'm very thankful) but, j_rod, I'd have thought what you're suffering is serious enough to call for serious professional help.

Sleep is an intriguing and important topic. My Daughter recently drew my attention to a fascinating item on the BBC World Service which I reckon might interest most of us here:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783

It's entitled "The Myth of the eight-hour sleep" and I think the message in it could save a lot of people a lot of time, a lot of anxiety and a lot of unnecessary ill-health.